Fenrir was awoken by Safara stirring in his arms. The fire had burned into embers, and the air smelled like early morning. Mumbling something under her breath, the elf attempted to burrow deeper into his chest before her eyes shot open as she realized what exactly she was lying on. Fenrir weathered her momentary panic, holding her gently but firmly as she desperately attempted to fling herself away from him. Finding herself well and truly trapped, she calmed somewhat, gring up at him with all the vitriol her freshly awoken features could manifest.

  "Let me go, monster," she said acidly, still trying to push herself away from him.

  "No," he answered simply, though not unkindly.

  She ground her teeth, redoubling her attempts to wriggle free for several moments, before saying, "What do I have to do to make you let me go?"

  "Indeed, that is the question. You are so very eager to freeze yourself again," (she winced) "it seems almost churlish to keep you warm and comfortable."

  "Don't make me ugh. You wouldn't know courtesy if it hit you in the face. The only reason you're holding me is for something nefarious."

  "Something nefarious? And just what do you think this nefarious purpose is?"

  She blushed. His voice was a deep bass rumble that resonated in her own chest, pressed against him as she was, and though she hated to admit it, it was actually very comfortable in his embrace. His scent, a subtle but compelling musk, was all around her, stirring her imagination (and desires) against her will. "I am not so naive that I don't know what monsters like you do to the women they capture. I may be in your power, but I'll never give in. I'll fight you, every step of the way."

  Fenrir was silent for a moment as he assessed her, examining all the information God's Eye could reveal.

  Safara CidrinFemale ElfIce Mage Lvl 12 – Sage Lvl 16Status: Angry, Embarrassed, FrightenedAbilities: Ice Bolt, Icy Bst, Restore, Fortify, MeditateKinks/Fetishes:is aroused by the thought of being captured and raped by monsters – enjoys fantasizing about being impregnated – the thought of being degraded and humiliated arouses herDisposition Towards User:has a very healthy respect for his strength and speed – wonders what he intends to do with her – finds him attractive in spite of herself

  As the silence stretched, she began fidgeting unconsciously, apprehensive that she may have gone too far and angered the great lupine.

  "Oh yes, I'm certain a proud elf like you would never stoop so low as to submit to a 'monster'. After all, your body may be in my power, but your mind is your own, no?" he finally replied in a mild tone.

  Her eyes fell as she shifted uneasily.

  "It seems you have some idea of the truth of things. Your mind is not quite as secure as you may like to believe. But consider this. You are wholly in my power. What will resistance gain you? Do you expect rescue to reach you in time? You know full well that any potential rescuer must be mighty indeed to defeat me, but who even knows that you are a prisoner?"

  "They'll find out when I don't return," she said bravely, but her chin trembled a little.

  "But will their aid avail you? Do you truly believe you can hold out until they reach you? Already your mind is pgued with doubts, I see it in your face. It has not even been a full day since I made you my prisoner, and we are high in the mountains. It will take weeks for any help to reach you. And there is nothing preventing me from leaving this pce, vanishing into the trackless wilderness with you. No, there will be no rescue for you. You will be mine, but it is your choice whether the path there is filled with pleasure, or pain."

  "..." Doubt and fear flitted across her countenance, her attempts to escape his grasp long since forgotten.

  "I am not unkind to my servants, and I believe you have already heard an account of the pleasure you can expect as a willing follower of mine. But if you defy me, I can bring pain in equal measure."

  She blushed profusely at the reminder, a surge of arousal coming unbidden to her as she recalled Yumiko's recounting of their coitus. But lifting her chin defiantly, she replied, "You cannot sway me with such threats, monster. I am a high elf of the house of Cidrin and I will never bow to you, no matter what you promise."

  Fenrir chuckled, the amusement frightening her more than a snarl would have, and told her, "Good, good. Do not give in too easily. The prize is sweeter if the chase is not too short. I, at least, will enjoy this no matter which path you choose, but I am not unfair. You deserved to know what consequences you can expect for your actions, whatever those will be."

  They y in silence for some time thereafter, Safara deep in thought, and Fenrir enjoying watching her perplexity, as well as savoring the soft body so close to his. At length, however, he decided to bestir himself. Gently setting Safara down (she looked regretful for a brief instant before she remembered she wasn't supposed to enjoy being so close to him), he rebuilt the fire to chase the chill from the air, and after pausing briefly to ensure the succubi were all well, left the room on silent feet.

  He walked quickly to the great hall, catching several glimpses through windows and gaps in the walls of the eastern horizon. The sky was only beginning to lighten at the lowest point, a cleft between two peaks. Arriving at his destination, Fenrir got to work, searching for and stripping the bodies of anything useful and moving them to the courtyard, where he piled them unceremoniously in an open space. He was uncertain of what to do with the succubus bodies he found, settling for the moment on simply arranging them neatly along one side of the courtyard, and covering them with tent canvas he commandeered from the soldiers' abandoned camp.

  Aside from several pieces of jewelry, he found nothing useful on the bodies, but undaunted, he turned his attention instead to the camp. By this time, there was considerable light along the eastern horizon, and the first rays of the morning sun were falling on the peaks to the west. Inside the commander's tent he found what he sought, a logbook detailing the ptoon's movements. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he saw that this unit frequently operated independently of direct oversight for a month or more at a time. He noticed also that these soldiers had not been a part of Mavenia's army, instead appearing to be attached to a religious order of some sort. 'The Vigil of Marstolle. I wonder what they're all about. Considering what they were trying to do to my succubi, I doubt we'll get along.' He blinked in surprise, realizing what he had just been thinking. ''My succubi', huh? Awfully possessive of me, considering I don't even know all their names yet. Still, if I stop to read the writing on the wall, it's apparent that that's where all of this is heading.'

  Returning his attention to the logbook, he continued reading. The more recent entries were mostly concerned with the pursuit of the succubi, and from what he could tell, the ptoon had not been expected to return before catching and eliminating them. 'That's a relief. If I'm reading this right, they'll still be expected to send someone to report back in about three weeks, but that gives me some breathing room to formute a pn.' Reading further, he also found that Safara was not a normal part of the unit, having been delegated to assist them for this assignment, why precisely never being made clear. Safara did not seem to be a part of this Order, and the commander seemed slightly disdainful to have a 'civilian' along.

  Setting the logbook aside to examine in further detail ter, he moved on to the other tents. The rank and file did not appear to have much of interest, the odd letter giving him slightly more context into the inner workings of this Vigil as well as plenty of useless drivel, but it wasn't until he entered Safara's tent, pced at the extreme end of the camp, that his interest was truly piqued. Books were pced neatly along a small shelf, all appearing to deal with various aspects of magic. Another y next to a light cot which was smothered in bnkets. This book seemed to be a bestiary of sorts, containing information on various monster races. 'Woefully incomplete, though,' Fenrir mused, noticing that the entry on succubi failed to mention that they could eat human food entirely.

  Among her personal effects he found no reference to friends or family. No letters, no items that appeared to have been a gift, nothing. She had mentioned being a high elf of the house of Cidrin as though it were a prestigious family, so it was odd that there was absolutely no indication of it amongst her things. Unless she were estranged somehow. It was unlikely she was disowned or simir, she had sounded too proud of her family name for that. So why did an examination of her gear cause her to appear to have been a nameless orphan?

  Any further investigations were interrupted by a sound outside. Exiting the tent, he saw one of the succubi hurling a fireball at a wall. It exploded against the stone in a shower of sparks, leaving slight scorch marks behind. Readying another, she threw it at the same spot. Then another, and Fenrir realized she was practicing. He moved closer, but stayed out of her line of sight, checking her over with God's Eye.

  Spoiler

  (Image by Surfing Orange)

  [colpse]KiraFemale DemonLesser Succubus Lvl 5Status: Focused/ConcentratingAbilities: Lesser Seduction, Sneak, Lesser FireballKinks/Fetishes:enjoys being choked – likes being pulled around by her horns – particurly loves having her breasts pyed withDisposition Towards User:is determined to have him fuck her – is grateful to him for saving her and her sisters – is greatly impressed by how quickly he dispatched the soldiers that threatened them

  She had long deep red hair which fell loosely to her rge, shapely ass, but it was her breasts that caught the eye. Larger than any he had seen before, they somehow maintained a perky defiance of the ws of physics, wobbling enticingly at her slightest movement. Tearing his eyes from those luscious mountains reluctantly, he followed her frame downwards, noting her curvaceous figure and average height. Like Nelith, she had no wings, but a whip-thin tail and bck horns curling close over her temples attested to her nature as a succubus. Her skin was pale, and an adorable face peeked out from under long red bangs. At the moment it was screwed up in concentration as she threw another fireball, scowling when it produced exactly the same result as all the ones before it. She didn't give up, however. For almost half an hour she continued, varying her motions slightly, slowly turning the wall in front of her bck with soot. Fenrir settled on a handy bench, perusing the bestiary while he waited for her to finish her practice.

  When she finally stopped, panting heavily, he rose and approached her. "Determined, I see."

  She jumped violently, spinning around so quickly she almost fell over. "Fucking hell, you nearly gave me a heart attack! How long have you been there?"

  "Ever since you started, I believe. I didn't want to interrupt you."

  "So instead you wait like, half an hour until I'm done and then scare the ever-living daylights out of me? Fuck, my heart's pounding so fast, you have no idea."

  Fenrir decided not to mention that he could hear every beat from his position less than an arm's length away. "I apologize for frightening you," he said. "It seems I move very silently for someone of my size."

  "Yeah no, it's fine, I just- let me catch my breath," she panted, one hand to her deliciously trembling chest.

  The rge wolf waited patiently as Kira attempted to calm her breathing. When she straightened, signaling her readiness to continue the conversation, he led her over to where the dead succubi were lying. "I wanted to know how succubi y their dead to rest. These are all the casualties I could find in the fortress, but I was uncertain of how to handle them."

  The succubus didn't answer immediately, her eyes running over each shrouded form. "I don't know..." she answered. "Succubi don't usually gather in groups, and when one of us is killed, usually whatever killed them will take the body. Some feral monsters eat them and Light-races usually burn them, I think. I don't know if we have a tradition for when a succubus dies. It's not like we die of old age, and we're pretty resistant to most diseases."

  "Very well," Fenrir replied quietly. "I will ask the others, but if none know of any precedent, then we will treat them with the honor due them according to my own customs."

  "Why do you care?" Kira asked, still not taking her eyes from the still forms along the wall. "You didn't know them."

  "No, I did not. But you did. And your sisters did as well."

  She looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "...Suit yourself."

  They stood in silence for a moment longer, before the buxom succubus turned and indicated the pile of soldiers. "What are you going to do with them?"

  "Burn them," Fenrir said simply. "Much as I would like to simply leave them for carrion, there are far too many for that."

  "Good. Fuck them."

  Fenrir was surprised at the vitriol in her voice. He regarded her curiously, and after a few moments, she sighed.

  "Look, it's a long story. All you need to know is, I hate those fucking cultists. I'd kill them all if I could."

  "Is that why you're out here this early practicing?"

  "Sort of. You see, it's just... I don't want to lose anyone else, you know?"

  "You want to protect your friends. I understand."

  "Yeah."

  A sombre silence enveloped them. Eventually, shaking off the reverie which had engulfed her, Kira said in a slightly more chipper tone, "I'm heading back in, coming with?"

  "No, I still need to catch our breakfast. I'll be back before long."

  TheBestofSome