Chapter 3: The Hopeless Quest

"Anoint her and give her a Quest!" screamed Vivian, her voice muffled by the knight's tangy pussy and thighs sitting on my face.

My face was smeared with pussy juices. Knight Angela was a squirter. I did love eating pussy, but now my insides twisted as I awaited to hear what horrible Quest she received that would drag me away from the temple for weeks or even months.

"Let it be easy, Saphique," I prayed into Angela's pussy. "And I'll be the most faithful priestess ever. I'll worship you so fervently between the thighs of every woman. Please, please, please, sweet Goddess."

Iron groaned as I prayed and then snapped open. I could not see much other than the Knight's body and the High Virgin's pussy glinting with her two piercings. Something fluttered through the air and the High Virgin snatched it.

I trembled. "Please answer my prayers, Saphique."

"Knight-Errant Angela of Deute, you are charged on a Quest to slay the dragon Dominari prowling the Despair Mountains," declared the High Virgin. "May Saphique watch over you on your journey."

I groaned. That didn't sound easy at all.

"I ... I will accept this Quest as a Knight Deute," Angela declared, her voice quavering. "I shall depart on the morn and not return until I have vanquished the foul dragon Dominari even if it costs me my very life."

I groaned again. Why did she have to say that? I thought Knight Quests were supposed to be easy. How often did they fail? They were trained warriors. They knew how to fight all manner of foul monsters that prowled the world. Could I die?

My heart sank.

Knight Angela rose, her naked body anointed with the pussy cream of my fellow acolytes. She turned and strode over to the other female knight. My breath caught—while both knights were redhead, the older knight was a stunning beauty. Her very presence was captivating. She radiated power and sensuality. My mouth salivated. I would gladly worship between her thighs.

"Lady Delilah," the Knight Angela said to the older knight.

"You will succeed and win such glory for our order," Lady Delilah purred, stroking Angela's face. I stood up with my other acolytes. The ritual was over. I trembled as I joined them in snuffing out all the candles adorning the shrine. My eyes kept falling on the two knights as they held their whispered conversation.

The beautiful knight was confident. Lady Delilah. What a lovely name. It so matched her beauty. My heart thudded in my chest and my cheeks blushed. I felt the familiar stirrings of a crush. I hadn't had a girlish crush in years.

"I take it back," Maria whispered as she stood beside me. The acolyte had a vicious smile on her mouth. "You are perfect for this Quest. I'm glad I wasn't chosen."

"What?" I asked, frowning at her.

Maria shrugged and strode off, disappearing out of the sanctuary. She was just messing with me. Maria was supposed to get the next quest, and she was jealous that I was awarded this honor. But I bit my lip, my stomach tightening. Was this a dangerous quest? Dragons were rare and deadly, but Knights killed them all the time.

Sir Reginald slew the dragon Wrasitharia when it ravaged Thlin centuries ago. He had ridden out and driven a lance right through the beast's green belly and slew it. A tremble went through me. But the dragon had breathed her green fire and roasted Sir Reginald the moment his lance impacted her chest.

The knight had won, but so had the dragon.

"Damn her," I muttered as I walked out of the sanctuary, hating the fear Maria implanted. "Just because one old knight died, doesn't mean anything. Angela's probably a better warrior. She's trained."

But the terror followed me all the way to my quarters. Images of huge, scaly beasts with wings that spanned across rivers assaulted my mind. Sharp teeth wreathed in flames and slashing tails scything through the air. Dragons could burn towns to cinders in only an hour. They could feast on entire herds of cattle for lunch.

And they loved virgins.

I threw myself on my bed and clutched my pillow, trembling in fear. I could always quit the priesthood. But ... what would there be for me. Mother would disown me. She had plans for me. I was to be a High Virgin one day. She had little use for another child back home. I was dedicated to the Virgin Goddess, useless to marry off for alliances. Even if I could stomach the possibility of being with a man, none would ever want to lie with me and risk Saphique's wrath.

I had no choice. I had to go and hope this Angela was the best Knight Deute that had ever lived.

Knight-Errant Angela

"You will succeed and win such glory for our order," Lady Delilah purred as she stroked my face.

"Will I?" I whispered, my body trembling.

The Dragon Dominari. How many knights from the three orders had accepted the Quest to kill her? For three hundred years she had haunted the Despair Mountains. They said the land for fifty miles before the mountains was a burned, wasted land. What once had been prosperous farms and tidy villages was now a desolation where none dare tread for fear of the dragon's rapacious hunger.

What chance did I have? Maybe I should retire from the Knights. I could return to my father's estates and marry some baron's son. I didn't have to do this. I didn't have to go and die for duty.

"You will succeed, Angela," Lady Delilah whispered, her hand moving down my body, running through the sticky beads of pussy juices that anointed my flesh.

My every inhalation was filled with the mixed scent of hot pussy. My red hair was matted with their cream. The Goddess's blessing tingled across my skin. Saphique was with me, but she was a Goddess of Maidens, not a Goddess that knew how to fight.

How good was her blessing?

"You will be magnificent," Lady Delilah continued, her finger reaching my nipple. She stroked it. "The moment I saw you, gangly with youth and blushing the way only a maid of thirteen could, I knew you would have a spectacular destiny before you."

I shuddered beneath the force of her words. "I do not feel equal to this task."

"Why should you? You have never been tested. You have never been put into the fires and tempered. Until you face adversity, only then will you know what your strength is. Accept the quest and win your glory. Accomplish what none has in a thousand years. You are a Knight-Errant. You have embraced the possibility of death. Do not balk at the obstacle before you. Accept the challenge, rise to meet it, and discover your true strength."

Lady Delilah's green eyes swallowed me up. I was lost in their depths. Her words rang through my soul. They strengthened my spine. I was a Knight-Errant. This was what I had always wanted. I nodded my head. "Thank you, my Lady."

Her smile grew and she planted a single kiss on my lips. It burned hot through me. I let it wash over me. I trembled as it whipped through me. I held onto the pleasure of this moment. I clung to her and treasured her kiss. Lady Delilah believed in me. I would accomplish this task.

I would vanquish the dragon.

Lady Delilah had a satisfied gleam in her eye as she nodded at me. "You are ready for this challenge."

"I am," I said. But my insides still roiled. I ignored my fear and stood there as Lady Delilah assisted me in donning my armor. When the last strap had been tightened and I was once again clad in steel, I strode out of the temple, Lady Delilah marching at my heel.

But I would need more than conviction. I would need a warrior's blessing tonight to strengthen my flesh and harden my bones.

The acolytes and novices crowded the hallways as we marched out of the temple. Their youthful faces shone with awe and girlish delight. They clapped and cheered for me. I drank in their praise and adoration. It was my duty to protect all the humans of the shattered High Kingdom from the darkness that always sought to stain our lands. Though I was of the Kingdom of Secare, I would protect the Magery of Thosi and the Princedoms of Zeutch. I would defend the Kingdoms of Haz, Thlin, Valya, and Athlos.

I stepped out of the temple into the setting twilight, marching with my back straight. There would be no stopping me. I would slay this dragon. I had no idea how. It would take more than my simple sword.

Kevin smiled when I swept out of the temple. As a man, he could not enter Saphique's domain. My lover's handsome face heartened me. He pushed back his flowing, dark-brown locks off his shoulders and marched towards me in his full plate. Unlike my armor, his covered his entire body. Mine showed off my flesh, my upper thighs and hips, my flat stomach, and my impressive cleavage.

"Angela," he grinned, inhaling boldy. "Don't you smell delicious?"

"All those virgin pussies I was anointed with," I grinned.

"What a pity they dedicated themselves to Saphique," he lamented. His hazel eyes danced with excitement and a question hovered on his lips. "All their sweet delights denied half the world, though we would worship them with such fervor."

"Yes, such a cruel jape has been played on your sex," I laughed, my fear dwindling. I put my arm around Kevin's waist, leaning against him. I took a deep breath. Kevin had been the pillar that had supported me through the worst of my training. "I have to kill the dragon Dominari."

The color vanished from his cheeks. "What? Are you playing some cruel jape?"

"No," I said. "That was the Quest drawn. I will have to find a way to defeat her."

"Pater's cock, but you're dead."

I flinched. This was not the support I was looking for. "I ... I will defeat her. I will return to you."

"You actually plan on accepting the Quest?"

"Of course I do," I frowned. "I'm a Knight Deute. Like you. Why would I refuse?"

"Because you'll die?" His voice was strangled, his face twisted. "Be reasonable, Angela."

"I am? You did not flinch from your Quest."

"It was to slay a fucking ogre, not a Las-damned dragon."

"And would you have quit being a knight if you had drawn this Quest?" Fire burned in my voice. I broke away from him.

"No. But I'm..." He swallowed.

"Because you're a man? And I'm just, what? A weak woman?"

"I didn't mean that."

"You implied it." I grit my teeth.

"I love you. I don't want to lose you, Angela." He reached out and seized my hand. "I want you for my wife. Quit the knights and I will marry you this evening. You don't have to risk your life ever. Not when I can protect you."

He seized my hand and knelt. I ripped away from him. "Am I now a weak maid that needs your protection, Kevin? No! I am a Knight-Errant. I will do my duty. I will not be a coward and slink away into your arms."

"Angela, you'll die."

"Then I'll die doing my duty!" My voice was shrill. "I thought you understood, Kevin?"

"Please, Angela. I love you. I don't want to lose you."

"If you really loved me, then you would understand why I must do this."

His face hardened. "Fine. Be a stubborn bitch. Go and die. Throw your life away on this foolishness."

"Foolishness? Protecting the realms of men is foolishness?"

"Gods, you have really bought in to all that bullshit. We're not noble knights. We're not the guardians of the realms of men. We're just warriors. The best warriors. That's all. Nothing we do out in the field is noble or glorious. Trust me. When you get in a real fight and you spill your enemies guts upon the ground, you'll realize how all the pretty words we speak are empty and meaningless. So don't throw your life away for it."

"How did you ever become a knight?" I spat before I turned and stalked off.

"Angela!" he called after me, but he did not follow. My fist clenched and tears burned my eyes.

King Edward IV

"She accepted the quest," a woman said.

I jumped as I sat upon my chair, almost knocking off the papers before me. Being king involved so much paperwork. It never seemed to end. There were always some new proposal from some pissant baron or self-important mayor, and each of my ministers seemed to have nothing better to do than write me the most tedious reports about the minutia of governing the realm.

Stepping through the open doors that led out to the balcony was Lady Delilah, looking ravishing in her armor. The moonlight streamed in behind her, and her red hair seemed to shimmer as it brushed her gleaming pauldrons.

"How do you do that?" I demanded. "It's three stories up with no handholds."

"If I told you my secrets, your Majesty, then I wouldn't be intriguing," she smiled.

My blood boiled. I so wanted this woman. But she always rejected my advances. My pregnant queen stirred on our bed, the sheets falling away to reveal her naked breasts and round stomach. The pair exchanged smiles.

It galled me that my queen had known Lady Delilah and I had not.

"So that dried-up cunt gave her the right quest?" I demanded.

"The High Virgin performed just as you bribed her." Lady Delilah sat on my bed, her hand idly playing with my wife's nipple. "I did have to speak with a great deal of persuasion to convince Angela to accept the quest. The poor thing was a quivering mess. The fear seemed to just bleed off of her. She has heard the stories. She understands this is a death sentence."

I grinned. "Excellent."

"Thank you," my wife purred, rubbing her belly. My son grew in there. My heir. He would follow me on the throne. I wouldn't let Angela kill me and usurp his heritage, even if that cunt was the heir to the High King and destined to restore his empire.

The High Kingdom would remain shattered.

"I live to serve the realm," Lady Delilah purred. "Tomorrow, she will depart. It maybe sometime before she faces the dragon. I'm sure she will struggle hard to find a way to kill Dominari, but she will fail like they all have."

"Good," I nodded. "You are close to the girl?"

"She thinks we're close." Lady Delilah's voice was pure sex purring around the room. I throbbed to take her.

I clenched my hand, fighting the desire to seize her. It had not gone well for me last time. I do not know why I let the woman bare steel against me and live. She was just ... the Lady Delilah.

"You will need to keep tabs on her," Lady Delilah said, producing a broach from a pouch. It was golden and studded with garnets. It flashed through the air as she tossed it to me. I snatched it, staring down at the brooch. "I will give her a matching broach. A token of my esteem."

I stroked the garnets. "You've had a mage enchant it?"

"I have. It will let you keep informed of her progress."

"Wise," I said, inclining my head to Lady Delilah

A pleased smile crossed her lips before she rose. "I must depart."

"Must you?" my wife moaned, seizing the knight's hand.

"I have tasks to attend to, Queen Lavinia, else I would stay and enjoy the succulent bounty of your ripe flesh."

My wife shuddered. "Then go and be about your tasks."

"Your Majesty." Lady Delilah kissed the back of my wife's hand, and then turned to me, inclining her head. "Your Majesty, with your leave, I shall withdraw."

I wanted to command her to stay and let me enjoy her body. My wife and I could share her, but those green eyes pinned me to my chair. I did not have the strength to rise and refuse her request.

"You may withdraw," I managed to stay. Why did this one woman have so much power over me?

Lady Delilah walked out onto the balcony. I managed to stand, rushing after her. I wanted to learn her secret. The air whooshed and a breeze washed in. I reached the doors and peered out at the balcony. But she was gone. I rushed to the edge, peering down at the gardens below.

No sign of her remained.

"Come to bed, my husband," purred my wife. "I can feel your frustration. Let me satiate you."

I turned from the balcony. My wife writhed on the bed, her hands rubbing between her thighs. Her excitement brushed my nose, a tart musk. "You mean, you want me to satiate your frustrated desires, dear wife?"

"She left us both in need."

My wife was a royal beauty, a Zeutchian princess. Her blonde hair spilled across the bed, her breasts large and round, brimming with fertile delights. It was often joked that princesses were the most important export of Zeutch. The nation was fractured into a loose alliance of princedoms. While each ruling prince had royal blood and proud lineages, they possessed little power. It was safe to take a bride from among their daughters without fear of hidden strings.

I pulled off my doublet, my cock straining my tight hose. My muscles rippled as I moved to my wife. She was such a radiant flower. Not the most beautiful woman in the palace, but she had a queenly bearing.

She rolled onto her hands and knees, presenting that gorgeous ass and the shaved lips of her pussy.

Knight-Errant Angela

My anger only grew hotter with every step. I cursed beneath my breath at Kevin. How I had misunderstood his regard? I thought he understood me. He should have understood me. The Knights Deute had always accepted women as equals in their ranks in both skill and knowledge. So why did he think I was too weak to face this task?

How could I be with a man who thought so little of my abilities?

So many times I thought of marrying him, of the pair of us questing together as we performed our duties. But that's not what he wanted. He wanted me to stay at home while he gallivanted about. That was not the life I wanted.

If I wanted to be a wife and mother, I would never have left home.

My armor clinked with every step. I stalked past the temples to the other gods. The grand temple to Slata, the impressive temple to Pater. The whores of Biaute lounged before their temple, displaying their perfect beauty. The temple of Firmare displayed the Goddess fruitful bounty, while Luben's temple stood steadfast and eternal as a couple walked out, just married and beaming with their love. I stopped at Gewin's temple. Strong walls reared above me, carved from austere, gray granite. It was almost a fortress. The warrior-priests stood guard, swords belted at their sides over robes of red.

I marched forward, my boots ringing on the steps. "Who approaches the Temple of the Knight's Duty?" one of the priests challenged in a booming voice.

"Knight-Errant Angela," I answered, stopping before them. "I seek the Blessing of Battle to strengthen me on my perilous quest."

"And what Quest do you undertake, Knight-Errant?"

"I must slay the Dragon Dominari." My insides knotted with fear. Was Kevin right? Was I throwing my life away over the foolish words of our order.

No. Lady Delilah was right. I had the strength to rise to this challenge. I would slay the dragon. "Great peril awaits you," the priest said. "The noble God Gewin will aide you, as he aides all warriors who seek the toughest foes. Enter. How many priests shall attend your blessing?"

I took a deep breath. I would need as many blessings as possible. "Nine."

"A bold number, even for a woman," the priest said. "But you will need such strength. Know that the ritual fails if you succumb before you have finished with all nine."

"I will succeed," I said, forcing down the wave of heat through me and the itch swelling in my pussy. I would have to be disciplined to achieve their blessing."

The doors opened and I strode into the temple.

Xerathalasia – Deorc Forest

I stood still as tall and willowy Quenyathalee painted my naked body with browns, greens, and blacks, forming a swirling pattern of camouflage. My other huntresses's bodies were already painted, their quivers slung on their belts, their bows gripped in their hands. I had hunted with all of them many times, save for young Xiloniasa. She trembled, her body petite with her youth.

"It will be fine, Xiloniasa," I told her as Quenyathalee painted the patterns across my round breasts.

The elf-maid nodded her head. "I will do my duty," she said, her voice high with fear.

Fear was to be expected. A basilisk was a fearsome beast to hunt. Their gaze could petrify any who glimpsed the beast's red eyes. And even if you avoid that fate, their bite was venomous, slowly consuming your flesh.

"Xerathalasia has never failed in her hunt," Deliasonele praised. "She has never lost a hunter. So relax, Xiloniasa. When we return, every elf-maiden will burn to be your lover. They will throw themselves at you, each begging to be taken as your wife."

Xiloniasa grinned. "Really?"