Women's Worth Ch. 01

Chapter 1: The Sharessan

While this story is written in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, having no prior experience with said setting will not hinder your enjoyment and understanding of the story, plot and characters. Here's some boring stuff you probably already know and don't really have to read but i've got to write down.

Dear readers: This story features creative sex and violence; if this offends you, or if you're not legally eligible to read this material, do not continue.

Legal Disclaimer: This work is set in the Forgotten Realms setting owned by Wizards of the Coast. No copyright infringement is intended in the writing of this story, which may be considered fan fiction written for recreation instead of profit, as well as a parody. However much of the story, its plot, scenes and characters are the result of my creative input and thus copyrighted material i lay claim to.

Whew. With that out of the way, enjoy the story.

~valerisque

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Gazing high on night sky, Valeria admired the endless expanse of shimmering stars through emerald eyes. Tears of the moon, they hung ponderously upon a depthless canvas, meaningless motes of glory in sad eternity.

"Val! Stay alert! We're on a job." Kaitlyn, or just Kat, whispered harshly, her breath fuming in the chill of night.

"Keep your eyes on the road. The city watch should come around anytime now."

"You're just being silly. They won't see us. We could've been done with this part long ago if you weren't so jumpy." Val waved her hand dismissively.

"It can't hurt to be careful. Look, they're coming."

Peering round a corner, they watched the telltale glow of the night watch's approach. Their lantern's wavering white shone ghostly as the silhouettes of ten men waded through the wispy mist, their boots shuffling over the cobblestones. Closer, so their light stung the women's eyes, they were visibly armored head to toe, decorated with the regalia of the city watch, swords and bows in hand.

Clad in crimson mage robes, a utilitarian one-piece outfit many traveling wizards favored, Kat saw once more that the redhead's frivolous style showed through the partings of the robe high up her thigh and the low neckline. Val brushed her shoulder-length mane and then felt Kat press her by the shoulders into a shadowed alcove as the watchmen passed slowly but surely, oblivious to the hiding women.

In silence the duo hurried across the street, disembodied footsteps in the murky night. Their target was a noble's miniature castle, which even featured a drawbridge over a wide but shallow drain passing for a moat.

"How pretentious." Val remarked.

"Aye. Cast your spell now, we're going to have to climb in." They waded across the false moat.

Kat crouched to fish for her grappling rope from her tool bag slung at her side. Unlike the sorceress, she was attired for stealth, in all black leather breeches and vest, complete with a hood that covered her bright blonde bob. Seeing perfectly well thanks to Val's night vision spells, the world as clearly illuminated as if in bright daylight but in shades of black and white, she flung the grappling hook high and true, and it caught onto the wall with a grate of steel on stone. Meanwhile Val had already completed her castings with a flourish and a chant. To all but themselves, they were utterly invisible.

Kat took to the climb with natural agility, scaling the vertical stony wall with ease. Val followed slowly but surely. Passing a snoring guard they followed the spiral stairs down a watchtower back down to the ground. The statuette of a nude woman adorned a mossy central courtyard, vines having crept from the ground across her breasts and thighs.

The only way deeper into the noble's abode was a steely double door, bolted shut from the other side. Both girls could hear the gruff small talk of guardsmen on the other side.

"Can you teleport us over?"

"I've told you before. That only works when we're going someplace I know, someplace I've a mental image of. We don't want to end up in limbo."

"I know, but I was just hoping. We could climb over, but it'd make too much noise. The guards are too close."

"Let's just lure them out."

"Sure, I'd thought of that too, but then they'll be crawling all over the place looking for us. A noble this rich could have a wizard in employ too. Maybe you could dominate one of them?" Kat suggested an enchanting spell to leash the will of a sentient.

"I can't, I need a clear line of sight again. I'll summon something to distract them."

"Of course."

Kat and Val crowded snugly into a shadowed corner as Val waved her hands in mystic passes, muttering arcane words of power, the standard motions of spellcasting. When she'd finished a skeleton donning a rusty horned helm and a two-handed sword materialized with the clichéd puff of smoke.

"We're not supposed to harm anyone. This was supposed to be just sneaky. Make it drop the sword."

"Well I've never tried that before, but alright."

Directed by Val's will the undead creature tossed its sword aside and rapped naked knuckles on the locked steel double door. Val and Kat could hear the guard's rough responses.

"Uh, I hear sound. Loud sound on door."

"That's called knocking you dumb dolt. Go get it." The women shared a look and Val rolled her eyes. The guardsman flung the doors open to be greeted by the sight of a standing skeleton tipping its helm.

"Dead man! Dead man at door!" He bolted off, scared more witless than usual.

"Prepare to taste steel undead scum." The worldlier guardsman's sword unsheathed with a short rasp and he was up and after the undead creature, which Val had set running in circles around the statuette. The guard called out to his companions who promptly stomped into the courtyard. At that point, the duo snuck away, their footsteps muffled by the moss.

The double doors led into the posh interior of the noble home, the corridors lined with plush carpet. Just past the doors lay a table of ruffled cards, the guards' nighttime pastime. They paused some way around a corner.

"I know a spell to sense scrolls. Useful for us mages to find spell scrolls. It'll detect the tomes in the study." Val whispered. Kat nodded, and Val cast it with a flourish of her left hand and an arcane word. Val then led Kat briskly through the carpeted corridors, passing any number of doors in the oversized home, stopping at the one to the study.

"This is it?"

"Sure. There's a concentration of scrolls and books in here."

Kat was a member of the Silent Network, a guild of rogues in the city of Raven's Bluff that focused on collecting information for well-paying clients without actually stealing anything. Kat had been tasked with sneaking into this place, finding the noble's business records, and making a copy for the client.

Kat plucked her lock picks from her utility belt and crouched to fiddle with the lock, which turned out to be of a standard variety, and Kat's practiced fingers made short work of it. They entered the study room and locked the door shut. The sparsely decorated small room probably reflected the noble's typical disregard for what the room stood for. Beside a dusty table, the books on the first of three shelves appeared to be gem-crafting manuals, while those on the second seemed labeled in some foreign script. Fortunately the third shelf held the tome 'Records'. Kat crouched and slowly tugged the desired tome from the shelf.

"Hurry, open the book and put it on the desk, any page." Val whispered, and Kat eagerly complied. Placing her left palm flat on the record book, and her right on an opened blank book she'd brought along, she whispered the words to a spell to copy the records. Scant seconds later, Val was done, stuffing her copy of the records into the sleeve of her robes. Replacing the original, Val gripped Kat on her shoulder, and muttered something. Before she knew it, they were back outside the mini-castle where they started, under the starlit sky.

"That's got to be the most useful spell you know, Val." Kat remarked as she recovered her grapple rope. Val's dimension door was very useful for extracting them from any hazardous situations. The cobblestones rang with seemingly disembodied footsteps as they left the crime scene.

* * *

Winding their way through the veritable maze of streets, the duo found themselves once again in the closest place the Network had to a guild headquarters – the Crescent Moon Inn, and Val dispelled the invisibility as a courtesy. The simple taproom's most eye-catching feature was a huge stone fireplace that rose from the floor like an aged redwood with numerous warming shelves, linked to the floor by winding rail-less staircases.

Karl was the leader of Kat's cell. The Silent Network worked in cells, or operative groups, with each cell never knowing what any other was up to, for confidentiality. The women found him in his room, poring over scraps and pieces of parchment. With a thin, gaunt face and bony forearms, he looked the part of an impoverished scholar.

"I've found the record book and made a copy." Kat handed it to him.

"Well done. You'll be paid as usual. You may leave." His voice kept in a strict monotone; he never looked up from his scrolls, even as he took the records from Kat, with the air of curt professionalism that Kat had come to expect.

"Well. That's a bookworm if ever I saw one." Val remarked, once well out of Karl's earshot.

"You might never know; he could be a mage like you. Weird."

"I'm not weird! Drinks are on you this time."

"Sure. You did a good job, with your sneaky spells."

"Aye you too." Val smiled, spreading her arms to envelop her best friend in a tight warm hug.

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, in an underground hideout, the drow male Veldrin awaited the arrival of his master. Drow were elves with black skin, the evil cousins of surface elves that lived in the Underdark, a cavernous habitat deep underground. His wizardry had recreated the atmosphere of his home down under rather admirably. Stalagmites topped off with the skulls of slain foes added a touch of class to a roomy and comfortably dark cavern.

Even in complete darkness he could see his master's heat shadow approach. Evolution and centuries of living in the largely lightless Underdark had gifted the drow with infrared vision.

"Greetings Veldrin. How goes the harvest?"

"Well met, Draken. The harvest goes well as always, and I've acquired that which you desired."

His latest acquisition was a priestess of Sharess, a human goddess of hedonism and pleasure. Draken had heard of their skill in the bedroom, and couldn't resist savoring one. The Sharessans had gained such infamy that their shrine initially met much resistance from the Clerical Circle of the city, and they had to call their shrine a mercantile establishment merely affiliated to the goddess. Exploiting a legal loophole, they eventually eked out some space for themselves.

Visiting the local Sharessan shrine in the guise of a handsome human male, he had charmed one of their lusty priestesses into his bedroom. Then it was a simple matter of overwhelming magical power. Even now she was on all fours, shackled to the cold floor of his dungeon.

"You've done well, Veldrin. I'll like to sample her now."

"This way, milord." Veldrin led his master to one of his many holding cells, specially for the storage of slaves.

* * *

Lyndia had a crystal clear view of the two women. Dressed in a huntress or rogue's leather vestment, one had her bright blonde hair in a bob. The other, a redhead, wore a red mages robes, albeit in a revealing style, with a less-than-functional low neckline, one Lyndia herself would have liked, she mused. They were seated beside the huge fireplace, having some ale, just a few arm's reaches away. She could hear their chatter.

"The other day I heard about an expedition to the north. Some caravan heading there is hiring guards. Would be an interesting trip, no? Admiring the snowy mountains, visit someplace new. Would be like the old days too." Kat suggested, referring to their common history as caravan guards, swirling her mug of ale.

"You'd have to count me out. I can barely stand winter over here, much less at the Spine of the World. There are so many places we've never been to that aren't bleeding freezing." Val stuck her tongue out and looked to the ceiling.

"But seriously, I'm getting sort of bored doing jobs in the city. I'm thinking of going someplace new. What do you think?" Kat bit her lip, as was her wont.

"That sounds much better! I'd love to come along. But where do we go? Anywhere that isn't terribly hot or cold."

"Excuse me, ladies, but I have something urgent to talk to you about." Kat and Val looked up to face a mocha-skinned, dark-haired robed woman. With a low bow, she gave them a generous view of her deep cleavage. Most notably, she wore an anklet bearing the symbol of two full female lips – the symbol of Sharess. Exotic-looking, with a glorious raven black mane, she certainly looked the part of a Sharessan priestess.

"Oh, you're from the House of Pleasures! I've been thinking of visiting." Val quipped.

"I am Lyndia, from The House of Desires, actually. The two of you look to be able adventurers."

"I'm not sure what gave you that idea, but maybe we are. This isn't a hiring ground." Kat replied curtly, to Val's chagrin. It was unspoken knowledge that the Network was based here.

"Maybe you could tell us what it means to you first." Val offered.

"My sister in faith, a fellow priestess of Sharess has been held in a slaver's dungeon here in the city. I need able ones to help me free her. I'll reward you two handsomely."

"What makes you so sure your priestess is there, if she's been enslaved? She may have been dragged for sale to someplace lawless for sale."

"Listen to me. My sister wears an anklet like mine. Through it I can sense her whereabouts. She's likely still there. We should be able to save her if we act quickly. I'll pay you twice as much as your Network pays for each task, whatever that is. Of course, you'll have the gratitude of my mercantile House, and a considerable discount each time you visit."

"Sounds good to me! I'm in. Come on, Kat. This shouldn't be hard."

"Don't you need to memorize your spells again?" Wizards had to memorize the proper gestures and phrases for spells before they rested or slept, so when they came to their spells would be etched in their memory and ready to be cast.

"It's not like we used up a lot just now, and we didn't get hurt. Fortunately, I have another dimension door spell prepared for another quick getaway."

"Yes, it is best if we strike now. The sooner the better." The urgency was plain in Lyndia's voice, thick with a foreign accent.

"Well, you're paying pretty well. I'm in, too." Kat acquiesced.

"Let us leave now. Between the three of us, we'll smite these slaver scum."

* * *

Luisa jerked her head up to watch the heavyset iron door to her dungeon flung open to reveal the swaggering drow wizard Veldrin. Her enclosure was a veritable box of metal, with the walls, floor and ceiling all cold, hard steel, lit by a glowing white gem set in the ceiling. Devices for the sexual bondage and torment of slaves lined the walls, while chains and shackles lay strewn across the floor, some even dangling from the low ceiling. Staring at the dark-skinned elf in the eye, her body had yielded much, but she wouldn't let them take her spirit. Then the tiefling stepped in.

At least he looked like one. Of mixed human and demonic parentage, tieflings had features befitting their heritage. About 6 feet tall, donning an elegant set of green plate mail, he looked fairly human, with skin that looked slightly tanned, except for his hooves, which rang against the steel with each step.

Up close, Luisa felt her cheeks warm, and she knew she was blushing when she looked up at the tiefling. He looked harshly handsome, with firm cheekbones, and sharp brows. His devilishly red hair was cropped to a neat buzz cut. Men with short hair always looked better. He exuded an aristocratic demeanor as he leaned a little on his walking stick, adorned with a golden ram's head. Veldrin gave him a curt nod, and left, closing the door behind him with a dull thud.

Luisa felt her nipples sting with just a tinge of arousal when his eyes, deep green eyes met hers, and looked down. Being who she was, she'd met, and coupled with many a desirable man, but this one might be the best yet. Goddess – he is hot, she thought; and I am stark naked. Then she felt fingers lifting her chin to face him again.

"Hello there, pretty one. I am Draken. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"I am Luisa." Her voice wavering, Luisa tried to turn away, but found her chin held firmly in check.

"You have a lovely name, Luisa." Oh, the first time in a tenday since she heard her own name, uttered by such a man.

"I, thank you."

"You look good today, Luisa."

"Oh, thank you."

Draken released her chin, allowing her to lower her head. His manhood had long since hardened painfully against his armor. This trip was worth it, he mused, taking a step back to admire her lovely lowered face. Absolutely beautiful, with a pretty pert nose, luscious lips, and baby blue eyes, her hair – about as red as mine, too, he thought – in a neat ponytail. Even with her head lowered, her large, pendulous breasts were in sight, topped off with visibly hardened nipples.

Draken had long since lost count of the slaves he'd sampled and stabled, but this had to be the first time in at least a long time, if not ever, that he'd gotten so hard so quickly. She displayed such... deep desire along with a most adorably submissive bearing. He liked to think it was his natural charm holding sway. Then again, Sharessans were well versed in bedroom activity, so her demeanor could be a coy ploy for affection. Either that, or the aura of attraction on his magic staff was kicking in, as usual.

"You have beautiful breasts, Luisa. Would you mind giving me a better look?" Draken crouched, still holding onto his walking staff.

She nodded slowly and arched her back upward as far as she could, her upper torso more or less upright, presenting Draken with a delicious view of her creamy, full firm breasts. He traced his finger from her chin down along her neck through the valley of her deep cleavage, watching her semi-hardened nipples swell ever so slightly. They were half an inch wide and just as long, now.

She closed her eyes, mumbling something, and Draken took the chance to clutch the staff's ram head, focusing on Luisa, and whisper the trigger words to one of his staff's inherent magical powers, one that allowed him to hear her thoughts as if she had spoken them aloud, even as she was oblivious to his prying.

(Oh, oh my, He's teasing me. Goddess, make him give me more.) Her voice rang of urgency. With a sly smile, he circled around Luisa, taking in all of her beauty, watching her breasts heave slightly with each breath and the slight indentations of her ribcage against her smooth skin. (He, he's checking me out! Oh, Sharess.) Her slender waist led to sharply swelling hips, and a pert, well-rounded derriere. Luisa turned to watch him, to look into his eyes. Draken was pleased to note the look of dreamy schoolgirl admiration on her lovely, lovely face.

(He looks so good. Oh goddess. Such a handsome man. Could look at him all day.) Luisa inhaled sharply as she watched him lick his own palm thoroughly, then, with the most glancing touch, stroke her right ass cheek. Draken saw her bite her lip. (Ah!)

"Hope you didn't mind that. I thought I'd like to see more shine off your pretty ass."

"Alright." (Oh. My nipples are so fucking hard.)