Chapter 32: Quest for the Starseed

“The relic that you seek is known as the Starseed of Xoth” the high priestess explained her acolyte returned with a large rolled piece of parchment. “It is a blue gem struck through with a white star, roughly the same size and shape as a hen’s egg, and always warm to the touch. It is said that the Starseed can be used by the goddess’ devotees to heal the righteous of all evil magics. Who better, then, to recover such a lost relic than a brave paladin of the goddess herself who suffers the curse of a wicked greenskin?”

Almost as if this scenario were designed as part of a game, Lexi mused to herself. Every scenario I’ve gone through so far has led cleanly into the next quest, each one setting up the other — just like I’d expect to see in a J-RPG.

“Indeed,” the paladin said. “But, that almost sounds too good to be true, which makes me think that there’s a catch somewhere.”

“This is true,” Anya nodded solemnly. “I call the Starseed a lost relic because it has passed out of the hands of Xoth’s faithful and has fallen into the clutches of the very race that cursed you — the greenskins.”

“But, if the gem has been lost to the goblins or orcs, how can we know where they might have removed it to?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah,” Gretel agreed. “Depending on how long ago this all happened, they could’ve carted it off anywhere.”

“Normally that would be the case,” the high priestess said nodding. “However, the Starseed is not all that the greenskins have taken in this instance. The relic itself was housed in an abbey dedicated to Xoth.” Anya knelt down on the floor, spreading the rolled parchment out in front of her, revealing it to be a map, centered on Astyanax, but extending in all directions from there. She pointed out a glyph nestled in a chain of mountains North of the city.

“The Pass of Qalish,” she explained, “leads through the Mountains of Zin, perhaps a three day journey from our city. There used to be an abbey dedicated to Xoth there, but it was sacked ten years ago by a combined force of goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs. Since then, it has been functioning as the center of their dark cult to Nug-Shimash, the greenskins’ goddess of lust — both sexual and blood — there being little difference between the two to Nug-Shimash or her followers. The abbey will certainly have been debased over the intervening decade, but relics such as the Starseed cannot be easily destroyed, nor would Nug-Shimash’s priestesses allow an object of such value to leave their possession.”

“That makes sense,” Lexi agreed. “It sounds then, like we have both our bearing and target.”

“Do we have any idea how large the greenskin force at the abbey is, or whether it has been fortified against assault?” Samantha asked.

“We do not know with any certainty,” Anya said. “That said, the time when the abbey fell was during the initial wave of the greenskin invasion into this region of Aeternia. And, given that they have been almost continually on the offensive ever since, gradually shrinking our kingdom’s footprint with their encroachment, I would wager that if the abbey is primarily functioning as a temple to Nug-Shimash, then it would not be a fortified military position.”

“Meaning,” Gretel said, “that we could potentially slip in and out without making too much of a fuss if we did it the right way.”

“Precisely,” the high priestess said with a nod.

“I guess that settles it then,” Lexi said. “Thank you so much for your help, Anya. This has really been invalua—”

Whatever the paladin was going to say, the words were driven from her mind as it was engulfed in a haze of pink mist, the Curse of Eternal Lust once again taking control of the futanari’s body, stripping her of any conscious control over it or her now magically amplified desires. Her eyes misted over into glowing pink orbs, and the thick futa cock previously hanging limp between her legs surged with testosterone driven blood — a powerfully throbbing erection standing out obviously from underneath the paladin’s tunic.

“Gyaaa!” came the guttural cry of pure lust from Lexi’s throat.

Her glowing pink eyes locked onto the compact body of the high priestess as Lexi lunged forward, with one hand tearing her tunic open to reveal her thick cock leaking a steady stream of clear precum to lubricate the engorged shaft, and the other reaching out greedily for Anya’s robes. Thankfully, for Lexi’s dignity as much as that of the high priestess, Samantha sprang into action, pinning the lust crazed paladin’s arms behind her back, leaving the futanari helplessly thrusting her hips towards the older woman to no avail.

“Eeek!” Gretel squeaked. “I’m sooo sorry about this, high priestess. We’ll take care of this, no problem. Just ... uh ... turn around for a minute so you don’t have to see me, well, y’know...” The mage quickly moved in, ready to start swallowing the throbbing futanari cock in front of her, but was stopped by a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Please,” the high priestess said softly, cutting the tension in the room as if with a knife. “I would be honored to assist.”

Gretel gave Samantha a quick look which plainly registered her complete and utter disbelief that a high priestess was going to squat down and suck a cock in front of a pair of adventurers she had only just met. However, in deference to the older woman’s clear position of authority, the mage backed away, leaving a clear path to Lexi’s thrusting hips and her big veiny cock. Although neither of the two companions really expected Anya to start swallowing their friend’s erection, they were still both taken aback when the high priestess cast a spell instead.

“Starlight Handmaiden!”

Gretel gasped in disbelief as the high-level spell’s effects began to take shape before them. A starburst of golden light blossomed in the air, a few feet from the high priestess, its outpouring of ethereal luminescence gradually coalescing into the shape of an exquisitely wrought young woman. The handmaiden was completely nude — with the lean and graceful build of a dancer — and her entire form was just the slightest bit translucent, and exuding a soft glow as if she were lit somehow from within. The immediate impression that Gretel had upon seeing the handmaiden, was that she looked like a golden statue come somehow to life, but instead of being a statue wrought of marble, this girl was composed of starlight itself.