The Revenge of Zar’ahk Ch. 02: Respite

"How much?" Gor challenged, looking at Turag now.

Aasha's master considered the question for a moment, watching the combatants circle each other below. She had to agree with the chief. Looking at the two below, the ogress was the clear favorite by sheer size. Even if she was slower, the power in those arms should be enough to rip the strange serpent creature in half.

"Ten," Turag finally said, looking at Gor.

"Twenty," the chief smiled back.

"Done!"

The two turned back to the fight, which was just then getting started. The ogress tested her opponent with a wide, slow swing of the club. Sithkah easily dodged the swing by ducking under it. Thinking that her feint worked, the ogress quickly reversed the club's momentum and aimed low for Sithkah's head. That's when the snake creature moved faster than Aasha could track. Her body twisted, snapping her head back out of reach of the ogress's swing, and launching her tail forward to trip her adversary. The ogress stepped out of the way in time but failed to see the spear thrust that followed the tail. The barbed head of the weapon pierced the ogress's forearm as it passed over Sithkah and was ripped out by the momentum of the club. Blood sprayed across the snake creature's torso and the ogress roared.

The combatants settled into their circular dance again, blood dripping from the ogress's wound into the dirt. Aasha felt Turag's excitement, not only from his cheers and raised mug, but his arousal under her backside. He appeared to enjoy the sight of blood a great deal. The elf prepared herself mentally, knowing what would soon be happening. The fight below served as a good distraction, so she focused on that for the time being.

Taking her turn to strike, Sithkah lunged forward. Her spear slipped under the ogress's defense and plunged into the muscle of her thigh. The ogress roared again, balled her fist, and landed a heavy blow on the side of her opponent's head. The blow sent the snake creature reeling into the dirt, her weapon skittering away. The ogress followed close behind, wrapping her huge hand around Sithkah's neck.

"Get up!" Turag roared at his fighter. Gor laughed.

The ogress lifted Sithkah by her throat and laughed in her low, guttural voice. What the monster didn't notice was the snake creature's tail rising up behind her. The ogress gave her opponent a shake, squeezing harder while Sithkah struggled. As her face was turning red, the snake creature quickly lashed her tail around the ogress's neck, squeezing as tight as she could against the corded muscles. Turag cheered, raising his mug and sloshing beer over himself and Aasha.

The elf had to admit, the fight was exciting. It was also horrifying, since she knew one of them would likely die in front of her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Turag's thick fingers pawing at her breasts. Each time he brushed against one of her nipple rings was like driving a hot poker through her chest, which had the unwanted side effect of making her horny again. She'd always felt strange about her body's reaction to pain. It was something she kept hidden from almost everyone, and really only explored with Zar. Now, it angered and shamed her. She didn't want the ugly orc pawing at her tits to turn her on, but her pussy had other thoughts.

Her arousal was also betraying her to Turag's sensitive nose. While the ogress below let go of Sithkah, Turag wrapped his arm around her and sniffed at her neck.

"You smell good little elf," he growled in her ear.

His heavy hand slid down her body and pushed her legs apart. Slipping under the loose skirt she wore, he began to explore the folds of her pussy. She tried to focus on the fight, but a moan escaped her when he slid a finger into her wet sex. Below, in the pit, Sithkah now had the ogress on her knees. The large monster's face was turning purple as she clawed at the scaly tail constricting her throat. Aasha could feel Turag's member stiffening below her ass. She found herself silently rooting for Sithkah to win, to end the ogress quickly.

Aasha had quickly learned that her master was aroused by the pain and suffering of others, and little else. During their march to the orc stronghold, he would often bring in his soldiers to fight, or even to abuse one of the other camp slaves so that he could bed his new prize. He didn't often perform the abuse himself. However, if the need arose, he would maul her body, pinching and slapping until he was firm enough to fuck her. Now, watching the spectacle below, he set his mug down and started loosening his pants.

The struggling ogress was losing strength. She fell to her side, weakly pawing at the coils around her neck. Sithkah was attempting to reach her spear, stretching her body as far as she could without releasing her opponent. Turag had fished out his massive cock, half again as large as Zar. During the march, Aasha had found the limit of her threshold for sexual pain on that dick. Where Zar filled her completely, stretching her enough to be both pleasurable and uncomfortable, Turag was so thick she felt on the verge of tearing. When he pushed himself into her fully, he touched parts of her inside that left lasting pain in her stomach, and he enjoyed slamming into her fully for long periods. He was not slow, or gentle as Zar had learned to be. Aasha willed Sithkah to reach that spear quickly.

Sithkah did reach the spear, just as Turag was lifting Aasha from his lap with the arm wrapped around her. He was stronger than Zar as well, moving the slight elf around with little effort. As he lined up his tumescence with her dripping cunny, Sithkah turned to the ogress and raised the spear over her head. The tip of Turag's cock split Aasha's folds, seeking the warm embrace of her pussy. The spear's barbed head flashed in the sun as the serpent creature drove the weapon forward. It pierced the ogress through her breast and the bone and organs behind it just as Turag pulled Aasha down and thrust up into her. Aasha bit back a cry, knowing it would only serve to heighten her master's lust.

All too soon, for Turag, it was over. The death scene below had pushed him to the edge. Seeing the spray of blood as the ogress gurgled out her last breath while he felt the tight, wet confines of his slave's pussy clenching at his cock drove him over it. Aasha felt his dick expand and spasm and the warm splash of his seed inside her. He'd barely gotten half of himself into her when he came, and for that she was grateful. When he was finished grunting and shaking beneath her, he softened quickly and slipped out. She felt the sticky mess of their joining running down her legs, and had the briefest of pleasure knowing it was dripping onto him as well. After the heat of the moment, Turag became disgusted by the fluids that came naturally with sex.

"Get off," Turag growled. "Get something to clean up this mess."

"Cheer up Turag, your fighter put on a good show," Gor tossed a few coins to his lieutenant. "You should reward her."

Turag looked at the coin, and then at Aasha who was cleaning his leg and penis with a cloth.

"Yes, I haven't rewarded Sithkah recently. Perhaps she would like some time with my new treasure," Turag smiled at Aasha in a way that made her heart lurch. "Come."

The orc stood and laced up his pants. Taking Aasha's leash in hand he led her down the steps toward a ramp that descended into the pit area. They passed through a guarded gate, and then into the dim coolness of a cavern system beneath the arena. Aasha was soon lost, but Turag led her confidently through the dark. All around she heard shouts, laughter, and moaning coming from cells that lined the sides of the cavern. When she could see into them, she saw all manner of creatures. The fighting pits were famous among the orcs and their allies, for the variety of captured beings who lived and died in the arena. Goblins, humans, ogres, and even a centaur dwelled in the dark cells along with some savage animals like wolves and bears for the crowd's entertainment.

Turag led her to a dark cell at the end of a passage, where he pounded on the bars. A goaler with a set of keys, who had been following for some time, moved forward and opened the cell. Aasha felt fear rise up like bile in her throat. Not since their capture by Gor's warband had she felt so scared. What awaited her in the cell? It was clear she was to be the serpent creature's reward, but what would the bloodthirsty monster do with her?

"Sithkah!" Turag shouted into the dark chamber. "That was well fought today. I have a gift for your victory."

With that, Turag unhooked Aasha's leash and pushed her into the cell. She stood, paralyzed, just inside. Part of her wanted to rush back out to the known horror of Turag's care. Another wanted to avoid him at all cost, even if that meant a new and unknown nightmare. Could it get any worse? Perhaps this Sithkah would kill her and end it all. She stood in the dark and listened to the door close with a heavy clang.

"Enjoy your night," Turag chuckled. Aasha wasn't sure which one he was talking to.

The elf barely dared to breathe. She could hear something move in the dark. Without the ambient light of the moon and stars, her elven sight was no help. She strained to see in the dark, feeling like the serpent creature was hovering over her waiting to strike.

"What is your name?" The voice was soft, like running your hand over rabbit fur. It made even the harsh, guttural orcish language sound pleasant.

"Aasha," she said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "I...I can't see."

"Ah, of course," the voice spoke slowly, as if each word needed to be tasted as it was spoken. "I often forget."

A brilliant flash in the dark blinded Aasha. When her vision cleared, Sithkah sat on her coils across the cell holding a dim blue flame in her hand. In her other, she held a soiled towel she'd been using to clean the blood and sweat and dirt of the arena from her body. She smiled and touched her finger to a candle that stood on a crude table next to her cot. The flame danced from her hand to the wick which lit the room with a soft yellow glow.

"What?" Was all Aasha could think to say.

"Just a little magic," Sithkah answered. "Not enough to do any harm, but it's convenient."

"Magic?" Aasha was struggling to grasp what was happening. "What. What are you?"

Sithkah laughed lightly, an unsettling sound for someone trapped in a cell with a serpent creature still wearing the blood of her last victim.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," Aasha hoped manners were enough to keep her alive for a few more minutes.

"No, it's fine," Sithkah started wiping the blood and dirt from her breasts again, dipping the cloth into a buck of water on the table. "I am a nagari."

Aasha frowned. She'd heard stories of the nagari, but that couldn't possibly be what was in the cell with her. They were described as demons, covered in scales, horns, sharp claws and a breath of fire. "My people have stories of the nagari. They are said to be gods who rule the underworld."

Sithkah laughed again, this time more loudly. Aasha cringed back at the sound of it.

"Not hardly. There are not many of us, so I am not surprised I am the first you've met, and we are certainly not gods."

"Are you...what will you do with me?" Aasha asked nervously.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to hurt you," the nagari assured her. "Our master does this from time to time. You just tell him it was a long night. I will thank him for the gift."

"You aren't going to do anything to me?"

"No," Sithkah shook her head and tossed the towel into the bucket.

Aasha looked the nagari over for a few moments, trying to decide if she was serious. Sithkah watched her with an amused smirk that didn't do much to reassure her. This close, she could see much more of the nagari's form. Except for some scales on the backs of her arms, shoulders and back, the nagari looked like a human woman from the waist up. Her torso was all muscle except for the large breasts that were capped with dark nipples fitted with rings similar to Aasha's. There was no chain, most likley due to how easily they could be ripped out in a fight. Just below her navel, and rippling abdominal muscles her skin morphed into the scales of her snake tail. Her scales were a bright emerald green, marked with a darker green mottled pattern. The underside of her tail was covered in larger scales of pale yellow-green.

"You missed a spot," Aasha said finally.

"What, where?" Sithkah looked down at herself. "I don't see it."

Unsure why she was doing it, Aasha stepped toward the nagari and took the towel from the bucket.

"Let me," she said, raising the towel and waiting.

Sithkah nodded and raised her arms to the side. Aasha moved forward and wiped at a spot on the underside of Sithkah's breast. She found more blood dried in the crease underneath and lifted the heavy globe to scrub at it.

"Have you done this a long time?" Aasha asked as she worked at cleaning the nagari's torso of blood. "The fighting, I mean."

"More than a year, I think. It is hard to tell when you spend most of your time down here."

Sithkah watched Aasha work, moving around her with the wet cloth in hand. The nagari was getting a more thorough cleaning than she'd had in a long time.

"Why didn't Turag want to keep you with him?" Aasha was afraid the question would offend Sithkah but she was intensely curious. Perhaps if she found out why the nagari was sent to the fighting pits, she could avoid making the same mistake. Then again, fighting in the pits would keep her away from her master.

"Nagari are androgyne, I do not appeal to our master in any other way but as a killer," Sithkah explained. As she talked, she could see Aasha was confused. "You don't know that word."

Aasha shook her head.

"My people, we are not separated by gender. Every nagari has the means to procreate with every other," Sithkah explained. "Our philosophers believe it is how we evolved because our species is so rare. We were hunted for our skins, or because people feared and hated us. This allows us to create more nagari whenever we can."

Aasha was beginning to feel like this encounter couldn't get any stranger. She thought her night in this cell might be her last, and now she was conversing with a mythical god of the underworld about mating habits and evolution. She was wiping down the front of the nagari's scales, just below the junction of her tail and abdomen when she realized how ignorant she was on the subject.

"But, I don't see...," Aasha was still uncertain about offending Sithkah.

The nagari laughed and touched a large scale below her navel. "Our sex is covered when we are not mating."

"Oh," was all Aasha could manage. She finished cleaning the nagari's body and tossed the cloth into the bucket.

"You can take the cot, I don't use it often anyway," Sithkah said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"I insist," to make her point, Sithkah curled her tail into a pile of coils in the corner and lay down on them, watching the elf. "You are quite beautiful, you know."

Aasha smiled and sat on the cot. "So are you."

"You don't find snakes disgusting?"

"No, just," Aasha tried to find a way to explain. "I've never been good at telling which are poisonous so I tend to avoid all of them."

"Thank you," Sithkah gestured to herself. "It's nice to have someone take care of you sometimes."

Aasha smiled and nodded. She lay down on the cot and realized, for the first time in several days, she felt safe. She didn't worry that Turag, or one of his soldiers would come to abuse her. The realization brought tears to her eyes, and a choking sob to her throat.

"Aasha?" Sithkah moved closer. "Are you all right?"

"I just realized, I haven't felt this safe in days," Aasha admitted.

Sithkah slithered closer, leaning over the elf and wiping her tears away. "You can rest easy tonight. Nothing will happen to you here."

Aasha reached up and clasped Sithkah's hand and held it to her face. She closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort of a friendly touch. The nagari's hands were rough from wielding her weapons, but she didn't care. When she opened her eyes, Sithkah's slitted eyes were looking into hers. Aasha was mesmerized by them. Without thinking she leaned up and kissed Sithkah. It was a quick kiss, partly because the elf wasn't sure how she would react, and partly because the nagari reared back at the touch.

"Aasha, what are you doing?"

"I...," she wasn't even sure herself. "I needed to feel something else, something good right now. I'm sorry."

Sithkah's face softened and she brushed the elf's hair back. "Don't be, you just caught me by surprise."

Throwing caution to the wind, Aasha took the nagari by the sides of her face and kissed her more firmly. Sithkah let her this time, and the two melted together, lying back on the cot. Soft lips and exploring hands had both of them breathing heavily before long. Aasha noticed the nagari's tongue was slenderer, and more agile than any she had encountered as it played in and out of her mouth. Soon Sithkah was kissing down her neck and chest, and finally her breasts. The elf looked down to see the nagari swirling her tongue around her nipple, a tongue that was split at the end with each half seeming to move independently.

"Oh gods," Aasha moaned as that tongue seemed to wrap itself around her nipple. She was still sore, but the tenderness with which her lover flicked over them shot little jolts from her breasts all throughout her body.

"If you think that's good, just wait," Sithkah smiled up at her and began kissing down Aasha's stomach.

The nagari kissed and nuzzled her way down to Aasha's bare mons. She slid her arms under the elf's legs until her shoulders were under Aasha's knees. Her kisses continued down to the top of the elf's pussy where Aasha felt the slender tongue slip between her lips with a feathery touch. Sithkah's tongue flicked at her lips, around the entrance to her cunny, and across her clit. Finally finding its mark, the two parts of the nagari's tongue encircled that small sensitive nub. Aasha jumped at the feeling, like her clit was being rolled between two small, soft fingers.

"That's so nice," the elf breathed. She felt the nagari's chuckle vibrate against her pussy.

Sithkah loved the taste of the elf. She was doing her best to drive Aasha toward the edge, but she was also feeling the effects herself. She desperately wanted to mate. Her own nipples were standing out hard as stones and her sex was throbbing for attention. She wanted to taste more so moved her tongue lower to dip into the soaking interior of Aasha's pussy.

Aasha's entire body spasmed when Sithkah entered her with her split tongue. The dexterous control the nagari had over that appendage was mind-blowing, and she was using every bit of it. The elf could feel it circle the inside of her pussy, then rub along the ridge in the upper part of her canal. It reached almost as deeply as anyone she'd had sex with, but its touch was delicate.

"My gods, Sithkah," Aasha gasped and clutched at the nagari's hair.

The nagari didn't let up, listening to Aasha's breath quicken into short gasps. The elf was grinding her pussy against Sithkah's face, trying to get as much of her tongue inside as she could. Finally, Aasha cried out and her whole body started shaking. Sithkah kept sliding her tongue in and out of the elf's pussy while her orgasm peaked and then subsided.

"That was amazing," Aasha said breathlessly.

"You're welcome," Sithkah smiled, sliding up to lie next to the elf.

"Truly, thank you," Aasha said with a smile. "I haven't felt that good since I was taken."

"It was my pleasure."

"You should let me return the favor," Aasha smiled.

"I don't know if you're ready for that."