Chapter 13: Warrior 1

Sheets of rain pounded the ship, the strong currents forcing the ship towards the rocky coast line of the Dark Prefecture, the ship's small crew worked frantically, but the tide was against them. The cutter slammed into the reefs that lay at the edge of the Dark Prefecture. Lightning illuminated the forbidding cliff walls that dominated the skyline. A lone armored knight watched as the cliffs loomed closer, the deck buckled as it cracked upon the reef. The knight back-peddled towards the port railing, trying to keep his balance as the ship rocked in its death throes. The figure held on as the ship was torn asunder, and he too was swept under. His last thought as the water enveloped him was that it was a fool's quest.

Sir Toril, son of Kayne Greenleaf of the Sun Elf tribe, Champion and Paladin of Sioban the Morning Star, Lady of Light, coughed. He winced as he remembered the reefs and the frightened and panicked faces of the doomed ship as it was destroyed. He looked about him. His surroundings were that of an underground cavern, massive and ancient, with a large lake in the center of it. He pulled his legs out of the frigid water and looked for a possible exit. His elven night vision saw no exit along the walls of the cavern nearest to him. He shook himself, and then noticed that he wore no armor, and his weapons were all gone. He searched fearfully. Such weapons were his pride and badge of office. He paused.

His eyes looked out over the underground lake. There. Something at the center. His eyes focused on what appeared to be a small island at the center of the lake. Above the island, there was an open ceiling, a kind of chimney. Dusk shone down from the opening. Cautiously, he tossed a small rock towards the island. It skipped across the lake for about twenty feet before splashing to a stop. As the moonlight shone down, something glittered on the island, much like a sarcophagus. He reached out with bare hand and touched the water. It was cold, colder than the waters of the farthest northern sea. It would not take long to swim the distance, but the shock of the water would kill him. Why was he here? How did he get here? What was the purpose of the cave?

From his earliest childhood in the wooded cities of Gilead he has been pampered and cared for. Being a scion of one of the minor nobility of the woodland realm, he was given the best training, the best education, and introduced to all the right Houses. The city of Kendraspire was the ancient capital of Gilead, but it was a city on the decline. The wars and feuds that raged at the fall of the Royal House of Gilead had left the once great city a husk of its former self. Only those who claimed ancient ties to the city remained. While minor nobility, House Greenleaf maintained their ancestral home only an hour's walk from the ruins of the Royal Palace. It was a place his father had shown him many times and warned him the folly of pride and arrogance. Both his parents were adventurers in their youth, his father a great warrior who dueled with the BattleLords of Corean, and his mother a great mage who held together the fragile Sisterhood by sheer force of will. He was loved by his parents, who did not follow the current customs of the day of creating hordes of progeny with slaves. As he grew, he did in fact encounter the institution of slavery, and found it abhorrent. His parents did own slaves, all noble families did. He did not see them until his twentieth year, after he visited the Temple of Sioban, in fact. Worship of the Lady of Light was not encouraged, nor was it outlawed. It simply was not fashionable to associate with such. The priests and priestesses of Sioban advocated freedom for all, truth and understanding. Young Toril first went to the Temple on a lark, a dare. The outer chamber of the Temple was quiet, yet comforting. Many strange rumors existed about the Temple and those who served it. The most prevalent rumor was that while they abhorred the institution of slavery, they practiced its many arts for the sole purpose of the pleasure it gave. It was a curious dilemma.

There was no one in the outer chambers of the Temple. Candles filled the alcoves, with hundreds of small crystals hanging above the flickering lights. The result was a riot of colored lights that played across the walls and ceilings of the hall. At the far end of the hall there was a small alter draped in red velvet set against an alcove with draped doorways on either side. Toril stepped further into the Temple, the faint sound of music echoed as he approached the altar. A few benched lined the path to the altar; each was worn with use and age. Strangely enough, there were rings set at the base of the benches along the edge, and an oddly familiar scent was present as he drew closer to the benches. He reached the altar and gazed upon it. It was simple, with only the velvet cloth covering it. Atop the cloth was simple book, nothing else. Upon the book was a golden circle.

"May I help you?"

Toril stiffened as the woman materialized beside him. She was dressed in a simple robe with the hood thrown back. She was half-elven, with flame like hair that seemed to flow down her back.

"Ah..." Toril stammered. She smiled.

"You came in on a dare?" The smile remained on her face.

Toril blushed.

She laughed.

"Come." She led the young elf to one of the benches and sat, gesturing for him for side close to her.

"It is not uncommon for young men to enter here on a dare. On rare occasions we get young women here as well." She crossed her legs and folded her hands on her knee.

"We are a simple order." She stated. "We seek out the pleasures of life and embrace them. A touch, a feel, a caress. A whispered conversation with a lover. We revel in all that gives pleasure. Sunrise is particularly joyful for us as the sun peaks over the horizon. To stand bare before those first rays, to offer oneself to them..." her hand strayed beneath her robe.

"What about pain." He whispered.

She gazed upon him with lust filled eyes. "Pain is the twin of pleasure." She removed her fingers from her robe, slick with her juices. "Would you care to taste?"

Toril froze. The scent of her was unmistakable. His mouth parted slightly.

"Have a care," She warned. "There is a price for such pleasures."

He accepted her two fingers into his mouth. His eyes closed as he took in her taste. A moan escaped her lips as she rocked the fingers in and out of his mouth gently. With her other hand she slowly slid it up his silk shirt until her fingers found one of his nipples. She stroked the nub to erection with her thumb and forefinger. His breath quickened, his lips still fastened to her fingers. With her nails she caught the nipple, and then dug in, twisting sharply. Toril's eye's opened and he opened his mouth to scream, but found his sound muffled as she shoved her remaining fingers into his mouth and pinning his tongue. He blinked back tears as the nail of her thumb pressed into the underside of his jaw. Her eyes were hooded. The pain in his nipple became a warm haze as she worked it.

"Yes." She whispered, leaning close. "I am not some simple trollop to toy with. My pleasures have a price." She released him and leaned back. Toril took several deep breaths as his nipple burned as the blood returned to it. She let her robe fall open to the side to reveal one of her breasts. It was full and round, with a large areola and even larger nipple. An engraved silver ring pierced her nipple and danced with every breath she took. He stared at it as if hypnotized.

She looked down and then back at him.

"Would you like to touch me?"

Toril blushed furiously and quickly stood. She simply gazed up at him as he stared to back away. She stood lazily, her eyes never leaving his.

"When you return... ask for Sister Clara."

He turned quickly and left the Temple behind. His friends had long since vanished. He returned to his home on the outskirts of the city, his parents away on business. He spent the night laying on his bed, his hand absently stroking the nipple that was abused that morning, his thoughts in turmoil. He felt different, changed. The pain hurt, but only for the moment. It was a kind of transdescendental, the pain. It ate at him, the experience. With his free hand he began to stroke his rapidly engorging member. He closed his eyes and pictured her face. He fantasized fucking her, slowly. Her legs wrapped around his hips and he pumped his cock into her pussy.

His hand released his cock right before ejaculating, and he swung his legs off the bed and took several deep breaths. He wanted her. Masturbation wasn't the answer. He padded across the floor of his room and dressed quickly in some old clothing, then pulled a cloak across his shoulders. He left the house through the servant's entrance, and retraced his steps back to the Temple. The streets were empty but for the Watch, and they paid little attention to the streets they patrolled. Toril easily hid in the shadows as they two guards passed, and quietly entered the Temple. It was as he left it. He hesitantly approached the altar and waited.

"May I help you?" A man asked. Toril blinked at the human.

"I... ah... that is... is Sister Clara here?"

The man waved to a bench. "Please seat yourself and I will see if the Sister is free. Would you care for some refreshment while you wait?"

"Ah... not right now thank you." Toril stammered, his heart racing. He sat quickly and placed his hands on the wood bench to keep them from shaking. Minutes seemed like hours before a person stepped through the drapes. A pair of gloved hands pulled back the hood to reveal the flame haired priestess. She raised an eyebrow and a slight smile played across her lips.

"I am pleased that you have returned. And so quickly too."

Toril stood. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and swallowed nervously. She laughed and approached him.

"You are trembling." She held out her leather gloved hands and took his in hers. "Be not afraid. You have come here for a purpose, yes?"

Toril swallowed again, taking in her beauty, and then dropped his eyes. His penis hardened.

"Toril..." She raised his eyes to hers.

"How..."

"Shhh." She placed a finger on his lips. "You want me."

He nodded slowly.

"Are you prepared to pay that price?"

He nodded again. She shook her head.

"You have to reply verbally. Are you prepared to pay that price?"

"Yes."

She smiled, and released his chin. With her other hand she touched his chest, then slid slowly down to erection. She stroked it though the thin cotton pants. She released him fully and stepped back.