Chapter 1: Spidery Passion

Knight-Errant Angela – The Oracle of Lesbius, Deorc Forest

The Oracle of Lesbius slid off my body, her dusky skin gleaming with sweat and the juices of our love making. She stood with a willowy grace, her hips undulating as she moved back into her bower, leaving me heaving on the colorful pillows. Her words echoed in my mind. A prophecy that held the key to defeating the dragon Dominari.

There was hope. Tears burned in my eyes. I trembled and shook as the emotion mixed with the bliss still rippling through me. I could defeat the dragon, the first knight ever to succeed. I wasn't on a death sentence with Sophia. My breasts heaved as I trembled. My eyes found Sophia where she watched, the acolyte's smile wide, her green eyes brimming with tears, her hands clasped hopefully before her.

She was so beautiful. I had been so distant from her, pushing her away. I couldn't remember why? Was it simply that I wasn't in love with the girl. There was a ... hole in my thoughts. I frowned, my excitement dwindling. I had given something up. Something that I had cared about, and it left me empty. I had memories of ... someone. I felt like I had known the name just moments ago, but it was gone now. It had been someone that I had shared my bed and life with. But who was it?

What did I give up for hope?

The Oracle curled into a ball, her golden eyes closed, and her breasts rose and fell with the simple rhythm of sleep. I pushed myself up, shaking my head. I must have been sure the price was worth it. Whomever I had given up couldn't have been that important to me.

"We're going to do it!" Sophia shrieked.

She rushed towards me and threw her arms around my shoulders as I sat up, her impulsive lips raining kisses about my cheeks. They were delicious, caressing my cheeks with hot fire. I held her tight, sharing in her joy.

Then she froze. "Sorry."

Sophia pulled away. Her face twisted with sadness. I sighed and clutched her hand, and smiled at her. "Don't be. It's okay. We should celebrate."

"Yes, the Oracle gave such sage words," nodded Xera.

The elf huntress lounged against the wall, tall and lush, naked save for a simple belt from which hung her quiver of arrows. Her body was painted with greens and browns, a mottled pattern that helped her vanish into the thick brush of the Deorc Forest. Her hair was green and short, a utilitarian cut, and her pointed ears rose out of her green locks. She was taller than me. She was taller than most humans.

"What did the prophecy mean?" Sophia asked, glancing at the slumbering Oracle. The demigoddess—daughter of Cnawen and Rithi, God of Knowledge and Goddess of Art—seemed at peace. "Am I the virgin whore?"

A grin split my lips. The Oracle's prophecy mentioned half-a-dozen companions to join me. "Well, you are pretty whorish, Sophia. With women, anyways."

"And, I believe, that priestesses of Saphique sell their bodies to female worshipers," Xera added. Xera wasn't her real name. Her full name was difficult for humans to pronounce.

"We don't sell our bodies," huffed Sophia. "For a donation, women worship the Virgin Goddess in the arms of her priestesses and acolytes. It's a very pleasant duty."

I laughed, it felt wonderful. "Yep, a whore untouched by men."

Sophia put her hands on her hips, pushing in the simple robe of white she wore to cling to her lithe curves. She was a petite woman, but had a curvy ass. Her lips fought a smile. With her light-brown hair framing her delicate features, she made quite the Secaran beauty. I was Secaran, too, though you never would know it by my flaming-red hair. There was a Tuathan in my ancestry.

"Does that make me the Quiet Stalker?" Xera pondered, her face tightening. "I had hoped leading you to the Lesbius Oracle would end my involvement."

"Oh, it can't be you," Sophia gasped.

"Do you think I'm not capable of moving unseen?" Xera's violet eyes narrowed.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean that. You have a pregnant wife. You can't risk your life with us on this journey."

Xera bit her lip. "Words of prophecy are not easily ignored. Doing so can lead to disastrous consequences."

"Well, maybe there's another elvish hunter they're talking about," Sophia pointed out. "Like, um, those other ones that were with you."

"Yet I was the one that chose to lead you to the oracle and involve myself in your quest."

I furrowed my eyebrows. What would happen if she didn't come? Would my quest end in ruin if I failed to find all the companions named? "It has to be her decisions to come with us, Sophia. But ... it can't be coincidence that we were led here by an elvish huntress and then received that prophecy."

Xera nodded. "Yes. I have much to consider."

I wanted to say more, to beg her, but she was a strong woman. She would make the decision on her own. I just had to hope her honor would outweigh her desire to stay with her pregnant wife. I grimaced; what a terrible knight I must be to want to pull a woman from her family and ask her to risk her life.

"There's more to the prophecy than companions," Xera finally said. "The shattered blade?"

"The High King's blade," I answered, shifting on my feet. The sword that belonged to my ancient ancestor, the High King Peter.

"But that was broke into five pieces ... oh," Sophia blushed. "She did mention five shards, didn't she."

I nodded. "After his death, they were broken up and scattered across the lands. No one wanted the sword claimed again. Legends say the five pieces were hidden in and well guarded. And even if they were found, they would have to be reforged. The blade is made of adamantium. No normal smith can work that metal."

Sophia frowned, "I remember being lectured on this subject as a novice." She tapped her chin. "Ooh, why didn't I pay better attention? One of the pieces was hidden in Murathi, wherever that is."

"Far to the north in lands now claimed by the Larg Orcs," Xera answered. "It is a holy place to them, some ruins that they worship at."

"Fun," Sophia groaned. "And let's see ... another is hidden in a volcano on the Isle of Birds. I think a third piece was hidden in the Mirage Gardens in the Halani Desert."

I stared at Sophia with eager excitement. "And the other two?"

Sophia furrowed her eyebrows. "Umm ... the Haunted Forest. In a ruined castle in the depths of that terrible place."

It was my turn to groan. "They really didn't want this sword reforged."

"It was the High King's blade, the symbol of his empire. None of the usurping kings that carved up his empire could have been happy with that symbol around," Sophia answered. "Oh, the last one is in Rartha. In the Great Vault."

"I have heard of the Great Vault," Xera whispered. "The merchant princes of Rartha store their greatest treasures in there. It is impenetrable."

"And we still need to learn the way to forge the sword," I groaned, my hope dying. "Finding the sword seems a task more monumental than killing the dragon. Do you know of the ritual to work adamantium?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't recall that lecture, but then I spent much of my time seducing timid novices instead of paying attention to such boring stuff. Sorry."

"Perhaps the answers can be found in the Library of Khalesithan. My wife is a librarian there."

"Elves have a library?" Sophia gasped.

Xera gave her a fixed look.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like you were a bunch of ... um..." Sophia's cheeks burned. "I'm not making this better, am I?"

Xera shook her head.

Sophia walked to the Elf and hugged her. "Sorry. Can you forgive me for being a dumb human?"

Xera laughed. "You are so impish."

"I know," giggled Sophia before she planted a hot kiss on Xera's lips.

I squeezed my thighs together as I watched. Memories of Sophia's kisses heated my body. Sophia became Lady Delilah in my imagination—my first crush. I remembered the kisses Lady Delilah gave me before I left on my Quest. She was such a beauty with flaming-red hair. I could still picture the first time I saw her riding into my parent's estate dressed in the armor of a Knight Deute. She was the reason I joined the Knights Deute.

I shook my head and forced myself to stand. I was drained from the Oracle's embrace. She had fed off my sexual energy to feed her prophecy. The world swam about me for a moment, and I stumbled before I caught my balance.

"Angela?" Sophia asked, giving me a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired," I said, reaching for my discarded armor. "We still have some daylight left, let's get moving to Khalesithan." What a hard word to say. Khalesithan.

Xera shook her head. "We should rest here for the night. I do not think the Oracle will mind."

"Why? We still have a few hours left?"

"Do you want to get caught in the giganraneae's vale when night falls?" the elf asked.

I shuddered. The Lesbius Oracle was in the heart of a spidery vale. The dark trees were covered in thick cobwebs. The giganraneae were a race of intelligent, spider-like monsters, an offshoot of the werespiders. They couldn't transform into human form, but still require humanoids for reproducing. The race is all female, and they deposit their eggs with an ovipositor into a humanoids body. When the eggs hatch, the young feast on the host. The giganraneae keep the host paralyzed and cocooned until their daughters hatch.

"No," Sophia shuddered.

I sank back down to the pillows that covered the floor of the oracle's cave. "We can wait until morning."

My exhaustion pulled me down into sleep.

Xerathalasia

I woke up with Sophia cuddled against me. The colorful sheets hanging from the top of the Oracle's cave billowed and waved in a slight breeze. Sophia's pale face lay on my arm, her face so cute as she slumbered.

Angela still slept by herself. The Oracle's ritual had exhausted the knight and she had slept undisturbed for hours. Though we were underground, my instincts told me dawn wasn't far off. Time to rise and face the dangers of slipping out of the vale.

The giganraneae were dangerous monsters. They were only tolerated to exist by my people because they protected the Oracle. If someone wanted to seek her advice, they had to brave true dangers. The giganraneae knew not to leave the vale or our hunters would dispatch them. But any who wandered into the valley were theirs to hunt.

"Matar, watch over us as we stalk through the dark vale," I prayed to the hermaphroditic goddess that birthed the elves and our sister races. There were five hermaphroditic races birthed by the goddess impregnating herself with her own cock, each attuned with one of the five elements. Elves were of life, gnomes of earth, sylphs of air, nixies of water, and dragons of fire.

I shook Sophia.

"Hmm," the sleepy human murmured.

"It's morning," I whispered as I slipped my arm out from underneath her. "Time to break our fast and brave the dangers of the vale."

Sophia's face paled. "Ooh, I had forgotten about that. It's so creepy out there."

"Yes," Angela nodded, stretching as she woke up.

The human knight was a gorgeous woman, large breasts thrusting before her. Her body was lean and muscled. She moved with the grace of a trained fighter as she gathered up the pieces of her armor. She buckled on her half-breastplate, leaving her midriff and a generous amount of cleavage bare, followed by her pauldrons protecting her shoulders. A thick swordbelt buckled around her waist from which her chainmail loincloth dangled. Thigh-high boots covered by metal greaves were next, followed by her bracers on her forearms. Elves didn't use armor. We relied on our quick reflexes to avoid hits.

Sophia nibbled on her hard trail rations. I didn't carry supplies. I could forage as we walked, eating the bounty of nature. The humans, however, couldn't eat half of what the Deorc Forest offered. They balked at eating tasty pine cones.

"Let's get this over with," Sophia said. "I hope our horses are still fine."

Angela nodded her head, her flaming hair brushing her shiny pauldrons. "They had forage and were hobbled. They should be fine."

The humans were attached to their horses despite being unable to speak to them. Angela's warhorse, Midnight, had a great deal of loyalty to his rider, and Purity, Sophia's mount, just adored her the acolyte.

Angela drew her sword as she led us through the narrow tunnel that led back to the surface. Only the Oracle's chamber was covered in colorful sheets to hide the hard dirt walls and ceiling. Roots of trees poked through, forming a curtain of wispy tendrils that tickled my face as I followed the knight. Sophia was at the rear, almost clutching to me in fear.

Gray light filtered through from the entrance. Dawn had arrived, lightening the gloom of the vale. I shuddered when I stepped out of the cave. The woods were dark and dreary, the dark firs cocooned in torn cobwebs. No birds sang sweet songs to the rising sun or animals scampering through the brush. My nose wrinkled; the foul stench of death lingered through the vale.

I gripped my bow in my hand. It was strung and an arrow knocked, ready to be pulled back and loosed at any threat. My ears twitched as I strained for any sound. Branches rustled as a breeze stirred the canopy.

Even Sophia was armed, gripping a small dagger in her hand. The acolyte's eyes scanned the trees as she shivered in her beige cloak and white robes. I winced with every dried twig that snapped beneath her careless feet or her clock rasping as the fabric caught on every brush she passed.

"Angela," Sophia suddenly whined.

"What?" the knight asked, turning around.

Sophia's dagger glowed a faint pink.

"Why is it glowing?" I asked.

Angela nodded. "Yes. What enchantment is on that dagger."

"It senses danger," Sophia swallowed. She peered up into the trees. "How much farther?"

"Another hour," I answered.

A shadow moved in the tree. I raised my bow, staring at the branch and shivered. Wispy cobwebs fluttered from a swaying branch. My heart beat faster. My eyes swept around. More branches jiggled and swayed, too large to be disturbed that much by the breeze.

"We're surrounded," I whispered. "There's at least six of them."

"Pater's cock," cursed Angela. She raised her sword in a stance.

"Oh, no," Sophia groaned, clutching her glowing dagger with both hands. "Saphique, please watch over your servants."

A shadow moved. My bow shifted and I drew back the arrow. I released. The arrow was a blur streaking into the trees. A skittering snarl erupted. Something dark and spindly moved through the boughs.

The trees erupted with movement.

"Here they come!" Angela shouted, her red hair streaming behind her as she charged at the nearest tree. A spindly body climbed down it.

The giganraneae looked like a large, delicate, black spider, long legs ending at human-like hands gripping the trunk. Instead of a chitinous face, the giganraneae had the appearance of a comely woman with multi-faceted, black eyes and dark hair falling in a long curtain around their pale, round face.

The giganraneae hissed as Angela rammed her sword through its armored thorax. Greenish ichor leaked out as the giganraneae chittered in pain, her body convulsing on the tree trunk. Spindly legs went limp and the monster fell from the tree, ripping clean off Angela's blade.

Other giganraneae descended from the trees, scuttling down tree trunks or lowering themselves on ropes of silk spun from spinnerets. Each chittered and hissed in their foul language.

My hand was a blur. Draw. Knock. Fire. My arrows streaked out, finding targets. There were far more than six. The giganraneae cried out in pain, hands ripping my arrows from chitinous bodies and throwing them to the ground.

"No, no, no!" Sophia shrieked, flailing with her dagger as one giganraneae lunged at her.

Angela appeared, sword slicing a pair of spidery limbs. Sophia scrambled back as Angela roared and swung. The giganraneae was driven back, body rent by cuts that leaked an ichor as dull green as pond scum.

"Keep against a tree!" Angela shouted at Sophia.

"Yeah," the acolyte nodded, backing away from the fight.

"Xera, can you handle your side?" the knight asked as she threw herself at the next giganraneae lunging at her, blocking the monster with her large kite shield.

"I can!" I shouted, firing my tenth arrow, taking a giganraneae between her multi-faceted eyes.

A third of my arrows had already been fired. I drew the eleventh and feathered a giganraneae leaping at me. It fell in a heap on the ground, legs curling as it convulsed. My twelfth arrow glanced off the hide of a charging monster.

"Matar's seed!" I cursed in elvish.

I reached for my thirteenth arrow. The giganraneae slammed into me, throwing me back to the ground. My bow fell from my grip. Spindly hands grasped my shoulders and thighs. The thing chittered in my face.

"Lovely," the giganraneae said in elvish. "What a delightful mother for my children."

The spinnerets squirted silk on my legs, her nimble hands wrapping it about my feet. I ripped my wood dagger from my belt. The giganraneae fingers tightened on my shoulder. I had one shot. The knife would never penetrate her thick carapace. I had to go for the joint. I lunged.

My long dagger slid between the joint between the abdomen and thorax carapace. The giganraneae stiffened. I was in her cuts. I twisted the knife and screamed. My other arm heaved the monster off me as she convulsed on her back, ichor dripping from her gaping wound.

I kicked my feet, still entangled by spider silk. I reached down and began cutting.

Acolyte Sophia

My heart hammered in terror as I pressed my back against the tree. Angela danced about the clearing, her sword flashing like bolts of lightning, reflecting the dim light. She swung in mighty sweeps, cleaving the monstrous spiders while her kite shield fended off those that tried to attack her from the other side.

Xera regained her feet, cobwebs still clinging about her ankles. She reclaimed her bow and fired an arrow at a giganraneae in the treetops. The thing fell with a chittering scream.

"Yes." I screamed in relief, my sweaty hands gripping my glowing dagger. "That's it."

I wish I could help better. There hadn't been time for me to enchant Angela's sword, but she seemed to be doing fine. Her longsword smashed and cut through the carapace of the nasty things.

"On your left!" Xera shouted. An arrow flew across the battlefield.

"Thank you, Saphique," I prayed as Angela and Xera drove back the monsters.

"Aren't you pretty, poppin?" a voice skittered above me.

I gasped.

Above me, a giganraneae clung to the trees. Her spidery eyes glinted as she stared at me. Long legs and spindly fingers reached for me. I swung with my knife. It bounced off the carapace covering the legs. The hands grasped my shoulder.

"Angela!" I shrieked as I was hauled up into the air.

The giganraneae scampered back up into the tree as my legs kicked. I stabbed with the knife again. The blade bounced off again. A third leg batted the dagger from my hand. It tumbled down into the ground.

"Sophia!" Angela shouted, racing to the base of the tree. "Xera! Shoot!"

The giganraneae lifted me up, holding me before her as a shield while she climbed up the tree. Xera raised her bow. My heart thudded and blood screamed through my veins. The branches swept around us. We vanished into the thick canopy. The giganraneae chittered as I struggled in her strong grip.

"None of that, poppin," chittered the giganraneae as her silk began wrapping about my legs.

I screamed in fear as I was spun about like meat turning on the spit above the fire. I struggled harder, writhing my entire body as I screamed in fear.

"Hold on!" Angela shouted from below.

"You struggle a lot, poppin. Why? Don't you want to be the mother of my darling children?"

"No!"

My heart hammered in fear. Tears burned in my eyes. My legs were cocooned. I struggled, but the silk was strong. I kept shaking and writhing, trying to get my arms free and fight back. My fist struck her chitinous stomach.

My knuckles hurt.

"Now, now, stop struggling, poppin."

"No," I screamed. "I'm not going to. Let me go."

I was turned in her hands, her face just before mine. Her lips were red. Something glistened on them. Not saliva, this was oilier. She lowered down and kissed me on the lips. A sharp, acrid flavor filled my mouth. Everything went numb.

I relaxed. A peaceful lassitude fell over me. My body went limp. I didn't need to fight any longer. I turned again, the silk working up my body. In fact, this was kind of nice. The world turned and I giggled as my arms were bound. I was snug and warm.

"That's it, poppin. Isn't that nice?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Hold on, Sophia. Xera's climbing up."

Through the branches below, flashes of Xera's face appeared.

I giggled, "Hi, Xera."

The silk covered my face. I was completely engulfed in the warm, snug blanket. My eyes grew heavy as I was rocked by the movement of the giganraneae. I could just fall asleep and enjoy peaceful lassitude. It was such a lovely delight.

Knight-Errant Angela

Xera dropped down from the tree. "Sophia's been cocooned and it's taking her east."

"Pater's cock," I swore. "Can you track her?"

My heart hammered in my chest. Sophia was my responsibility. It was my duty to protect her on the Quest. I couldn't let her be impregnated by a bunch of monstrous eggs and killed when they hatched. No one deserved that.