The Song of Roland Ch. 01

For the life of him, Roland did not know what had possessed him to stray so far from the cities: seeking work in this backwater hamlet, a day's travel from the nearest city and with a smell that reminded him of rotting custard. He stared impassively at the increasingly hysterical town Reeve, who gestured and gesticulated to him in comically humorous ways the world-shattering plight his collection of hovels and gap-toothed villagers were in, shifting his groin with a mailed hand and adjusting his long dagger in and out of its scabbard habitually.

"So whats the skinny, then?" He said, wiping a streak of his ginger-red hair out of his face as he sweated in the midday sun. "You've gabbed on for a good ten minutes now, and I ain't heard word one of your actual troubles. Single sentence: what do you need?"

"We...!" The Reeve paused to take in a breath, the mousy fellow clearly out of his element in conversing with a mercenary. "We need you to slay a monster, good sir."

"Aye. So I gathered." Roland spat upon the dirt track on which they stood, heedless of aim or direction. "What, who, where, And how much you payin'?"

"Well, the local lord, Sir Beaubran hasn't been back in-" The Reeve began before the armored warrior held up a hand, silencing him.

"I didn't ask who was not helping you, nor why you feel so desperate as to stoop to me." The large man said, fixing the Reeve with a long look with his weather-worn face. "I'll kill whatever you're seeking faster'n any prissy lord with a fancy bit of heraldry; I wanna know what I'm killin', who I need to talk to ta find 'em, where they are so I can kill em, and how much you're payin' me."

"Well, I..." The Reeve stuttered, shivering in his stance, terrified of Roland's imposing stature. "We don't rightly know what it is. It's been preying on the folk living out in the outskirts, men mostly. It completely ignores the livestock but folks keep disappearing for days at a time. When they return, they wander out of the forest with no clothes and no memory of what's happened. The townsfolk are whispering it's some sort of Witch."

"Demon, sounds more like." Roland said, cracking his neck from a creak that built there. "Probably a Succubus, if I had to guess. Omnibus would take both genders equally, though the womenfolk would come back with bellies fit to burst, and they're a whole lot scarier in the strength department. Most likely: you got a small demon infestation."

"What do we do?" The Reeve asked, clearly out of his element.

"Pay me." Roland replied, "Sixty gold coins. Real gold, none of that transmuted rubbish the Arjal Wizards are always handing out. You and your town get it together, and I'll hunt down your demon problem."

"But... we're just poor-" The Reeve began.

"Save it." Roland replied, "If you want something bad enough, you'll pay. When I come out of those woods I expect sixty gold coins in a purse, or there'll be more trouble for you than just a horny whore with horns, yeah?"

The next three days were an annoying state of rough-country tracking. The forests around the hamlet were deep and thick, and every branch and bush seemed to be meshed together into one gigantic plant like entity, seemingly intent on preventing Roland passage. Undeterred, the veteran followed the trail of fresh footprints, noticing with disdain that they were all men; just a bunch of gullible locals, pouring into the waiting gullet of the beast.

He camped in the hollows of rotted trees, the slow corruption of the Succubus turning the general area into a place of malaise and defilement. The branches of the oaks hung low, colored black despite their bark being a natural brown; leaves and twigs were spiky and sickly looking, and the forest floor was populated with far less grass the closer Roland got to his quarry. As he huddled in the cavity of the wood, he mused to himself in half-conscious thoughts.

The beast was not taking great pains to hide itself, despite the remote location of its lair. Usually their kind tries to infiltrate towns and cities, hide in plain sight. This one must be young, inexperienced, or gunshy; perhaps having been driven out of the territory of a stronger competitor, or even its own "parent." Demons were notoriously dispassionate about their own offspring, outside of the simple depravity to be gained from mating with them. Once they had served their purpose, or grew bored with them, they forced them off into the unknown to seek their own hunting grounds.The choice in victims was curious as well: the lone advantage being inexperienced and unsuspecting townsfolk. However, unlike a major city, crimes and disturbances were much more likely to be noticed, thus once an appropriate response was prepared, there was more danger of an active and overwhelming response. Strange.

Roland's suspicions were confirmed when he found the ultimate source of the corruption: a cave, set on a hillock deep within the forests. The front ot the cave was not even mildly covered or concealed, and he walked through with the kind of blithe indifference that came from decades of warfare and mercenary work.

Deep within the winding tunnels he could hear the sounds of carnal entrapment: moans, cries, and the loud schlick of genitalia being bashed together. He fingered his sword, pulling it silently from its scabbard and trudging onwards. At last he came to the edge of the cave network, into a room with hellfire torchlight spewing unholy, bluish pigmentation across the stalactites that hung down like grasping, witches' fingers onto the flowstone.

In the center of the bare cave, a man was strapped to four stalagmites sticking out of the ground, his body shaped into a rough X with the centerpoint being occupied by the purple, bouncing body whose back hung over him like a mountainous incline of feminine sexuality. Though her back was to him Roland could spot the telltale markings of a demon: the long, prehensile tail, the horns that curled behind her head like ram's horns, the strange, itchy feeling in his eyes when he tried to focus on her for too long. She was smaller than most of the ones he had encountered, both in size and physical endowment, but he knew one when he saw it. "Succubus." He murmured, loud enough for her to hear him.

She turned, her large pupils expanding wide as she turned, caught clearly off guard in the midst of her coitus with the unlucky villager. She lifted off of him, his still erect manhood pulling free and twitching in the air as it pointed accusingly at his ravisher. "Oh shnikes." She said, standing up. Her hands lifted to ward off the clearly-displeased hunter looking at her. "Um... it's not what it looks like?"

Roland took a step forward, his sword in front of him. "You're not the slickest slut in the stables, are you? Let the lad go."

She turned to look down at her prey, "Who, Sten? Take him! He and I were just getting frisky!" Ignoring her entreaties, Roland stepped forward, moving within the young Succubus' guard and brandishing his blade. To his astonishment, she didn't move to defend herself, merely flinching and holding up her hands. Her perky purple breasts bounced ever so slightly as she moved. "Please! I wasn't- He and I were just... I-I'll make it worth your while!"

Roland stopped short, not expecting outright submission. "Really." He said, his blade lowering just slightly, though in exchange he reached around with his free hand and gripped the back of the girl's head, his fingers digging into her luxurious black hair. "And let me guess: all it will cost me is some clothing and a bit of cock, eh?"

"No!" She stammered, trailing off. "N-not unless you want to... " Her slender hand pointed over to a corner, where an assortment of clothing had been haphazardly discarded around a pile of pilfered goods. "There's a bunch of gold and stuff I took from them. Two hundred pieces at least. I- I had some left over from the last town I was at."

Roland glanced over at the pile. He could see the twinkling of metal. With a rough sigh he let go of the Succubus, indicating for her to sit off to the side. Meekly, the demon did as she was told, her tail swishing pensively as the mercenary calmly cut the bindings to the half-conscious man. "Whuh?" He groaned, naked from head to toe. "What- whatshappenin?" His eyes were lidded and he stumbled as he was helped up.

"Get yourself to the front of the cave, and then wait for me." Roland growled, "I'll take you back to your village... and get you some new clothes." Groggy, the man did as he was told, his pale skin seeming to shine in the darkness of the cave as he wandered off. The mercenary turned to the Succubus. "What else you got, for pay?"

"That's it!" She said, sitting up on her knees, "I don't have anything else."

"You're an odd little demon." The man said, his voice gruff and derisive. "I think that there's at least one more way you of all people can pay me back, yeah?" Without waiting for confirmation he sheathed his blade and strode over to her, his chainmail shirt clinking loudly in the echo-filled chamber. "Stand up."

She did as she was told, the look on her face showing she didn't know where the next few moments would progress. Instead of saying anything, the Mercenary grabbed the Succubus roughly by the face and kissed her. She started to shout in surprise, but his mouth covered up her squeal and instead turned it into a moan. She stood there for a second, before her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into the kiss, her natural predisposition responding to the overt sexuality.

"You demons like the rough stuff, yeah?" Roland said, holding her face firmly in his hands, forcing her to stare back at him with her otherworldly, red-tinged eyes. She seemed both surprised and pleased at the sudden change in fortunes.

"Y-yeah." She stammered. "It's... it's really hot."

"Then get rough." He said, pushing himself against her again, "I want to taste blood." He continued to step forward, forcing the purple-skinned Succubus to backpedal till she bumped up against the wall with her curvaceous ass, her back arching as she came in contact with the rock. Trapped, he began to grope her, feeling the wide bend of her hips, the exaggerated tone of her perfectly sculpted ass, and the pleasing friction of her bare breasts against his thick armor. Once he had her in place he kissed her again. The Succubus responded by moaning deeply and biting down on his lip.

Unbidden, her slender hands began to undo buckles and belts, peeling off the armor of the warrior, revealing the multitude of cuts and scars from battle that crisscrossed his chest, back and stomach. With near-otherworldly speed she undressed him, stripping him down to nothing as he began to press against her. His erection poked against her side, and one of her hands reached down to squeeze tight against the skin of his bare prick.

"What's your name?" He asked, pressing down and giving her neck a sharp, sudden suction on the side, leaving a dark hickey against her skin. She jerked back, her eyes focusing on him, startled by the question.

"It's... It's Kelsea." She said, her youthful, impossibly designed face looking scrupulously bewildered. Roland merely chuckled and spanked her ass, continuing his groping session. "... And you?"

"Roland." He said, feeling her arms encircle him as her nails began to dig deeply into his back. "Now pipe down and lets have some fun."

Already at full-mast due to her spirited jerking, the mercenary lifted both of her legs, forcing her to straddle him as he pushed her tight against the wall. Her modest - for a Succubus - breasts pressed tightly against him, their nipples rubbing together in a pleasing feeling of closeness. With little preemption he lifted her up onto his stomach, her navel hovering over his girth like a diver overlooking a long, precipitous drop. Her back dug into the rock, his intent press just as immovible on his side as it was on hers. She was sandwiched in.

Like a tender lover she circled his shoulders, her fingers reaching around and gripping him by the edges of his neck. "Fuck me." She said, her words dripping with magical power. "Gods, fuck me! Now!" Unwilling to disappoint, Roland dropped his weight, allowing her to sink down onto his cock. Whether through mystical intervention or simply good aim on his part he managed to drop her slick snatch straight down onto him, sinking into the infernal flesh with a sudden, biting tightness.

Without missing a beat he began pumping, lifting the Succubus with his arms and dropping her just at the apex of his hip thrust. The result was a screaming siren of preternatural eroticism. They immediately began to fuck as though they were practiced lovers manipulating one another. She screamed like a virgin feeling her first orgasm, her hips clenching and thighs pressing together as lightning shot up her body. She reciprocated, leaning up close and biting hard down onto Roland's rippling shoulder, drawing blood and eliciting a heady moan from him.

His hands crushed her asscheeks tight together, shoving her against the wall and moving forward himself, giving her no room to breathe or recover. His thrusts were brutal, pounding things as he sent shockwaves rippling up from her ass to her chest. She trembled in his grip, her arms reaching up and over his shoulders to claw at his back, the nails digging deep and leaving lasting marks from their mating.

The pace quickened; Kelsea cried out as she orgasmed again, her inner walls milking Roland in an impossibly controlled and unnatural way, as though the muscles themselves were like grasping fingers finding the perfect constriction for him. It was lucky he had dealt with Succubi before- elsewise he'd have already blown his load. Instead of slowing down or becoming weakened by the maneuver, he redoubled his efforts, his balls making loud slaps as they bumped against her violet rump.

"Uuungh!" She squealed, "C-coming!"

"Same." He said, grunting before discharging himself within her. He made sure to continue the pace, hilting himself but still humping forwards, as if to reach the very limit of what she could give him. Her fingers wrapped around his neck as she pulled him forward, frenching him deeply at the same time as he emptied his love into her, consummating their tryst with a healthy feeding. Grunting, gasping, and breathing heavily, the two bit and nipped at one another's lips as they came down from the orgiastic high.

"That was..." The Succubus groaned, "Wow. You're- um..."

Instead of responding, Roland pulled out of her. Satisfied, he plopped the confused demon down down on her feet, turning away from her puzzled expression as he quickly redressed, pulling the chainmail shirt over his head before calmly walking over to the pile of clothing, pulling out all the coins he found there, counting them as he went. He was completely heedless of the Succubus standing behind him.

"Am I...?" She asked, seeming to not quite believe what had happened.

"Get out of here." He grunted, "If I find out you stuck around and bothered these people, I'll come back and return to them with your head."

She didn't answer, simply watching him as he rifled through the contents. He ended up counting out two-hundred and five gold pieces. After most of it, he tossed the other five to the ground at her feet. "Here. That bit's yours."

"...What?" She asked, staring in incomprehension.

He adjusted his weapon belt, tying it around his waist and lifting and lowering his weapons habitually to make sure they were fine. "You promised two hundred and a shag. I won't steal from ya."

"No one has ever asked me my name, before." She said. "Why did you?"

"It means you weren't originally a demon." He said, stepping off towards the front of the cave, not bothering to look at her. "You're new to this, yeah? Tip from a monster hunter: stick to the cities. You'll get more prey and less attention than if you hide out in a cave in the woods." With that bit of advice he left the room, the balefire braziers going out as whatever spell she had kept on them flickered and died away. By the time Roland reached the front of the cave, the sun was now near midday, practically the same time at which he'd started this whole adventure. The villager was waiting outside.

"Thank you, sir!" He said, naked as a jaybird but clearly more lucid than he'd been. "I thought she was gonna eat my soul, or somethin'!"

"Save the excuse for someone who knows you, 'Sten.'" Roland said, "I know you went with her to get a use out of your pecker. Word to the wise: they only want one thing, and it's not as lovely as it sounds. Now put these clothes on." He tossed him some extra clothing from his pack, pointing out to a grove a short walk away to get properly dressed. The sound of footsteps behind him caused the mercenary to draw his sword and turn around.

"Wait!" She said, extending a hand and causing the red-maned mercenary to stop short. "I just... can I come with you?"

"Come... with... me?" Roland said, not comprehending the question. "You realize if you go back to that village they'll tear you limb from limb right?"

"I don't mean the village." She said, looking him straight in the eye. "I meant you."