The Young Mage Ch. 03

"I don't taste bad at all," she said, smiling, her body responding to his thrust with a new energy.

"You taste divine," Magnus said, kissing her with passion and speeding up with his thrusts. He felt the urge to thrust hard, to fuck her like an animal, and he felt her body was craving it, but her story was still fresh in his mind, so he held back and settled for a gentler pace. Time stretched as their bodies kept their rhythm, their orgasms building slowly, while their tongues and lips warred for supremacy.

"Ahhh!" they moaned in unison, their orgasm hitting them like a gentle summer breeze. They never stopped kissing while their warm, sweaty bodies kept touching and rolling together. When their bodies settled down, they finally uncoupled and Magnus lay down next to Dinah. For a dozen of minutes or more, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their labored breathing.

"Magnus..."

"Mhm..."

"Your tongue blew my mind completely... I've never felt anything like that."

"I'm heavily compensating."

Dinah laughed.

"Thank you for being so gentle, I appreciate that effort so much..."

"You are welcome."

"But..." Dinah said, turning to face him and putting an elbow underneath her. "...when it comes to actual fucking, I prefer my way," she said, watching him with a sudden fire in her eyes. Magnus turned to face her, but she was already on top of him, straddling his crotch.

"You held back... but I won't!" she said, grabbing his cock and working it, while her lips wrestled with his. She bit his lip with aggression and as she felt his arousal and his cock responding to her touch, she sheathed it inside her wet pussy and started working her hips.

"Mmm!" Magnus moaned, transfixed by the feral smile she was showing him. With a sigh of pure pleasure, she licked the blood off her lips. His blood.

Feeling dazed by his own sudden arousal, he watched the flexing of her sculpted, yet somehow still womanly muscles, as her hips started grinding into him with increasing force. She reached out and grabbed his nipples, twisting them and laughing like a mad woman. Magnus moaned, feeling both pain and pleasure. Relishing the effect she was having on him, Dinah started picking up the pace of her ride rapidly. Sweat poured out of her face and chest, her athletic body glistening as she kept increasing the already mad tempo of their fucking.

SLAP!

SLAP!

SLAP!

The sound of her ass meeting his crotch echoed in the night. The force of her slams shook the torch flame and their shadows danced on the tent walls, creating an incredible illusion of an orgy happening around them.

"AAHH!!" Dinah cried out. "HOW.... DO.... YOU.... LIKE... MY WAY...!!" she exclaimed, her words coming out raggedly between her powerful slams. She was completely red-faced and sweaty, but the grin of mad pleasure and happiness was unmistakable.

"Gods! This is the first time I feel like I am being fucked, rather than doing the fucking... Incredible..." Magnus thought, giving in to the aggression that was making her burn with lust. He knew they wouldn't last long in this insane tempo and soon the sound of their moans fought against the slaps of their sweaty, naked bodies, signaling the approach of an avalanche.

"Fuck! ... Fuck! ... Fuck!! ... FUUUCK!!! ... AAAHH!!"

Their feral cries unleashed their climax and their bodies shook wildly, grinding into one another with even more recklessness and force.

"GODS!!" Magnus exclaimed, his cock spurting deep inside her womb, her pussy milking him with incredible ferocity.

"YESSS! GIVE IT TO MEEEE.... SPIRIIITS!!" Dinah cried out with intensity, relishing the feeling of his warm seed bathing her pussy.

Their immense sexual energy released, the mad tempo of their fucking finally started slowing down, and as their moans grew quieter and their bodies settled down, the sound of their labored breathing was the only thing that could be heard inside the tent. Dinah lay on top of Magnus, their warm bodies bathed with sweat, both of them trying to gather some strength.

"Huh... that was truly incredible..." Magnus said after a minute.

"I know..." Dinah said with a smile, still fighting to catch her breath properly.

"Do you mind if I stay like this for some time? I don't have the strength to move..." Dinah said in a lazy voice.

"Oh, I don't mind at all..."

***

"Lina, Lina!"

Magnus woke up with a start, his chest heaving irregularly. He turned to the side and saw Dinah's sprawled form next to him. The morning light was already breaking into the tent and Magnus rubbed his face in frustration.

"Damn... It felt so real..."

Lina's face, the face of the little girl he remembered had seemed so real... This wasn't the first time he dreamed of her, but this time the dream had been so vivid, if very short.

"I felt I could almost touch her... Yet she seemed so distant at the same time. She looked so sad and she was shaking her head at me..."

He opened the tent flap, the sound of morning village life reaching him immediately.

"I need to wash up and clear my head... Well, I could use a breakfast too," Magnus thought, stretching his body. Then he remembered Theia mentioning a council this morning. He hoped he had enough time before it started.

An hour later, Magnus found himself in Theia's tent along with Dinah and Ana, but also with two male warriors he hadn't met.

"I convened this council because a grave danger looms above our heads... again," Theia said with a solemn face. She took a moment to look at every one of them and then continued. "The Hatiti are on the prowl once again and they picked us as targets. You all know what that means. You all know what will happen to us if they succeed..." Theia said, pausing to let the words sink in.

"We should gather our forces and attack!" a burly warrior with shaggy dark beard said. "Hit them hard and let them know who the warriors of the Owl tribe are!"

"I don't think that is wise-" Theia started.

"Of course, you don't!" the burly warrior snorted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Theia said, anger showing on her face.

"That means this tribe needs a strong leader, a true warrior! Not some woman who knows nothing about war!"

"You are nothing but a fool! We don't have the strength to attack, not to mention it would leave all our young and elderly unprotected-" Theia retorted.

"But we would be warriors again at least! If we fail we will still die like warriors, worthy of our ancestors!" the burly man snarled.

"Bron, that's enough," The other warrior said. He was tall and well-built and somewhere in his thirties. There was a sense of calm and thoughtfulness about the way he held himself.

"She wants us to just sit like old women, Unnar! She-"

"She is not wrong, though. A warrior death is a good death for you and me, but what about the others? Do you really want our daughters and sons to end up in slavers' hands?" Unnar asked solemnly.

Bron shuddered and then nodded. "No, I don't want that... but what else can we do? Shall we just sit here and wait for them to come, to attack the village?" There was no answer for a while.

"What do you think, Magnus?" Theia asked, turning towards him.

"What do we care what he thinks?! Why is he even here?!" Bron said angrily.

"I would like to hear him out," Unnar said, watching Magnus with curiosity.

Magnus cleared his throat. He had been watching the exchange with interest, trying to gauge the dynamics.

"Before I voice my opinion, I would like to ask some things," Magnus said after a short pause.

"Of course," Theia said, nodding to him.

"What are the chances of getting some support from other Wildlands tribes?"

Ana snorted. "Practically none. The price for any tribe's help would likely be that the Owl tribe is no more. We would need to join their tribe, and likely accept to be 'lesser' members of it. It is only their basic sense of honor that is preventing them from attacking us right now since the Hatiti are a common enemy. It shouldn't surprise us, I guess, considering that we have been locked in permanent hostilities for over a decade..." Ana said with bitterness in her voice.

"So you think they wouldn't consider joining forces even temporarily, until the Hatiti threat was handled? Isn't that what these tribes always did when a foreign force came to conquer your lands?" Magnus asked.

Unnar shook his head. "Hatiti are seen as common raiders only, so they don't see the reason to join forces with us. They likely see this as an opportunity to get rid of two enemies at once. They think we will perish in this fight, and they hope that in doing so, we can weaken this Hatiti tribe enough for them to swoop in and win."

They all nodded solemnly.

"I see. Now I understand this might be a sore point for you, but what about just uprooting and leaving these lands? Surely, the lives of your people are what matters the most," Magnus said cautiously.

Bron's face stretched in anger.

"The lives of our people do matter the most," Dinah said, throwing a challenging look at Bron. "...but it is not possible, even if we decided to do that."

"Why?"

"How many days did you spend traveling through Wildlands before you ran into my group?" Dinah asked.

"Hmm, three or four..."

"Let's say it was three. It has taken you three days to get here from the border of Nessia. You, a man in his prime, riding a horse. Now imagine how long it would take for children and elderly, traveling on foot along with cattle... It would take weeks, maybe even a full month and Hatiti will be upon us in a week or so..." Dinah said.

"They are not after our land... They want our livestock, but most of all they want slaves," Ana said with contempt. Magnus nodded.

"I thought so, but I had to ask... Well, there is only one option left."

"Which is?"

"We must fight."

"Damn right!" Bron said, nodding.

"Surely you don't mean to say that we should meet them in battle?!" Theia asked with a hint of irritation.

"No, of course. If what that group said was true, then they likely outnumber us greatly."

"What then?"

"We should fight here. Fortify the village and let them shatter their strength on our defenses."

They all looked at each other. Unnar spoke first.

"How would you fortify?" he said, looking at Magnus with a thoughtful expression. He was clearly mulling over the idea.

"Well, we don't have much time, so probably a wooden palisade of a sort. Maybe create some strong points, also probably some wooden platforms with added covers so we can use the height advantage for bows and spears, while still having some protection from their own weapons. It is how villages and small towns are fortified in Vistania and other countries, and it is likely the best choice we have. They are also not expecting it, considering the way the tribes here live."

"You keep saying 'We'. You know you are free to go and search for the answers you seek..." Theia said watching him with a hint of anticipation. Magnus smiled.

"No, this is my fight also now," he said simply.

Theia watched him for a while and then a faint smile crept into her face.

"I think this is the best option we have," Unnar said after a minute.

"Let's do it," Dinah said. Even Bron nodded in approval.

***

An hour later, the fortifying effort started. Magnus marveled at how fast Theia had organized the village, assigning only a minimum workforce to essential things like caring about cattle and food and putting everybody else to work, while Unnar did the same for scouting parties. Soon enough, everyone knew what their job was: chopping wood, tying the logs together to fit them into a palisade, or digging the ground where the logs were going to be set. A small group of villagers was repositioning some tents to minimize the area that needed to be fortified, but still, on Magnus' advice, leaving enough space between them so the fire hazard wouldn't be a serious issue. Magnus was mostly busy with digging and overseeing the borders of the future palisade. In his travels with Fiona, he had seen enough palisades and town fortifications, so he knew what he was aiming for.

Even though the danger looming above their heads was quite serious, Magnus found himself relishing the work. It had been so long since he had the opportunity to do some simple and honest work. The tribe worked with fervor as well, knowing this was their best chance of survival.

"How does it look like to you?" Theia asked, approaching him. Sweat poured down her striking face, but somehow she looked even more beautiful for it. Magnus himself was working shirtless and she kept glancing at his muscular chest that was glistening with sweat.

"We are working at a really good pace now, but make sure they don't overwork themselves, because we will need to keep this tempo up for days," he said, wiping his forehead. He found himself glancing at Theia's body as she was also dressed much lighter than usual. Her long, shapely legs were almost bare and Magnus hoped not to embarrass himself with a hard-on. Women had it so easy...

"Good... I know how big the danger we face is, but I am actually beginning to feel hopeful," she said, looking at him and smiling. Magnus looked into her lovely dark eyes and found his face stretching into a smile of its own.

"These are good and strong people. We will prevail," he said and Theia nodded in approval. They both turned to see Unnar and Ana walking over to join them.

"I can't remember the last time the village worked with such purpose," Unnar said approvingly.

"Scouts all set?" Theia asked.

"Yes. I am about to set off scouting myself."

"Before you go... What kind of armament do you have? I saw a few swords, but mostly spears and some shortbows..." Magnus asked.

"Yes... It is spears mostly... and some axes as well. We only have several swords since we don't have the skill to make them. The ones we have were captured from some of our enemies," Unnar said.

"What about bows? I saw some women carrying shortbows, but do any of your warriors use longbows? They would be a real asset in this case," Magnus said.

"Only I use a longbow, I am afraid..." Unnar said, shrugging.

"Well, we have enough shortbows, don't we? What's the big difference?" Ana asked.

"The range and the punch are quite different... And for this strategy we adopted, we could really use the range..." Magnus said thoughtfully.

"So let's make some longbows and we can have the women who already use bows practice with them instead," Ana said. Unnar and Theia both shook their heads.

"People who don't use bows don't understand how hard it is to wield them. It takes considerable strength to draw a longbow and keep your aim steady. Sad as it is, women can't really do it and even for men it is not an easy thing..." Unnar said, flexing his strong arms and shoulders.

"He is right. I am pretty good with my shortbow but it still takes my strength to the limit. The Spirits favored men when they created all of us..." Theia said wistfully.

"Oh, I'd say they gave you plenty to compensate for the lack of physical strength," Magnus said with a smirk. Theia gave him a playful smile that lasted only a moment.

"Anyway, we will need to work with what we have," Theia said. They all nodded.

"I am setting off to scout. Good luck with work," Unnar said and jogged away towards his horse.

"We all better go back to our duties," Theia said, and taking one last glance at Magnus' chest, walked away towards the villagers who were bringing wooden logs for the palisade. Magnus watched her go, unable to take his eyes from her shapely legs and swaying ass.

"Ehm!" Ana cleared her throat. There was a hint of a smile on her face as she spoke.

"I'll be going to join the woodcutters. I won't mind at all if you stare at my behind as well," she said, giving Magnus a light, playful slap on his butt and turning to go, carrying a big grin on her face. Magnus couldn't help laughing as he watched Ana's voluptuous form walking away from him.

"These are good and strong women and I need to do everything I can to help them. If only my magic would come back..." Magnus thought, feeling a sudden weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

What if their plan failed? The stakes were so damn high and for the first time in years, he truly saw how much difference magic made. The destiny of these people depended on these defenses working, and what made things worse, they didn't really have an accurate idea about the size of the enemy force. Even with the defenses in place, the enemy's strength could still be overwhelming. Magnus shook his head, deciding to focus on the work instead. It was pointless to dwell on the circumstances he couldn't change.

***

After a long and satisfying day, Magnus found himself sitting in front of his tent, watching the sunset. There was something special about the distinctive red color of sunsets in the Wildlands, and he gazed at the horizon with a look of absolute satisfaction on his face. This was rapidly becoming his favorite part of the day. As the sun was finishing its dip below the horizon, Magnus closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant ache in his muscles. Honest, hard work would always improve his mood.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes and turned to see Theia and Mona walking towards him, hand in hand. Letting go of Theia's hand, Mona ran towards Magnus and climbed into his lap, taking time to settle comfortably and nudging his arm so it would make a proper pillow for her head.

"Story time!" she said when she felt comfortable enough. Theia sat down next to Magnus, sharing a smile with him.

"Mona said you told great bedtime stories, so I wanted to hear for myself," Theia said playfully.

"Yes, tell us another story about Tim and Kim!" Mona said with a mischievous smile. A pang of loss went through Magnus' chest.

"So much like Lina..." he thought, as a hint of sorrow appeared on his face. He covered it with a quick smile.

"All right. Where were we? Ah yes... I told you how Tim and Kim defeated the thief... Months went by and Tim was learning more magic thanks to Kim's patience and dedication. Kim, who was not only a sorceress, but a famous potion-maker too, decided one day that they needed to make a trip into the mountains of Nessia, in search of a very special flower..."

"What kind of flower?" Mona asked.

"Well, a special one. A flower that had some special magic inside. So they traveled far to the north until they reached a remote village, deep into the mountains."

"Was it a big village?"

"Well, it wasn't a small one. But as Kim and Tim soon realized, the people who lived there were very strange..." Magnus said, his voice turning mysterious. Mona's inquisitive eyes lit up.

"How strange?"

"They looked completely normal, but they acted strange... Tim and Kim soon realized that villagers didn't want to talk to them at all."

"But why?"

"Ah," Magnus said, poking Mona's nose, "...you are rushing ahead. Listen to the story. Tim and Kim found an abandoned hut and they settled there, deciding to search for the flower the next day. They went into the mountains and searched for an entire day, but the flower was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until they settled down under a tree to... rest that they spotted the flower growing out of the bark of the tree."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it really grew from the bark of the tree. Weird, eh? Anyway, they were happy that they found the flower and they went back to the village to spend the night, deciding to search more the next day, as one flower wasn't nearly enough. Only that night...," Magnus said, his voice going low.

"What happened?!" Mona asked, intrigued.