Cordery, p.17
Cordery, page 17
She abruptly grabbed his ass and tried to tug him towards her, growling again. “But there will be time to explore each other's bodies later, mate. Now it is time for breeding. Show me the strength of your passion.”
How could Dare resist such a sexy request? Cock throbbing eagerly in anticipation, he grabbed her hips with both hands for leverage and and thrust between her gloriously plump labia, finding her entrance and pushing inside.
Koru's silky walls were surprisingly tight for all her size, the tightness of a virgin. As she'd promised she crushed his tip with surprisingly powerful vaginal muscles, vise tight walls giving way only grudgingly as he pushed in deeper.
His lover bellowed in pleasure, then again, and jerked her hips up at him insistently. It was obvious she didn't know what she was doing and had trouble getting the timing right, but her enthusiasm more than made up for her lack of experience.
Then he felt resistance to his progress deeper as he reached her hymen, surprisingly thick and resilient to his pressure.
Before Dare could consider thrusting even harder, with a final bellow the huge orc seemed to tire of waiting and surged up against him. He felt her resistance part in an instant, then plunged into her depths as hot slickness flowed around his length.
“Yes!” Koru roared, clawing at the ground. “Bear witness, Collisa! Koru the Subtle, Daughter of Koragh Chieftain of the Unbowed Raptor tribe, is maiden no more! I have been bled in combat and in mating!”
Dare winced slightly, hoping they were out of earshot of the camp; his lover had the lungs of a drill sergeant.
He lay atop the trembling orc, panting at the pleasure of being balls deep in her crushing heat. She had muscles in there no other woman he'd been with had, tensing and squeezing in ways that constantly stimulated him with jolts of pleasure even while not moving.
His scarlet orc lover finally finished crowing her victory and began thrashing impatiently beneath him. “More!” she growled. “Subdue me with your manhood as you subdued me with your muscles! Mate me as I deserve to be mated!”
He needed no further invitation to pull out, her pussy clenching the entire time as if reluctant to let him go. His length glistened deep red in the darkness as he slid free of her, bathed in the blood of her deflowering, and he hoped she was okay.
Koru definitely seemed okay as she grunted in pleasure and rolled her hips beneath him, urging him back into her furnace hot depths. He thrust inside again, and she again bellowed and clawed at the ground. “If this is what I have missed in mating, I lament the weakness of the males of my tribe for their failure to take me earlier,” she panted.
Dare withdrew and thrust in again, and again, establishing a good rhythm as she pushed her hips up against him until they were moving together. The pleasure built with incredible intensity, until his balls were boiling with the need to release inside this huge scarlet beauty.
He'd fucked a taller woman before with Rosaceae, and Clovis was just as tall as him and even more thickly built than Koru, who had more of a lean amazonian strength. Still, there was something new and uniquely pleasurable about thrusting inside the large orc. And it wasn't just because it was his first time with her.
Koru seemed to agree, because after a few minutes she tensed in another climax, and good gods . . . if he'd thought her pussy was crushingly tight before, in her orgasm she practically strangled his throbbing length.
That was more than he could withstand, and with a grunt he plunged in to her core and released in powerful spurts, her uniquely powerful muscles yanking his seed from his shaft.
“Yes!” his orc lover roared, pounding the ground with her fists as her climax doubled in intensity. “Witness, Collisa! Koru the Subtle of the Unbowed Raptor tribe has taken the seed of her mate!”
Dare couldn't help but laugh; she wasn't exactly being subtle at the moment.
As Koru came down from her climax she made an almost disappointed sound and began to crawl out from beneath him. “This was a good first mating, human. Dare, my mate. The blood of my maidenhood paints my thighs and your manhood, so all may know we were worthy.”
He grinned and caught her hips, stopping her. “What, you're done already?”
She hesitated, looking back at him with wide eyes. “Are you not? I could continue, but I'd heard males lose strength and are ready to sleep after they spend their seed in their mates. I'd been told to expect this.”
Dare laughed and flipped her onto her back, climbing atop her. “Prepare to have your expectations exceeded.” He plunged back into her powerful tunnel as she reflexively wrapped her arms and legs around him, crushing him within her grip as her pussy crushed his cock.
His new orc lover's expectations were exceeded. Two more times. Then they found his tent with Lily waiting up inside, eager for news of their mating; at his bunny girl's insistence they showed her how orcs mated. Then she showed Koru how bunny girls did it, with him and their new lover both, late into the night.
They finally fell asleep, him and Lily both cuddled together with Koru pressed against his back, powerful arms wrapped around them both.
“This is nice,” his wife sighed, kissing Koru's fingers stroking her silvery hair. “Now we have another lover to join us on adventures.” She giggled. “And the rest of the family will love her.”
Dare felt the huge orc tense and turned in her arms to look at her. “Is that what you want, Koru? We don't want to rush you into anything.”
Her eyes met his in the darkness for long moments. “If what you wish is merely mating, we will mate. It is certainly enjoyable enough. But if you desire me for a mate then I am yours, and you are mine. When the time is right I will bear you many strong children.”
She gently stroked Lily's ears. “And all your mates are my sister-mates. I will bleed for them, and for their children, as they would bleed for me and mine.”
Koru fell silent, expectant, and he leaned in and kissed her softly, feeling her delicate tusks against his lips. “Then we are mates, if you'll have me.”
Her chest rumbled against his in laughter. “I have already had you, mate. Many times.”
Lily giggled. “She sure has.”
Dare settled into the embrace of his wife and their new lover and fell asleep, exhausted and sated.
In the morning they would return home and tell their family of all the things that had changed in the last few weeks. Including the addition to their family.
◆◆◆
Bright and early the next morning Hormot opened a portal, letting through a flood of refugees from Redoubt who'd agreed to work Balor's abandoned fields and orchards in return for a portion of the crops.
Some even talked about settling here, although their friends called them fools for wanting to live in the true wilds, even in a place where a long lasting settlement had made all the nearby monsters weak. Besides, for now Bastion's fighters were willing to guard the farms, but once the crops were in they'd be going home, leaving anyone who stayed behind to defend themselves.
The new duke was pleased to find everyone going through the Terana portal already prepared to leave, lined up with their possessions ahead of the wagons of provisions and the embalmed bodies of their fallen.
“You're sure you want to go to Nirim Manor?” he asked Dare gently. “I've traveled the Gadris Mountains a bit and could probably get you closer to where your family and the other Terana refugees are waiting.”
Dare shook his head. “It's not far. And I need to see it.”
Hormot rested a hand on his shoulder in sympathy, then settled down to begin casting the portal.
Dare and his party were going to ride ahead to Gurzan's Last Hold. In preparation for that, while they waited they took the time to practice handling their new raptor mounts, graciously gifted by Koru. They even tested out running the speedy predators at their fastest pace.
It was fucking awesome. Even beyond the insane speed, he got to ride a dinosaur. Young him would've been over the moon at the opportunity.
Yet another incredible experience Collisa let him enjoy. And he took full advantage of it as he guided his mount through sharp turns most four-legged animals would've had trouble with, and ran it full out on straight stretches.
He even got to see the swift predator jump when he missed a dip in the ground at the speed they were going, and the raptor gracefully leapt twenty feet over it with no apparent effort. The rush from it put roller coasters to shame.
“Try me, mate!” Koru abruptly shouted, expertly running her mount in a circle around his. Dare laughed and accepted the challenge, nudging his mount to its fastest pace as his orc lover kept even with him.
He wasn't sure he'd win, since her raptor was one of the strongest and fastest in the pack. On top of that she'd been riding these animals since childhood, and they were far different from a horse. Even the saddles were different.
So it was no real surprise that Koru finally got tired of toying with him and abruptly pulled ahead, her mount's powerful legs thrashing the ground beneath its claws as it left him and his mount in the dust.
“Again!” Dare called when they rejoined their companions. Then, to the party's amusement, he dismounted and tossed the reins to Lily.
His scarlet orc lover's brown-flecked golden eyes gleamed when she realized what he intended. “You do boast how fast you are, mate.”
“Which he demonstrated last night, eh?” Bradis teased, to a ripple of laughter from the party and the Terana recruits watching the fun; it was common knowledge that Dare and Koru were lovers now.
Probably because she'd shouted it to the world.
Dare activated Cheetah's Dash and bolted off, and Koru growled as she urged her raptor after him. The dinosaur hissed as it caught up to him, and for a moment it seemed even. Then her mount leapt ahead, legs churning the earth, and he was again left in his lover's dust.
She reined in and crowed her victory to the world, much to the amusement of the rest of the party. “Guess you won't be running circles around us anymore,” Veressa joked, guiding her mount in a tight circle nearby to test its maneuverability.
Flush with her win, Koru challenged Lily to a race next. It was surprisingly close, but after a hundred yards the scarlet orc's mount managed to outpace the bunny girl for a narrow win.
His wife didn't seem too put out at her loss. “Although next time we'll have to include sharp twists and turns, and maybe some obstacles,” she said as she congratulated Koru. “I bet I could win then.”
“I'm just glad the entire party will be able to move as fast as us now,” Dare said. “And we'll be able to get around without running ourselves to exhaustion.”
A whistle from Hormot's page drew their attention, and they all hurriedly took their places at the front of the line of people waiting to go through the forming portal, arriving just moments before its lines sharpened.
“Farewell for now, Lord Darren and company!” the old duke called as Dare urged his raptor towards the huge magical sphere. “Remember, a week from today at noon, a hundred yards north of Terana's main gate!”
The moment Dare passed through the portal he slumped in the saddle, stricken.
Hormot had placed the portal so they came through facing Nirim Manor, so Dare was faced by the devastation of his beloved home laid out in front of him in all its heartbreaking detail. Lily, passing through behind him, cried out in forlorn dismay, but all he could do was stare, numb, as he guided his mount out of the way for those passing through behind him.
Every structure had been burned to the ground, of course, only charred beams poking out amid a pile of ash and rubble. The pool, hot tub, and baths had all been defiled and filled with debris, the gardens trampled and uprooted. Even the walls had been toppled for the most part, the razor wire plundered.
He glanced back towards the Prancing Brony, not surprised but still torn by the sight of its utter ruin. The humorous unicorn sign he'd commissioned for it remained undamaged, but painted over by the black fist overlooked by a leering arachnii face of the Outcasts of Balor.
Seeing his shattered dream of warm nights in the tavern surrounded by family and companions, listening to bards sing and quaffing ale as he exchanged stories with travelers and adventurers, wasn't as painful as the loss of Nirim Manor, of course. But it still stung since it had been one of his most recent projects, finished just before they left to fight the Outcasts of Balor.
Dare dismounted and left the portal behind, walking in a leaden fog towards his home, picking his way through blackened logs and ash and charcoal up to his knees. Lily walked with him, clutching his hand tightly but saying nothing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The water tanks were shattered, the pipes blackened and twisted by flames. Ceramic shards from the sinks and bathtubs crunched among the coals. Trissela's room had become a mire, the deep pool choked with ash and soot.
The other rooms could still be vaguely defined from collapsed walls, although the collapsed upper floor obscured them in many places. Still, he could see the dining room with the charred remains of the table, big enough to seat all his family and their friends. The parlor where they'd spent many an hour playing games, socializing, or just sitting contentedly reading or pursuing quiet hobbies.
The kitchen where he'd fallen in love with Se'weir as they cooked together. The ruin of the huge bed from the master bedroom where he'd slept surrounded by the women he loved. The uprooted mound where Eloise had been transplanted to safety.
Dare had to get away or he was going to break down. So he squeezed Lily's hand. “Come on,” he said gently. “Our family's waiting.”
She nodded sadly, wiping at her eyes beneath her glasses, and together they made their way back to the portal. There they were greeted with condolences from their friends as they prepared to ride to Gurzan's Last Hold.
Carilina chose to stay behind with her children, but the rest of the party mounted up. Along with them Ilin and several others mounted up on some of the spare raptors, a few looking distinctly nervous about riding the large predators.
The other Terana recruits, as well as the refugees and freed captives who'd come with them, agreed to stay to watch over the supplies and fallen from the Battle of Balor's Lair until they returned.
On the plus side, their new mounts swiftly carried them away from their burned home, so it was soon out of sight. And they just as quickly carried them to the mountains, and through them to the valley with the secluded ravine concealing the entrance to the ancient underground city.
Dare spent most of the ride sunk in sick grief at the sight of Nirim Manor and the rest of their territory in ashes. But all of that was swept away with a sharp intake of breath at the sight that greeted them in the valley, to be swiftly replaced by incandescent fury.
Chapter Ten
Fury
Hundreds of dwarves filled the valley, mostly laborers but with at least fifty fighters ranging in level from 20 to 35. Dare's first impulse would've been to assume they were allies, but the fortifications the dwarvish forces had built told a different story.
They were turned inward, towards the entrance to the underground city. And they lined the walls of the ravine and the cliff overlooking the entrance as well. Even more than that, there were signs of tunnels in the works from what was obviously an attempt to undermine or launch a surprise attack.
While there were less elaborate barricades and ditches on the outward side of the dwarves' camp as well, it was obvious their purpose here was to besiege Dare's family, Marona, and all the refugees of Terana Province.
If they'd hurt anyone Dare would stomp this army flat.
Lily gasped as she reined in beside him, then her normally gentle features hardened with fury. “Those pieces of shit.”
The rest of their party joined them with similar exclamations of shock and outrage.
“Those miserable stumpies are besieging my family?” Horold growled, arcane energy swirling around his hands. “I'll fucking kill them all.”
Ilin raised his hands for calm. “How about we figure out what's going on here before we start cutting a swath of devastation?” he said in his usual patient, calming tone. “We've already seen enough death and suffering.”
The dwarves had noticed their arrival and were roaring out warnings. Their camp exploded into activity as most of their combat classes manned their rear fortifications guarding the valley ahead.
Dare was able to see information about them with his Adventurer's Eye at twice the range of his perception circle, which meant at their level they weren't even close to being able to even see anything about his group, not even their levels.
“Stay here,” he said grimly, dismounting and starting forward.
Lily gasped in dismay. “You're going to challenge them alone?”
“They only know our numbers, not our levels,” he replied. “So at the moment they might think I'm our strongest fighter by far and they have the advantage. I'm going to let them hold onto the impression of our weakness to see what they say . . . I'm sick of double dealing from these bastards. Stay back until I give the signal.”
Without waiting for a response he strode forward, bow in hand with five arrows held ready and a sixth nocked to the string.
The dwarves fanned around him in a semicircle in clearly threatening postures, not even making a pretense of respecting a parlay. He was aware of spells being prepared, but ignored them as he stopped in easy shouting distance.
“Explain yourselves!” he bellowed.
A Level 35 Marksman with a crossbow leveled at him shouted back. “We don't answer to you!”
“You will answer!” Dare roared, drawing the fletchings to his ear to aim at the dwarf's head. He prepared a fire Burst Arrow. “I am Darren Portsmouth, Baron of Cordery Province and Knight of the Northern Wall, whom you call dwarf friend.”
The Marksman spat in his direction. “There for your friendship, beanpole. We're here to reclaim our lost ancestral home, and nobody's going to stop us.”
His companions roared their approval of his words.
