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Xera and Her Companions #8: Warriors of the Dark Lord

by Sigma

I

“H...help me…” the wounded man gasped, laying against a burned out building in a landscape dotted with them.

Xera rushed to him first and knelt to his side while the others looked around the ruined village, scanning the torched and collapsed buildings and bodies of the slain to see if those responsible still lingered.

“Who did this to you?” Xera asked the villager, taking his hand in hers. The man bled from a wound in his side and his breathing was shallow.

“It was a grim and terrible Dark Lord…” the man said. “His warriors descended from that distant fortress and tore through ours like a scythe through wheat, killed all who opposed him. Drove the others away…They were unbeatable!” Xera helped him sit up while the other heroines gathered around her to hear his tale.

“Some of his men still linger at the far end of the village,” the man pointed. “They’ve made camp and erected a profane statue to their lord.”

Gurka looked ahead and squinted. “Ah...yes, I see the statue,” she reported. “We should tear it down.”

“You must turn back,” the villager warned. “His men are far too powerful.

“This will not stand. Minerva, give this man a healing potion. Come, ladies..” Xera beckoned before walking off with Ava and Gurka in tow.

Minerva went into her bag and retrieved a vial that she handed to the villager. “Get your rest. We’ll avenge your village,” she promised before running to catch up.

II

The smell of a cooking fire and the sound of laughter grew thick in the air the closer the four companions got to the statue, a monument of an armored figure carved from some sort of smooth, black stone. There were six mean, Xera counted, with five wearing the armor of soldiers and one wearing the robes of a mage. When the four women approached, the men turned and stood, drawing their weapons to meet the strangers.

“Who is your leader?” Xera demanded just as she drew her sword.

One man, middle aged with ornamentation on his armor that none of the others had, stepped forward. “I am the captain. State your business.”

Xera pointed her sword at the captain. “Retrieve your master before my companions and I carve through you to get him ourselves.”

The captain looked back at the fortress giving off a menacing air. He then turned to his men and chuckled. “Master Morden has decided to take that fortress as his base of operations, Amazon. He cannot be bothered with a group of adventuring cows. Begone before one of my men has to put you over his knee.”

“I will not warn you again,” Xera narrowed her eyes.

The captain turned to his men and whistled, catching the attention of the youngest of his soldiers. “You, boy. You’re the low man. Take care of this.”

The young soldier snapped to attention and then nodded. He stepped forward, drawing his sword as he approached Xera.

“You send a boy to to challenge me?” Xera scoffed. “Go home to your mother, before I…”

Xera was cut off when the youth swung his sword and she blocked. The blow was surprisingly strong, sending a lance of pain through Xera’s arms and hitting with enough power to force the Amazon to one knee. Before she recovered, the young soldier swung a fist that landed on Xera’s jaw and she flew back, past her companions and tumbled across the ground.

“Xera!” Minerva gasped.

“Oh this isn’t good…” Ava said.

“Ha! You’re getting old, Amazon!” Gurka taunted and lifted her axe. She then turned to the young soldier and charged with a yell. Instead of striking with her axe, the orc rammed into the boy with a shoulder, catching him by surprise and knocking him down. She then turned her attention on another soldier and struck out at him. Her axe clashed against his sword, then Gurka cursed, grunted, and soon enough she was thrown through the air and tumbled back until she ended up in the dirt next to Xera.

“Well done, orc…” Xera taunted, just now getting up.

“Shut up…” Gurka groaned.

“This really isn’t good.  How are they able to do that?” Ava asked.

“I don’t know…” Minerva admitted while preparing a spell.

“Maybe we should have listened to the villager’s warning,” Ava said while drawing her sword. “Are you ready?” she asked while taking a fighting stance.

“Yes. I…” Minerva paused as the glowing energy on her palm fizzled out. “What…?”

Ava looked at her. “Come on, get a spell ready!”

“I’m trying!” Minerva despair. She shook her hand but nothing happened. “My magic isn’t working!”

“Oh a lot of good you are!” Ava growled before charging. She attacked the mage, swinging her sword at him, but her weapon bounced back after hitting an invisible barrier. Then, with a flick of the wrist, an invisible force hit Ava, knocking her sword and shield away. The mage waved his hand again, smirking, and a second, more powerful forward tore away Ava’s armor and much of her clothing, exposing her pale, healthy curves for all to see. She the yelled as a third force threw her back through the air and next to Xera and Gurka.

Minerva watched her friends and then turned as the six soldiers approached. She dropped her staff and held her hands above her head.

The young soldier shoved Minerva along until she joined the other three and then the soldiers surrounded the women. The captain shook his head and then half-turned to one of his men. “Get the chains...we’ll put them in the dungeon with the other one.”

***

A guard slammed the cell door shut and walked away, leaving the four women stripped completely naked and bound inside. The cold, damp air in the dungeon made their nipples erect and left their soft skin covered in goosebumps. Tight roped squeezed their tits and thighs and pulled tight at their crotches as it anchored them to the low ceiling by wrapping around their wrists.

Gurka grunted and wiggled in her bonds. “Dammit! How did we get beaten by common soldiers?!” When she moved, the rope rubbed against her pussy, drawing an involuntary gasp, and the muscular orc felt herself growing wet.

“It must…” Minerva started, curling her toes as she caught herself staring at Xera’s bound and vulnerable body. “It must be some kind of magic…” she said, averting her eyes.

“It is,” a mystery voice spoke from the other end of the cell.

The companions turned to see a woman at the far end of the cell. Like them, she was stripped and bound, tight rope hugging her naked curves and keeping her in place.

“Who are you?” Xera asked, straining her muscles to trip and break free.

“My name is Astrid,” the dark haired woman said. “As to why you were beaten by Morden’s soldiers, Morden himself keeps an orb of great power in his personal chambers. It grants him all sorts of abilities, and those blessings extend to his men. The only way to strip him of that power is to destroy the orb.”

“Who is this Morden? How did he get the orb?” Ava asked.

“He was a knight whose lord sent him to the Land of Ash on a quest. The orb is the heart of a giant, a being of chaos who ruled over that terrible place. Once Morden tasted this power, he appealed to many of his fellow knights, and thus began his conquest…” Astrid explained. “I tried to stop him...but…” she let her head hang.

Ava glanced at the ground when she heard Astrid explain the story. “I remember hearing about that…” She said. “The masters at all of the White Rose citadels told us to keep an eye out for a black knight like that.”

“You’re from the White Rose?” Astrid asked.

Before she could answer, Gurka looked at Astrid, twisting her body so that the damp surface of the stone wall didn’t press against her naked skin. “How do we even get in his chamber?”

“Morden takes a bed mate from his prisoners. That’s one of the reasons his armies have been ravaging villages, in order to take the young women. He has set his sights on tearing down White Rose fortresses…”

“We have to stop him!” Ava said.

“I have an idea...we send you to his chamber,” Astrid looked at Ava.

“What?”

“A sister of the White Rose will be a great prize. Once you’re in his chamber, find the orb and destroy it. His power will be gone and then we can act.”

“I don’t know about this…” Ava said.

“Guard!” Astrid yelled.

Moments later, a guard appeared and scowled. “What do you want?”

“That one, the blonde,” Astrid nodded. “She’s a sister of the White Rose. Lord Morden will reward you greatly if you bring her to him.”

The guard looked at Ava and grinned. He then opened the door and came in, taking her down from her suspension and escorting her out of the cell.

“I will gut you if anything happens to her,” Gurka promised Astrid.

“Be patient, my green friend...all she must do is destroy the orb. I will take care of the rest…”

***

The guard marched Ava through the halls of the fortress until they reached a cavernous bed chamber on the upper levels. Inside, an impossibly tall man stood facing a large window that overlooked the landscape. His naked back was covered in scars and he turned his cleanly shaved head when the door opened.

The guard kicked Ava in the back of he legs to make her kneel as the tall man approached.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Lord Morden,” the guard bowed. “This new prisoner is a sister of the White Rose.”

“Hmmm…” Morden put his hand to Ava’s chin and made her looked up. His skin was white like marble and his body was one of lean muscle. “You’ve done well, soldier. Return to your post. Your reward will come after I’ve had my fun with her.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the soldier bowed again before leaving.

Ava scanned the room and saw Morden’s armor, black and covered in spikes, on a mannequin. His sword, black and almost as long as he was tall, rested on a rack next to his armor. His bed lay in the center of the room and on the table next to it was a white orb, swirling with magical energy inside of it.

Morden ran his thin fingers through Ava’s blonde locks. “So pristine you are, my dear…stand.”

Somehow, Ava felt obliged to comply. She rose to her feet and stood in place as Morden walked around her, admiring her naked curves and the unblemished canvas of her pale flesh. He slid his hand down her back, cupping the curve of her ass, and his hand followed as her walked back around her, caressing her thigh.

“The White Rose certainly keeps its agents in good shape, hmm?” Morden chuckled. “And to think...your order espouses the values of virtue and temperance. You will find those concepts have no place in my walls. I was once like you: a champion of light who sought to uphold justice...until I ventured into the Land of Ash and saw horrors you could never imagine. I saw horrid beasts from hellish dimensions flay men alive, I saw succubi pin men down and violate them before ripping them open to feast on their organs. I saw demons merely whisper and drive good men to madness, to the point where they slew their own brothers. When I returned from that cursed campaign, I was betrayed by the one I trusted most. It was then that I realized...heroism, valor, justice...these are all the concepts of fools. Only strength and willingness to dominate are what allows one to survive…”

As he spoke, Ava couldn’t come up with words to respond. Just being in Morden’s presence clouded her mind. His touch, cold and gentle, sent a sensation through her body and nethers that made hr nipples erect. She looked at his body, lean and wiry, with a large cock dangling between his skinny legs, and when his hand explored her flesh, she had to summon up what willpower she had to push those sensations down.

“One must take what they want in this world and subjugate those weaker,” Morden explained. “It is the way of things.”

Ava looked him in the eye and then gasped when his hand seized her around the throat. She gagged when the dark lord lifted her off the floor and threw her across the room. She grunted as she bounced off of the surprisingly soft bed, but before she could get up, Morden had moved across the room with supernatural speed and was on top of her. He pinned her down, his lean body looming over hers.

“The White Rose will be crushed beneath my heel as all others in this world will be. You...my dear...will be my first conquest in that realm…” He then opened his mouth and a serpent-like tongue snaked out of his mouth and began lapping up Ava’s skin. She went to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth as Morden continued tasting her. He applied his weight, pinning her down to the bed and his other hand gripped a tit, squeezing and playing with the meaty flesh. 

Ava whimpered and whined underneath him, the muscles in her body twitching as Morden’s hand slide down her stomach and began exploring her waiting pussy. He sat up slightly, wrapping his long fingers around her neck and making sure she didn’t move. At the same time, he inserted two of his fingers in her at once, and her gasp of pleasure died in her throat before it could go anywhere.

Morden went deep, exploring Ava’s insides while locking lips with her and forcing his tongue deep down her throat. She could barely breathe, she gagged on his tongue, but ate up his taste as he had his way with her. Her swollen tits, her erect nipples, pressed against his narrow, muscular chest and her hips moved in time with his finger thrusting as she spread her legs to let him in a bit more.

She felt herself on the verge of orgasm, Morden’s touch bringing her near the threshold with every passing moment. She couldn’t think about anything but the mounting pleasure, the fact that she was Morden’s plaything and that, if he broke her, she’d be his.

Just as she was almost there, Morden pulled his fingers free of her pussy. This index and middle fingers glistened with her juices and he put them into Ava’s mouth and made her taste herself just before he dragged her off the bed and tossed her onto the floor. He then gripped her hips and pulled up, leaving her on all fours as he prepared to mount her from behind. His rock hard cock slid home slowly, drawing out a long gasp while Morden grabbed a fistful of her blonde locks. He then began pushing in and out, his hips slamming against the meat of her ass while Ava gripped at the cold floor under her. Morden grunted and breathed deep, fucking the warrior-priestess in her plump ass with one hand on her hip and the other tangled in her hair. Ava’s eyes rolled back as she looked up. Her pussy dripped and the muscles of her thighs twitched as her gasps grew louder and filled the chamber. She thought the moment would come at any moment now, that her own juices would splatter across the floor and Morden would either cum in her or on her. She waited for the release to come, for the heightened moment where she would lose all control.

And then she set eyes on the orb at the side of the bed. The swirling energy, the aura it gave off pulled Ava back to her senses. Its magic cut through the haze of pleasure and she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to do. Astrid’s words came back to her, like an echo in her mind, and she reached for the object, finally gripping it after a few attempts.

“Wha….wait, no!” Morden screamed just as Ava swung the orb at him and it shattered across his face. The dark lord reeled, rolling across the chamber floor, and a burst of light from the orb threw Ava back, her naked ass sliding across the smooth floor before she came to a rest against the far wall. Morden lay quivering on the floor as ambient energy in the air spiked, filling the room with an unseen electric charge that surged and made Ava’s skin tingle. She took a deep breath and looked around until she found a small dagger resting on top of a dresser. She scrambled for it, grabbing it in her hand, but yelped when a hand gripped wrist and slammed it down, jarring it loose.

She felt a stiff cock against her ass as Morden leaned in. “You bitch! You’ve no idea what you just did!” he hissed. Just then, the fortress shook from something in its deepest depths, and in the moment of confusion, Ava slammed her elbow back into Morden’s temple and pushed him away before grabbing the dagger and putting space between them.

The dark lord rested on one knee and eyed Ava.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t plunge this in your heart!” Ava said.

“I will feed you to my hounds after I finish ravaging that body, just like the others,” Morden promised. He stood back up, his imposing height making Ava shrink.

She stepped back, the dagger quivered in her hands, but she steeled her nerves and gritted her teeth. “Come and get me and you’ll end up with a belly of steel!” she swore.

Ava’s muscles tensed as she read Morden’s body language. She gripped the dagger tight and then eyed his great sword on the other side of the room. She snapped back to attention when Morden lunged at her, and Ava ran forward to meet him. Morden growled when Ava plunged the dagger into his chest and stumbled back. By time he pulled the weapon free, the busty blonde crossed the distance of the room and had his sword. It was bigger than she was, but she wielded it with little issue. She then charged and Morden gritted his teeth when she closed in. With a swing of the massive blade, the Dark Lord’s head flew from his shoulders and the body hit the floor. Ava breathed deep and eyed the sword and then the body, only snapping to attention when the door to the chamber flew open.

Astrid stormed into the room, naked and with a bloody sword in hand and Xera, Gurka, and Minerva were behind her, all armed with weapons they had taken.

“You killed him…” Astrid said, a small smile on her face while she approached the severed head.

“How did you all get free?” Ava asked her companion.

“My magic came back,” Minerva said, opening her palm and igniting a small flame. We broke out and fought our way up here.

Xera walked over to the shattered remains of the orb and knelt down. “This is the orb?” she asked, picking up a piece of it.

“Yes,” Ava nodded, dropping the sword.

“That’s why,” Astrid said. “With the orb gone, Morden and his soldiers became vulnerable. She tossed her sword aside and picked up Morden’s head. Her smile widened as she looked it in the eye. “I told you I would usurp you…”

Morden’s eyes fluttered open and the head of the Dark Lord hissed. “Damn you, traitorous wench! This was your plan all along! I never should have married you!”

“What the fuck…?” Gurka stepped back while the others looked at each other in confusion.

“It’s true,” Astrid admitted. “Morden is...was...my husband. When he returned from his campaign and I saw the orb, I had to have its power for myself. I attempted to take it, not knowing how powerful it made him. He defeated me and put me in chains...I’ve been plotting my revenge ever since, and I saw my chance when you four arrived.”

“You lying witch…!” Gurka stepped forward, only for Xera to grab her arm and stop her.

“I did not lie to you orc. I did not tell you who I was, but at no point did I lie to any of you.”

“Your conniving ways know no end, Astrid!” Morden lamented. “To think I spared your life because we were married. I should have fed you to my hounds, just like the whores I plucked from those villages!”

“Too bad, my love,” Astrid grinned and kissed her husband on the forehead. “All of this is mine now,” she gestured. “I’ll keep you alive, because we are wed and because…” she lowered the head to her own snatch. “I imagine you still have your uses.”

Morden growled at the humiliation while Gurka leaned in to Xera.

“I’m going to throw this bitch out of the window, Amazon. I do not like being used!”

Before Xera could answer, several soldiers stormed into the room armed with swords and spears and surrounded the women. They prepared to fight their way out until Astrid stood before them and held up Morden’s severed head. Almost as one, the soldiers all got on one knee and bowed their heads to their new warlord.

“Hey! That was my kill!” Ava yelled.

“Stop it!” Minerva elbowed her. “They outnumber us three to one. We can’t fight them…”

Ava grumbled and folded her arms.

“This is bullshit…” Gurka groaned.

III

Some time later, the four companions sat around a fire in Astrid’s camp just outside the fortress. They had new weapons and clothing, and Gurka ripped a chunk of meat from a turkey leg before downing some of her drink, all while scowling at a newly erected statue of an armored Astrid standing a few feet away.

“Again...this is bullshit,” Gurka growled.

“Astrid extended us the courtesy of arming and supplying us in exchange for our help in defeating Morden. She could have just had thrown us back in the dungeon, given us over to her men, or worse,” Xera told her. “It’s not much of a victory...but it’s better than nothing.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Ava agreed with Gurka. “This isn’t fair. I took Morden’s head!”

Minvera watched as Astrid’s soldiers move around the camp, gathering weapons and supplies. “Where do you think they’re going next?”

“Astrid said something about returning to the Land of Ash,” Xera said. “She wants to find another orb. She offered us the chance to join her.”

“Should we?” Ava asked.

“Do you know what that place is, Ava?” Gurka asked.

“Nooo…”

“It’s a place where the veils between worlds are thin…I’ve never been, but they say demons and other horrors roam freely, that the land itself will try to kill you,” Minerva explained. “Glory seeking adventurers go there but, as I understand, not many return. Entire armies have been lost there.”

“Right, so go if you are interested in some monster turning your skin into a belt. I like my skin right where it is. Astrid and her cronies can have it. I hope that accursed land takes every last one of them.” Gurka explained. She took another drink and then eyed Astrid’s statue. “That statue is hideous…I’m going to piss on it before we leave.”

***

Hours passed and night fell over the camp. Minerva stood near the foot of the statue, looking around nervously. “Hurry up before someone sees us!” she said in a harsh whisper. 

Gurka emerged from behind the statue, waddling until she pulled her leather panties back up around her waist. “Don’t rush me,” the orc said before the two of them broke into a jog toward the edge of the camp. They exited the camp and made the short trip to the edge of the nearby forest, where Xera and Ava waited for them.

The Amazon noticed the orc and the sorceress laughing and shook her head. “Children. Absolute children,” Xera scoffed before walking away. “Come on. There’s a space just ahead to make camp for the night.” Ava followed behind her while Gurka and Minerva fell a few feet behind as they ventured deeper into the woods.

Minerva made sure there was some distance before she looked up at Gurka and grinned.

“What?” the orc raised an eyebrow.

“I’m just thinking about what you said to Astrid about harming her if something happened to Ava.”

“What of it?”

“You care about Ava,” Minerva taunted, poking Gurka in her muscular arm.

Gurka growled and huffed before looking around. “Careful with those words, little one,” she nodded to Xera and Ava. “Those two are heavy sleepers and people disappear in these woods all the time.”

Minerva noticed the menacing smile on Gurka’s face, swallowed a lump in her throat, and lowered her head without another word as she kept walking. 

The End