The Young Mage Ch. 03

A while later, Magnus saw his tent flap move and Dinah stepped inside, holding a small torch in her hands. She placed it in a holder at the side of the tent and then sat down next to Magnus, her face showing hunger and arousal.

"Well, spy... I decided to give you a rare honor tonight. You are going to pleasure me..." Dinah said, reaching out to grab Magnus' cock through his pants. She gave him a feral smile. "Yes, this is a nice cock indeed..."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no."

"You think you are in a position to choose?!" she said, anger showing in her face. In the spooky light of the torch, Magnus noticed a scar that went across the left side of her neck, ending just behind her left ear. He didn't notice it before.

"I intend to force myself upon you! You think you can stop me?!" she said, her words sounding like a challenge. Magnus shrugged.

"You won't be able to do anything."

"Is that so..." she said, pulling his pants down to reveal his cock. She started caressing his balls and soon enough his cock started hardening, showing itself in all its glory. It had been a while since Magnus had a chance for some relief, and his cock was responding with eagerness.

"Ohh, that is really nice..." Dinah said, removing her clothes. Her athletic body was quite attractive. Her breasts were relatively small, but her ass and strong shapely legs more than made up for it.

"Oh no, you won't... In a different situation, I would be more than happy to do it, but I will not be forced into anything!" Magnus thought, closing his eyes and reaching out for his focus. Every time he needed perfect concentration, he would go to his favorite meadow in his mind.

"What are you doing?!" Dinah exclaimed as his cock started deflating. She started caressing it with her hands, she even knelt down and rubbed her pussy all over his cock, but his cock remained flaccid.

"You are doing this somehow!" she hissed, putting a knife under his throat. Magnus gave her his best icy stare.

"What is it, you prefer men, do you?!" she said angrily.

"No."

"So why are you soft then?! Am I too ugly for you?!" she said, visibly upset. Magnus could tell it would be easy to provoke her with the right words. Maybe she would make a mistake then, maybe he could be free very soon... Yet he couldn't make himself do it. He could tell there was some kind of pain in her. He took a deep breath.

"No, you are perfectly attractive, but I won't be forced into doing anything... And I have a way of making my body respond to my wishes," Magnus said, looking her in the eyes. She held his eyes for some time and then responded in a raspy voice.

"Very well... But you might regret this... spy," she spat, putting her clothes on and leaving the tent. As the darkness took over the tent once again, Magnus sighed in frustration.

"Damn it, I could have really used some release..."

***

Morning came after a not so comfortable night for Magnus. As he was dreading yet another day of this passivity, the tent flap opened to let in the same group from yesterday. All except for little Mona.

"Time to be useful, spy," Dinah said as they untied him and then retied his hands behind his back while two of them held spears under his throat.

"Hungry?" Dinah teased him, but Magnus didn't reply. He did accept some water.

"Where are we going?"

"You will see soon. Time to put those bulging muscles to some use. It is a chance for you to repay our generous hospitality," Dinah said, chuckling.

The group set off towards the southwest. Even though he would likely be put to work somewhere, Magnus was quite thankful for the opportunity to stretch his limbs after spending so much time confined to a tent. As they walked, he noticed his sword buckled at Dinah's hip. A regular, steel longsword would probably be too heavy for her to wield effectively, yet his searite sword, a present from the elven queen, was far lighter. He suddenly realized that this group of women was probably a scouting party, meant to check the borders of their land every day.

"They must be feeling quite safe if they let a little girl come with them yesterday... Although...I barely saw any men in the village this morning, so I can only assume they are scouting much farther out, which is probably why this group feels so confident. They assume one of the outer scouts would warn them in time about any enemy activity..." Magnus thought.

They walked for some time and Magnus thought he spotted a river in the direction they were headed. They would soon be upon it.

"This is the place," Dinah said as they reached the riverbank. The stream was relatively fast and the riverbank was high enough to make the approach to the water somewhat difficult. He saw that a long barricade of a sort had been built in one place, meant to create a stretch of land at the bank where cattle could reach the water and drink without the danger of river pulling them away. The barricade was in an obvious state of disrepair.

"You can see that the barricade needs to be fixed and there are plenty of large stones down there. I will untie you, but you can be sure I will run you through if you try anything," Dinah said menacingly.

"Come on, for such a strong boy this will be child's play," she said mockingly. She was untying his hands while the rest of the group held their weapons ready. Magnus sighed.

"I am getting seriously conflicted... How long should I continue this charade? Bah, at least I can do something useful here, and I suppose I could use some stretching as well."

Magnus started removing his shirt, turning briefly to smirk at their poorly concealed, lusty looks. For some reason, there was a serious shortage of men in their village, and Magnus knew they were feeling a certain ache. He took off his shirt, slowly, giving them a show and deliberately stretching and flexing his arms and chest.

"Right then, I'll climb down and start working," Magnus said and slid down to the bank.

"We will be here, watching you closely, so don't try anything stupid," Dinah said in a threatening voice.

Magnus worked for a couple of hours, moving the large stones and placing them where needed, strengthening the barricade. He wasn't sure he would be able to finish everything today as the barricade was quite long. Occasionally, he would look up to see if they were checking on him, and they did gawk at him in the beginning, but for some time now, he wasn't able to see anyone above. Truth be told, he couldn't see farther than several paces as the slope hid everything beyond, so he just assumed they were sitting in the shade somewhere close.

"I need a break!" Magnus said after a while.

"Did you hear me? I need to catch my breath for a while. Some food would be nice as well, or do you expect me to work without any food?" Magnus repeated but there was no answer once again.

He climbed up, finding only his shirt. He looked in all directions, perplexed, but they were nowhere to be seen. He put his shirt on and sat down to think for a moment.

"Is this some kind of test? Are they watching me to see if I will try to run? Do they really expect me to sit here and wait for them to show up?"

He got up, deciding to go look around. He was getting tired of these games. Maybe he should just rush and overpower one of them and take the weapon. He sighed, knowing it would be hard to avoid hurting them... Why was there no trace of them? It made no sense for them to simply let him go, not after making such a big fuss over him being a slavers' spy.

"I am beginning to see why this is called Wildlands... Although, Madlands would probably be a more suitable name..." Magnus thought and then suddenly tensed. He could hear voices... male voices.

Crouching down, he started sneaking in the direction of the voices. As he was coming closer, the voices became more distinct. He could hear two or three male voices and one female voice. Dinah's voice. He sneaked up as close as possible, hiding behind a stretch of tall bushes...

"Well, this time Adar won't be able to say we didn't bring him anything, eh boys?" A big man with a scar on his face said, prompting laughter from his companions.

"We should get rid of these two though, they are clearly too old to be sold as slaves. Adar told us that only young ones can be sold...," a skinny man with braided hair said.

"We could have some fun with them first..." another warrior said, grabbing his groin. They laughed at the terror and disgust on women's faces.

Magnus took in the scene in front of him. Dinah, Ana, Leah, and the other two women whose names he didn't know, were kneeling on the ground, their hands tied behind them. Magnus could see Ana and Leah were injured, and Dinah had a split lip and a bruise on her face. Standing above them were five men, warriors, by their posture. Looking at their clothing, Magnus could tell they belonged to some different tribe. They carried swords and axes and Magnus saw his own sword buckled at the big man's hip. This group must have ambushed and overpowered the women. Magnus took a deep breath, his mind going through the whole situation. He could just leave, and it would probably be the smart choice... These women were his captors, after all. He slowly sneaked away, then rose up and walked towards the group, his face showing a confident smile.

"Hello friends, I see you have a nice catch there!" Magnus exclaimed as he approached the group. The warriors tensed up, pulling out their weapons.

"Stop! Who are you?!" the big man said, looking at Magnus in a threatening way. When he realized Magnus wasn't armed, his aggressive posture relaxed a bit.

"Hey," Magnus said, raising his hands in a placating manner. "...we are on the same side here. You are Adar's men, right?" Magnus said, still showing a confident smile. The men looked at each other, their stances becoming less threatening.

"Yeah, we are. But who are you?!" the big man asked.

"I am one of those you will be selling these beauties to."

"You work for the slavers?" the big man asked, eyeing Magnus.

"Let's say that I represent their interests in Nessia and Vistania... and they told me Adar's tribe is the one to make a deal with. So I decided to do some scouting and see how many slaves there are here, and if you would be able to provide," Magnus said with confidence.

"I see," the big man said sheathing his sword. Magnus' clothes, skin color, and complexion spoke in favor of his words, so he waved to his men to sheathe the weapons. Magnus couldn't help glancing at his own sword that was buckled at the big man's hip.

"Where is your horse and weapon?" the big man asked.

"Oh, I left them there behind trees. I heard voices and decided it was smarter to approach unarmed. I didn't want anyone to attack first and then ask questions," Magnus said, winking.

"Maybe I should probe more... They didn't just come here by accident," Magnus thought as he strolled towards the men, acting completely relaxed.

"Yeah... this isn't bad at all, especially the young girl... but can you provide more? And I mean a LOT more. There is a very high demand back in Nessia and Vistania, and I hoped to meet that demand with the right goods, shall we say. I think you would like the price," Magnus said while he was 'inspecting' the slaves. He saw the men's faces glint with greed. He had touched the right spot after all.

"There is a big force coming behind us... maybe a week out. Adar is leading them," The big man said and then pointed at the kneeling women. "...and their tribe is ripe for picking. We will capture their village and you can have as many as you can pay for," he said, showing a malicious grin. There was true horror on the faces of captured women. The men laughed and Magnus joined in, laughing as if he had just heard the best joke in his life. Laughter made it easier to hide the rage he was feeling.

"Excellent! Now, not all of these can be sold as slaves, I am afraid, so you might need to get rid of them. This one for example," Magnus said, approaching Dinah who watched him with hate and contempt, but there was a sense of dread in her eyes as well. "This one is probably too old and feisty for slavery," he said mockingly.

"Hoo!" he exclaimed, backing away to avoid being soiled by Dinah's spit. She spat at him again and again, her eyes tearing up in rage and despair. Magnus was giving her a mocking smile as he backed away into the big man.

Then, fast as a snake, Magnus elbowed the big man in the stomach and then punched him in the jaw with all his strength. The big man toppled down and Magnus grabbed the handle of his searite sword and pulled it out, rushing immediately towards the four surprised warriors.

Their swords and axes were halfway out when Magnus' swing caught the throat of the closest warrior. He knew he had to be efficient and ruthless if he was to prevail against their numbers. It was time to put everything he had learned to the test.

As the warrior gurgled blood and fell to his knees, Magnus found himself against three ready and angry warriors. Speed and surprise could only do so much. Two of them moved to the left and right, putting space between each other so they could catch him from different sides.

"Yaaah!" Magnus roared, rushing towards the warrior in the middle, thus performing the most dangerous, but also the least expected maneuver. The two from the side moved to close in, and the warrior in the middle swung his axe towards Magnus who used his momentum to slide under the swing, his sword finding the warrior's calves as he went inside the man's guard.

"ARRGGH!!" the warrior cried out, his legs giving out under him.

Magnus got up in time to meet the flurry of attacks from the other two warriors. He parried and dodged, waiting for an opening he knew would come since their anger made them go all-out in aggression. Magnus dodged an attack from the left and then parrying the one from the right, he shoved hard, the warrior stumbling backwards, but also giving Magnus a counter-push in the opposite direction, and Magnus used the momentum to execute a pirouette attack on the left warrior, his sword catching the surprised man on the back of his neck.

"There is only you now... Will you run or will you fight?!" Magnus bellowed as the sound of death throes and the sound of wails from the man whose calves he had cut, rang through the clearing. The warrior roared, attacking with aggression and Magnus dodged, parried, then dodged again, crouching low and getting underneath the warrior, and then stabbing him in the belly, his searite blade barely finding resistance. The man vomited blood and fell down on the ground, his death throes taking mere seconds...

And just like that, it was over. The whole ordeal lasted barely a minute. Magnus walked over to the big man who was just coming out of his daze.

"Don't even think about it!" Magnus said, placing his sword at the man's neck. The man let go of his axe reluctantly and showed his hands.

"Get up!" Magnus said as he disarmed him. "Now listen to me carefully. Take your crippled friend there," Magnus said, pointing at the warrior who was holding his calves and moaning, "...and pass this message to your leader. There are plenty of warriors like me in their village, so you had better turn around while you still can. The next time I see you, I won't be so merciful!" Magnus bellowed.

He kicked away all the weapons lying around and then motioned to the big man. The big man held his eyes for a moment and then went to pick up his friend, stumbling away without a word. Magnus watched them go, the injured man's moans soon becoming distant.

Then he rushed towards the women.

"Are you all right?" Magnus said as he was cutting their bonds. They rubbed their hands, watching him with curiosity and awe, the shock still evident on their faces.

"Let me see your wounds," Magnus said, checking Ana and Leah. Ana had a cut on her arm but it was just a superficial wound. Leah had a wound on her thigh, but on top of that, she seemed to have sprained her ankle as well.

"We should go... They were probably alone here, but we can't be sure," Magnus said, picking Leah up in his arms.

"Wait... Magnus, I... Why did you let them go?" Dinah asked when she found her voice.

"I don't like killing unless I really must... and I needed them to pass the message to their leader."

"Will it work?" Dinah asked.

"I doubt it, but it will likely make them more cautious. They will have to spend some time scouting and observing, giving us more time to prepare," Magnus said with solemnity. Dinah didn't miss him saying 'us'. They got moving in a strange silence as if none of them knew what to say about this sudden and incredible turn of events.

"Why did you let us capture you?" Dinah said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," Magnus said, giving her a brief smile. Dinah nodded, pensive. They were all stealing glances at him, clearly seeing him in a completely new light. Leah was holding onto him, pressing herself close, her cute body radiating such warmth. Magnus avoided looking at her eyes that were fixating on him. He was slightly flushed, and not from the exercise...

"I can see my libido hasn't vanished together with my magic... One day I really think I will get a hard-on in the middle of a fight even..." Magnus thought, feeling his cock stir in his pants. The touch of Leah's body felt so damn good...

"She is really pretty and attractive..." he thought, glancing at Leah for a brief moment. She used the moment to give him a shy and seductive smile. From the side, Ana was watching the scene with amusement. Magnus noticed some kind of exchange passing between the two. He felt his cock growing and his walk became increasingly awkward. He would need to resort to his concentration...

"That sword of yours... It is lighter and that color is so strange. What kind of steel is that?" Dinah asked.

"It is not steel. It is a metal called searite," Magnus said, thankful for the distraction.

"I've never heard of it."

"No wonder. Only Elves can make it."

"Huh...How did you get it?"

"Well, from the Elves, obviously..." Magnus said, smirking.

"You have seen the Elves?" Dinah asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I lived among them for some time..."

"Spirits! Tell us! What are they like?!" Leah asked with a childlike curiosity. Magnus chuckled. One would never guess they had just been in a deadly encounter.

"Eh, well... They are tall and lean and have a light blue skin. Their hair can be in many colors, blonde, green, blue, red, but never dark, unlike your own hair," Magnus said, smiling.

"They live in the trees, right?" Ana asked.

Magnus sighed. Whatever fool had told that story, it seemed to have spread to all the countries.

"No, they live among the trees... They live in large houses, made of blue stone. Their land is incredibly beautiful," Magnus said with wistfulness in his voice. They kept pestering him with all sorts of questions about Elves, their hair, their clothing, their customs, and to Magnus' amusement, even about the way Elves made love. Adding to his predicament, Leah kept snuggling onto him, even caressing his chest, all the while pretending she was unaware she was doing it, and Magnus started feeling the effects of this prolonged exposure to the touch of her delicious body. It was getting increasingly difficult to control his arousal and erection, and realizing it, Leah redoubled her efforts, showing Magnus a mischievous smile... To his salvation, the village was finally upon them.

"Thank you Magnus! You are so strong and gentle..." Leah said, fluttering her eyelashes when Magnus set her down in front of her tent.

"It was my pleasure..." Magnus said, his voice coming out a little raspy. He cleared his throat and turned towards Dinah.