The Champion's Companion Ch. 12

Mara stepped before them fluttered her lashes. "It will be cheaper. You will want us all night." Mara pulled the arm slit of her robe open exposing a huge leather clad tit. In her small hand, it poured out over her wrist promising a warm, soft, and bountiful body to fuck.

"Oh you're a leather girl huh?" The man in green said looking her up and down. "Look Ebbert we got something extra premium here." He said elbowing his suddenly more interested friend.

"Okay, how much for the three of ya?" Ebbert said finally with his eyes locked on Mara's goodies. He pulled out real money.

Merris couldn't take her eyes off of it. "My sister is only for protection. You won't have to pay but she'll just watch." Merris said looking at them both in turn hopefully.

Mara smiled and walked among them, looping Ebbert's arm. "We can count how many times we fuck and pay later." She said while rubbing herself against the man in green. "I like that!" they said already squirming.

"Well then, I suppose come on the Harpy's Nest is up the street." He replied smiling.

Merris and Hepi fell in with the group. Mara's supreme confidence helped her calm down. She hoped she wasn't about to disappear like the rumors of other girls. Without protection, they could disappear off to become these men's slaves or worse.

The group walked up from the low district's empty shopping area past low-end tailor shops and cobblers. They rounded up corners into a deserted avenue of restaurants, inns, and bars.

They came to the Harpy's Nest and walked through the door. The place seemed quiet, at a table near the back a man in black sat almost in the shadows next to three women and a gangly boy. One of the women looked stunning with pale Amazon features and full lips. She was hugely muscled and looked like she could go fishing barehanded wading in some wild stream. She exuded haughty arrogance as though the world didn't touch her. Her eyes were oddly shiny from the windows grey light, and her hair shone white in the faint light of the cloudy day. The other two were smaller than normal and were dwarfed by her. They had cloaks similar in fashion to Mara's. Merris thought it must be the style in richer places.

Out of the back of the serving area, they took a well-lit dark wood staircase up to the third floor. The hall was lit by windows casting their grey light on the wood floor. It seemed gloomier to Merris in the barren hall. She felt fleeting apprehension. She looked out a window for her alley but wasn't surprised to see nothing but roofs and chimneys.

"This is it ladies." The man in green said smiling, and opening a door.

The room was tiny. Two beds on either side along a wall, and a window took up the space in between. It was crowded in the room with five people. Mara happily jumped over to a bed and Merris sat next to her, the men stood opposite looking between the girls expectantly. Heppi leaned against the wall by the door.

"So look, get naked. I'll order some food or something for you all a little later." The man in green said excitedly. He pointedly ignored Heppi, despite how he had to lean around her to look at them.

"First tell us what the guild is doing in the city." Mara said biting down on her lip as she smiled cutely. Merris thought she must have been trying to hold in laughter.

"Wha... What are you talking about?" The man in green said undressing.

"Get naked." Demanded Ebert, who by now was naked himself.

"Hmm come here Ebert." Mara said raising her arms to him. He walked forward happily. She moved lithely reaching out to him. She slid her hands along him across his abdomen and thighs like she was blind and needed touch to see.

Her hands slid inwards on either side of his groin. A thumb flipped his cock up, she caught it into her mouth, and as she slid down onto it, her tongue popped out of her mouth everywhere at once. Sitting next to her, Merris was entranced, this woman was extremely skilled. The focus of the tiny room locked on the two, Mara and Ebert's cock. Only obscene wet slurps and his labored gasping were heard. Ebert was average size but in her small hungry mouth, he must have been carried off. In few moments, he came hard squealing and moaning as his hips came to life on their own.

She watched Mara hungrily continue to suck him down. He must have cum like a bull because she didn't quit swallowing until he fell back. Exhausted, he hit the floor barely clearing the other bed. It was only two minutes, but Merris just learned a lifetime of technique by just watching.

Already the man in green struggled to clear Heppi and step in. "Damn the looked good lemme..."

"No. I want answers. What is the guild's business in Pyressel?" Mara demanded standing on the bed with hands on hips. She was too cute to be a good interrogator. The man formerly in green wasn't thinking interrogation. He thought he wanted to get his cock smoked like his friend on the floor.

"Who are you? Why you little." The man yelled pushing off Heppi and stepping around his prone comrade.

As he reached for Mara, she slapped his hand aside. He tripped and toppled to the bed and Mara rolled in onto his back with a knife out already as he fell next to her.

The chaotic sound of the wood door exploding shocked them. A man in black kicked the rest of the door out of the way. Wordlessly, he stepped in and hauled the naked man off the bed by his legs and out the door like a vengeful spirit.

Mara hopped off the bed following them out the door. In her cute way, she seemed to march along smiling. After a moment, the massive white haired woman appeared. Her massive frame blocked the doorway. Her shoulders and elbows were wider then the door and her eyes and forehead were above the doorframe. She leaned in and a sinuous arm snaked down and grabbed Ebert who was still asleep by the shoulder. He too disappeared through the doorway as she tugged him out.

Merris and Heppi watched the open doorway scared to leave the room. They looked at each other quite surprised. 'Somebody was late for a very important date' as the streets sometimes say. Plenty of quiet rumors of people getting dropped in scandals and plots usually mentioned that no one survived serious things like this. Judging by the likes of the beautiful and talented Mara, they were very serious.

Marris and Heppi fled the inn incase they came back to silence witnesses. They wouldn't say anything, 'who would listen to them?' Merris grabbed the men's clothes, purses, and anything else she could figuring nothing was owned anyway.

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Ebert opened his eyes slowly, the warm buzz the girl's mouth gave him had worn off quickly. He felt his hand tied above head with rough rope and noticed he was naked. He seemed to be in a large barn with straw on the floor. The walls were cheap uneven wood planks that let in day light. Directly in front of him, he saw his comrade bound similarly, he was naked with his hands and ankles bound to a wood post.

Ebert felt different from how his friend was. He couldn't see it, but the post he was on had a fence that ran along it. His ankles were stuck up behind him supporting his weight along the fence beside the rail.

Slowly he became aware of a silhouette. A great black shadow that stood to the left. It was hooded with dark eyes above a black mouth. The man in black regarded him closer now and saw him moving.

"I see our friend has awakened. I understand you are Ebert. I am new in town and I wish to know some things about you and your friends. How long has the guild been in this town?"

"What? I was here for six months."

"What are you doing in this city?" He asked taking a step closer.

"We were designing a sewer and building it. We are in the city still because they tried to make us use local labor."

"Is that why Nobleman Rocert was here?"

"What? He just guided the contract, he already left."

"When did he leave?" The man demanded suddenly in his face.

"Uh..." Ebert's slow mind was starting to click. He suddenly realized he was likely speaking to an assassin. "I don't think I should tell you..."

"Oh?" The man danced back two steps towards his friend while facing him, then pulled a dagger out. He spun and the dagger blurred as he swung it wildly like a side show performer about to do a trick then turned back to face him.

"Wait! don't hurt Argiole! Fuck! What are you doing?" Ebert pleaded.

The man came closer. "I won't hurt Argiole, you will. It's your choice, if or how, you walk out of here. Now answer my questions, it's a pretty straightforward exchange." Marcos paused and stepped forward again toward Ebert. Stepping, or standing close to 'Argiole', would be better for pressuring. "Okay?" he asked looking for agreement.

"Okay, sure." Ebert committed. "Uh, Guildman Rocert was here for a new contract. We do various services here now. Nobles in this city sure are happy with our service. We wanted to impress and get a good deal. For big deals, we go all out and have them meet with our leaders. We got high rated pleasure girls for the nobles that have them ready to sign the next day."

"Why are they so happy to sign and join the guild?" Marcos asked.

"They aren't joining the guild yet. Pyressel is gonna be a good base for trade from this region into the south. But, they haven't signed on yet. Rocert tried to offer the nobles titles and matching lands in Sellis. In a few months it won't matter, we do the logging here now and the carpentry. We sell them their base supplies since they ain't got nothing but trees around here anyway. Guisel to the north wants Pyressel to stay out of the guild because they control the woodworker's guild."

"How sad," The man said bored. "So where's Rocert?"

"I don't know he should be heading back to Sellis." Ebert guessed.

"Really?" The man said stepping past him out of sight. "I believe you."

Ebert only heard the snip before he fell flat to the floor. He was quickly dragged to his feet by the man to look him in the face. "I'm gonna let you go. Take your friend." He said and pushed him over to Argiole.

He tossed a blade to Ebert. "Here take this and cut him down."

Ebert rushed behind Argiole quickly and cut through the leg and hand ties. Argiole dropped limpy to the ground unmoving.

"Argiole wake up! Argiole..." Ebert stopped as he knelt over and touched him. It wasn't how cool his body was that stopped him. An ugly wound was on the center of his lower back. The wound was a wide slightly gaping bloodless slit. The edges were puffed and darkened black by poison.

"What did...?" A heavy hand came down the back of his neck as another snaked in taking his knife in his hand and stabbed for his heart. For an instant, he felt heavy breasts on his back and soft thighs on his rear before he was released and dropped dead onto the back of his co-worker.

"Well, I don't want to chase Rocert all over the western region. We're going to head him off in Sellis." Marcos said looking at Kaarthen's handiwork. The two naked men found alone atop each other would look like a sick crime of passion. Their deaths wouldn't look anything like it actually was. Scandal would be reported and they could ride the wave of rumor and if they were lucky find more people who knew the two. In Sellis, he would avoid the guild and focus on his real mission of finding the condition of the royals.

"The girls are already readying the horses outside." Kaarthen said fingering a sixth skull on her hip chain under her robe.

Marcos smiled. "Good, we'll get moving then. In these northlands, we'll be better off in inns then out in the wilds. Unfortunately, inns will be few and far between."

They crept out of inn they broke into. They had used a 'sleep room' that was locked for the day in an inn across the street from the Harpy's Nest. By tonight when the deaths will be discovered, they will be long gone already.

Outside, Kaarthen and Marcos' horses were saddled and waiting, as the girls and Prince Carthin sat mounted watching them.

"Rinis did you arrange for our guest to get a robe?" He asked after mounting and leading them out.

"Yes Master." She replied flatly.

"Now would be a good time to put it on, Guild people are only going to get more numerous, we don't want Prince Monto getting killed yet." He could hear the prince jolt up in his seat.

Four hours later, they found a town on a wide trade road. The inn was a decent size. It was built for passing merchants and had a worn but comfortable atmosphere. The serving area was suitably large and had tablecloths and chairs instead of the usual benches and planked tables. The group was served by an old waitress who showed as much titflesh and nipple as she could without falling out of the dress. They were guided to a table as they found out what was to be served. They dined quietly in the back of the serving area. Marcos sat with his swords across his lap.

"Prince, tell us about Sellis right now." Kaarthen asked after she and her angels had finished. They had eaten a warm dinner of stew, bread, and honeyed wine. Marcos had tipped rather liberally for privacy. He received instead, the attentions of a suddenly horny waitress, and an anxiously friendly barkeep.

"We are still pretty far. One week or two by horse and well get to the grassy fields Sellis over looks. The court will accept us as ambassadors I'm sure." The prince said.

"Who are the heads of house in Sellis?" Marcos asked for specificity. Intrigue never sleeps and he wanted to know what the names are of the other kids in the playground.

"There are about a dozen families and five major ones. Blacksail, Grann, Perest, Ovvan, and Perstavy. The last two are closely related to our family, their heads are Dukes and Duchesses. They are cousins and uncles of my mother. The others are close and have served for generations as trusted friends, stewards of the crown, ambassadors, captains, and admirals. The Ovvan house has many great statesmen and ambassadorships, and Perstavy has several positions in the navy and cavalry. They are traditional families that have made good money as we have expanded. The others are merchant families who bought and kept titles, or others who were minor nobility but gained power as we expanded."

"What do you think of the other families?" Marcos asked searching for bias or some slighted family.

"The nobles all scheme and have plots to bring favor, or bring ruin to others. The other families are not as distinguished or storied, but are as well placed. They all have relatives that hold high offices, though not in as frequent numbers as the larger older families." The prince answered equitably.

"Sellis doesn't have Barons, Counts, or Marquis. What equivalent kind of the title or rank is the senate?" Kaarthen asked curiously.

"They are 'Senators' but equivalent to Counts. They are selected in assembly areas by the commoners' family who live in the area. The families get together and vote for whom they want among themselves. It's helped on the local level to keep us aware of what the people want."

"Interesting." Marcos said finishing his meal. He rose, paid for the meal, and arranged rooms with the happy innkeeper. They bunked in two rooms, both were at the end of the hall on the second floor. Mara quietly followed Marcos and Kaarthen while Prince Carthin followed Rinis and Ein into the room across the hall.

After a bath, Marcos found himself in bed naked lying atop Mara and Kaarthen. In the wide bed, Mara was dwarfed by Marcos and Kaarthen's long frames. She curled between them like a warm, soft, wriggling core to their embrace. Marcos' long hard cock was ready like a fierce javelin. The women teased him and rubbed his cock along their slick holes beneath him.

Kaarthen moved up and sat back against the headboard with Mara and Marcos atop her. She was could feel Mara's light quick fingers scouring her pussy now that she was between her legs. She could also feel Marcos' hard iron cock rubbing between them, dripping along her thigh. It wasn't too long before horny Kaarthen was pushing her teats at them urging them to take from her.

"Drink me babies." Kaarthen giggled and lay back. Marcos and Mara latched on making her writhe and mewl. Marcos kept his lips on her as he got on his knees and moved around behind Mara. He pulled her up by her hips and prodded her purposefully, sliding his cock along her crotch. Finally, he pushed up his cock and slid across her pussy into her ass. After the initial thrust, he paused for the experienced Mara to get ready. With a long steady push, he sunk into her as she made small choking grunts around Kaarthen's breast.

Kaarthen felt his slow steady thrusts into Mara and allowed her to feel the acute pleasure of her milking. Marcos fucked her for a long time in short deep thrusts before finally releasing into her the countless thick heavy spurts of his seed. When he rolled off, Mara spun and sucked his cock clean savoring the mixing tastes.

They slept that night quite satiated. By morning, they gathered down in the inn's stable. They all felt the winter approaching and in the light fog of the chilly morning they mounted and rode west for Sellis.

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High above the campers, one lone figure stood upon a branch. It was a faceless quiet vampire hidden in the shadows. Quietly as the wind, two others came. One was a slender man the other was a shorter blond woman.

"You only watch them Mellion?" The youthful woman asked. "They should be bled and driven from our territory."

"Are you numb in the head Karassel? Can't you feel them? They didn't start a fire. I don't think any one down there is mortal. I've never felt this power before either. Is a delegation of covens crossing our territory Micus?" Mellion asked the man.

"No one announced themselves or an intent, but they are pretty deep in the territory." The second male 'Micus' replied.

"That makes them violators." The woman 'Karassel' pressed. "They may be headed off further to attack Asskil, or Creamus."

The three bickering vampires didn't sense movement as Marcos dropped his mundane guise and shifted into the shadows. Repressing himself was a good exercise that few could understand or appreciate. Usually it caused people to mistake him as a mortal and to underestimate him. Even better, it allowed him to blend in so the eyes passed him over and didn't stop.

In full form, the darkness hid him well as he turned into a portal of the abyss with a similar shape of a man. Like the absence of light itself, he crept along under the moon light in the brush to the base of the tree's own shadow. Though the distracted vampires were quiet, he was silent. He climbed quickly to them clawing up the tree.

From out of the tree's shadow, he reached out and grabbed for Micus' across the shoulder. His gauntlet slashed down across his face, neck, and chest before Marcos shoved him off the branch. Vampires have stellar balance, and can jump very high in the air but they can't actually fly. As the other two turned and tried to jump clear, Micus, was too distracted to save himself and the wet crunch of bones was heard from the bottom of the tree.

Mellion the first watcher, turned to face him. He jumped backwards to get away as he saw his attacker but was caught across the legs by Marcos. They tumbled in the air, before hitting a nearby tree, and landing in a heap. The vampire was on the bottom and drew a short sword as Marcos rolled off. They stood facing each other and Marcos could hear the less than graceful exit of the female as she tore through the forest in a panicked sprint.

The vampire attacked first seeing him unarmed. He tried a low quick one-armed thrust and was kicked in the hip and slashed across the face by Marcos' guantlet. Marcos then sprang in knocking the stumbling vampire over. Once Marcos was over the vampire, he grabbed both arms at the shoulders and stood while stepping on his gut, dislocating the joints. He stepped back, then brought his other foot over the left knee and stomped. The joint reversed and snapped under his weight.