Orc Dominion: Triumph Ch. 06

"We're almost through! There's the path! Keep going!" Augras was still squared off against his initial opponent and just couldn't seem to gain an advantage. It no longer mattered though, as the Prince wasn't intent on killing him. Rather, he just wanted to escape the trap with as much of his force as possible.

Fortunately, the Thestans were ready to oblige. As soon as they reached the first fork in the path they began to retreat in good order into the mountain, leaving Augras and his men free to retreat towards the camp. It seems they don't want a fight to the death either, which is smart; they want to harass and retreat, not fight a pitched battle. Oh shit! "Don't pursue! Fall back!" Augras shouted as he grabbed the armor of the nearest Minotaur and pulled back.

His muscles strained, and if it weren't for his magically enhanced physique he would have been pulled forward by the Minotaur. Fortunately, the rest of the men took heed, and continued the descent down the mountain.

"How many did we lose?" Augras asked Brindhour once they returned to the outpost.

"Four dead, another dozen wounded." The chieftain replied. "But not seriously."

"That's damn near everyone all the same!" Augras replied. "They got us good, but at least now we're aware of the danger. Let's head back and tell the King." The return to camp passed uneventfully, and Augras was quickly taken to his uncle.

"Well? You're back quickly, nephew. What did you learn?"

"That those mountains are a death trap, Your Highness. At some point the Thestans created a maze of footpaths and goat trails that they can use to ambush us at will. It will take a considerable force to secure them all." Augras replied.

"They can't have that many troopers. The scouts who watched them approach said they thought it was a thousand. But the Sandoran army is still out there as well, and the last thing we want is to get them into the army. But we can't get through, and we can't stay here, at least not without bleeding our army dry." Grotok grunted in frustration as he looked at the map. "Unless you have some other magic trick up your sleeve?"

"There is a way." Marishka said as she stepped into the tent. "Another spell that would work." She looked from Grotok to Augras. "But you're not going to like it. At first." A faint smile crossed her lips. "You will though, in time."

Augras pulled the helmet off his head and traced his finger along the scratch made by the arrow. That was too close. Grotok is right, we can't go forward and we can't stay here. We need another option. "Tell me."

****

Amelie took a deep breath and smiled with pleasure as she enjoyed the warmer climate of Zentara. While there was still a brisk chill in the air, it still felt much better than the freezing temperatures of the mountain. Amelie led two hundred of her knights down into Zentara on the secret paths and trails she had cut through the mountains over the years. With only a thousand troopers with her at the moment she couldn't directly challenge the orcs, but she could harry and harass them.

Ever since the Elfin Isles had been brought into Zentara's sphere of influence through strong-arm diplomacy and blackmail, she had been preparing for war. Lyriena's warnings had proven prescient, and Amelie regretted that she wasn't able to help the elf sooner. I'm getting too old to be campaigning in the mountains in winter. To be even thirty-five again! Part of her preparation, in addition to building the now ruined castles, was to cut secret paths and trails through the mountain and to map them extensively.

None were large enough to move a full army through, but with patience she was able to move her knights around the mountain to ambush the orcs, and even lead small groups into Zentara itself. Of course, once the orcs knew they had this capability they'd secure both the mountains and the rear. But that would tie them up in the Pass even longer, which was what she was really after.

"I'm glad to be off that mountain, Your Highness, and not a moment too soon. It'd be just fine with me if we took a week or two to get back as well." One of her knights said.

"Oh I expect we'll be a couple days at least. What, don't tell me you're tired of my mountain retreat already? Our little holiday has just started!"

"He's worried about his manhood freezing off, Your Highness." Another soldier chimed in.

"Shut your mouth!" The original soldier said as his face flushed.

Amelie laughed. "He should be: that camp follower back in Heste has a standing claim to it, and even I wouldn't want to cross her."

The soldier flushed an even brighter shade of red. "You know about that?"

"Her Highness knows all," a nearby sergeant remarked, "you'd best remember that!"

The Thestan Queen signaled her troop to halt as she spied a caravan headed north along the road. Despite the large number of wagons, it appeared to be only lightly guarded by mounted cavalry. But since it was headed directly towards the orc encampment, whatever it was had to be important to their war effort.

They must be so sure that their rear is secure they're not fully guarding their supplies. Well, more fool them! Amelie whistled sharply and then spurred her horse and began charging forward. When the guards spotted them coming, they formed up into a wedge and began riding out to meet them. They must be trying to buy time for the caravan to escape, but there's no hope of that.

Fifty of her men peeled off to seize the caravan while the rest continued towards the guards. Even with their reduced number they still outnumbered the Zentarans five to one. As the two forces neared collision she pulled out her first javelin. Taking careful aim despite the pace of her galloping horse, she threw the javelin forward. The thin spear lanced through the neck of the closest rider's horse, sending the beast tumbling to the ground and throwing the rider forward. She quickly grabbed her second javelin, and as she trampled over the thrown orc she threw the second one, this time launching it into the chest of another guard and slamming him off his horse.

With both javelins gone, she quickly unslung her shield and drew her sword, and not a moment too soon. A burly orc, who was so large he looked almost comical on his horse was charging towards her. She deflected his sword with her shield and then stood up high on her stirrups. The other orc was still seated, giving her enough reach to slash her sword towards his leather helm.

The orc pushed her blade aside with his own shield, and then countered with a strong blow, as if he meant to cleave right through her shield. She squeezed her legs around the horse and it sat back on its hind legs, causing the orc to miss completely and over extend himself. Another squeeze and the horse stood upright once more, which Amelie quickly capitalized on.

She thrust her sword forward, thrusting it deep into the orc's eye socket. Dark blood spilled out as the tip pushed through and punctured his brain. Amelie withdrew it quickly and left the orc to fall off his horse as she looked for another target. An orc was pressing one of her men hard, but in doing so had left his back exposed.

A quick slash of her sword cut through the back of the orc's neck, severing his spinal cord but not quite making it all the way through his neck. The grey orc's head flopped forward comically, and she spared her trooper a quick nod before returning her attention to the battlefield.

The battle was quickly going in their favor, not that it was ever in doubt. The orcs were starting to be pushed back and enveloped on all sides before the Thestan's greater numbers and skill. Looking back towards the road, she saw that the rest of her troop had intercepted the caravan, bringing a smile to her face. This was turning out to be a very successful raid, especially for one just starting.

She allowed the battle to sweep past her as she saw the orc civilians managing the caravan get rounded up. Oh by the Abyss, what am I going to do with them? She didn't want to kill them, though she knew that's what Henry would insist upon. If they weren't killed now, they'd have to be later. But maybe then it wouldn't be my hands their blood is on.

When enough distance had been created she rode over to the caravan. "What did we get, men?"

"Food, mostly. Some oversized weapons and armor." The sergeant seemed disappointed.

"Hoping for the payroll?" Amelie replied with a quip. "The weapons and armor are probably for the strange beasts we've heard about. But food?" She pursed her lips thoughtfully and began inspecting the haul. I'd have thought they'd have already stored all their food for the winter. By the Abyss, there shouldn't be this much food to begin with! The Zentarans were supposed to be starving!

"You there!" She called out to one of the orcs. "Where did this food come from?" When no one responded, she pointed her bloody sword at the nearest orc and wiped it clean on his tunic. "Answer!"

"From the fields, My Lady! The fields the Prince blessed!"

"The Prince? Which Prince?" She asked.

"Prince Augras, my lady, he cast some spell on the fields, and made all the crops grow again, and again. There's another harvest growing even now!"

"Another harvest? In this weather? You must be mad!" Strange creatures, earthquakes that swallow entire castles, and now this? What is going on?

"It's true My Lady!" The other orcs nodded in agreement. "The Prince has some strange magic!"

Amelie looked towards the sergeant. "You and your men take them back to our camp and question them further. The rest of us are going to push further into Zentara." She sighed softly. At least it gives me an excuse to spare them. For now, anyway.

With the prisoners secured and on their way, Amelie took the rest of her force and continued heading south east into Zentara. To her surprise, they started to see more signs of recent harvests and planted fields. Can they really be expecting another harvest?

It seemed they could. They started to see golden stalks of wheat breaking out of the freshly tilled earth. The deeper into the country they got, the taller the wheat had grown. "This is impossible." She muttered in disbelief. Our entire strategy is falling apart. Amelie signaled her troop to halt, and then turned to address the nearest sergeant. "Send one detachment to fan out and burn the fields. Tell them to destroy as much of it as they can. Then take another detachment and capture some farmers. I want to know how this is possible."

The sergeant nodded and rode off to carry out her orders. Where do we go from here? She wondered and began putting her mind to the problem. In the short term, Heste will continue to be the center of gravity. We can still sweep the orcs out of Heste. But it's going to be much bloodier on our front. We can't count on keeping the Zentarans pent up. It will be all we can do to keep them out of Thesta!

Amelie looked out over the field as the flames began to climb towards the sky. That's a good start. We're going to have to step up the raids behind their lines. Keep them off balance and distracted. But she feared that wouldn't be enough. I need to get back to the camp, interrogate the prisoners, and send messages out to my allies.

A short time later her detachments returned with a family of human serfs. "I am Queen Amelie of Thesta. You have my word you won't be harmed, but I do require that you come with me. As long as you cooperate you have nothing to fear." That being said, she turned her horse and led her troopers back to the camp at a hard gallop.

The sun set and rose again before her party reached their camp, leaving Amelie feeling dead on her feet. I'll write to Henry, Brigitte, and Anna after a nap. "Keep the farmers under guard, but separate from the orcs. I'll want to compare their stories later and I don't want them collaborating." She told the sergeant. "Actually, turn them over to whomever the watch commander is at the moment, and then get some rest. Make sure he understands my instructions though."

The sergeant saluted and went off to deliver the prisoners while Amelie made her way back to her tent. Amelie smiled at the guard standing outside her tent. "Good morning Richards. Everything quiet last night?"

"Yes, Your Highness, at least over here. No visitors to your tent."

"Good, good. Help me remove my armor. I'm going to take a quick nap, so please make sure I'm not disturbed unless it's an emergency." After Richards helped remove her chain shirt and cuirass, Amelie closed the flaps to her tent and pulled off her boots, and then her pants as well. She slipped on a white shift and sighed at how nice the soft cotton felt after a day in armor.

I can't wait until the war is over, she thought as she lay down on her cot. A moment later she was fast asleep.

****

The ocean spray bathed Amelie's face as she stood on the bow of the ship. The salty smell of the sea and the warm sun made her smile, but not so much as the feeling of triumph building inside her chest. Her fleet was approaching Ruar, which lay defenseless before her. The war, and the orc threat, would be over in a matter of days.

A dark shadow crossing beneath the path of the ship drew her gaze to the water. Terror sprung up within her as the water churned, followed by an explosion of water as eight large tentacles burst forth from the sea. "Kraken!"

A javelin was in her hands in a flash, and she quickly threw it at the giant sea monster. It sliced through the air and slammed into the nearest tentacle. But the missile just bounced off harmlessly and dropped into the water. The head of the massive beast rose out of the water, and a furious wail spilled out of its gaping maw.

Amelie looked into the inky depths of its black eye and drew her second javelin. She launched it straight at the beast's great eye, but to her surprise and dismay it fell well short of her target. How did I miss? I never miss! Her arms just felt so weak, and she herself felt so tired.

As her shoulders drooped under the weight of her armor, one of the massive tentacles swept down and wrapped around her waist, plucking her straight off the deck. Amelie struggled to draw her sword, but it was trapped beneath the slimy tendril. As the gooey film coating the tentacles rubbed across her armor, the leather and steel protection began to disintegrate and break away.

In the blink of an eye she was dangling naked in the massive beast's grasp! Amelie burned in shame as her body was revealed to the crew of her ship. The sailors and soldiers below stopped to gape in surprise as their Queen was stripped by the humungous sea monster. Worse, more tentacles began to appear and swirl around her thrashing body.

The undersides of the fleshy appendages were covered in suction cups which latched onto each nipple. "Ah!" She cried out as the tentacles squeezed the nubs and began to work them fiercely in their grasp. The nubs swelled and hardened, pulsing against the constricting cups and sending sharp shivers of pleasure through her body.

The Kraken began pulling her down, and its huge mouth opened wide. It's going to eat me! Fear shot through her as she approached the cavernous depths. But then its massive pink tongue rolled out and upwards, right between her legs.

"Ooooh!" She cried out in spite of herself. There was something about it that was so warm and secure despite the wet, sticky texture. As it licked further between her legs she found herself opening to it and cooing even louder in response.

Below her she could hear her men jeering. Although she couldn't make out what they were saying, she somehow knew that they were looking at her with revulsion and contempt. She could feel them losing all respect for her as she thrashed in pleasure atop the kraken's tongue, and somehow that only turned her on even more.

Amelie couldn't understand why she was getting so turned on by the kraken's repulsive tongue. It had been a long time since her husband had passed, a long time since she'd been with another person. But this wasn't a person, it was a monster! "MMM!" She moaned again as the kraken's tongue rubbed against her sensitive nether lips and flicked against her swollen clit.

The world turned upside down as the kraken flipped her around. Amelie's brown hair hung beneath her as the tentacle lowered her towards the deck of the ship. She flushed in shame as her soldiers got an even better view of her naked body being pleasured by the sea creature's tentacles. The tongue continued to lap at her slit, and when she cried out in pleasure one of the slimy tendrils pushed between her lips and plunged deep inside her mouth.

"Mmmppllhhg!" She sputtered as the tentacle forced itself down into her throat. Amelie's eyes bulged and began to water as she choked on the writhing tendril. It pushed in and out, fucking her throat furiously as she dangled above the ship.

"Look at her suck that thing!"

"Damn she's taking it all the way in!"

"What a whore!"

It's fucking my throat! She wanted to scream, before realizing that she was sucking it! Somehow her lips had begin working the slimy flesh between them while her tongue licked and swirled along the suckers on the bottom, tracing each curve of the suction cups as the tentacle pushed into her body. Why am I doing this? Why can't I stop?

The more her men jeered, the harder and more energetically she sucked. She threw herself into the task, lavishing attention upon it as it ravished her throat. The other tentacles continued to squeeze and rub her tits, their constant attention making her normally modest tits swell and grow lewdly.

Her breasts swung ponderously beneath her, slapping against the kraken's tentacles as the monster continued to abuse her body. The monster's tongue was licking furiously now, feasting on the outpouring of juices from Amelie's hot cunt. Her hips gyrated against it, eagerly rubbing herself up and down the rubbery, prehensile muscle. She wanted, she needed more of it. Amelie wanted it all over her pussy: inside it, around it, on her clit, everywhere.

"Mmmm! MMM! MMM!" She squealed in pleasure around the tentacle in her mouth as her body shook. The lewd display only caused her soldiers to insult her further, throwing every foul name and insult in their expansive repertoire at the struggling Queen. Her head spun as her body buzzed. She had never been a masochist, never reveled in abuse and humiliation as she'd heard Jeanette and Lyriena did. Still, now, somehow, her exposure and the public's insults were turning her on in a way she'd never experienced before.

Amelie couldn't understand why her men were treating her like this. They loved her! They always supported her! But now they were mocking and deriding her. Of course, she was loving every minute of it. Maybe that's why, she thought, because I love it, because I want it. Maybe I deserve this? She asked herself as she writhed and contorted in pleasure on the tentacles.

The kraken's tongue was moving in a blur against her pussy, spreading her labia with each lap to push slightly inside her. The crevice between her thighs was drenched with its spittle and her own juices. Amelie's vaginal passage was open and wet, ready for what she knew was the inevitable conclusion to her beastly mating.

"Yeah, fuck her!"

"Breed that bitch!"

"Stuff that slut's hole full!"

Another tentacle rose from the watery depths and wrapped around her foot, then slithered up and around her thigh leaving a sticky trail of goo. The tendril continued up her body until it found the waiting entrance to her body.

"Ah! Ah!" She moaned around the tentacle in her mouth while bucking her hips to try and impale herself on the kraken's tentacle. The slimy appendage slid up and down her thigh, probing, teasing her as it drove her to new heights of pleasure.