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A Warriors Tale

Part Seven: Final Hour

Mindora and Dance are copyright to Gabriel Logan

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GabeWorks/

Typhoeus is copyright to her player.

Warning: Please make sure that you are over 18 or 21 or whatever age it is where you live that is legal to view this kind of stuff. This story contains sexual scenes, some fighting and violence and gore so read on at your own risk.

Notes: And finally we come to the end of this "little" story. For those of you who are looking for just yiff you may as well just read the previous chapters or skipping down towards the end as this final part is more about trying to wrap things up than MORE sex.

Dance and Mindora stared open mouthed at the Dragon and the Drider in front of them, momentarily lost for words before Aecas turned back to the upside-down Typhoeus.

"We really do need to get a door installed don't we?" He said, his amusement at the situation plain.

"With a lock darling, don't forget the lock." Typhoeus agreed as the Dragon began to free her from her bindings. The Drider was a mess, her fur matted with her own juices from her prolonged torment at the hands of both Aecas' machine and her own venom. The Dragon carefully withdrew the machine form her body and began ripping away the binding that covered her spider legs, both of them ignoring Dance and Mindora who were also starting to regain some composure.

"Not...not quite what I expected..." Dance murmured to Mindora as she watched both Vampire and Drider closely, the Vixen had to forcibly resist the urge to draw her sword in the presence of two such creatures.

"They couldn't have known could they?" Mindora whispered back with a grin as Aecas finally freed Typhoeus from the wall, catching her and smoothly turning her back the right way up setting her eight legs on the floor.

"Ah! That's a lot better." The Drider said, one hand holding on to Aecas as her blood sorted itself back out after her prolonged inverted state. "Now then if you'll excuse me..." She said, and Dance thought she caught a hint of a blush beneath that purple fur as the Drider quickly scuttled off into an adjoining cave. Aecas grinned at the two warriors and gave Mindora a wink. "Bear with me." He said before walking, still naked into the cave as well.

Dance looked questioningly at Mindora and was about to say something else when there was a loud "ACK!" from the adjoining cave followed by a very impressively loud splash, the same sort of sound you'd get by dropping a piano into a swimming pool. The vixen's ears flicked as she heard the sound of splashing followed by laughter, male and female alike and she stared at Mindora once again.

"What?" The Snake asked noticing her gaze, the grin still on her face as she listened to the goings on in the cave next door.

Dance seemed to be struggling for words for a few moments before she finally blurted out. "THIS is your back up?...." she said, disbelief heavy in her voice.

"Hey! We heard that!" Typhoeus shouted from the pool cave and Dance's ears went an attractive cherry red as she realized she had spoken a little too loudly.

Mindora chuckled quietly. "Yep this is them. What's the matter?"

"Well I...they..."

"They like to have fun the same as you and I do. You're surely not going to begrudge them that are you?"

"Its just...really NOT what I was expecting..." Dance said shaking her head. "I mean all the stories that get told and when we get up here we find..."

"We find that they enjoy themselves as much as we do. And in much the same ways." Mindora finished, smiling at her friend.

"Are you sure they'll help us? If you're wrong it's going to be a long walk back to Ostenburgh...assuming we get past Medros..."

"Of course we'll help you." Aecas said as he strode back into the cave, the dragon was still naked though his dragonhood had retracted itself back into his genital slit giving him more modesty than most. The vampire was also soaking wet, water sloughing off of his smooth scales while he rubbed absently rubbed a towel over himself, aiding the drying process.

"Typhoeus will be along in a minute, as I'm sure you're aware fur can be a pain in the arse to dry. Or at least that's what she's always telling me." The Dragon said with a smile to Dance as he tosses the towel aside and retrieved his trousers and boots from the floor, slipping the huge leather trousers back onto his huge 8'5 frame before sitting to begin fastening his boots. Even sat down he was as tall as both Mindora and Dance who now moved from the cave entrance towards him.

"We said that we would aid Mindora." The Dragon said, his hands working the familiar fastening s on his boots with practiced ease as he looked at them. "And Typhoeus and I always keep our promises."

"We certainly do." Said the Drider as she too came back into the entrance cave, some of her fur was still damp but she considered herself dry enough, yet she still went bare chested as she had always done modesty to her in that department was not instinctive.

Aecas smiled as Typhoeus walked over to him and he put an arm around her waist as they both gazed at Mindora and Dance.

"So then." Typhoeus said. "What can we help you with?"

* * * * *

"Medros are you sure about this?" Frink whined as the small party stood on the slopes gazing up at the impressive yet foreboding mountain peak that had been part of the local tales for thousands of years.

"Are you suggesting we just ignore what happened and go back to the town?" Medros said, his voice dangerously low.

Frink gulped and shook his head slightly. "Well...no that's not what I'm saying. I mean...if they're in there...don't you think the Vampire's taken care of them by now?"

The Weasel flushed as his three companions all burst into laughter, staring down at his boots embarrassment flowing through him at his timidity. Eventually Bowen wiped a tear from his eye and then casually cuffed the Weasel with the same hand.

"I never thought you were this spineless Frink. It's just those two girls in there. There's no Vampires around here, those stories are just ancient folk lore and fairy tales to tell the children."

"Or in this case cowardly Weasels." Tomas said scathingly, grinning as Frink shot him an angry look.

"Okay! Okay!" The Weasel said, relenting with a sigh. "I'm just trying to be cautious you know?"

"And therein lies your problem Frink, you never take action when it's needed." Medros snorted before hefting his huge axe in one hand. The others likewise drew their weapons before Medros led them up the steppes towards the darkness of the cave that loomed in front of them.

"Take them alive if possible, it'll be good to take our pleasure from them one last time before we slit their throats." The Minotaur said, his hands tightening around his axe, just as a twinge shot through his loins at such a pleasant thought.

Bowen and Tomas grinned and nodded their agreement, the Tiger loosening his shoulders up in anticipation as they neared the cave entrance. Frink had drawn his own sword and despite his doubts obediently followed after them, after all there was safety in numbers...and like Medros said tales of Vampires were just folk lore weren't they?

* * * * *

"...and they are most likely almost on top of us." Mindora finished, the tension in both the Snake and the Vixen had risen with every passing moment. Medros and his cronies had been close behind them when they had entered the caves and they could most likely already be inside the caves searching for them, Mindora and Dance watched the Vampire and the Demon as they sat there stone faced after hearing a shortened version of events.

"These four have tormented these poor women enough. Don't you think so my dearest?" Aecas said looking at Typhoeus who nodded grimly.

"I think we're going to have to teach them a lesson darling." She said quietly before helping Aecas to stand back up, the Dragon motioning to Mindora and Dance with one large hand. "Come with us, we'll put you somewhere safe until we can properly deal with these scum."

Dance and Mindora quickly followed the two, almost having to jog after them to match Aecas' long stride and Typhoeus' multi-legged gait. They passed through several different caves, getting only fleeting glimpses of each, a large bedroom, what looked like an archaic dining room before they finally came to their destination. And Dance and Mindora stopped and stared.

They stood at the entrance to a vast cave painstakingly carved out of the living rock of the mountain, a row of massive pillars helped to support the tons of sheer rock that still lay above. The bases of the pillars were invisible to the eye, invisible only because they were covered with glittering hordes of silver, gold and gems, weapons and armour festooned piles of treasure as the Vixen and the Snake took in the majesty of the dragons hoard. The untold wealth that lay within the mountain had attracted many a treasure seeker with its lures of great prizes many of which glinted from the blue flames of score upon score of sconces attached to the pillars.

"You should be safe enough in here." Aecas said quietly, seemingly amused as they turned their astonished gazes back to him.

"What? When you've been in the same place for several thousand years the home just gets so cluttered with all that treasure, so I keep it here where it's out of the way."

"WE keep it I think you mean dear." Typhoeus interrupted with a grin that Aecas matched.

"Ah yes of course I keep forgetting that half of it is yours. Much to the ire of the demons as I recall."

Mindora and Dance watches as both Dragon and Drider laughed, sharing a joke of days gone past before Aecas reached up between his wings with his right hand and unsheathed the broadsword kept strapped between his wings. The Dragon sighed as he gazed at the sword, the blade was sleek and double edged, razor sharp to the touch, runes were inscribed along its surface, runes that burned with an icy blue light which hurt the eye if they were looked on for too long.

"I had hoped not to draw White Reaver in anger again so soon..." The Dragon said wistfully as he gazed at his weapon before slowly lowering it, the blade hummed in his hand until his thumb stroked lightly over the cross piece. "I know old friend, but there are always those who will need our aid."

Aecas spoke quietly but it was obvious to both Mindora and Dance that he was talking to the sword which hummed again, louder this time, several of the runes flashing a bright white as he chuckled looking up at his guests. "It can sense your curiosity."

Mindora frowned. "Its...sentient?"

Aecas laughed as the sword hummed once again, seemingly in vehement agreement. "More than you know, I've had this blade for as long as I can remember and its saved me more times than I could possibly count both in body and mind."

The sword hummed loudly once more, though this time the sound was threatening where before it had been gentle and Aecas frowned looking back the way they had come.

"They're here..."

Dance's katana was in her hand in a heartbeat, the Vixen instinctively dropping into a guard stance whilst Mindora stood beside her tense but slowly forcing herself to relax and concentrate. Aecas slowly strode towards the cave entrance and Typhoeus turned to them.

"Whatever you do, whatever you hear don't leave this room. Wait until either Aecas or myself calls for you." She held up a hand to still their objections and smiled at them. Dance had to repress a shudder as the smile that was friendly before now looked worryingly feral.

"Stay here..." Typhoeus repeated, her voice had changed as well, from a friendly tone to a near snarl before she turned and quickly began to follow Aecas. Vampire and Drider stepped into the semi gloom of the cave and were gone in an instant, blending with the shadows with a quickness that astounded Mindora. Their footsteps though audible inside the treasure cave stopped the second they left, leaving no trace or sound of their passage.

Dance relaxed her stance slowly but did not sheath her katana as she looked over at Mindora. "What do we do?"

"Exactly what Typhoeus said." Mindora said firmly. "I almost feel sorry for Medros. It's time for him to learn what its like to live in fear don't you think?"

Dance smiled grimly and nodded before she put an arm around Mindora's shoulders and grinned as she looked at the hoard spread out in front of them.

"Well we should probably hide don't you think?" She said, the sight of such much wealth almost like a physical leash tugging her onwards, making her forget her nervousness for a moment. Uncertainty and worry warred with greed and fledgling curiosity as she wondered just what the vast horde might contain. Mindora could clearly feel the tug as well, as she slipped an arm around Dance's waist and grinned at her. "I think that's a marvelous idea." She said and the pair walked onwards, arm in arm, quickly disappearing into the gilded embrace of the hoard.

* * * * *

Medros moved warily through the caves, despite his words to the rest of the group he could feel apprehension and its cousin a thin worm of fear sliding through his gut. They had fashioned several crude torches before they entered the cave only to find that they did not need them as sconces burned on the wall, the flames not yellow but blue casting the tunnels into eerie light, filled with pits of deep shadow.

"I don't like this." Frink whined as he brought up the rear. "I thought you said this place was deserted. So why are there torches burning? Somebody lives here Medros...somebody or someTHING..." The Weasel said, his voice quavering as he tried to look everywhere at once.

"Will somebody shut that fool up?" Bowen hissed, the Tiger acting as a scout for the group, turning his head and sending a venomous glare at Frink who had the good sense to keep his muzzle closed.

Medros nodded to Bowen and the Tiger slowly padded forwards but the damage had already been done, Frink had spoken what they were all thinking. The worm in the Minotaur's belly grew into icy fingers, fear rising slowly though he tried his best to quash it. He looked sidelong at Tomas and saw that the Wolf was in little better state than he, Tomas' breathing was quick and sharp betraying the nervousness he felt and he paused for a moment to wipe his sweat covered palms on his tunic before continuing.

As bad as things were they quickly got worse as one by one the blue fire of the scones was extinguished, as though a pair of giant fingers had snuffed it out.

Thissss..... went a sconce as it was extinguished. The party quickly closing up, their eyes searching the deepening shadows as the lights were systematically extinguished.

Thissss.....

"Wh...what's doing that..." Frink said, his voice a mere whisper, his body shaking like a leaf in a storm.

Thissss.....

Nobody spared the breath to answer as more and more scones flickered and died until there was just one left in front of them. It flicked for a moment and then it too died plunging the group into total darkness.

Thissss.....

Medros' heart hammered in his chest as he fumbled for one of the torches they had brought along, gripping the wood tightly in his free hand he whispered to Bowen.

"Light this with your tinderbox..." he said, lightly prodding the Tiger in the side so he knew where it was.

There was the quiet rustle of cloth as Bowen searched for the item in question, muttering a curse as it slipped from his fingers and hit the stone floor with a metallic thud. Searching blindly for a few moments Bowen finally managed to retrieve it and lit the tinderbox, the small flame throwing the tunnel around them into stark relief as he lit the torch Medros held out, their eyes smarting from the sudden bright light.

Both Tomas and Frink carried torches and they quickly pressed the oil covered rags at the tips to Medros' lit torch and ignited their own as well.

"They're just playing around with us." Bowen growled, the Tiger looking around him, trying to penetrate the shadows that surrounded them with limited success though his voice lacked conviction.

"I must admit you're not as stupid as you look Tiger." Came a quiet voice from up ahead, accompanied by a small rock that cracked against Medros' forehead. The Minotaur yelped in pain and a giggle sounded up ahead. "Do watch where you're going Medros, you could have a nasty accident."

The voice belonged to the Vixen, Medros knew, and narrowed his eyes before a yelp sounded next to him. Another flung pebble cracked painfully against Tomas' knuckles, and the Wolf dropped his torch, fingers spasming.

"Follow the leader..." Came Dance's voice accompanied by the sound of running footsteps from ahead of them.

Medros snorted and charged blindly forwards quickly followed by Tomas, the Wolf and the Minotaur using the meager light of Medros' torch to guide them, stumbling on obstacles that blocked their path but the mocking laughter ahead of them drew them on, blinding them to everything else with the anger it stirred up inside them.

"Medros! Tomas wait!" Frink called out desperately as he ran after them closely followed by Bowen, striving to catch the Wolf and the Minotaur until he tripped on something hard and unyielding and crashed onto the hard stone of the tunnel floor. Bowen was right behind Frink and the Tiger saw the Weasel fall a fraction of a second to late and went head over heels as his right foot slammed into Frink's side. Weasel and Tiger alike lay on the cold stone as the glow of the torches in front of them rapidly disappeared into the darkness.

* * * * *

By the time Medros and Tomas realized that Bowen and Frink were no longer with them they were hopelessly lost in the winding tunnels that they had run down so blindly. Now they stood in an average sized cave, the light from their torches casting strange shadows along the walls as they looked around them, and seeing that there were only two exits out of the cave.

"What do you want to do?" Tomas asked quietly, the Wolf twirling one of his poisoned darts between the fingers of his left hand to try and ease his frayed nerves.

"There's only two exits out of here not counting this one. We've both got torches so I'll go right and you go left." Medros said, already moving before Tomas had a chance to reply.

The Wolf watched the Minotaur until he turned a corner before starting down the left hand tunnel, torch clutched tightly in his right hand as the other put away the dart and drew his short sword, the blade's surface kept purposely dull to avoid reflecting light. Tomas slowly and silently made his way down the tunnel, following its twists and turns until he came to a second cave, this one larger than the first. He paused for a moment at the entrance his keen ears hearing a barely audible ruffle in front of him and he smiled throwing his torch into the centre of the cave.

"I know you're in here little Vixen..." He thought to himself, slipping effortlessly into the shadows, his footfalls utterly silent to the mortal ear as he began to slowly explore the darkness of the cave, the torch still burning brightly in the centre. He kept his keen eye away from the flame, letting them adjust to the dark gloom that still surrounded most of the cave, stealthily creeping around its edges as he searched for his elusive prey.

The hunter was unaware that it was he who had become the hunted. In the pitch blackness of the cage roof Typhoeus shadowed his every footstep, her nocturnal eyesight seeing him as clear as day. The Drider grinned as she dropped a small pebble to the cavern floor below letting it clatter off of the rock behind him, Tomas instantly swung around, eyes searching the gloom for whatever had made that noise, unaware of the Drider descending from the ceiling on a slender thread of her own webbing.

Typhoeus hung in the air behind the Wolf stifling a sudden urge to giggle before she spoke, parroting Dance's voice perfectly.

"You're good Wolfy." She said, a trace of respect in her voice.

Tomas spun around on the spot sword raised to strike but faltered as he saw the apparition that hung in front of him, Typhoeus grinned at him as she hung upside down.

"Not quite who you were expecting right?"

Tomas didn't answer as he slashed at the Drider with his sword, as quick as he was however Typhoeus was quicker, her spider legs quickly grabbing hold of the webbing and drawing her straight up out of the reach of the blade. Tomas cursed as he missed and didn't even have time to scream as Typhoeus cut her web lose and crashed down on top of him in a flurry of arachnid legs and sharp fangs.

The Drider's weight bore the large wolf to the floor, he tried to stab at his assailant with his short sword but a strong hand grabbed his wrist, and with a simple twist snapped it like a twig. Tomas howled with pain as his sword fell from suddenly nervous fingers, six of the Drider's eight legs wrapping around his body as the last two began to draw both her and her prey back up towards the roof of the cave.

The pain in his wrist was agonizing yet still Tomas struggled as he was pulled further and further from the floor, up into the pitch blackness of the roof, losing his vision but feeling the hairy chitinous legs that trapped him. Something began to wind around him, something hot and sticky, trapping his arms by his sides as he was spun around and around in the Drider's grip. The Wolf screamed again, a plaintive cry for help before a thick wad of webbing gagged his muzzle and only muffled screams of panic sounded through it.

Finally he stopped rotating and was gripped by the legs once again, his body being raised up once more until he felt hot breath wash over the right side of his neck. A tongue lapped at his neck fur and a muffled scream of pain sounded from the darkness as a pair of fangs found their mark.

* * * * *

Frink groaned and rolled over onto his back, both hands clutching his right side as he lay on the cold stone.

"I think you've broken my ribs..." The Weasel moaned, wincing as he pressed a paw against side, a sharp stab of pain making him gasp and confirming his thought.

Bowen grunted and slowly began to push himself back up, the Tiger's arms and back ached abominably from their rough contact with the stone floor and he hissed with pain as he bent down to retrieve both his sword and the torch.

"Get up Frink." The Tiger growled.

"I'm not going any further..." The Weasel whimpered, his eyes darting all around him as a sense of claustrophobia began to press in on him, the darkness the close confines of the tunnel, and the feeling of not knowing what was out there making him shake with fear.

Bowen looked down at the shivering figure with nothing but disgust.

"Then stay here Frink. But the torch is moving forwards!" He spat, turning and beginning to walk down the tunnel once more, moving carefully this time, seeking Medros and Tomas.

Bowen moved further and further away from the prone Weasel, the light getting dimmer and dimmer until the darkness swallowed it entirely leaving Frink to shiver on the floor. His imagination ran wild, there were fell creature and demons of every type surrounding him in the pitch-blackness waiting for him to make a move so they could catch him. The Weasel gibbered, his grip on his sanity becoming more tenuous by the moment, he curled himself up into a ball ignoring the flaring pain in his chest as his broken ribs protested against the movement.

"This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real..." He kept telling himself, eyes tightly shut and arms wrapped around him in the childlike belief that if you do that nothing can see or hurt you as he repeated his mantra.

His ears perked up as he heard the faint sound of a boot stepping on the rock, he listened carefully for a few moments and picked out the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards him. Frink shuddered uncontrollably as the footsteps got louder and louder, coming towards him and then stopping directly in front of him.

"B.....Bowen....?" The Weasel stuttered.

Silence.

Frink finally plucked up enough courage to open his eyes, but he saw nothing save the inky darkness that surrounded him. With the last dregs of his resolve he fumbled for his own tinderbox, sparks erupting from its top as he struck the flint before it finally sustained a flame. He saw booted feet in front of him, looked up and screamed at the apparition in front of him, snuffing out his tinderbox and curling back up into a shuddering ball of terror.

"This isn't real! This isn't real! This isn't real!!!!!" He blurted out, his words desperate, almost pleadingly now as he tried to convince himself what he had just seen was just a figment of his imagination.

Then two large hands lifted him off the ground, and a pair of terribly sharp teeth plunged into his neck.

* * * * *

Medros stopped and frowned tilting his head. The Minotaur listened carefully for a few long moments as he was sure he had heard a faint scream echo through the tunnels. The Minotaur listened for a few more moments before he mentally shrugged and continued his search, shadowed at every step by a gigantic arachnid figure.

* * * * *

Bowen stopped dead as a terrible scream sounded from the tunnels behind him, the first he had ignored thinking it was merely Frink giving in to his fear, the second however had been long and drawn out, and had ended with a horrific gurgling sound. The Tiger swallowed with a now dry throat, forcing down his fear as he turned and began to slowly walk back down the tunnel he had come from.

His broadsword gripped tightly in one hand, his torch in the other the Tiger walked slowly down the tunnel, holding the torch out in front of him like a weapon as his keen eyes scanned the path in front of him. That was when Frink's corpse flew from the darkness, smacking against the stone floor like a rag doll, his neck torn apart and throat ripped open. Bowen felt bile rise up in his throat as he tore his gaze away from what was left of his partner the urge to vomit warring with the stirrings of bloodlust deep inside him as the scent of fresh blood filled his nostrils.

"They say that death should not be rushed, that one should savour it like a fine wine and enjoy its aroma. And I can see you enjoy the smell of freshly spilt blood almost as much as I."

Bowen spun around, sword raised and eyes traveling upward as he faced the owner of the caves, dropping his torch to the floor and holding his sword two handed as Aecas smiled slowly, showing off row after row of ivory teeth and two large blood stained fangs. As the Tiger watched, the Dragon's forked tongue lapped the blood from the oversized canines.

"Normally I would let those who blunder into my home go free of harm lest they stole from me."

"How noble." Bowen sneered. "A vampire with a conscience."

"More noble than you certainly." Aecas said evenly, before raising his right arm, White Reaver already firmly clasped in his hand and pointing the blade at the Tiger's face.

"However, we are not here to merely bandy words."

Bowen smirked and slapped White Reaver away with his own blade, leaping forwards and slashing at the broad chest of the Dragon only to have his blow blocked. The Tiger pressed the attack, a flurry of blows from his broadsword driving Aecas back pace by pace, but though the Dragon retreated not one of the blows drew blood, White Reaver was always in perfect position to block that keen edge.

The Tiger continued his furious assault, working Aecas' blade high and low as he sought an opening in the Dragon's defenses, the tunnel filled with the sound of swords clashing against one another as they fought. Finally a blow got through, Aecas was just a moment too late with his parry and the tip of Bowen's sword sliced a neat cut into the Dragon's side.

"Well done Tiger. First blood to you." The Dragon said with a smile that Bowen matched with a toothy grin.

"Last blood counts for more." He hissed and attacked again.

The swords clashed once more, Aecas took another step backwards and then finally went on the attack, batting aside the Tiger's strikes and thundering blow after blow at his striped opponent. Bowen blocked as best he could under the furious assault until his back was to the wall, the Tiger parried another hard blow and the blade of his sword shattered into fragments. Bowen lunged at the Dragon with a roar of anger, the broken blade held in his right hand slicing down as the claws of his left raked up. Aecas ignored the claws, grimacing as they dug furrows across his belly while White Reaver flashed up and neatly lopped the Tiger's right hand from his wrist.

Bowen screamed in agony as his hand flopped to the stone floor, fingers tightening around the broken hilt as the nerves twitched spasmodically in death, the Tiger lashed out with his left hand once again, claws poised to slash. Aecas calmly took a step back and lashed out with White Reaver to chop Bowen's left hand from his arm, the twitching hand following its brother to the floor as the Dragon rammed White Reaver through the belly of the Tiger, and through the solid rock of the cave behind him.

Bowen screamed once more, impaled on the broad, cold blade of the sword, the stumps of his wrists pumping his lifeblood onto the cold floor as he looked up at the Dragon.

"Woe to the conquered." The Dragon whispered, before he ripped the blade free of the cold wall and the warm body that had trapped it.

Bereft of its support Bowen fell to his knees, eviscerated, his guts spilled out onto the floor in front of him before he hit it face first, the stench of his own blood filled his nostrils and the slippery warmth of his own insides pressed against his chest. His dying eyes watched the Dragon walk away as his torch finally guttered and went out, leaving him to bleed his last in the dark.

* * * * *

Medros cursed as his torch began to flicker, the Minotaur retracing his steps as the path he had followed merely led to a crevasse deep in the mountain's heart. Making his way back to the junction he turned to his right and quickly headed down the path that Tomas had used, the Minotaur whispering the Wolf's name as he crept through the darkness. Before he had gone more than halfway down the tunnel he caught a glimmer of light flickering over the rocky walls, obviously the light of a torch from the erratic movement of the shadows it cast.

Medros moved quickly towards the light, whispering Tomas' name once again as he finally came to a large cave, the torch itself lying on the floor near the centre. Medros was instantly on his guard, holding his axe ready in one large hand as he carefully walked towards the still burning torch. A faint slithering sound stopped him in his tracks, the Minotaur looking up and raising his torch towards the roof of the cave, the torchlight penetrated some of the surrounding gloom, but the cave roof was too far away and remained shrouded in darkness.

The Minotaur gazed upwards for a long moment, eyes swiveling from left to right, ears listening intently for any other sound from above but none came, save the fluttering of tiny wings as a pair of bats shot across the cave roof, disturbed from their peaceful rest. Medros lowered his torch slowly, looking down and then stooping to pluck the fallen torch from the ground, holding both in his left hand as he straightened back up. The slithering sound came from the roof once again and immediately Medros thrust the torches back up as something came hurtling down from the darkness above.

The torches hit the floor and his axe in his hands and swinging up in less than a second, the butterfly shaped blades striking the falling object with a dull crunch and it spun away from him to land with a hollow thud on the cave floor. Medros walked across to the body with three quick strides, roughly turning it over with the turn of his boot as he raised his axe.

Tomas' horror filled eyes stared back up at the Minotaur; the large wolf a gaunt, shriveled shadow of his former self. Two puncture wounds marked his neck, his body drained of all its vital fluids leaving it little more than a shrunken shriveled bag of fur and bone, half swaddled in a cocoon of spiders silk. Medros almost dropped his axe in shock, tearing his gaze away from the rictus of horror that was Tomas' face before whipping around as something landed heavily behind him.

"Ruin your plan?" Typhoeus said mimicking Dance's voice and grinning at the Minotaur as he took a step backwards in shock at her otherworldly appearance, before he snorted and tightened his grip on his axe his bravado returning as quickly as it had left.

"Not at all. You've just given me ample excuse to demonstrate my skill with the axe."

Typhoeus grinned wider and raised an eyebrow. "Sounds interesting. I'll watch."

"I meant on YOU." The Minotaur hissed, eyes narrowing into slits.

The Drider let out a quiet giggle though the sound was anything but jovial. "Mmmm your kind always taste much better when you're afraid or angry." She said, her tongue emerging to lick sensuously over her lips as she eyed him up like a side of beef in a butcher's window. "And you reek of both."

Medros merely growled in reply and hurled himself at Tomas' killer, his axe whistled through the air in a huge horizontal arc that would have taken the Drider's head from her shoulders if she hadn't ducked beneath the deadly blades. Her right fist lashed out and slammed into the Minotaur's solar plexus, dragging out a loud grunt of pain and most of the air from his lungs. Typhoeus skittered backwards and grinned at the Minotaur as he gulped in several wheezing breaths.

"Try again." She said with a smile.

Medros sucked in one last lungful of air before lunging at the Drider once again, feinting to the right with his axe and altering the swing so it sliced upwards towards Typhoeus arachnid belly. It was a perfect stroke but Medros underestimated Typhoeus' speed and strength as her two front legs flashed up to catch the axe by the haft, right beneath the blade, the Drider exerting all her strength and stopping the blade dead, the edge of the axe grazing the chitin of her lower belly.

"Try harder." Typhoeus' said as Medros pulled his axe from her grasp and swung at her yet again, this time Typhoeus merely closed the distance with her opponent and once again captured his axe by the haft, this time with her hands. Minotaur and Drider stood face to face, the muscles on their arms straining against one another as each sought to gain the upper hand.

It was Medros who broke the deadlock, jerking himself to one side and releasing his hold on the axe, he wasn't quite fast enough as the blade sliced a scrap of fur from his arm before it slammed into the stone floor. Typhoeus' dropped the axe as soon as it struck the floor, feeling the shock of the impact travel up her arms, the sudden pain distracting her long enough for Medros to thunder a huge right hand into her head. The Drider's head snapped sideways from the force of the blow before her top half doubled up as Medros' huge left fist crashed into her belly.

"No smart words for me?" The Minotaur snarled a stiff uppercut jerked Typhoeus' upper body vertical once again before he dived on top of her, his weight bowling her over and sending them both crashing down to the ground. On a two legged opponent Medros' weight would have been enough to pin his opponent to the floor, as it was eight arachnid legs bunched up underneath him and used their combined strength to toss him over Typhoeus' head.

Medros landed hard on the stone floor, groaning as pain erupted along his spine and down the back of his legs, the Minotaur struggling to get back up as Typhoeus rolled onto her front and stood easily on all eight legs.

"Need a hand?" Came another voice, and Medros' head turned to see a large Dragon leaning casually against a wall, the hilt of a huge sword protruding from above one shoulder.

"I do appreciate the offer love." Typhoeus said with a smile rubbing at her chin as it stung from the Minotaur's punches. "But I can handle this guy by myself thanks." She continued, turning her attention back to Medros who was finally back on his feet but favoring his back.

Aecas merely smiled and nodded, remaining leant up against the wall as he watched Typhoeus advance on the stricken Minotaur, Medros in turn beginning to move forwards, ignoring the pain in his back as best he could.

"As you wish dearest. I would suggest trying the Weasel but I'm afraid there isn't any left. I was a little greedy in that regard I'm afraid." He said, flashing a grin at Medros causing the Minotaur to swallow as the full implications of his current situation began to become apparent.

"Two against one is hardly fair." He snorted nervously, knowing that if he beat the Drider he'd have to face the Dragon.

"Fairer than five on one." Typhoeus said coldly, her eight legs propelling her at a frighteningly fast pace, the Drider practically on top of the Minotaur before he could react. Typhoeus swayed aside from a pair of desperate punches that Medros threw her way before she straightened up and with lightning quickness lunged her head forwards, the hard bone of her forehead cracking against the tender nose of the Minotaur. There was the sharper crack of bone and Medros howled, staggering backwards, both hands clutching at the end of his muzzle as tears flooded his eyes. Typhoeus scuttled behind Medros and leapt at him, all eight legs scissoring around his body and dragging him down to the floor in the Drider's deadly embrace, his arms flailed but were caught in turn by her own holding him fast and immobile in her grasp.

"Now its time for you to suffer as your victims have suffered." Typhoeus hissed and sank her fangs into the Minotaur's thick neck, venom pumping swiftly into his blood stream before she released her grip and threw him off of her. Medros landed in a heap on the ground, the rough landing merely aggravating the pain in his back, the Minotaur struggled to pull himself upright once more, but his body betrayed him. His mind ordered his limbs to move but they remained still, he collapsed bonelessly onto the floor managing the beginnings of a scream before his vocal cords failed him as well.

Aecas pushed himself off of the wall and walked towards the fallen Minotaur, leaning down and grabbing Medros' right arm, pulling the Minotaur's body off of the floor and then across one broad shoulder in a fireman's carry before he turned to Typhoeus knowing that Medros could still hear them.

"What do you want to do with him?"

"We could just kill him, but he'd hardly learn his lesson that way. I think we should introduce him to our little torture device don't you?"

Aecas chuckled quietly as Medros' eyes darted from left to right in mute horror, able to hear see and feel everything around him but unable to move or speak as the Dragon and the Drider began to walk back down the tunnels.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea. It might need a bit of a dusting but I like your way of thinking."

The Dragon spoke a single word of command and the magical sconces on the walls flared back into life, bathing the tunnels once more in their soft blue light as Dragon, Drider and captive continued on their way.

Medros lost all sense of direction in the twisting tunnels until finally they arrived in another cave and he was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. The Minotaur wanted to scream as the sudden jolt not only sent another spike of pain shooting along his back but also jarred his shattered muzzle, yet as much as he wanted to scream he could not.

His eyes flicked to the right and widened in mute horror as he watches the Dragon and the Drider cleaning up a large metal chair, the heavy restraints on the chair and what looked like stirrups were worrying enough, but the archaic equipment surrounding it and the sharp points he could see made him want to shudder. Aecas turned back to the fallen Minotaur, hooking his claws into the waistband of Medros' ragged trousers and ripping them off with ease before casting them carelessly into a corner.

Picking up the now naked Minotaur, Aecas placed him on the cold metal of the chair, the chair set up at an angle so Medros was reclining in it. The Dragon lifted the Minotaur's legs, one after the other, placing them in the stirrups and strapping them up tightly, even if he had been able Medros would not have been able to move them. He stared on in horrified silence as the Dragon clamped his tail out of the way at the base of the chair as Typhoeus busied herself examining the strange machines, whispering strange undecipherable words that made them purr into life.

As Aecas began securing the many restraints of the chair, Typhoeus turned from the left bank of machina with four nasty looking needles in her hands, as soon as Aecas had secured Medros' left arm she moved up. Her right hand slapped at the flesh of his arm, at the joint of the elbow until the veins became visible and then with barely a pause she slipped the needles into the available veins before turning and pressing a switch on one of the machines.

As the machine hummed to life Typhoeus switched places with Aecas after he had finished with the Minotaur's right arm, repeating the procedure with the needles and turning the right bank of machines on. Medros began to feel a warm sensation spreading from his arms, flowing through his body and centering on his crotch, his flaccid length quickly beginning to swell from his sheath until after mere moments it stood hard and throbbing against his belly.

Typhoeus grinned at Aecas as the Dragon attached one last piece of machinery across the chair, bolting it into place and then taking the Minotaur's hard cock in one hand, slipping it through a strange device that seemed to be made up of a series of rings. A strap went around Medros' pendulous balls, holding the strange device snug and tight against his member before Typhoeus flicked another switch and the rings began to undulate, their insides smooth, almost slimy as they began to caress the paralyzed Minotaur's hard dick.

Medros shut his eyes tightly as the rings began to work on him, providing a light yet highly pleasing suction with their caresses, he was almost enjoying the attentions until he felt something press against his tailhole. His eyes snapped open going wide, screaming a soundless scream as Typhoeus pushed a thick dildo deep into his tailhole, the device beginning to vibrate almost as soon as the cool metal was embedded inside him. The Drider shared another grin with Aecas as she strapped the vibrating dildo into place against the chair and then moved over to the head of the chair, leaning in close to whisper to Medros.

"Death is too kind a punishment for a bastard like you Medros, so if you were hoping that venom would bring you a pleasant passing from this world, you thought wrong. I think you'll quite enjoy paying for your sins by being kept pumped full of my poison...kept alive and stimulated to the razor sharp edge of orgasm, but never allowed to reach it thanks to the sweet toxins that will flow through your body like the water your blood."

Typhoeus smiled wickedly as she moved her head to whisper into the other ear. "You're body will be sustained by liquids alone, your muscles will slowly atrophy as you lie here, you'll never sleep again as my venoms will keep you wide awake so you can experience your torment every second of every day. You'll soon come to realize that there ARE fates worse than death."

The Drider grinned and kissed the Minotaur's cheek before she moved away from the chair and, hand in hand with Aecas walked out of the cave. Medros watched them go, wanting to beg, wanting to pleased with them, wanting to moan, wanting to struggle, wanting to be free. But he could do nothing.

And he never would again, trapped in an cycle of never ending pleasure and no hope of release.

* * * * *

Mindora and Dance laughed as they searched through the hoard, both had draped themselves in a variety of garish jewelry and whatever other adornments they could find. The tension of the last few days melting away as they amused themselves, making jokes about the rich and impersonating the aristocrats with such truly appalling accents that they fell about with laughter before they could speak more than a few words.

Aecas and Typhoeus found them in such a state, Mindora and Dance both giggling helplessly as they lay on a vast pile of gold coins, Aecas looked at Typhoeus and once again the pair shared a mischievous grin before the Dragon cleared his throat loudly.

The sound cut through the haze of hilarity surrounding the Vixen and the Snake and both quickly sat up, wiping the tears from their eyes but relaxing as they saw the familiar forms of the Dragon and the Drider.

"Did...ach...did you get them?" Dance asked finally regaining some self control.

Aecas smiled. "They shall not trouble you anymore, we can promise you that."

Happy smiles split the muzzles of both Mindora and Dance and they hugged one another tightly before the Dragon's next words made them freeze.

"However what we didn't expect was to find you trying to steal from us."

Mindora blinked and then looked down at the jewelry that bedecked her frame, Dance did the same before both women began to quickly divest themselves of the valuables.

"This...no, that's not what this is!" Mindora said quickly as she tossed away a tiara.

"Then what is it like?" Typhoeus said with a grin before she shook her head and looked at Aecas once more. "I think these two need a little punishment of their own!"

The Dragon matched her grin once more. "I couldn't agree more my dear." He said pausing for a moment as they both looked at Mindora and Dance, the ladies both trying to suppress smiles as they heard the blatant playfulness in the voices of Aecas and Typhoeus. "Get em!" Aecas shouted and both Drider and Dragon pounced onto Mindora and Dance, tackling them into the pile of coins.

Mindora and Dance struggled half heartedly for a few moments before Aecas and Typhoeus picked them both back up, holding their arms behind their backs as the Drider grinned at the Dragon.

"Well we can't punish them while their still clothed can we?"

"Indeed we can't dearest." The Dragon concurred, his tail slipping up to undo the leather bra that concealed Dance's bust, the Vixen's breasts bouncing slightly as they were freed from their captivity before the tail moved down to her loincloth and deftly sent it to join the bra on the floor. Typhoeus grinned as her multiple legs made short work of Mindora's Gi, slipping it off of her smooth scaled body before she pushed the Snake towards Aecas. The Dragon quickly wrapped one huge arm around Mindora, the other holding Dance and he raised an eyebrow at Typhoeus, coupling it with a grin.

"Two naked ladies in my arms. Must be my lucky day!"

Typhoeus laughed. "Maybe later my dear dragon for now I think they deserve a little time to themselves. Put them in the appropriate position would you?"

Aecas smiled, his tail wrapping around dance's waist and pulling her down to the floor before Aecas quickly laid Mindora down on top of her in the classic 69 position. Before either Vixen or Snake could protest Typhoeus had covered them in sticky webbing, the Drider's spinnerets working quickly as she rolled Dance and Mindora over, webbing binding them snugly together before she stepped back.

Aecas picked the dual bundle up, chuckling quietly as it squirmed in his arms as Mindora and Dance wriggled about inside it, their heads and lower bodies visible both otherwise joined together by the webbing. Typhoeus meanwhile was working hard beneath them, taking several large chests she quickly began to cover them in webbing turning them into a rough table after a few minutes. Aecas dutifully place Mindora and Dance onto the "table" and Typhoeus grinned as she sealed the semi cocoon to the webbing of the chests.

"There!" She pronounced happily. "Now just one last touch..." The Drider said, leaning in close to Mindora and lightly biting her hood, injecting a large dose of her pleasure enhancing venom into the hapless Snake. As Mindora's arousal soared Typhoeus skittered over to Dance and repeated the process, grinning as the toxin's flooded through the bound women.

The scent of aroused Vixen and Snake quickly began to fill the air as Typhoeus skittered back towards Aecas, the Dragon putting an arm around her waist. Mindora and Dance panted in the cocoon, both women were so horny it almost hurt, and both of them had an obvious target presented to them. Loud moans began to join the scent in the air as both ladies attacked the other's pussy, tongues lapping eagerly over the moist folds as each worked the other in their own way.

Mindora's forked tongue, prehensile as it was lipped, and lapped at the edges of Dance's sex, before moving up to wrap a fork around the tender nub of her clitty, making the Vixen shudder as she licked at her clit with the tip of her tongue while the bulk slithered over the petals of the Vixen's sex. Mindora's tail, free from the cocoons embrace also had ideas of its own, the prehensile tip stroking over Dance's firm rump before lightly pushing against her tailhole. The Vixen's moan was all the permission Mindora needed and the slim tail pushed into her tailhole, becoming thicker as more and more slid inside her, the tail bunching up and doubling back on itself to form a nice thick pseudo cock that began to thrust in and out of Dance's rump eagerly.

Dance shuddered and moaned underneath Mindora as the felt the Snake work over her pussy and ass with tongue and tail alike, her own tongue, while nowhere near as prehensile as Mindora's was still a good deal thicker. Dance lapped teasingly at the edges of Mindora's pussy for a few moments, before she went straight for the kill, her tongue stabbing deep into the warm wet depths of her friends sex. Mindora shuddered and gasped above her as Dance pushed her muzzle forwards, her nostrils filled with the heady scent of sex, pressing her muzzle against the lips of Mindora's pussy as her tongue swirled and stabbed deep inside. Dance's tail was also active, though the vixen could not penetrate Mindora in the same way as her tail lacked the length it compromised, the soft bushy length sliding up and over, sensuously stroking Mindora's hood, making the Snake writhe in pleasure once more.

Aecas and Typhoeus watched as Mindora and Dance eagerly pleasured one another, the moaning of pleasure and the eager lapping of tongues the only sounds heard for several long minutes. But Typhoeus' venom had done its job as soon the voices of vixen and Snake alike were raised in cries of pleasure as they orgasmed hard, as their bodies shook with the pleasure of relief both tongues were still busy at work, lapping up the love juices gifted to them and then sinking in deep to work on producing more.

Typhoeus smiled as she watched the two friends attack one another with renewed energy in the wake of their orgasm, her right hand sliding from Aecas' waist down to his crotch, stroking over the growing bulge there and giving it a squeeze. The Dragon grunted quietly and looked down at the Drider smiling at her in turn.

"How long do you think that venom of yours will keep them so eager?"

He groaned as Typhoeus simply unzipped the front of his trousers, her hand sliding in to stroke and massage his length, quickly teasing it to full hardness before she grinned up at him. She gripped his hard length and started to walk forwards, using his cock like a leash and the Dragon obediently followed as she grinned at him again.

"It will keep them eager for a good hour or two. But I really think we should help them and ourselves don't you?" She said winking at him and giving his throbbing length another squeeze.

Aecas laughed. "Yes ma'am!"

The End....?