Divinity - Part 4: Redemption
#4 of Divinity
Divinity
Part 4: Redemption
It was before dawn when Jansen and the others arrived at the base camp, the hunters had scouted ahead a bit and had determined there were five guards awake and patrolling. Jansen signaled to Kopan and he signaled to Jerol. Keythia was waiting for the ruckus to begin her team of hunters preparing to help free the other War Brides. Jansen nodded to the lead hunter who then whispered to the rest of them.
They spread out each with flint and tinder, their goal was to create a distraction by setting a few tents on fire, then Jerol and Kopan would have their archers open fire with a rain of deadly arrows when the men came out of the tents to investigate. Now the hunters were armed with the captured enemy weapons they had to do a bit more practice to get use to them but now they were ready as ever.
The lead hunter set out his fellow hunters moving to start fires at the edges of the enemy tents. Jansen nodded to Jerol and he motioned for his archers to make ready. Then the first shouts came from the camp. One of the tents started to blaze with the flames jumping to another tent. Jansen observed the lead hunter and his men withdrawing stealthily back into the jungle to regroup and he smiled under his visor. This was going better than he thought.
As Kligror's men came running out of the tents Jerol and Kopan signaled and a hail of a dozen arrows came down upon the camp. Instantly three soldiers were struck dead; the hunters reloaded and prepared for another torrent of death. Jansen saw Keythia and her three mink hunters armed with stolen swords making their way to a wagon that had an enclosed cage on it.
Keythia came up to the cage quietly and peered into the wagon. There were five of her sisters, one of them Lilin, who was a doe, looked dead, the other four huddled in a corner, all of them looked roughed up and injured in some fashion. Tania the vixen seemed to have had her left arm severely hurt to the point of it being mangled. The lapin Ursula had a bandage around her torso with and a bright red stain left flank. Julia the tigeress seemed to have had an arrow wound or two through her right leg, and Viona the domestic cat had an injured shoulder.
"Hail to the kingdoms sisters." Keythia whispered and they all perked up glancing to her, they were all excited to see Keythia but made no sound, they just nodded as the commotion in the camp continued. The hunters that were with Keythia had also been lugging extra swords and they slipped the blades through the thick wooden bars. Keythia then took her own sword and with a mighty swing severed one of the joints holding the cage door, the second swing took the door completely off.
They each gathered what strength they had as they moved out of the cage. Keythia had the hunters quickly usher the injured females into the jungle and she entered the cage to gather up her War Bride sister's body.
"d-don... t... lea... ve... me..." Came the weak voice of Lilin. Keythia was startled a bit that she was still alive even with the fact that the wound was from being run through with a sword or a spear. But Keythia quickly picked up Lilin and carefully carried her from the cage.
Jansen waited till Keythia was clear and then he signaled to withdraw. The soldiers were half running for weapons half trying to put out the fire. He counted nearly a dozen dead from seven waves of arrows. Kopan and Jerol signaled and the archers stopped shooting and slipped back into the shadows. The sun was just coming up and Jansen and the other two knights followed the hunters. Now they would need to prepare for the next attack.
Jansen had the hunters regroup and prepare the remaining traps; in the meantime the injured War Brides were taken to the village to be tended to. Keythia seemed to burn with an insane rage when her sisters recounted how they had been treated, violated, and dishonored. Keythia swore revenge in their names before they left.
The remaining hunters rallied with the knights and Jansen drew his diagram in the dirt showing them how they would use a three pronged pincher attack to take out any forces that came through. The hunters nodded in response and they all took up positions.
"I want their heads!" Kligror shouted to his wolfen Captain who nodded. Now mounted on lizard-back they would ride in hoping their mounts would give them the advantage, only seven would be at the base camp Kligror included. The Captain and his ten mounted and armored soldiers prepared to enter into the jungle to flush out their prey.
With tensions running high they rode into the forest. The Captain's thoughts raced as they entered into the wild unknown. They had been riding for not more than two miles in when the point man spotted something. It seemed to be something sticking out of the ground. The Captain watched the soldier dismount and make his way towards the strange object.
Then it became clear what the object was. It was the head of one of their scouts on a stake. The soldier walked towards it to see who's head it was and suddenly from under him a net was pulled up by a branch and the sharpened wooden spikes that were hidden in the trees above him dug into his armor, though the steel breast plate and half helm save him his arms and legs were perforated and he screamed in agony. The Captain grabbed his crossbow and took careful aim.
"Sorry..." The Captain said and pulled the trigger, the crossbow bolt struck the soldier through the neck killing him. It was all mercy anyway, the soldier would have been useless to them now in combat and even if they did cut him down he would have just been a burden, slowing the rest of the detachment down.
"I'd expect anyone here to do the same for me." the Captain said to the rest of soldier who nodded in agreement of the action taken. They pressed on deeper into the jungle, now never dismounting and leaving odd looking situations alone. However the worst was still to come.
Jansen motioned to Kopan who nodded and then the panther signaled to his group. The hunters let fly their newly acquired, deadly, steel tipped arrows once more. The great lizard reared as it was struck by four arrows and tossed the soldier riding it, from its back. The rest of the lizards also started to panic and they rushed forward in fright. It was not a pretty picture as the bucked off soldier was trampled under a stamping of clawed feet.
The leader of the lizard riders, a wolf, barked orders for them to steady the mounts. However another barrage of arrows caused the wolf to rethink his strategy.
"Dismount and take cover!" The leader yelled. The soldiers were in no position to argue, it was impossible for them to fight on mounts in such confined quarters. As they dismounted their lizards fled leaving them to hide behind the trees.
Another soldier was felled by arrows as Jansen looked to his fellow knights and nodded. It would be a tough fight, but four against eight, with the hunters backing them up was much better odds than they could hope for. Jansen gave a roar followed by Keythia who howled, Kopan and Jerol also gave their own battle cries at they siked themselves up for combat.
"For the Kingdoms!" Yelled Jansen and he rushed in the other three following him into battle as he ran up to the first soldier nearby and with one clean swing amputated the sword arm of his assailant. Jansen followed up with a stab to the gut and then ran in to engage his next opponent who was clumsily drawing his sword.
Keythia drew her sword and with a skilled and swift motion separated the two joined blades, making the seemingly one sword into two single edged rapier-like weapons. Wielding one in each hand, her signature weapons the split long swords twirled gracefully in her hands. One of the soldiers, a tiger ran up to try and impale her with his sword. But Keythia parried with little effort and as she spun around she crossed her blades and disemboweled her opponent that was recovering from his blocked attack.
Kopan and Jerol were each tackling their own opponents and the hunters had also come out to attack as well. The Natives might have been clumsy wielding the captured foreign weapons but they had sheer numbers. With reckless and brave abandonment mobbed one soldier tackling into him and then stabbing viciously with the tips of their swords.
The battle was over in less than three minutes. Now only the Captain was trying to bravely, and desperately fend off a wave of attackers. He had actually killed two of the mink hunters and was edging back when Jansen yelled for them to stop.
The mink hunters reluctantly stood back but they also surrounded the wolf trapping him as Jansen walked forward sword draw and ready, blood dripping off its keen edge form the recent kills. Jansen eyed the wolf and the Captain glared back.
"You might survive this sir if you surrender..." Jansen said though his visor with a growl. The wolf only snarled back at the lion and charged to an attack. In his armor Jansen was slower but protected. He parried the first two strikes from the wolf and caught a glancing blow from the third strike. Jansen attacked back putting all his strength into powerful strokes which battered at the wolf's defenses.
The Captain staggered back and decisively dodged out of the way of each incoming attack countering with swift strokes, steel biting steel. Finally Jansen made a tactical move. He made a full out attack leaving himself wide open. The wolf took advantage of the opening and thrusted at Jansen's head. The wolf was ever so surprised when Jansen suddenly terked out of the way, the blade missing his helmet visor by an inch and a half and Jansen brought his sword down full force on the wolf's head.
The Captain sank to the ground blood geysering from his now split skull. The knights and the hunters shouted in victory as they reveled in the decimation of their enemies that lay dead around them. However, congratulations were cut short when there was a rustle from the bushes. Everyone tensed in preparation for an attack, but instead from the bushes came Fiiso with wide eyed terror.
"Fiiso! What are you doing here?" Jansen asked seeing the shaman had a terrified look in his eyes.
"The village!" Fiiso said pointing.
"Oh no..." Keythia gasped as she saw smoke rising in the distance.
Kligror watched as his men easily herded the scared villagers into the circle, the War Brides had been careless and blood was easy to follow for a hyena like him. He also had his men recapture the War Bride and even the squire who had bravely taken up a spear but still just as easily captured.
"How much do you want to bet that you'll be a perfect bargaining chip?" he asked the struggling mink girl who was restrained by one of his wolf soldiers.
"Jansen kill you!" Yuna spat defiantly.
"On I think not little savage... I think that your knight will have no choice but to surrender once he sees that I've captured his loyal followers." Kligror cackled loudly and grabbed Yuna's chin roughly, she struggled as the hyena licked her face.
"You're an exotic and if you live though this, I bet you'll be a great fuck." Kligror hissed and then laughed sinisterly. Kalif was outraged at this beast that was molesting his daughter, but he could nothing on the threat of death.
Suddenly there was shouting and Fiiso came walking out of the jungle with his staff shaking. He hooted and hollered and danced around in a circle.
"Get that old fool!" Kligror shouted, and two of his soldiers ran after Fiiso as he ducked back into the jungle. There was commotion and the sound of fighting then Fiiso emerged again this time with Jansen, Kopan, Jerol, and Keythia following behind him.
"Stop right there!" Kligror said and made a motion. The soldier next to Kligror pulled his knife and leveled the blade at Yuna's throat. Jansen and the others froze in place growling. It was quite a stand off, each side seemingly powerless, with no choice to negotiate.
"What we have here is a situation..." Kligror started as he watched his four soldiers keeping the rest of the villagers in check.
"See you just about destroyed my coalition, and therefore I feel that I need to have you compensate me for that. Surrender now or I start killing your followers." Kligror threatened with a menacing chuckle.
Jansen was at a loss, he had to stall for more time. The hunters would not be set up for another few moments. So Jansen set his sword down and began to talk.
"Alright it seems I have no choice..." He said and began walking towards Kligror with his hands raised, suddenly Fiiso grabbed up Jansen's sword and charged at Kligror.
"No Fiiso!" Jansen yelled as Kligror grinned.
"You shall taste the righteous divine blade of our savior you fiend!" yelled Fiiso in his native tongue. Fiiso raised the sword and tried to bring it down with all his might. But the evil one just grabbed Fiiso's wrists and punched the shaman in the stomach. Fiiso crumpled to the ground the sword dropping from his grasp as Kligror kicked Fiiso in the ribs sending him sprawling across the ground.
Jansen was yelling for Kligror to stop it, but Kligror drew his own sword and plunged it down into Fiiso's stomach. Fiiso gasped as he felt his blood spurting from the wound as the hyena pulled the sword out and cackled madly.
"For that transgression you will pay! Kill the girl!" Kligror shouted, but the soldier did not move instead a trickle of blood came from his mouth and he collapsed forward as Yuna darted away. There behind them was the lead hunter already with another arrow nocked and drawn.
There was a sudden shout from the villagers as Kalif in the distraction tackled the soldier nearest to him and the other villagers followed the example. In less than thirty seconds all four remaining soldiers were disarmed and dead and Kligror was now alone to face his enemies.
"I'll handle this..." Keythia said drawing her sword and splitting them. Jansen shouted for everyone else to stay back. This was personal.
"You will pay for what you did to my sisters, you will pay for your crimes, and you will burn in hell forever you bastard!" Keythia spat and growled taking a stance. Kligror was now uneasy he was surrounded by his adversaries with an angry War Bride facing him.
He charged in brandishing his sword with a shout, trying to intimidate Keythia. The she-wolf however had nerves of steel and expertly parried each blow, her armor was not as heavy, but provided less protection, and she had a perfect balance of protection and speed as she whirled her blades with lethal precision.
Kligror felt one of her swords bite into his left arm and he yelped dancing back looking at the wound. The hyena charged in again and tried a feint, but Keythia was quick with those twin blades and parried the feint and then the actual attack. She assaulted Kligror again this time cutting into his left leg.
The hyena was desperate now and he lunged clumsily at Keythia who just countered and stabbed him through the right leg then spun around and with the other sword ran him through the right shoulder causing him to drop his weapon.
"Any last words?" Keythia said crossing her blades in a scissor like motion. Kligror gasped now helpless before this woman that was about to slay him.
"This... this is impossible!" Kligror said as Keythia got ready to deliver the coupe de gras.
"No... just inevitable..." Keythia hissed and stepped forward slashing her swords in two opposite directions. For a moment it seemed like Kligror had not been struck then blood began to pour from a line in his neck all the way around. Kligror's head fell from his body and Keythia had already whipped the blood off her swords, with a flourishing twirl joined them together, and sheathed her weapons before his decapitated corpse slumped to the ground.
Jansen held Fiiso's head up as the mink shaman tried to speak. Fiiso was already beginning to feel his life slip away, the village elders looked upon the shaman with sad eyes.
"Jansen, you saved us..." Fiiso coughed up some blood and smiled. "I knew you would save us all." The old shaman looked to the high elder with a pleading look.
"Please let me be buried on the hill of the sun..." Fiiso gasped and then the light faded from his eyes and the shaman went limp. Jansen set Fiiso's head down and looked to the elders.
"I will go now..." Jansen said to which the elders nodded.
It was late spring and Kalif sighed as he sat there watching the hunters train the young ones. Archery had become a staple of their life now ever since that fateful day four years ago. Things had changed drastically; the villagers had learned much, pottery, irrigation, and most of all culture. Suddenly a commotion went up in the village and Kalif looked to see the villagers running up to three mounted figures coming into the village.
On the back of one of the riding lizards was Jansen this time dressed in normal clothes, and following close behind him was Randal, the fourteen year old lapin was still getting use to being a knight in training. No longer a mere squire Jansen had put in a good word for the boy and had offered to have him trained. Lastly on the third lizard was Yuna, dressed in a light blue and brown dress smiling brightly.
Yuna got off her mount and ran up to Kalif hugging her father and greeting him with a nuzzle to the cheek. Jansen and Randal also dismounted and saluted Kalif.
"Hail to the kingdoms!" Jansen said with a smile.
"Hail brave knight!" Kalif said and raised his staff in approval. Ever since Fiiso had died he had taken up the mantle of shaman and to great ends he pleased the elders. Nearly a year to the day Jansen left he returned with an ambassador to the kingdoms who invited the village to ally themselves with the kingdoms, Jansen had Yuna translate and the elders made a satisfactory treaty.
The villagers would keep their land and would also serve as a waypoint for the armies. The armies would provide them with protection and trade goods, under careful supervision by commander Kopan and commander Jerol. Jansen was the liaison and would visit each spring to visit Fiiso's grave and to honor him. Lilin was also buried here, the doe had not made it but at least now she was at peace.
After getting a warm greeting they made their way up to the hill of the sun, which the shamans of the past, present and future would and were buried. Kalif sang a song in his native tongue honoring Fiiso and the exemplary bravery that he had displayed against evil.
That night the village was bustling with activity, the hunters were reenacting the tail of Jansen's arrival. Yuna cuddled up to Jansen as they watched. Randle sat there observing the festivities.
"Hey there are you a knight?" said a voice from behind Randal, the boy turned to see a young mink girl standing there with a smile.
"Uh... well I'm in training but when I turn eighteen they will knight me if I prove my worth." The lapin said with a little chuckle.
"Your Randal right?" the mink girl inquired and sat down next to him.
"Y-yes and you m'lady are?..." Randal squirmed nervously and smiled.
"I'm Ziwa." She replied and smiled looking over the rabbit with interest.
"I remember you... you were brave! Those bad soldiers were much bigger than you but you tried to protect us!" Ziwa continued and Randal blushed slightly.
"Well I was only doing what I thought was right..." Randal began but was interrupted when Ziwa gave him a peck on the cheek and he sat there looking stunned a bit.
"I bet you'll be a great knight when you grow up!" Ziwa shyly smiled to him in innocence. Randal smiled back his ears perking up with interest.
"Well I'm still in training, but I'm learning a lot from Jansen." Randal said looking to the sword hanging on his belt. "But I would like to know a bit more about you perhaps?" Randal said with grin.
"Well I'm just fourteen summers old but I want to see the world." She smiled to him and placed a hand on his. Her other hand moving to stroke the necklace she wore around her neck "Perhaps one day you'd like to show me?"
"Sure when I'm knighted we'll see it together." Randal said and they sat there holding hands by the fire.
Jansen watched Randal and the young mink girl talk and he smiled looking to Yuna who returned the expression. Jansen kissed Yuna on the nose and then he stood up to lead her to the sanctum where there was now a semi-permanent residence for visitors.
The cavern was now converted into a barracks of sorts where the knights prepped mounts and also stayed, tents were set up as well, but Jansen and Yuna didn't go to one of the tents. Instead they walked up the steps to the temple to settle down for the night.
In the morning Jansen woke up to the feel of Yuna moving over him, the mink girl straddled him and he opened his eyes smiling up at her as she kissed him. Jansen returned the kiss as his hands worked eagerly to take off his pants; in turn Yuna moved off him to removed her undergarments and put them to the side.
"Mmm... I remember the first time we made love Yuna..." Jansen said stroking her cheek as she once more straddled him. "You were such a nervous little thing and now you're such a wild little creature, my lover, my mate..." he whispered to her gently.
"I remember when I first met you, strong, handsome, and seemingly so divine. Now you are still every bit of the male that you were when we first met and I can say that I truly love you Jansen, my knight, my avatar..." Yuna kissed him passionately and her hand moved down to grab hold of the lion's already hard throbbing member.
Jansen was already heated up with the anticipation of being in her, no matter what she was always tight to him being so small, and he knew she loved the feel of him being ever so deep within her. His anticipation was well rewarded as Yuna pressed the tip of Jansen's cock to her vaginal lips and she rubbed it to her slit with a soft moan. They had to be quiet though as there were still others in the cavern.
Yuna gasped softly as she lowered herself upon her knight and she savored the feel of that thick lion cock sliding up into her deeply all the way seeming to press deep and hotly into her womb and she wiggled her hips wantonly gently biting her lower lip with the pleasure she felt.
Jansen softly grasped Yuna's hips as she gently rolled her hips to his. Jansen purred lightly as she did that and then Yuna began to bounce gently upon him. The lion softly grunted feeling her tightness envelope his shaft and he bucked his hips back up to hers in union. Over and over they rutted gently to each other as Jansen massaged her breasts while she rode him.
Jansen always was amazed at how sex starved the little mink was, especially that they had sex nearly every day. Yet she always wanted to have more, it was like she was an insatiable nymphomaniac, yet Jansen knew that it was just that she loved him very much and sex might be a sort of spiritual and physical bond in her culture, well they were bonding alright and how.
Jansen could barely contain himself and he grunted and kissed Yuna as his release came filling her with his warm sticky juices. Yuna clung to him taking it all in and she moaned gently. It was here that their fondest memories were, and such this place had such a special place with them. After Yuna and Jansen got decent, they walked back out so they could begin their journey home.
They then waved farewell to the villagers as Randal mounted up he waved goodbye to Ziwa and then following Jansen and Yuna. They rode off back to report to the kingdoms, there was a hint of sadness in Ziwa's eyes as she watched Randal ride off into the distance not knowing if she would see him again, but she would see him again she was sure of it.
Ziwa was out carrying water from the well, she was especially excited on this day though for each year Randal would arrive with Jansen and Yuna to visit. This time though she was surprised as a single mounted knight rode into the village. Three summers had passed and this fourth summer was going to be one that would never be forgotten.
"Prepared to see the world m'lady?" said a familiar but now deep and proud voice. The knight lifted his visor and Randal revealed his face, his hand held out to her. Ziwa without hesitation took Randal's armored hand and got onto the riding lizard with her knight. She took off her necklace tossing it aside and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Jansen and Yuna watched from a distance as Randal, now a full fledge knight swept the young native girl off her feet and rode off into the sunset. They smiled knowing that they would be happy together and then once Randal and Ziwa were out of sight they headed into the village to pay their respects for that year.