The Art of War
Anyway, uh... I love D&D, but there are certain things I would *never* put in my actual campaigns... like this >_>.
Enjoy!
The fight had begun early in the morning, but only now with the sun slowly setting on the horizon had the two warriors tired. For fourteen hours they had fought each other to a bloody standstill, neither gaining the upper hand for long. The field around them was stained with sweat and drops of blood, littered with broken weapons and sundered pieces of armor. What little grass had survived this far into the winter had been trampled into the ground, and no person or animal that valued its life could be found within a dozen miles.
The human swordsage Alaran Keld and the lizardfolk warblade Tersus were two of the greatest warriors in the known world. For as long as they had known each other, they had been rivals. They had never crossed blades before; it had always been verbal jabs and one-upsmanship, competition both friendly and fierce. Now that they had actually fought, it had become all too apparent that they were almost perfectly matched. Each was a Master of the Nine, proficient in every aspect of the sublime way. If melee combat could be considered an art, then the Masters of the Nine were its paragons. They switched between the nine styles with effortless, fluid grace. Blade magic, animal savagery, shadowed trickery, and pulverizing strength mixed and matched to present a unified, perfect whole. Sword, eye, and arm moved as one; every one of their actions preternaturally coordinated and executed. Only a steadily-accumulating sheen of sweat on their powerfully-muscled frames hinted at how much energy they were exerting.
They stared each other down as each tried in vain to recover their energy; hot breath visible in the cold air as the rest of the battlefield remained utterly still and silent. Alaran was utterly exhausted. He couldn't even remember what had precipitated the duel; his focus on the battle had been absolute. At first he had arrogantly expected to teach the presumptuous lizard a lesson, but Tersus's initial assault had been brutal. Time seemed to stand still as attack after unrelenting attack took his defenses to their very limits and left his shield shattered. He countered with a titanic swing that missed the lizardfolk's shoulder by an impossibly small margin, shaking the very earth as it impacted upon the hard ground. He had unleashed every weapon in his arsenal and used every defense he could muster to full effect. Now, though, he was having trouble even staying on his feet. The fiery pride and hated that had filled him and sustained him throughout the day had died, replaced by a great and heavy weariness. His aching body longed for rest, both physical and mental. Tersus did not look any better.
"Do... you... concede yet... lizard?" Alaran managed, between deep breaths. "I am not going to... hold back forever..."
A dry laugh escaped from the lizardfolk's muzzle, as he rested upon the haft of his sword. "Hah! I... think... not. I am glad you... have reservesss still, human. I was afraid that the... pathetic display I have ssseen thus far was... the best you had..."
Alaran licked his cold lips as he prepared to deliver a rejoinder, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He was simply too tired; all he wanted was a hot meal, a warm bath, and a soft bed. Still, he had fought far too long and hard to concede now. He noticed his opponent was struggling to stay standing, despite the assistance of his tail. All he had to do was last a little longer...
After another full minute of intense staring between the two combatants, Tersus languidly lowered himself onto the ground. The lizardfolk gave a long and contented sigh as he finally let himself rest.
"I am victorious!" Alaran wearily exclaimed, falling to his knees. His aching body would not stand again anytime soon.
"Do not flatter yourssself! It was the cold of night that sapped the life from my blood, not your pathetic and derivative combat style!" The lizardman spat, slowly rubbing his sore footpaws. It was a well known fact that the scaled folk did not fare well in cold climates, even though their armored hides provided superior protection over skin against blade, tooth and claw.
Gradually, both warriors let themselves lie down and rest. A light snowfall had begun, and a powdery white coating was slowly beginning to cover the former battlefield.
Alaran was forced to concede that he bore a grudging respect for the lizard blademaster; he had never fought anyone as good as he was at walking the ninefold path. He had never been taxed so heavily just to defend himself, and he had never driven his attacks home so fiercely just to achieve glancing blows. Tersus often boasted of his combat prowess, and until today Alaran had taken it for conceited bragging and not fact. After a second of uncomfortable self-reflection, Alaran admitted that he was far from humble about his own skill.
If there was one thing that Alaran respected in the whole of the world, it was martial skill. He had been fought to a total standstill in honorable combat for the first time in his life, and he had to acknowledge it... even if it meant giving praise to his rival.
"Tersus. You... fought well. It was an honor." Alaran said, begrudgingly.
For a few long, tense moments, the scaled warblade regarded him silently. He averted his eyes before speaking. "As did you, Alaran. You are a worthy foe."
The tension between the laconic warriors lessened palpably after the short exchange. Still recovering from the titanic struggle, they exchanged brief comments on each other's fighting style and technique as the snowfall grew heavier and the last rays of sunlight shone in the dusk. When the two warriors were finally able to stand again, they sheathed their swords and walked together as they started the long trek back to civilization. Their conservation became less guarded, more open as they walked, side by side. They talked of their adventures and their family, their weapons and the history behind them, the hobbies they kept and the lovers they had courted. Alaran was shocked to hear bawdy jokes come from the normally-stoic lizardman. Before long, they were talking with such intimate familiarity that they sounded more like brothers than bitter rivals.
Some say that to truly know another man you must meet him in battle. While this may not be universally true, it certainly holds between the Masters of the Nine. During their clash they had bared their souls to one another, and they had been surprised to find how alike they truly were.
Before long, the only traces of light visible came from the bare sliver of moonlight that peeked through the heavy cloud cover above them. The snowfall never ceased; if anything it grew stronger as night settled upon the land. Alaran was freezing. The sweat that had soaked into his clothing had became as cold as ice water, and only the protective magics on his sword kept the chill from freezing him utterly. Tersus looked far worse off, his metabolism slowing noticeably as the temperature plummeted. When he started to stumble on his feet, Alaran took him by one shoulder and helped support his cool bulk as they walked on. It quickly became apparent that they were not going to be able to make it back to the city before the freezing cold claimed them both. They sought out shelter, but were only able to find a lonely, derelict cabin.
Alaran tried to kick the door open with his free foot, and the rotted wood burst into splinters. Both warriors let out a weary laugh at the sight, as they stumbled past the threshold. Alaran unsheathed his sword and used it to brush aside the cobwebs covering the one room cabin. It was scarcely warmer than the outside and afforded little protection against the elements, but it was certainly better than nothing and it had a fireplace. Alaran managed to get a decent fire going before too long, igniting the wet logs he was able to scavenge with his sword's magic.
Alaran wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Two of the greatest warriors in the land, and here they were freezing to death in the middle of nowhere like paupers! It was ridiculous! Of course, the fight had started ten miles away and fourteen hours ago; sleeping accommodations for the night had been the very last things on his mind.
They laid down their blades and their wet clothes, letting them dry by the fire. Tersus was looking noticeably healthier as the fire warmed his scales, but he still shivered as the cold air blew in through the open door. Alaran looked at the powerful, muscled lizard; admiring his naked, hard, scaled body in the fire's glow. He was handsome... in a certain, reptilian way. The human swordsage found his eyes drawn away from the shimmering steel of the warblade's sword to his lazy but strong tail.
"Are you still cold?" Alaran asked, scooting closer to Tersus.
"I ssshall be fine. We lizardfolk are more resilient than you might think." Tersus said, gruffly.
"The hells you are; you're freezing! I'll not have the elements do you in before I have a chance to, lizard." Alaran put one hand on the lizardfolk's shoulder, the warmth of his soft skin quite a contrast to the coolness of the hard scales. Tersus did not protest.
"You warm-bloods do have sssome use." Tersus said, with a sigh. The heat radiating off the human's body felt too good to refuse. Reluctantly, he beckoned the human forward. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he stared accusingly at Alaran. Or rather, at the human's half-erect penis.
"I was just..." Alaran began to explain.
"Hah! If you wish to lay with me, just sssay so, Alaran..." The lizardfolk said with a sibilant laugh, talking the human's hand into the scaled palm of his own. "You are worthy, swordsage. And, I can think of worssse ways of warming up..."
Alaran gave his former rival a lewd, arrogant smile. "Maybe I do. Would you give yourself to me?"
"For now." Tersus said, adjusting his body so that he was curled up with the fire facing him, warming his front from his snout all the way to his tailtip. "I warn you, though. When I am warm again, I will claim my due..."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Alaran said, smiling.
Alaran wrapped his arms around the front of the naked lizard, pulling close him against his warm chest. He moved his lower body in closer, letting their legs entwine as he pressed his hardening length gently against the top of the lizard's tailbase. The lizard's powerful tail was pressed firmly between his thighs, which squeezed on it tightly. Alaran felt his body ache with anticipation; Tersus was so strong; his body nothing but thick, powerful, scaled muscle. He rubbed his hands up and down the softer portions of the reptiles belly, but couldn't find a trace of fat or slack anywhere. He gave up on his search and pressed his face against the nape of the warblade's neck, inhaling deeply the rich odor of his scaled skin and giving it a few light, teasing licks. The taste of the cool, leathery hide lingered in his mouth, heady and flavorful. Alaran licked his lips, then began planting hard, sucking kisses along the nape of Tersus's neck, leaving a trail of wet and warm scales all the way to the back of his head...
"Tell me, do you make love as well as you fight, ssswordsage? Or are you actually good in bed?" Tersus said, his bitter words lightened by a playful tone. He usually liked his lovers to be more forceful, but he couldn't object overmuch to the slow and sensual approach that Alaran was taking. He could show him later, anyway...
"I think I'll let you judge that for yourself."
"I sssertainly will." Tersus said, sliding his tail from between Alaran's legs, and raising it invitingly.
Alaran took the offered tail, squeezing on it and warming it with his hands before taking the narrow tailtip into his mouth and sucking upon it teasingly. As he did so, he slid his hands down from the lizardman's belly to his crotch, rubbing the smooth and undifferentiated scales there in a firm, circular motion. He traced his fingers around back and forth, feeling the region bulge with unseen arousal, searching for the slit he knew he would find. When he finally located the break in the scaled armor protecting the lizard's maleness, he licked his fingers slick with saliva and started gently working them into it, one at a time. Alaran continued slowly teasing the lizardcock into the open, but he didn't neglect Tersus's backside during the time. He had finished warming the top of the lizard's tail with his mouth, and was slowly moving down the underside of the powerful limb, eagerly moving toward the waiting tailhole...
When he finally reached it, Alaran swirled his tongue around the flat, leathery cheeks, painting the lukewarm scales with his warm saliva as he teased around the edges of the lizard's tailhole. Every time he licked near it, he could feel the cock on the lizard's front shake and pulse inside his slit. When Alaran finally made his way inside the taut tailhole, he could feel the lizard give a short, pleasured shudder, and he felt the very tip of his maleness emerge from its protective cover. The lizard's genital slit bulged in his hands as it fed inch after fat inch of hard cock into them. Alaran kept expecting it to stop, but before long he was holding nine, perhaps ten inches of scaled thickness. Alaran bit his lip in astonishment; the warblade's sword was nowhere near as intimidating as this particular weapon.
I could handle him in combat; surely I can handle him in bed! Alaran thought defiantly.
Alaran held the bottom of the lizardman's titanic shaft in one hand while his other rubbed the tip of its glans, slowly coaxing the warming member to full hardness as he finished preparing the lizard's tailhole. It was slick enough now that he could move his tongue in and out of it freely, enjoying the way the tight muscle pushed and pulled on it as he slickened it up more and more. Alaran gently turned the docile lizard onto his knees and lifted his tail up, pressing the head of his hard member against the welcoming entrance under him.
Alaran's first thrust was gentle, the tip of his cock barely penetrating into the hard leather of the reptilian warblade's ass. He worked in his full length slowly, timing his thrusts in with long strokes on the lizardcock in his hands. When he finally hilted himself for the first time, he held himself inside and marveled at the incredible feeling. The lizard's depths were crushingly powerful but so smooth; Alaran had never felt anything quite like it before. He did not lie with other males often, but Tersus felt better than any other man or woman he had ever been with. Involuntarily, he found himself pick up speed as he resumed his thrusting, unable to resist the pleasure overtaking him.
Tersus continued to mewl quietly, enjoying himself as well. Alaran had trouble stroking the thick, long cock with one hand, so he ended up using both of them to pleasure the lizard in his arms. Every time he pulled on the member or rubbed its tip just so, he could feel the warm muscle gripping his cock pulsate and squeeze ever tighter. He stroked faster and thrust in harder, feeling the lizard's insides heat up as they both approached their climaxes. Tersus came first, hissing out as he shot thick, creamy loads of seed into Alaran's hands and the floor beneath. As his enormous member emptied itself, his now-hot depths shook and tensed on Alaran's cock, the pleasure sending the human over his own peak. Alaran gave a series of loud moans as his essence shot into the lizard's willing tailhole and deep inside his body. The reptile's powerful depths drained every ounce of hot, milky cum he offered it, never once relaxing completely.
The two rivals collapsed to the ground, tired but warm and content. Tersus turned his head, giving the human a short lick with his long tongue, while Alaran reluctantly pulled himself out of the reptile's tight ass. A small trickle of cum leaked out, accompanying his member. He went to clean off his penis with a piece of his clothing, but a clawed hand stopped him. Tersus gave him a sly grin, and then licked his softening member clean with his long, dexterous tongue.
"You know," Tersus said, between flickering licks. "I am not some farmer's daughter, fresssh from the harvest dance. I am a warrior, as are you. I can take everything you can give me, human! You should use more force, more passion when you take another male!"
"That's not the way I do things." Alaran said, as he experimentally tasted the lizardcum that had stuck to his fingers. "I don't make love the way I fight for the same reason I don't eat like I fight. Not everything is a battle to the death."
The fire in the fireplace had begun to die down, as the warriors basked in the afterglow. Tersus appeared to be dozing off, contentedly warm at last. Alaran gave him a kiss on the nape before standing, putting his clothes back on and going outside to forage for more wood. Alaran braved the snowy night twice, stoking the fire back to a lively blaze before going back a third time to secure reserves for the morning.
No sooner had Alaran re-entered the cabin did he find himself set upon with preternatural speed by Tersus. He was tackled to the ground with a pouncing charge that broke several of the ancient floorboards and sent the wood in his arms crashing to the floor. He ended up pinned on the ground in front of the blazing fireplace.
"You're looking healthier..." Alaran gasped out, recovering his breath. The wind had been knocked out of him when he hit the ground, but even dazed he couldn't miss the titanic erection that was pressing into his stomach.
"You remember what I sssaid earlier?" Tersus's tail flickered back and forth excitedly, as he regarded the human beneath him with a toothy grin. "We made love your way, human. Now, it is my turn..."
With a blur of claw and tooth, Alaran found himself promptly disrobed. Every bit of his clothing had been shred into scraps, scraps that Tersus forcefully tore from his body and cast into the fire. Alaran started to protest in alarm as his only clothes were incinerated, but found his mouth occupied by an enormous forked tongue the second he opened it. For a few intense seconds, Tersus dominated Alaran's tongue with his own, as his claws worked their way into the human's undergarments and tore them off as well.
Quickly withdrawing, Tersus gave him the smile of a friendly but deadly predator. "Are you ready? I do not hold back, human..."
Alaran wanted desperately to protest, but he wanted to continue even more. "I-I think I am re..."
His words hung in the air as Tersus lifted him to his feet, and then grabbed his hanging, mostly-soft penis with one of his powerful, clawed hands. The other went around behind him and gave him a firm smack on the ass, the sound of scale-on-skin echoing through the small cabin like an axe splitting a log. Tersus worked his manhood over with long, firm, and quick strokes, building it up to full hardness within moments as his other hand kneaded, teased and slapped his ass in a random, impulsive fashion. Alaran stood perfectly straight, naked save for his boots as he let the warrior have his way with him.
The second Alaran felt his arousal again reach full hardness, Tersus withdrew his hands and wrapped his tongue around the shaft. It was so powerful, so unexpected! Alaran arched his back and cried out, his cock almost painfully stimulated as the lizard's tongue drew his entire length into the warm, wet maw. The second suck set him crashing to his knees as his legs buckled, his face contorted in unspeakable pleasure, and Tersus had only just begun his work. The third suck was even more powerful, even more insistent, even deeper. Tersus withdrew his maw from Alaran's hot, fully erect cock for a brief second, and then drove himself upon it with such force that the human's hanging balls smacked against the bottom of his muzzle. The lizard's tongue snaked around Alaran's manhood for a brief second, adjusting position, then he slurped both testicles straight into his maw. Alaran moaned out louder than any time since he had lost his virginity, barely believing what his eyes and nerves were telling him. The tiny part of his brain not under the thrall of the sexual god in front of him wondered where the hell Tersus had learned that particular maneuver, but a fresh climax surged toward him before his mind could do more than form the question.
Tersus pulled Alaran onto him with, pulling him forward by the cock with his mouth. The human's hot ass met the lukewarm but tough scales of the lizard's chest, and Alaran let his weight rest upon it. Their eyes met as he felt his cock throb and pulse, shooting its hot, sticky contents into the inviting maw that held it prisoner. Tersus sucked down Alaran's first load of seed like it was nothing, his eyes briefly closing as he savored the human's taste. He let the subsequent bursts accumulate in his large maw, enjoying the heat and flavor of the viscous seed before spitting it onto his waiting claws. Still high on the pleasure of his climax, Alaran barely felt the lizard's cum-slickened clawtip probe its way to his anal entrance, and then quickly penetrate it. Tersus forcefully hammered his claw in and out of him, slickening the passage with his own juices. Whenever he needed fresh cum, he would withdraw his claw and spit more of the human's own fluid upon it. After repeating this process thrice, he growled out and flipped Alaran onto his chest.
For a second, the human swordsage felt a pang of desperate apprehension dawn upon him. The lizardman had a member that felt more like a club than a mating tool. Alaran wasn't sure if he could take it all, especially if Tersus gave anal sex the same way that he gave oral. Alaran felt the huge, leathery organ press against his backside, precum smearing against his ass as Tersus positioned himself...
Tersus grabbed hold of the human's shoulder with one hand, and chest with the other. Giving a short, forceful thrust, he managed to pop the tip of his enormous lizardcock through Alaran's tight anus. Before the human could recover from that, he was set immediately upon again. He felt the member force its way deeper into his ass, his internal walls squeezing upon it with alarming tightness as his body struggled to accommodate Tersus's length and girth. Alaran could feel every one of the smooth, patterned scales as they rubbed against his slick insides. Another powerful thrust sent him sliding forward roughly against the floor, and then another, and another...
After what felt like an agonizing eternity, he felt the lizard's muscled thighs meet his, and Alaran realized that he had been fully hilted. It seemed like impossibility itself; the fullness was overpowering. His member had never even had time to soften from the climax he had just deposited into the lizard's maw, and now his prostate felt like it was going to explode with pleasure. The human swordsage felt his penis throb with every movement of the colossal dick inside his body, as his precum steadily dripped onto the floor beneath him. Tersus thrust into him with short, quick movements, never letting the human's anal walls relax for a second. The lizardman's shaft was never more than half-out of Alaran's passage, but the sheer size of the invading member was enough to work him for all he was worth. Soon, the shallow thrusts became quicker and more powerful still, the lizardcock throbbing as it filled with fresh seed. Alaran clenched himself upon it as hard as he could, eager to be filled...
When Tersus finally came into him, he felt the mostly-warm cum flood into his body like an undammed river, the feeling of fullness and anal stimulation making the human cum for a third time that night. His weak, watery seed dripped out of his member as it was gradually forced from his penis. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time from the emotion and feeling assaulting him, but he grit his teeth and rode it instead, like a man caught in a hurricane.
"Heh, you see? Now, that issss how you make love, swordsage." Tersus said, chuckling with pride. He gave a short, slow thrust with his buried cock, enjoying the squelching sound it made inside Alaran's thoroughly-seeded ass. Alaran gave a short gasp, another tiny trickle of seed dripping out his own penis.
"Why can't we just do it both ways?" Alaran asked quietly, the aftermath of the slamfuck he had just received still resonating in his very bones. "We fight with every part of the sublime way; why not have sex in every way possible?"
Tersus opened his mouth to speak, but caught himself. "To that, I cannot protessst. How many ways do you know, Alaran?"
"Why don't you ask me that question in the morning?" Alaran said, eyes lidded with both exhaustion and pleasure.
Tersus smiled, holding him tight in his powerful arms but never withdrawing his still rock-hard member. "I think I might jussst do that."
They drifted off to sleep together in front of the crackling fire, their old animosity long since forgotten.
Bonus Feature! The swords!
Warwind
Warwind is a +5 Keen Sonic Blast Bastard Sword. It grants access to the Dire Charge feat if the wielder does not already possess it, and if held while the user prepares their maneuvers for the day grants access to a free readied maneuver of the Iron Heart or Diamond Mind discipline.
Dissonance
This +5 Keen Flaming Frost Katana grants 50% immunity to fire and cold damage. When using a Desert Wind maneuver that deals fire damage, the wielder of Dissonance can choose to have it deal cold damage instead. In addition, whenever the wielder deals or receives a critical strike, Dissonance refreshes any one of their expended maneuvers. This effect cannot occur more than once per round.