TRC - Last Name Pt. 01

"May I come in, Devlin?" called Brek from outside his tent. The lizard-girl's Common was heavily accented from the lack of mobility in her lips and also because she was from lands far to the south. To the fighter, she had an odd way of saying things that sounded more round and open than anyone else he had met.

Devlin sat in his tent with his war hammer across his lap. Since they had all the extra help with supper, he used the opportunity to replace the leather wrap on the handle. His hands stopped for a moment as he answered, "You are always welcome in my tent, Brek."

The brightly-colored, reptilian woman slipped inside and stood watching as the fighter finished weaving the strips of leather around the hammer's metal shaft before tying them off and turning the remaining straps into a customary loop. When he was done and set the weapon to the side, she stepped over his legs and sat down in his lap.

"I have a favor to ask," she said, draping her arms around his neck. He noticed she was wearing a leather collar to keep her dewlap down. Devlin appreciated not having the flexible bone it was attached to smack him in the face. The collar also meant she didn't have much control over it at the moment.

"I'll certainly help if I can."

"I am coming into season, and my body wants you."

"Your body wants me?"

"You are leader, kind, use your head," she ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, "and strong. Good for a father."

"I'm not planning on settling down," he warned.

"You need not worry. I feel the pull to return home. I want you to be my daughter's sire when I go."

"We'll talk about that when the time comes. How can I help you now?"

"As I said, you are the best choice for a father. My body wants you," she said, grinding her sex into the front of his pants. She wore what amounted to a sturdy shift beneath her armor's padding to keep it from rubbing her scales uncomfortably, but nothing else as far as undergarments.

"I would be happy to help. After supper?"

Brek's hips shifted against him. "Now, please, and later too if you can."

Devlin reached into one of the two saddlebags sitting to one side of his tent. Digging around for a moment, he pulled out a small piece of ebony with an inscription carved into it along with a large metal ring. The ebony was a gift from Naro so the cleric wouldn't have to listen to the feline and reptilian women's cries of pleasure at night. Thankfully, the soundproofing only worked one way, so if somebody raised the alarm he could still hear it. The ring was very special to him but probably for all the wrong reasons. Made of solid platinum, he pulled the ring from the same pile of loot where Sifid got his bag of holding. Within a minute of slipping the ring over his cock he would be bordering on painfully hard, assuming he wasn't already, and stay that way until he took it off. The only limitations seemed to be that he still got over sensitive after cumming, so there was still downtime afterward, and that it would become uncomfortable after wearing it for too long.

Brek reached down to undo Devlin's belt and the clasp on his trousers. Sliding off his lap, she tugged his pants down as he leaned back on his arms and raised up for her. When his cock finally sprung free, she leaned over and let her super soft tongue slide out and wrap around it. Her teeth prevented taking him in her mouth, but the softness of her tongue almost made up for it. Licking her fingers, she smeared the outside of her sex with her viscous saliva and positioned herself over Devlin's waiting prick. The lips of the lizard-girl's pussy sealed so tightly the initial penetration was often unpleasant as the rough skin slipped over the head of his cock. Brek's natural lubricant kept things moving smoothly afterward. Once inside, the way her sex gripped him made Devlin forget all about the moment of discomfort.

After thoroughly coating his shaft, the lizard-girl began moving up and down on his prick. Something was certainly different. Usually, when Brek spent the night with him, she enjoyed the full length of his cock or letting him deep-stroke her from behind. This time, her small but quick bounces kept them in constant contact while her inner walls did their best to coax the cum from his prick. Devlin was happy to give Brek what she wanted. A few minutes later, she chanted quietly in his ear, "Fill me, give me, give me," while panting with pleasure and clinging tightly to him as she felt him release his seed deep within her.

When his cock finished straining to pump more cum into her, Brek sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. At the same time, Devlin winced as her outer lips clamped down around the base of his prick, trapping it inside her before he could go soft.

They sat like that until Devlin noticed a change in the sounds coming from the camp around them.

"Supper is about ready," said the fighter. The lizard-girl mumbled her disappointment and relaxed the muscles of her sex, but didn't move. "I have my ring. We will do this again later," he reminded her. Groaning in protest, she lifted herself off Devlin's prick. It was probably good they waited a little while. She still squeezed so hard as she rose off him his cock was almost dry when it slipped free. Nuzzling his cheek, her version of a kiss since her sharp teeth weren't suited for the passionate, tongue-dueling kind, she stood up before stepping aside so he could get himself situated to leave the tent.

"I will stay here for a time," she said, looking down at her body which had turned bright green all over. Like Maris's purring, it was a telltale sign she was feeling happy and content after good sex. In a few minutes, the blues and darker greens of her normal coloration would return.

Giving her a quick hug, he bent forward and kissed her on the forehead before exiting the tent. Kisses on the lips weren't for party members. Dalliances or whores were fine but not women in his troupe. He frowned as the memory of a clearing in a faraway forest and a gorgeous dark-haired woman sitting naked on a fallen tree came to him. The moonlight shone on her perfect skin as she opened her legs and beckoned him over. His thoughts shifted to long nights with the same woman snuggled against his chest as he stoked her hair. Shaking his head, he chased the memories away before they could go any further. He wouldn't let himself get that close to one of his party again.

!!!!!!

The next morning they had been on the road for nearly two hours when Devlin leaned over in his saddle. "Brek," he said, getting the attention of the lizard girl walking within arm's reach of his leg. "I understand that the lizards you take after are very territorial when it's mating season, but you need to let other people talk to me."

Her head snapped up to glare at him, her eyes filled with hurt and anger. Moments later, her expression softened. "Sorry, I can't help but feel like they are trying to take you away."

"You need to remember that I'm doing this as a favor. If I decide to take Maris to bed tonight, you have no say in the matter."

Brek looked away, "I will try." Despite a very energetic night with him last night, her frustration was evident on her face, and the leather collar was straining to contain the brightly colored dewlap. He wasn't sure if it was because she wanted more alone time with him or ward off everyone else but suspected it was a mix of the two.

"Don't worry about it right now. A little further and we will have other things to worry about," As the party leader straightened up in his saddle, he heard the mage nudge his horse forward.

"Devlin, we are getting close to the lair," said Sifid, holding up his map for him to look at while casting wary glances at Brek. The woman had run him off once already today.

"How long?"

"Half an hour at most."

Devlin turned around, "Maris, go on ahead and see what you can find out about the creature we are up against." The cat-girl dipped her head in understanding and shifted to her feline arms and legs before running ahead. "Brek... it looks like you are ready to go. Sifid, Naro, and Naden; get your spells and songs ready, then follow along." Looking further back, he addressed King Lermin's soldiers. "Make sure the horses are secure, then follow along behind the magic users. Keep your distance unless called. We are going to scout ahead and see if this thing is worth taking on," he said as he dismounted.

"What do you mean, 'if it's worth taking on'? You are on His Majesty's errand. You are honor-bound to kill the creature," spat the lieutenant. He was getting sick of these 'adventurers' treating him and his men like stable boys and scullery maids.

Devlin returned the man's glare, "I'm honor-bound to nothing but the coin your king pays me, and I can't spend my money if I'm dead. If you want someone to throw their life away for your cause, tell King Lermin to hire a paladin next time. You have your orders." Pulling his war hammer from its holder on the saddle, he lifted it over his head one-handed and let it drop behind his back until it clicked into the dwarven-made holster there. He took a moment to appreciate some of the impressed looks on the soldier's faces before he and Brek began jogging after Maris.

!!!!!!

"What the hell is that?" asked Devlin.

"It's the size and shape of a dire bear, but I've never seen one that's solid black with glowing red eyes and spikes running down its back before," answered Maris.

They observed the creature from a tall tree as it sniffed about outside its cave. The cave was on a slanted rock face that jutted up from the forest floor for a hundred paces or so before continuing onward at a higher elevation. A wide field separated the cave from the edge of the forest where they hid. It was a common sight around a dire bear's lair. They appeared to like the open space so their cubs could play under their mother's watchful eye.

The beast's mannerisms reminded him of every other bear he had encountered, whether the twelve-foot-tall dire variety or normal-sized, but there was something about the inky blackness of the creature's hide that made his skin crawl. The red eyes and spikes were disturbing but didn't elicit the same feeling of wrongness. As it snuffled about, the creature raised its head, giving them a glimpse of their target, the pointed horn sticking up from its muzzle.

"I hear the others," said Brek from just below him and Maris. The lizard-girl had traded her human limbs out for the lizard versions, and seeing her scurry up and down the tree with her short legs and strange, padded, claw-tipped hands and feet was nearly as disconcerting as the bear.

"Any ideas what it can do?" he asked Maris.

"Other than normal bear stuff? No. It hasn't attacked anything or even seemed interested in leaving the area in front of its cave. The only thing that seems odd is the crushed helmet over by the cave entrance."

"Your eyes are better than mine. What's so interesting about it?"

"Remember the group we ran across a few months ago led by a man named Falain? I'm about certain it's his helmet."

"The one with the ridge in the middle that looked like a sawblade painted red?" asked Devlin.

"It's not red anymore, but yes, I think it's his helm."

Devlin remembered the troupe. Falain worked with a thief, two clerics that were a couple, and another fighter. Despite their party leader acting like he might murder anyone, at any time, for any reason, all of them seemed very capable and would have no problems dispatching a dire bear. This didn't bode well.

"No... No, we aren't doing this," he said, shaking his head, "something isn't right, and none of us are poor by any means. I'm not getting us killed over a pile of gold we don't need.

Maris breathed a huge sigh of relief, "I was hoping you were going to say that."

"Brek, go tell the others to meet over where the path enters the field. Maris and I will be along in a minute," said Devlin, looking down through the branches.

The lizard girl scowled, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was glaring at Maris.

"What did we talk about earlier, Brek? Besides, I'm insulted," said Devlin, trying to look haughty. "I last a lot longer than a minute."

Brek rolled her eyes and gave the cat-girl an apologetic smile before scurrying down the tree headfirst and darting away on human legs once she reached the ground.

Devlin started lowering himself through the boughs.

"I could try to get you off in under a minute," quipped Maris with a quiet laugh.

Devlin just shook his head and continued making his way to the forest floor.

!!!!!!

"What the hell?" said Maris, coming to a sudden stop as her ears rotated forward.

"What's tha—" Devlin started to ask until he heard the noise as well. He couldn't see them yet, but up ahead, twenty men yelled out a battle cry as they charged out into the field around the dire bear's home. Devlin cursed under his breath and ran for the meeting point as Maris kept pace next to him.

"What happened?!" he called out as they burst out of the trees onto the path.

Naden was shaking his head as he watched the soldiers. "When Brek told us we were heading back, something crawled up Soon-to-be-late Lieutenant's ass and he ordered his men out onto the field," reported the bard. "Do we help them?"

"No, those deaths are on his head." Devlin pointed to a knoll a short run from where they were standing that would give them a better angle to watch, "Let's hide behind that and see what happens. Maybe we can learn how it managed to take out Falain and his party. If we are lucky, I'm completely wrong and the soldiers will take it down."

Naden's eyes widened. "This thing killed that psycho?" He looked down the field where the lieutenant was spurring on the soldiers as he rode his horse back and forth behind them. Naro told him to leave the animal with theirs, but the cleric's words didn't hold the same weight as Devlin's. "Yup, they're fucked," he said with a sigh before heading for the low hill.

"How do you know it won't come for us?" asked Sifid, watching as the giant bear turned towards the soldiers and charged.

"If it's like any other bear, once it kills them, it'll be too distracted by the food around it to notice us," explained Devlin as he followed the bard.

"That's a gruesome way to look at it," said Maris, "but you do have a point."

Gruesome was an excellent way to explain things when the beast and the soldiers came together. The bear's first swipe killed a quarter of the humans. Devlin was glad they were a fair distance away. Instead of sending bodies flying, it looked like chunks of meat. He had to wonder how sharp that thing's claws were. The creature lunged forward, its mouth opening far wider than expected before the massive jaws snapped shut over a hapless soldier. The beast gave no indication it noticed the weapon its victim was holding. The doomed human's legs dangled from the creature's mouth as it jerked its head up and away from slashing swords and thrusting spears. A moment later, they fell to the ground as the beast's teeth sheared them off.

The soldiers were falling back, attempting to stay out of the creature's reach while bringing their spears up to stab at its head. Again, if they were landing hits and doing damage, the beast gave no indication. Others tried to get around its side for a shot at piercing its heart. For all of Devlin's annoyance with the lieutenant, he had to say it looked like they might be able to bring the thing down by numbers alone.

Devlin and his party flinched and stared in surprise as inky black tendrils snaked out from the creature's sides and wrapped around the men trying to flank it. The tentacles squeezed, and the men disappeared into a gooey pulp before they snatched up the next in line.

"Okay, I think we've seen enough," said Devlin. "Whatever this is, it's beyond our abilities right now. Let's get back to the horses."

With a murmur of agreement, they began making their way from the knoll back to the path that would take them home.

!!!!!!

This was a mistake, a total mistake. All of his men were going to die, and it was his fault.

The lieutenant ducked as the beast flicked its head, goring one of his soldiers with the same horn he had hoped to retrieve and sending the man flying over his head. Bouncing to a stop on the other side of him, he watched the man clutch at the hole in his chest for a moment before expiring. Movement in the distance drew his eyes to see the troupe of adventurers calmly making their way across the field toward the path back to their horses.

If those bastards had helped, then maybe they could have won.

A scream of terror brought him back to the beast. The last of his men was trying to run, but the huge creature hopped forward and turned its head sideways, catching and crushing the soldier in his jaws before tossing him away with a flick of its head. With no other targets nearby, the bear's eyes immediately latched onto him.

The lieutenant wheeled his horse toward Devlin's party and kicked his steed into a gallop.

His men all died because the 'adventurers' didn't help. He would make sure that they suffered the same fate.

!!!!!!

Maris's ears twitched. "Dev!" she yelled, looking to the side.

Devlin followed her gaze and cursed. "Run!" he called out though most of them were already bolting for the trees. As usual, he and Brek brought up the rear in these situations, with Naden just ahead of them. Devlin saw Naro casting a spell as they ran and felt his mind sharpen and movements quicken a moment later. They may not get along, but the cleric knew his place in a fight.

"We aren't getting out of this one," Naden called back after glancing at the horse and rider barreling down on them with the creature hot on their tail.

Though he didn't want to, Devlin had to agree. They were going to get caught out in the open field by this thing. "Sing for us," he told the bard.

Naden slowed and opened his mouth. Even after hearing it hundreds of times, the deep tone that came out still made the hair on Devlin's neck stand up. Reaching behind his back, the bard pulled a small two-stringed lute-like instrument into his hands and detached a small horsehair bow from its back. Devlin's pulse quickened as Naden struck the first notes, the instrument's magic making it sound like something many times larger.

The party slowed as well, the bard's song signaling them to make their final preparations for battle as the lieutenant and creature crossed the last stretch of field.

"Stay in front of it," Devlin said to rest as he checked the straps on the round buckler he wore on his forearm. "Those things coming out of its sides looked just as dangerous as its claws and a lot faster."

The first words of Naden's song reached them as the lieutenant came charging through, his sword raised and hatred in his eyes. Brek stepped into his path and threw her shield up as he swung down at her. The blade glanced off the guard with a loud clang, but the lizard-girl ignored the momentary annoyance, testing the grip on her sword as she set herself to face the charging bear.

Sifid was the first to strike as a bolt of fire streaked over their heads to catch the creature in the shoulder. The giant bear roared in pain, taking a couple of limping steps before resuming its charge.

The beast proved surprisingly fast as it swiped at them with its long claws or tried to crush them in its jaws. Brek and Devlin danced and wove around each other. The lizard-girl acted as Devlin's shield maiden and took a number of hits that would have severely hurt him while getting in what strikes she could with her sword. Devlin scored several hard blows with his hammer, any of which would have killed an average dire bear, but the creature barely slowed.