FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Temple of the Bloody Dawn Cult

• Chapter 12 in the Chronicles of the DragonRider

Deep in the mountains of the southern end of the continent, nestled in an inaccessible valley, laid a dark and foreboding temple. Most of it was carved from locally-mined obsidian, with towering pillars hewed from bloodstone, and most of the outside walls were covered in frescos depicting a variety of demons and eldritch creatures - most of them in the process of devouring and/or killing humans.

This was the main temple of the Church of the Bloody Dawn - more commonly called the Bloody Dawn Cult by outsiders. Their belief-system was structured around an event called the 'Bloody Dawn', wherein the barrier separating the world of the demons from the world of the humans would collapse, leading the demons to rampage unrestricted across the world. Thus, the cultist summoned demons and offered them their services in the hope of pleasing their future overlords, thus gaining them mercy, or even positions of power, in the 'new world'. Somewhere along the way, however, these preparational activities had begun to blur together with actively trying to bring about the Bloody Dawn, through the summoning of extremely powerful fiends or similar.

The members, as was the case with most cults, were mostly covert about their adherence - living as ordinary people by day, in the cities and on farmsteads, and gathering at night in hidden shrines and caverns to worship and summon demons. These gatherings were popular targets for bands of adventurers - a group of people notoriously intolerant of this belief-system. On two separate occasions, experienced and well-armed groups of adventurers had descended on the main temple, killing everyone they could find within and tearing down the temple when they were done, just for good measure.

In both cases, the cult had waited for the smoke to clear, and then returned to the site to rebuild the temple. Some said it was due to some edict of their faith. Others believed that something about the location made it particularly suited for heavy-duty demon-summoning. Most figured it was probably just sheer stubbornness. The cult itself had proven basically impossible to stamp out, due to the members' ability to easily blend in with the normal populace - and due to the cult's very real offer of immediate power, it was easy for them to recruit amongst the foolish and shortsighted.

The demons, after all, had fairly quickly realized the potential usefulness of the cult, and usually played along - eagerly answering the summoning of the cult-members, and offering them gifts of demonic power to aid their cause. Those powers inevitably ate away at the user's soul, but most recipients didn't think very far past "I can set things on fire with my mind!" And thus, the temple still stood in all its dark glory.

"Pretty creepy, huh?" Blake reflected, looking down on the temple from the cliff where they had landed. Anitra nodded, but then grinned as her magically-sensitive eyes scanned the structure. "Creepy, yes, but shoddily built. You'd think they'd learn their lesson after having it leveled twice, but from what I can tell, hardly any magic has gone into this building." Blake, who was capable at analyzing the magical components to greater detail, concurred. "Indeed. A bit of strengthening here and there, but certainly nothing I can't overcome. I could shake that entire thing down around the ears of the fools inside in a matter of minutes."

Anitra sighed. "Aye. But then we'd have to spend the next couple of months digging through the rubble for that one piece of clay we came for." "I know, I know..." Blake rolled his eyes. "Guess we'll do it as usual, then? You go in alone, I stay within communication range. There's not nearly enough magic in this place to block our telepathy, so if you run into anything you can't handle, call me immediately. I'll squish whatever's giving you trouble - hopefully without breaking TOO much of the temple in the process."

"That's the idea, love. I'll just sneak inside, find someone important-looking, and squeeze 'em for information on the tablet-piece. Hopefully, it'll still be here - this place has seen a lot of traffic since Cassius started sharing its location with every tough-looking group of adventurers he could find." Blake rubbed his chin, pondering the issue. "Well, on one hand, I doubt any adventurers would realize the value of the tablet-piece, so in all likelihood, it hasn't been plundered. On the other hand, the cultists might not have realized either, and just used it as part of the temple foundation." Anitra groaned, and Blake continued with a grin. "And on the third hand, if it still IS there, it'll be because the cultists knows that it's somehow important, meaning that it won't be too hard to track down somebody who knows something."

"As always, you're seeing all the angles, my love. Well, either way, we're not gonna learn anything new standing out here. Wish me luck..." Blake lowered his head to her height, and they shared an intimate kiss, drawing strength from one another. Despite their bravado, both of them knew that this place was dangerous. High-level demons and fiends could be a match even for dragons, and whereas large, well-prepared groups of adventurers had succeeded in conquering the temple before, in this case it was just the two of them. A lot could go wrong, but having come this far, they were not about to waver...

Ten minutes later, Anitra was inside the temple and, so far, everything had gone smoothly. She had ambushed a pair of cultists who were on their way to the temple, killed them both, and grabbed one of the cult's trademark blood-red cloaks from them. The cloaks left the face in shadows and covered the entire body - a deliberate measure to help ensure the anonymity of the cultists. It also, however, made them perfect disguises. And on top of that, the security at the entrance to the temple had turned out to be ridiculously lax - the guards had not even asked to see her face, and simply waved her through when they saw the cloak.

Nonetheless, she did not want to accidentally bump into some authoritarian individual who might demand to see her identification, password, or secret handshake, and so, as she made her way into the temple, she stuck to the shadows. Which was actually pretty easy considering the labyrinthine layout of the hallways and rooms and the uniformly poor lighting. The widely-spaced braziers shaped like human skulls and countless dark side-corridors were certainly atmospheric, but it all contributed to making infiltration a piece of cake. Actually, it all seemed a bit TOO easy, and Anitra found herself tensing up involuntarily as she subconsciously waited for the other shoe to drop.

And drop it did. Right ahead of her, a cultist turned the corner, walking briskly down the hallway towards her. So far, the other cultists she'd seen had all shuffled along quietly, hands in their sleeves and head bowed, often muttering under their breath, but this one was walking with her head held high, looking attentively in all directions, seemingly searching for something. It was clearly a woman, with facial features that would have been beautiful had it not been for the large, zigzagging scars that covered both her cheeks, probably the result of some sort of dark ritual. Her blood-red robe wasn't any different from any of the others, but a golden medallion with a large obsidian gemstone set in the center hung around her neck, seemingly depicting an eclipse - and combined with the confidence demonstrated in her stride, Anitra figured that she was probably someone high-ranking within the cult - maybe even some sort of High Priestess. Surely, someone like that wouldn't be running around on her own looking for an intruder...

Trusting herself to that reasoning, Anitra quickly shuffled to the side of the hall way, turned her back towards the wall and bowed her head in what she hoped was a properly respectful fashion. If the priestess wasn't specifically searching for her, she'd probably just wander on by, and continue looking for whatever it was she was looking for... on the other hand, she suddenly realized, if she really WAS someone high-ranking, this might actually be a great opportunity - the hallway was deserted, and she could easily grab the woman by surprise and extract information by swordpoint. Or, to play it safer, ask her what she was looking for, and then give fake directions to one of the empty, abandoned chambers she'd seen on her way here - providing a more private location for an interrogation...

Her train of thought was suddenly derailed when she heard the priestess speak, in a cold but somewhat winded voice. "You. Lift your head." Tensing to make a grab for her sword if the priestess recognized her as an outsider, she raised her head and took another glance at the woman. Looking at her, she realized that the priestess wasn't even looking at her face yet - rather, as she had noticed countless times with men, the woman was staring at her bountiful bosom. Her large breasts were not easily concealed, even by the baggy robes, though she had not considered that a problem - there were a fair number of women in the cult too, after all - indeed, the cultist she had stolen the robe from had been female, albeit of somewhat more subdued measurements.

The priestess raised her gaze, and briefly regarded Anitra's gorgeous face before nodding. "You'll do." Anitra, perplexed, blinked, unsure of how to reply. The priestess impatiently clicked her tongue, and rapidly explained. "I don't recall seeing you before. You're new, right? Well, you're in luck - I'm presiding over an important ritual right now, and the woman who was supposed to take up the key position has not arrived as scheduled. The ritual is already underway and cannot be easily stopped - a replacement is needed. You're it. Your part in the ritual is not complicated - in fact, it's almost entirely passive. Simply participate as directed, don't screw up, and I will personally see to it that you are promoted to the Inner Circle. Now follow me, the time is short!"

Absorbing the rushed monologue as quickly as she could, Anitra quickly nodded. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, though she had a sneaking suspicion about why that other woman hadn't made it in time for the ritual - but she sensed an opportunity. If she simply played her apparently-easy part in this 'ritual', this priestess would owe her a favor - and she might be able to get the information she needed without resorting to violence. Being able to stroll out of the temple with the tablet-piece in hand, having never even drawn her blade, would certainly make for a pleasant change from the standard.

The priestess now swiftly strode back the way she'd come, Anitra quickly shuffling along behind her, noticing the certainty with which the woman maneuvered through the mazelike interior of the temple. Curiosity overcoming caution, she shuffled up closer to the priestess and asked in a carefully subservient voice: "Begging your pardon, great priestess, but as you so clearly perceived, I have but recently joined this grand church and I am not yet familiar with the greater eminences - so as not to offend you, I would ask your rank?" The woman glanced back, somewhat surprised, but the smile curling about her lips showed that she enjoyed the tone of the question. "Well, it is a pleasant surprise to meet an initiate who understands proper respect - frankly, if only the Lucifex Maximus would include me in the introductions of the initiation ceremony like I have frequently requested, such troubles could be easily avoided..." She seemed momentarily lost in the thoughts of this grave injustice, or possibly just needed to catch her breath from speaking rapidly while walking briskly at the same time.

"Anyway, I am Chabat, High Priestess of the Dread Kal Torak, the One-Eyed Demon-God. And before you ask, the ritual we are about to perform will draw his attention long enough to inspire some of our soldiers with the demonic essence of his personal warrior-priests, the steel-masked Grolims. You are surely aware that on certain past occasions, self-righteous and short-sighted fools have desecrated our sacred temple, murdering our members and stealing our treasures, yes? Well, next time such fools dare to invade our sacred grounds, they will be in for a nasty surprise..." Chabat's eyes gleamed with fanatical zeal as she once again paused her rapid speech to catch her breath.

As they finally passed through a curtain-covered doorway into a large, circular chamber lit with scattered braziers, Anitra suddenly realized that with all the strange turns and corners they'd gone through on the way, she had no idea how to find her way to the exit. Well, since she was now officially recognized as 'the new girl', it was likely that nobody would get too surprised if she asked for directions. And if necessary, she could just call Blake and have him MAKE an exit...

The circular chamber had several tiers, unpleasantly similar to an arena, though without any containing walls around the flat surface in the middle. There, an altar carved from black marble stood, partially covered by a red silk cloth. The tiers were nearly filled with red-robed cultists, heads bowed, chanting under their breath. Around the altar itself, 13 cultist soldiers stood in a loose circle with burnished breastplates over their robes and cruelly-spiked weapons hanging from their belts. Clearly, backing out by now would be messy.

Chabat did not lead her down to the altar as she'd expected, however, but rather strode around the outer wall of the room until reaching a wooden door, which she gestured at. "You'll need a special outfit for the ritual. It's in there, so go get changed while I make the final preparations. Come to the altar as soon as you're ready. Don't tarry!" With this barrage, the impatient priestess quickly strolled down towards the central altar, and with a shrug Anitra opened the door, finding a rather small and sparse chamber on the other side. It contained only a small, straw-filled bed, a rickety nightstand - and, on top of the bed, an outfit. Even folded neatly as it was, Anitra could tell that it was fairly skimpy; from what she knew of demon-cults, that was no surprise. Demons were often a lusty lot, and so it was commonly believed that skimpily-dressed priestesses drew their attention more easily. It might even be true, for all she knew.

Unfortunately, there was no way she'd be able to conceal her armor or sword under something like that, she realized. The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous. She could bust out of the chamber in full armor, with sword in hand and probably take down the guards before they could react, but with so many cultists, someone would certainly alert the rest of the temple - or maybe even summon a minor demon before she could get to them. So her best option still was to play along, and hope that she could pull off the act. That fact that doing so would create some demonically-enhanced warriors that would be dangerous to the next batch of adventurers who showed up here did not concern her overly.

With a sigh, she pulled off the blood-red robe, and stripped off her armor - hiding it, and her sword, under the straw mattress of the bed. Not the most subtle hiding-place in the world, but it would at least avoid a casual glance. The costume, she found as she pulled it on, was even skimpier than she'd thought. It basically consisted of a black leather collar, a thin rope of black silk around her waist, and two strips of nearly diaphanous black fabric - probably chiffon or gossamer - going from one to the other, covering her nipples and little else. There was also a long loincloth of the same fabric, reaching to the floor and then some, but only on the front. Her ass was left entirely bare, and really, in decent lighting, she might as well have been naked. Granted, the lighting in the ritual-room was anything but decent, but to a normal girl, this outfit would no doubt have been mortifyingly embarrassing.

Anitra briefly considered faking embarrassment when she walked out of the room, but realized that she couldn't even remember how to act embarrassed anymore - and besides, it wasn't as if she could blush on command. Well, she'd just have to be herself, and if anyone got suspicious, she'd either tell 'em she was just naturally free-spirited, or fake religious zeal; if "It's okay if it's for God" worked for murder, it should work for nudity too, right? Still, there was one thing she didn't want to show too clearly - her large nipple-rings might draw the wrong kind of attention. Fortunately, the fabric DID cover them, and the lighting wasn't very good. She carefully adjusted them to stand out as little as possible, since there wasn't much else she could do.

Exiting the room, she headed down towards the altar where Chabat now stood chanting, using one of the two stairs that cut through the tiers of the arena-like room. The other one was directly across from her, leading up to a door on the opposite wall, identical to the one she had just come through - except for that there seemed to be a guard posted outside it. Filing the location of the guard away for possible later use - in case things got nasty after all - she approached the altar. The assembled cultists, she noticed, were all too busy chanting with bowed heads to take much notice of her entrance, but the guards standing around the altar - presumably, they were the ones who would be 'infused with the demonic essence of the steel-masked Grolims' - were not so occupied, and most of them made little effort of hide their lusty gazes. She wondered if she would be called upon to mate with them as a means to 'transfer the essence' or whatnot. If so, it would be quite a letdown of a gangbang, considering her earlier experience with 'bribing' Silver-Fang's army...

Her suspicions seemed to be reaffirmed when Chabat took a break from her own chanting to gesture at the altar, whispering "Get on all fours on the altar, face towards the door you just came out of!" under her breath. Anitra only hesitated briefly, for the sake of believability - considering the nature of her outfit, getting on her hands and knees would give at least half the guards quite an eyeful. The embarrassment a normal human would feel at such exposure, however, had vanished along with the rest of her humanity when she had awoken as a DragonRider.

Now on her hands and knees on the low altar - it did not rise more than a foot over the floor - she allowed her legs to spread wide enough that her loincloth trailed artfully out between them, figuring that there was little point in trying to hide her goods at this point. She could hear the guards behind her catch their breath, and a few stunned murmurs rose from them. Perhaps they were surprised at her clean-shaven (well, burned, actually, but they wouldn't know that) cunny, or just at her brazen behavior. Either way, Chabat didn't seem to care - she continued to chant in a strange and unpleasant-sounding language until finally, as her voice reached a crescendo, she gestured towards the guarded door on the other side of the room. All the chanting cultists fell silent.

Curious, Anitra looked over her shoulder. The guard was opening the wooden door, the squeak of the hinges very loud in the sudden silence. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw what walked through it... it wasn't human, and it clearly couldn't have opened the door itself.

It was a goat, clearly... though it was unlike any goat she'd seen before, and she'd seen a few at market-day back when she was human. For starters, it was completely, charcoal black. She'd heard that black goats were occasionally born, but since they were considered cursed or bad omens, they were usually quickly slaughtered and offered up as a sacrifice to the gods to turn away bad luck. The parallel between that and the outcast nature of black dragons hadn't occurred to her until just then, but such philosophical considerations would have to wait for a later time - for now, a more important fact rose to the top of her mind: This goat was more than twice the size of any goat she'd seen before, easily the size of a pony.

Between that, and the fact that it moved with a clear purpose, unaffected by the oppressive atmosphere in the room - and the tiny fact that its eyes seemed to glow red in the darkness - Anitra concluded that it wasn't exactly a normal - or natural - goat. It even negotiated the stairs down to the altar without trouble, something a normal goat would likely have had some difficulty with. Remembering Chabat's specific directions as to which way she should face, Anitra had a dawning realization about the nature of the ritual... and a growing sense of curiosity. What, exactly, was a goat's dick like? Adding another new entry to her list of 'creatures fucked' was actually quite amusing to her, especially since she was getting the XXL version of this one. Remembering that she was 'under cover', though, she carefully concealed it, and tried to put on a face of horrified surprise/disgust - with mixed results. Not that anyone was looking at her face, anyway.

The huge black goat had reached the altar by now, and it was now clear why it was so peculiarly low - this height matched perfectly with the oversized goat. The fact that they apparently had a permanent altar, specifically for the purpose of having sex with gigantic goats, nearly made her laugh out loud. Well, she reasoned to herself, it would probably match fairly well with a number of other animals, including ponies, but those weren't really 'demon summoning' material, were they?

Her comedic musings were interrupted when the goat finally mounted her. The movement was swift and smooth, showing that it either had a lot of practice, or that it was being tightly controlled by some diabolical force. It made little difference to Anitra, who could only grit her teeth against the pain as the sharp hooves landed on her upper back, digging into her skin and drawing blood. It was less painful than she had expected, though. Strangely enough, it felt like the goat - despite its huge size - weighed no more than a normal one did. Considering that its sharp hooves would probably have dug all the way to the bone if it had a natural weight, this was obviously a blessing - though, on a certain level, Anitra was still disappointed. This absence of weight made it feel a bit like she was being screwed by an animal-shaped balloon, sapping a lot of the 'hotness' from the situation...

She could feel the goat's pointy tool poking around at her groin, trying to find her pussy, and at the same time she noticed that the chanting had started again, somewhat subdued, but still creating an appropriately occult ambience. A quick look around showed that the guards gathered around the altar had varying looks of arousal and disgust, while the cultist on the higher tiers were ignoring her just like before. Deciding to return the favor, she gave in to her curiosity and lowered her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the megagoat's dick between her vision-obscuring boobs.

She had to adjust her head carefully, but she did finally catch a glimpse straight down the cleavage, right before the goat finally found his mark, thrusting into her. The dick was, in size, quite a bit larger than a well-hung man, mainly in terms of length - though it was not lacking in girth either, measuring in at a bit more than 1½ inches across the shaft. The length was hard to determine, since it seemed to be moving freely in and out of its sheath, but it seemed to have at least 8 inches of useable length. At its base, it was as black as the rest of the goat, but along the shaft, it gradually mottled into a classic pink. The really odd bit, which she only barely had time to see before it plunged into her already-wet pussy, was the head - it was oddly hook-shaped, quickly tapering into a narrow cone, which was turned sharply sideways at an angle of at least 90°.

It was an odd feeling as it dug into her - the sideways-turned head created a hard tip, which she could feel raking across the walls of her pussy as he pushed it further inside. She wasn't sure exactly what it was supposed to do, but as the goat started moving, she realized that the really nice bit was somewhere else - specifically, the fact that the dick seemed to flow freely in and out of the sheath, rather than just emerging and staying there. While the goat's hindquarters were thrusting back and forth by maybe an inch or two, the actual dick was moving like it was mounted on rails - on every back-thrust, it would pull almost all the way back into the sheath, only to spring out in full length as he moved forwards again. With a minimum of movement, the goat was nonetheless screwing her with his full length - and since only the relatively lightweight dick was really moving, the thrusts quickly reached a dizzying speed.

While the hook-shaped dick was pretty short of her preferred size, the way it scratched across her inner walls with such incredible frequency was enough to make her eyes roll back. Thinking back to her past exploits, the only time she could remember being fucked with greater speed was when she met Silver Fang - a dog said to be able to move faster than the eye can see. For him, the speed had been an expression of a heroic level of strength and agility. For the goat, this rapidity was a simple matter - a basic standard. As she felt the approach of her first orgasm, she let herself go, panting like a dog in heat, and idly wondering if there was anywhere she could buy giga-goats. This sensation was definitely something she could get used to...

Through the fogs of her first orgasm - and the rapid buildup to a second one - she vaguely noticed that the chanting had become louder, nearing another crescendo. As the unintelligible words rang out faster and faster, so the goat seemed to increase his already-insane speed. The dick inside her seemed to pass in and out with such frequency that she basically didn't have time to feel its absence before it was there again. The effect was as if she had a large cock inside her, rapidly moving against her walls, and at the same time maintaining a full penetration at all times. A paradox-fuck if there ever was one.

Then, suddenly, the chanting turned into a shout, and she gasped in surprise as the goat changed his tactics. A final thrust rushed into her and, as it continued into her depths, she realized that his sheath had hid another inch or two that had until-then gone unused. But now he was using it to push that last bit of way inside her. She felt the hooked head scratch across her cervix, the mouth of her womb... and then, as it passed it, get caught on the far side, effectively attaching the cockhead to her womb.

With this full penetration achieved, the goat finally stopped moving. As the echoes of the resounding shout died out, the chanting resumed around her, though now with a different, more elated tone. Deep inside her core, she felt the sperm begin to pump out of the goat's cock - out the side of the head, straight through the cervix, and directly into her womb. The pressure was incredible - she could actually feel the milky fluid punch through the mouth of her womb, hitting the inside with enough force to be downright painful - in new and arousing ways. Silently she enjoyed the afterglow of her third orgasm, boosted by the pleasantly familiar feeling of having her womb gradually inflated by a steady stream of cum, while her eyes gradually refocused on the room around her...

The guards, previously the only ones in the room who actually seemed to be paying attention to her, seemed to be in some sort of trance now. Their eyes stared blindly upwards, and they were all shaking - some of them even frothing at the mouth. Then, as she felt the last few squirts of goat-cum enter her distended uterus, they all fell down to one knee, bowing their heads as if in prayer. They remained that way, unmoving, while she felt the goat's erection begin to soften within her. After a few seconds, the 'hook-head' had softened up enough to release her cervix from its death-grip, and the entire shaft swiftly slid back, disappearing once more into his sheath, this time to stay.

The goat - demonstrating that even demonic possession hadn't changed the animal's basic M.O. of "Slam, bam, thank-you ma'am" - then simply jumped off of her back... the pain of the bleeding holes left by his hooves only reaching her brain now that he was finally done being preoccupied by orgasms. Without so much as a 'Baaa', he then simply waltzed back up the stairs towards his room, where the posted guard - apparently the only one completely unaffected by the ritual - obediently opened the door for him.

Inside her, Anitra could feel her womb contracting, pushing out the non-draconic sperm, which quickly flowed out of her slightly-open pussy, running out on the altar and the probably-expensive red velvet covering. Knowing that such a reaction would not be the norm for a human woman, she could only hope that anyone who was looking in that general direction would be focusing on the kneeling guards and not her - they were, after all, beginning to stir now, as if in response to a gradual shift in the chanting, which had otherwise proceeded unabated while the goat left.

Acting creepily in unison, the 13 guards around her rose to their feet as one. As they raised their heads, she was only somewhat surprised to see that their faces were now concealed behind expressionless, one-eyed steel masks. Turning, they all faced Chabat, bowed neatly, and then turned away to file up the stairs and out of the chamber. As she watched all this, Anitra maintained her highly-exposed position on the altar, feeling the last drops of the goat-cum leave her. She reasoned that since she was playing the obedient newbie, she'd best maintain her position as-ordered until told otherwise.

The chanting, however, had stopped entirely, and suddenly, she was feeling a lot more eyes on her nearly-naked body. It was the cultists, she realized. They'd been concentrating deeply on the ritual, ignoring everything else - probably had their eyes closed, too. But now that the ritual had been successfully completed, they were starting to be aware of their surroundings again - and apparently noticing the naked girl on the altar, cum dripping from her glistening pussy. Chabat, however, had come out of her trance too, and noticed their looks. Narrowing her eyes, she made a sweeping gesture at the assembled cultists, and - somewhat hesitantly in some cases - they began to climb the tiers towards the back of the room, leaving through the curtained doorway.

The scar-faced priestess then waved airily at Anitra. "You can get up now. You performed your duties admirably, better than could be reasonably expected, actually, considering that I did not have time to explain the particulars before the ritual commenced. Go get dressed, and I'll arrange for your initiation into the inner circle - and see to any questions you may have." Anitra, rising from the dais as elegantly as she could manage, considering the circumstances, nodded respectfully and walked briskly towards the room where she left her robe - and, not incidentally, her sword and armor. Her cum-covered thighs rubbed unpleasantly against each other, and she made a mental note to rub them down with some straw from the bed before getting dressed.

As she cleaned herself up in the little room and donned her armor, she idly contemplated Chabat's last statement. Not enough time to tell her the details? Bullshit. She'd talked her ear off about everything BUT the details. Obviously, she just wanted to get the 'clueless newbie girl' into a no-escape situation before she had a chance to run. Had the originally-slated participant known about the details of the ritual? Could be - there might be reasons she'd go through something like that, whether she enjoyed it or not. Or maybe Chabat had decided to hoodwink a girl into participating in the ritual regardless. Well, it wasn't really important - what mattered was that the woman apparently wasn't overly suspicious of Anitra's apparent enjoyment of the ritual, or the rapid evacuation of the injected cum - if she'd even noticed it. So, now she got to enter the 'inner circle', where she could probably find someone who knew about the tablet-piece... all in all, not bad payment for an amusing and enjoyable tryst. Well, enjoyable save for the deep wounds on her upper back, anyway, but her draconic healing-factor was already working on THAT problem - yet another reason to quickly get herself covered by a nice, bulky robe.

With her armor and sword safely hidden beneath the blood-red robe, she left the small room, and found Chabat talking - whispering, really - with another cultist in the main chamber. Her inhumanly-sharp ears, however, picked up the tail-end of their conversation. "...enjoyed it, I'm sure of it. Could be very useful to have around for some of those other rituals... beats having to kill another newbie to protect our reputation, right?" The other cultist, his face concealed in the hood, nodded. "Undeniably. I will support her promotion, as long as she is willing to participate in more rituals of this type in the future. I'll go have a chat with the Lucifex, make sure he knows what's what..." The man bowed sinuously, then left the chamber, while Chabat turned to face Anitra, flashing her a rather poor imitation of an innocent smile.

Anitra bowed her head respectfully, placing her hands into the spacious sleeves of her robe, as seemed to be the custom here. "Ah, I see you are ready. Good. I have already sent a messenger to the Lucifex Maximus to inform him of your achievements and imminent arrival. He will officially induct you into the Inner Circle, with all privileges therein involved." She strode out of the curtained exit with her customary confidence, while Anitra followed silently in the shuffling walk that seemed common amongst the normal cult-members. It was abundantly clear by now that ego was paramount to this woman - staying on her good side seemed as simple as being humble and self-effacing.

She realized, as she plodded along behind the woman, half-listening to her endless, self-important tirade, that acting humble to this pompous ass of a scar-faced woman bothered her just as little as showing her naked body to the guards had done. Examining her feelings, she found that she simple did not care what any of them thought of her. That those guards probably figured she was a slut, that Chabat had her pegged as a servile, not-too-bright pawn. Their thoughts and opinions concerned her as much as those of ants and birds. And if acting servile could trick this bird into helping her find the seed she was looking for, well, that was what she'd do.

Even as she made these considerations, she was partially paying attention to Chabat's speech. Though much of it was self-aggrandizing lies, bits and pieces of useful information about the way the temple and cult worked were hidden in it, and she carefully filtered those out, filing them away for later use. She wasn't entirely certain how long she had to keep passing for a cult-member, after all... so far, she'd managed to pull through with a bit of fast talk and the 'clueless newbie' act, but the fewer missteps she made, the less unwanted attention she'd attract.

Suddenly, the tirade about ignorant people failing to notice her preeminent importance within the temple trailed off, and for the first time during the walk, Chabat actually addressed her directly with a question. "By the way, I'm not sure I have congratulated you on the... aplomb, with which you handled the ritual. I do believe most women would have had some... trouble with that role." Anitra licked her lips nervously. Well, it was probably too much to hope that the scar-faced priestess had entirely failed to notice it. Despite her earlier considerations of the subject, she decided that a simple lie would be better than a complicated half-truth in this case. "Well, I grew up on a remote farm..." she explained, hiding her face in the shadows of her hood, hoping that it would be interpreted as an attempt to hide embarrassment. "It can get really lonely out there for a growing girl, if you get my meaning. So things like that don't hardly bother me."

Chabat coughed, and gave a quick nod. "Ah, yes, I... see, I suppose. No matter, really. I was merely a touch curious." It amused Anitra somewhat to see a blush creep up Chabat's scarred cheeks, causing the zig-zag scars to stand out as clear, white lines. She suddenly realized that the scars, far from being random, formed the design of stylized flames, licking up around her face. A painful, but likely also effective, way to improve her connection to the demon-realm. She'd have to be wary of this one. She clearly shied away from nothing if it meant gaining greater power.

Shortly afterwards, they reached a grand pair of double-doors. They were covered in intricate carvings of demons and devils of every stripe, and banded with brass. There were a few half-splintered indentations and charred patches on it, however, indicating that this door had survived the destruction of the temple at least once, only to be dug out of the rubble and put back to work again. And not without reason - she could barely perceive the glow of protective enchantments covering it. It was flanked on both sides by towering guards, clad in full armor instead of the customary robes, but wore no helmets - a fashion-statement in itself, which showed off a pair of short, pointy horns on both their heads, as well as a vaguely reddish skin-color, and strangely smoldering eyes. Clearly, men with just a bit of demon-blood in them... such people were quite rare, but it was no surprise that they'd gravitate towards this place. Chabat bowed slightly to the infernal-looking guards and Anitra quickly followed suit. The guards nodded gravely, and then pushed the door open for them, allowing them entry into the cavernous chamber beyond.

Clearly, these were the chambers of the cult's leader, the Lucifex Maximus. The room they were standing in could only be called a throne-room - through the two black altars that flanked the room spoke mutely of certain ceremonial uses as well. At the back, a demonic throne rose on a dais - carved from black basalt, it took the shape of human bones and skulls, so artfully that it seemed as if it was actually just glued together from black bones. The only splotch of color on it was the thick, red velvet pillow on the seat, a mute reminder that in the end, a throne is just a really uncomfortable chair. Sitting on that throne was the cult's leader, wearing robes as black as a moonless midnight, skeletal hands clutching the skull-like armrests. A long, white beard snaked down his chest from the shadows of his hood, testament to age and wisdom... or at least knowledge, since nobody who was really wise would be caught dead in a place like this.

Standing right behind the throne was a figure in a simple, red robe - she was not entirely certain, but it seemed to be the same person that Chabat had spoken with back in the ritual-chamber. From this angle, however, she could see his face - he had sharply angular features, which could be easily considered handsome, were it not for the arrogant smirk that covered it, and wore a short-cropped and rather neat goatee. His eyes burned with intelligence and ambition. As they approached the throne, he bent down to whisper something into the ear of the Lucifex... and when the Lucifex responded by raising his head, giving Anitra her first good look at his face, she suddenly understood...

It was a flash of reasoning brought on by the sight of the Lucifex's eyes. They were tired, clouded by age, and lacked the spark of cruel ambition that would be expected from someone who had risen to such a height in a merciless cult like this one. Looking at the eyes of the man who stood behind the throne, it all fell into place... every time a group of adventurers sacked the temple, they went to great lengths to make sure they killed the leader. And apparently, the cult simply responded by promoting one of the surviving cult elders to be the next Lucifex, and everything went on as normal. The explanation was simple - the real power came from the man BEHIND the throne - the Lucifex was merely a figurehead. No doubt, at first sign of trouble, this goateed man behind the throne would slip out a secret exit and make good his escape - only to return and 'advise' the next Lucifex.

Chabat kneeled before the throne, bowing her head, and Anitra quickly followed suit. "Rise, my dark children..." an aged voice wheezed from the throne, and they got to their feet again. "Most Honored Elder, I have brought before you a new initiate to the Inner Circle. She has proven her loyalty and usefulness to our great cause..." Chabat intoned ceremonially, head held high. The old man on the throne nodded absently, his aged eyes seeking Anitra's face. "I see, I see... I will leave the customary questioning to my assistant, Sharanama." The old man lowered his head again, and Anitra suddenly realized that he'd probably been napping when they entered, and now returned to it.

Sharanama descended from the dais to get a better look at Anitra, visibly licking his lips at the beauty of her face. "So new, and already rising to the higher ranks, eh? Well, it just proves that you came to the right place, my child. Here, all that matters is talent, and the willingness to do whatever it takes. You have demonstrated both." His eyes twinkled, and his smile grew lopsided. "You understand, I assume, that you will be required to continue performing your duties in rituals similar to the one you just underwent?" Anitra nodded shyly - at least, she HOPED it looked shy. "Indeed - it's no big deal to me." The goateed cultist chuckled. "I see, I see... maybe I'll preside over the next such ritual myself. I think I'd like to see your... talents, for myself." Grinning inwards at the obviousness of his intention, she merely stated, obediently, "I'd be honored..."

Sharanama's smile changed somewhat, and he rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. "Would you, now? I see, I see... anyway, there is nothing else I need to ask. Where you were and what you did before coming here is of no consequence, and can be all-too-easily lied about anyway. Is there anything you would like to know before our Most Honored Lucifex pronounces your initiation into the Inner Circle?" Deciding to seize the opportunity, Anitra nodded. "There is, Great Sharanama - albeit, it is merely a point of some curiosity to me." Sharanama lifted an eyebrow. "Curiosity is good, my child. It leads us to greater knowledge, and thus greater power. Ask away." She nodded again, somewhat nervously - with no need to fake it, this time. This one was smart - if she gave him any reason to be suspicious, it could get really dangerous, really quickly.

"Well, I have heard it said that foolish adventurers have, on several occasions in the past, attacked this most holy temple, stealing and killing without care for our great purpose... considering such past predation, however, it is whispered that there remains certain artifacts of great antiquity within the Inner Circle." Sharanama's eyes grew momentarily guarded, but then he chuckled. "You have an interest in artifacts of power, do you? I would advise against that. Such objects can bring you power, swiftly and easily, but it is a power that can be just as easily lost or stolen. True power comes from within. Still, you asked, and I shall answer..." He gestured for her to follow, and walked towards a cloth-covered doorway in the left wall of the room. Remembering the curtained entrance of the ritual-room, a sudden realization made her grin. A cloth enchanted to contain demonic forces could more easily be taken down and brought along in the event of an attack than a wooden door designed to do the same...

Rather than continue through the curtain, however, Sharanama merely pulled it partially aside, and gestured for her to take a look. As she moved to see past the curtain, she suddenly heard a sharp bark, followed by a canine whine, and her curiosity was burning as she stuck her head halfway through the curtain. The room on the other side was simple - a nearly perfect square, lit only by the light seeping through the curtain, and what seemed to be an enchanted glow-globe on the opposite wall. Against that wall, 3 stout iron-bound chests stood, but what drew Anitra's attention were the residents of the chamber. Pacing around in the middle of the chamber were two huge dogs, quite different from any other dogs she had ever seen. They were sooty-black, but their eyes burned with infernal fire, and their fangs - from between which small puffs of flame escaped whenever they barked - were supernaturally long and sharp. Their collars were studded with silver spikes, and covered with glowing runes of command and control. Clearly, they were Hellhounds... and, judging by the large shadow that laid snoring in one of the corners of the room, there were three of them.

One of them, having spotted her, made a sharp bark in her direction, and she stumbled back as Sharanama allowed the curtain to fall back into place. "Well, there you see our treasure-chambers. Those artifacts that have not been stolen by adventurers are kept in the chests in the back, guarded by my loyal and implacable hounds. None save I may safely pass them to retrieve such artifacts as are required in our rituals." Noticing the silence that once again permeated the throne-room, Anitra put on a face of bemusement. "It is strange... I had not heard them barking before you pulled that curtain... and now it is silent again." The goateed cultist made a dismissive wave. "Ah, that. Their barking was disturbing our Most Holy Lucifex Maximus, whose sleeping-chambers adjoin this room, so I put a silence-enchantment on the curtain." He shrugged. "It's not like it matters - I summoned those hounds myself. If they are slain by some infiltrator or spy, I will know immediately, and raise an alarm."

Anitra quickly nodded. "Ah, it is good to know that our holy treasures are well-guarded. I thank you for satisfying my unreasonable curiosity." Sharanama lifted an eyebrow again, nodding. "No problem at all, my child. If you have any other questions you seek the answer to, feel free to come by my chambers later. My door is always open..." He winked at her, and she shyly lowered her face to conceal her grin. Men were so easy to read. "Now, I guess we'd better get the ritual over with..." Climbing the stairs to the dais, he lightly touched the shoulder of the Lucifex and, as the old man stirred, whispered something in his ear. The figurehead ruler nodded absently, and sat up straight on his throne as Anitra approached the front of the dais.

"What is your name, child?" The old man asked. Realizing that she hadn't taken the time to think of a fake name, Anitra swallowed nervously, and prayed that they didn't keep track of the names of new initiates. "Anitra, Most Honored Elder..." she replied, duplicating Chabat's mode of address from before. Fortunately, nobody seemed to respond to the name, and the old man merely nodded. "Very well. Initiate Anitra, for your service and dedication to our church, I hereby name you as an Inducted Member of the Inner Circle." With a visibly-shaking hand, the aging Lucifex drew a pentagram in the air in front of him, leaving a fiery trail behind his fingers. "Let thy name be entered upon the scroll!" As he intoned this ritual line, for one moment, it seemed to Anitra that his age-clouded eyes cleared, showing a burning fire behind them. Then the moment was gone, and he once again resembled nothing more than a half-senile old man. It had probably just been the fiery pentagram reflecting in his eyes, she decided as she respectfully bowed before the throne, accepting her initiation.

A few minutes later, as the old man dozed off in his throne again, Chabat led her from the throne-room. "I'll show you the way back to the Initiate's Chambers, so you can pick up your things - I know how confusing these hallways are for the new initiates..." she started, but Anitra quickly interrupted. "Begging your pardon, High Priestess, but it is my philosophy never to own more than I can carry. There is little for me back in those chambers, except a few bad memories." Chabat gave her a surprised glance. "Is that so? Well, it is good to see at least one initiate who is free of greed. Very well, then - I'll take you directly to your new chambers."

The chambers of those who were part of the Inner Circle turned out to be rather nice - not exactly luxurious, but at least as well-appointed as the most expensive rooms you could find in a country inn. Chabat helpfully lit the room's candles with a wave of her hand. "It is getting late now, so I suggest you turn in and get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll see to it that you are introduced to the rest of the Inner Circle - you'll also need to start learning the ways of sorcery, as is the obligation of all high-ranking members of the church." Halfway out the door, however, the scar-faced woman suddenly turned and gave her a peculiar look. "One more thing, though... while it is always nice to see someone who knows how to display proper respect towards her betters, you should not forget that you are now of a high rank yourself. Only a High Priest or greater outranks you - do not allow yourself to be bullied by anything less than that." With a final nod, Chabat disappeared into the hallway, leaving Anitra alone in her new room.

Holding back for a few minutes, to make sure the other woman was out of earshot, Anitra finally allowed herself to laugh out loud, sitting down on her bed as she did so. Her 'shy and easily manipulated' act had apparently been so effective, that the priestess had decided to take this naïve newcomer under her wing. With a chuckle, she laid down on the bed, deciding to take at least an hour or two of rest before going into action again. In the meantime, she opened the telepathic link to Blake, and communicated to him the events of the day. Sharing her amusement, they bounced thoughts and ideas back and forth for a while, gradually shaping something resembling a plan...

Several hours later, Anitra emerged from her room, having taken a short nap, and worked out the framework of a plan with Blake's help. She'd still have to improvise a lot, considering the number of unknown factors, but she was used to that. First order of business was finding some initiate who could give her directions, she thought as she glanced up and down the corridor... then, suddenly, she realized that she knew exactly where to go. As she started down the corridor in the general direction of the temple's kitchen, she turned the strange feeling of familiarity over in her head, and found that she basically had a mental map of the entire complex.

The labyrinthine layout, she realized in a flash, wasn't just bad design - it was a deliberate measure to impede and slow down intruding adventurers. Presumably, her sudden perception was an effect of her initiation as a member of the Inner Circle... very thoughtful. But then why had Chabat offered to guide her back to the Initiate's Chambers? Maybe this illuminating effect just took a while to settle in, or maybe - Anitra grinned to herself - maybe Chabat had taken so long to rise to the Inner Circle that by the time it happened, she was entirely familiar with the temple layout, and thus never realized that effect.

Quickly, she pulled her thoughts back to the matter at hand. It wouldn't do to get distracted at this point. Everything had been going well so far, but she was still deep in enemy territory, and the slightest mistake could make things take a turn for the lethal. It was all irrelevant, anyway. She quickened her pace, walking with the same forceful confidence she'd observed in Chabat, discarding the shuffling pace of her 'Newbie Initiate' persona. Those few other cultists she encountered on her way gave her one look and respectfully stepped out of her path, clearly assuming from her demeanor alone that she was someone of importance.

Shortly afterwards, she reached the spacious - and none-too-clean - kitchens of the temple. While it was late at night by now, a place so dedicated to darkness as the Bloody Dawn Cult never really slept, and so the kitchen was still staffed, by a rather grumpy - and none-too-clean - cook. Unlike the initiates she'd met on the way, he was unintimidated by her demeanor, and as she entered his kitchen he merely looked up briefly from a pot of stew he was stirring and grunted "Whaddaya want?" "I need some cuts of meat - preferably beef if you have it, but pork will do in a pinch. Oh, and something carry it in." She put as much imperious authority into her voice as she could muster, but the cook seemed unimpressed, merely raising an eyebrow at her. "Oh? And why should I give you that?" She sighed. Clearly, it would take more than attitude to get what she needed. Perhaps it was time to do some name-drops. "Well, you could either do it because I am a member of the Inner Circle - ask High Priestess Chabat if you doubt me, she's the one who requested my exaltation. Or you could do it because I'm running an errand for Sharanama. Take your pick." The cook gave her a startled look. "Sharanama? Why, you should've said so right away. How many cuts of meat did you need?"

About fifteen minutes later, Anitra emerged from the kitchen carrying two buckets filled with blood-dripping cuts of beef. Once she had established her importance, the cook had become remarkably tractable, and in fact downright chatty. When she responded by putting on a friendly face, he had in fact been revealed to be quite the gossip, and she'd learned any number of interesting details about Chabat from their conversation - the cook, however, was clearly too smart to gossip about Sharanama, and she had a definite feeling that he strongly suspected the true nature of Sharanama's position.

Nobody bothered her as she maneuvered her way through the temple towards the Lucifex's throne room. Grinning to herself, she reflected that it was probably considered general wisdom not to impede someone who is carrying large amounts of bloody meat through the hallways of a temple dedicated to demon-summoning. Sadly, the infernal guards who stood at the door to the Lucifex's chambers probably wouldn't be quite so tractable, but she had her explanations ready and armed...

Sure enough, when she reached the intricately-carved door, the two guards immediately crossed their nasty-looking halberds in front of it, barring her way. With a sigh, she put down the two buckets of meat and rubbed her arms. Their weight was no problem for her, but she figured that a normal human would probably be fairly exhausted by now, and played the part. "These are the quarters of the Lucifex Maximus, Most Honored Leader of our Church, as well you know. And you have not been summoned." One of the guards growled at her. She put on her most innocent face, and nodded. "Oh, yes, I know all that. But see, Sharanama asked me to feed the Hellhounds. They deserve some decent fodder for standing such a tireless guard over our priceless treasures, don't you think?" She fluttered her eyelashes at the guard, who seemed somewhat taken aback, rubbing his chin.

The other one, however, gave her a suspicious look. "Sharanama just fed 'em himself yesterday, and they don't need to be fed more than twice a week." Anitra winced mentally, while carefully keeping her innocent demeanor outwards. Unfortunate thought it was, however, she had prepared for that possibility. "Oh, I know, he told me as much. But I asked him if I couldn't go give them a treat anyway, and he said it didn't matter. I just want a chance to see them up close, really. I just love animals." She smiled brightly, and the first guard chuckled. "You know, I've heard rumors to that effect..." His fellow guard gave him an acerbic look, but the demonic-looking man shrugged it off. "Aww, don't be like that, Lurk. If she wants to pet the hounds so badly, let her. You saw her walk in here with Chabat earlier - she's in the Inner Circle now. Hardly a security-risk." The other guard, apparently named Lurk, gave a deep sigh, but pulled his halberd aside. "Fine, fine, just be quiet in there. The Lucifex is sleeping, you know. And if you get your head bit off by one of the 'puppies', it's your own fault." She just flashed him a merry smile. "Thanks, Lurk! Don't worry, I'll be quiet - and careful."

The guards gently pushed the door open for her - not all the way, but just enough that she could slip through with the meat-buckets. Then they pulled the door shut behind her, being careful not to make a sound. The throne-room was empty, the black skull-throne looking peculiarly lonesome without an occupant. Several torches still burned in their wall-holders, though, so Anitra had no problem finding the cloth-covered doorway that led into the treasure-room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through the cloth, entering the poorly-lit treasure-chamber. Immediately, she found herself the focus of attention for a pair of growling hellhounds, flames licking their jowls as they stalked closer. Quickly, she set down one of the buckets, grabbed the other with both hands, and threw the blood-dripping contents on the floor before the dogs. They paused in their tracks, their muzzles vibrating as they caught the delicious scent of the fresh meat. Then, as the second bucket followed the first, their resistance ceased, and they eagerly fell on the cuts of beef, tearing into them with undisguised savagery.

While the hounds feasted on the bloody beef-pieces, Anitra stealthily snuck around the edge of the chamber, careful to avoid their attention as she edged towards the steel-bound treasure-chests at the back. Soon, she was outside their field of vision entirely, and with quick determination, she walked towards the chests. She was still several steps short of her goal, however, when a low-pitched, commanding growl vibrated through the air from one of the far corners of the chambers. Suddenly, she remembered the large shadow she'd noticed when she looked into the room earlier that day. Now that she was closer, she could tell that it was significantly bigger than either of the other two hounds - she couldn't make out any details, though, since it had rolled itself into a ball facing the wall, showing only its back to her. It had made no move towards the meat, though it had to be able to smell it, and even now, it didn't seem interested in moving. Cautiously, she started to take another step forwards, but her robe had caught on something behind her, and she stumbled.

She'd bound her robe rather loosely around her waist, so that she'd be able to easily shrug off the constricting garment if she needed to fight. Now, it worked against her. As her robe was pulled backwards and she stumbled forwards, the cord that bound it at her waist gave, and the robe was pulled neatly off her as she staggered to maintain her balance, finally settling down on one knee. Quickly looking back over her shoulder, she saw one of the hellhounds standing there, her cult-robe hanging from his mouth. The other hellhound was slightly off on the side, circling around her. Neither one of them seemed interested in the bits of beef that still laid on the floor near the entrance, though the blood-covered muzzles that resulted from their earlier ravening gave them an altogether more fearsome appearance.

Her hand reaching for the hilt of her sword, Anitra sank into a combat-ready crouch. She could probably handle the hounds if she had to... and by the time Sharanama raised the alarm, she'd have taken what she wanted from the chests. At that point, Blake could simply smash through the wall, and they could escape together... but what if the tablet-piece WASN'T in one of the chests? That was the sticky point, and the main reason she'd gone to such lengths to enter the chamber by subterfuge. Her mind raced, seeking a solution to the conundrum even as the two Hellhounds circled closer.

Suddenly, a possibility popped up in her mind. She remembered the last time she'd had trouble with guard-dogs... Silver Fang and his troops. They had been bribable, not with money or meat, but with sex. Too many males and not enough females in the pack. Her nose twitched. Somehow, she could tell, instinctively, from the smell - all the hounds in this chamber were male. They'd been locked up here, guarding the cult treasury, for years at the very least. Probably quite backed-up. A grin spread across her face. It was worth a shot... from the sound of it, that was what the guards outside halfway expected her to do, anyway.

Nonchalantly, she took her hand off the hilt of her magical sword, and instead grabbed her panties, pulling them down and flicking them aside. The hounds stopped in their tracks, seemingly surprised by the sudden change in her attitude. The closest one - the same one that had pulled off her robe - sniffed at the air, his eyes uncertain. There was something in the air, all right. Already, Anitra's pussy was drooling in anticipation - she hadn't forgotten that gangbang in the Forest of Eternal Spring, the peculiar feeling of being 'knotted', or the dozens of orgasms she'd enjoyed back there.

Turning her back on the Hellhound, she got down on her hands and knees, and shook her ass at him invitingly, glancing over her shoulder to see his reaction. The growling had stopped at least, and the huge canine's eyes were afire with interest. Thanks to his size, she was able to peek neatly under his stomach, between his legs, to his crotch, where a small piece of pink had suddenly become visible in the blackness of the demonic hound's fur. A quick look to the side showed that the other hound wasn't about to interfere either. He was sitting down now, a bit of pink peeking out from his sheath as well, but he made no motion to approach - seemingly content to watch for now, observing how things developed.

She felt something cold and wet touch her slit, and jumped slightly, quickly refocusing her attention to the first hound. His nose was all the way up in her crotch now, sniffing eagerly at the sweet juices. Then, his huge, soft tongue came out, licking all the way from her clit to her asshole, making the black-haired dragonrider shudder in pleasure. The licking continued for several minutes, the hound clearly enjoying the taste of her nectar nearly as much as Anitra enjoyed the tingling sensation of his nimble, wet tongue. In the meantime, his canine cock finished emerging from his sheath, hanging partially-erect between his legs as his pulse made it twitch.

Finally, the hound made his move. One moment, his tongue was digging into her wet cunt, and the next, his forepaws landed on her shoulders. She winced a bit at the sheer weight, but her inhuman strength was up to the task, and the impenetrable dragonscale armor that covered her back prevented his claws from penetrating her skin. She could feel his tapered cockhead hitting her groin in various places as it searched for a warm hole to dig into, and licked her lips. The hound was significantly more massive than even the biggest of Silver Fang's dogs, and she had no doubt that his tool would be to scale. She found the canine cock-shape both intriguing and pleasurable, and was eager to sample a bigger version. Eagerly, she spread her legs and lifted her ass high, inviting him in.

And in he went as his pointy cockhead finally located her dripping-wet pussy. Well-lubricated and flexible, it easily parted before him, and she shuddered in delight as she felt the veiny surface rub across the sensitive surface. And it was big, all right. By the time the edges of his partially-inflated knot hit her pussy-lips, at least 7 inches of puppy-cock was buried inside her, and the knot soon followed, adding another three inches. But what she noticed the most was the heat.

Ever since she'd become a dragonrider, her body had burned hotter than a normal human. Blake's enormous tool, filled with the burning blood of a true dragon, always felt pleasantly hot inside her, and though she rarely thought about it, the dicks of lesser creatures always seemed lukewarm in comparison. Now, for the first time, she felt a cock inside her that emitted a heat comparable to Blake's. This was hellfire, not dragonfire, she knew - but still, the heat filled her, and made her pussy throb.

The knot was the hottest bit, filled as it was by burning blood under high pressure. As it expanded within her, sealing the Hellhound's canine cock inside, it felt like a small fireball. Had she been human, it would have seared painfully, but as she was not, it made her moan in pleasure. As much as she loved Blake and his draconic cock, the shape of it was somewhat plain and boring compared to some of the more exotic versions she had sampled in her journey - and the canine shape was amongst her favorites. This combination of canine shape and power, unnatural size, and burning heat besides, was pushing her towards an orgasm before he'd even really started moving.

Then he started thrusting, and she nearly lost her mind. The burning-hot knot stretching her out, pulling at her pussylips, while the veiny shaft rubbed her insides, and the pointy head poked and stimulated the mouth of her womb... all driven by a pure, uncomplicated animal rutting. No words, no emotions, just pure lust. It was some of the best sex she'd ever had, perhaps only surpassed by her regular sessions with Blake - and even then, only because his draconic nature allowed him to scratch an itch within her than no other creature could reach. All thought of deception and purpose fled her mind as she surrendered entirely to the waves of pleasure and lust.

In and out he went, as far as the knot would allow, going faster and faster, soon achieving the same dizzying velocity she remembered from her encounter with Silver Fang's dog-soldiers. The pleasure was overwhelming - it did not seem like she experienced multiple orgasms at all, but rather one long climax, stretching on and on as long as he continued to move. Lost for breath, she was panting like a bitch in heat - indeed, QUITE like a bitch in heat.

How long it continued, she had no idea. In the throes of pleasure, all sense of time was lost. There was only the continuous orgasm, and then, suddenly, a feeling like liquid fire rushing inside her. The scorching-hot cum filled her womb, prevented - for now - from rushing out by the engorged knot. The heat it radiated was tremendous - a mortal woman would have burned up from the inside out. But for Anitra, it was merely the perfect capstone to a mind-blowing climax.

With his load deposited, the hellhound had stopped moving, and Anitra's mind gradually resumed normal function. He was still inside her, though - fully erect and radiating heat, while the knot prevented his retreat. She basked in the quiet pleasure of it for a minute - then, her partner seemingly grew bored and decided to attempt an escape. Jumping sideways off of her back, he swung his left hind leg over her ass, and - dancing around in a manner that would have been quite amusing had she had a proper angle to watch it - turned around so that they stood ass-to-ass. The knot, still fully expanded, prevented him from easily going further. Anitra privately knew that her pussy was able to expand a lot further, so if he pulled hard enough, he'd get loose - but considering that he was attached to her by a rather sensitive rope, he was clearly unwilling to put that much strength into it. She didn't mind, preparing to continue enjoying the feeling of the scalding-hot cum filling her belly - after all, once he pulled out and the knot no longer corked her, her pussy's natural defenses would eject it swiftly.

She wasn't sure quite how long this knotting would endure, however... Silver Fang and his 'men' had been too small to effectively knot her, and had easily been able to pull out when they were done - good thing, too, or she would've had to spend DAYS pleasuring them all. The other Hellhound, it seemed, was wondering the same thing, pacing back and forth, whining piteously as his fully-erect cock dangled deliciously between his legs, lacking a hole to hide in. Licking her lips, Anitra found herself hoping that he'd come a bit closer to her head, so that she could show him an alternate orifice - how would that lava-hot cum taste, she wondered. Like a good Chili?

The hound WAS, in fact, losing patience with waiting for his pack-mate to finish, but his simple animal mind did contain the creativity to come up with such a plan as 'try the other end'. Instead, it came up with a simpler one - 'try anyway'. Resolutely, he approached the point where his pack-mate and the new bitch were connected and - over the barked protests of the other hound - jumped up on her back, landing his paws on her shoulders while swinging his leg across his pack-mate's back. The other hound protested louder, as his tail was bent painfully sideways, but the second hound was too horny to care. There had to be a hole down there somewhere! Undaunted, he started thrusting, searching desperately for release.

Anitra was surprised by the hound's eagerness, but not unpleasantly so. His cock slid down her ass-crack several times, and she could feel how slippery it was - dogs, she remembered, effectively self-lubricated. Shifting her rear as much as she could with the first hellhound's cock still lodged in her pussy, she tried to give him a better angle of approach, while consciously relaxing her sphincter. Sure enough, after another three false attempts, his pointy cockhead hit the mark, stretching open her ass with that familiar sense of friction and rushing pleasure. The big dog barked in delighted surprise, and renewed his thrusting, quickly pushing his ramrod-stiff tool in to the knot. The knot, unfortunately, had swollen fully while he waited, and would not enter easily... still, it would take more than a slight setback like that to stop him from getting his rocks off!

Anitra, meanwhile, moaned loudly in renewed pleasure, feeling TWO red-hot, vein-covered doggy-dicks inside her. The feeling of the second hound's knot beating against her sphincter as he thrust rapidly against her only served to heighten her pleasure as she began to climb back towards the orgasmic plateau she had occupied before. Without a knot holding him in, the hound's thrusts were significantly longer than they otherwise would've been, allowing her taut sphincter to repeatedly sample the entire, veiny length of it.

For several minutes, she enjoyed the treatment - but unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit short of orgasmic. Attempting his customary ultra-fast thrust-frequency without the knot safely embedded within her, the hellhound frequently pulled too far back and slipped out, often resulting in a couple more dry-humps down her ass-crack before he found his way back to the still-gaping asshole. Feeling herself being lifted towards a superb orgasm, only to fall back down again as her lover lost his grip, was quite frustrating, and gave her an unpleasant flashback to a drug-fueled nightmare she'd had in the Forest of Fairies...

Then, suddenly, the problem solved itself. The first hound, waiting patiently despite his pack-mate's antics, felt that his knot had finally deflated enough, and stepped forwards with a solid tug. With a pop, his semi-erect cock emerged from Anitra's pussy, followed swiftly by a stream of cum, which hissed and released a cloud of steam as it hit the flagstones. The sudden removal of the knot, and the womb's reflexive contractions as it expelled the sperm, served to loosen her ass significantly for a brief moment - and in that moment, the second hellhound thrust forth mightily. With a loud 'plop', the knot pushed open her sphincter and popped inside, locking itself securely in place. Eager to experience another PROPER hellhound-ride, Anitra actively contracted her ass, making sure it stayed where it was - not an easy feat, as she was, at the same time, flooded with the painful/pleasurable sensation of the burning-hot knot stretching out her innards.

But Anitra's asshole had gotten a lot of training, and the feat was well within its power. Contracting around the base of the hound's cock tightly enough to make it yelp, the knot was thus securely fastened, and the second ride began in earnest.

The speed, the power, the shape, the size - all were as good as the first time, but now there was added on top of it, that burning sensation of anal stretching that she had long-since learned to enjoy. With her ass clamped tightly around him, she could feel every vein and every bump, right down to the slight indentation on top of the tapered head that indicated the peehole. Soon, she was panting again, and within a few more minutes, she was cumming as intensely as before.

Blue-balled as it was, however, the second hellhound didn't last quite as long as the first one, and the orgasm thus felt more like a peak than a plateau. Still, she squirmed in pleasure as she felt his hot cum spurt into the dark recesses of her lower intestine, enjoying the odd sensation as the burning heat made its way up through her digestive system. Relaxing in the afterglow, she could feel her body metabolize the burning cum, and - somewhat depressingly - she felt his cock grow colder. Clearly, her heat-tolerance was rising as she obtained part of the hellhound's powers. Beyond that, she felt nothing but the customary sense of increased strength, toughness and vitality as The Quickening coursed through her. One load, she mused, probably wasn't enough to instill her with the Hellhound's feared fire-breathing ability. Maybe if there'd been a dozen or so more... she grinned at the thought.

Her asshole still stretched wide by the engorged knot, she settled down to wait a bit - she had already relaxed the conscious pressure on her sphincter, but she figured it would still take some time before the hound felt confident that he could pull out without pain. Like the first one, however, he apparently didn't want to burden her unnecessarily with his weight, and he soon stepped off her shoulders, and turned around to assume the ass-to-ass position the first one had previously occupied. Glancing around, Anitra spotted said hellhound a bit away, in a dark corner, settling down to gnaw on a fat steak it had collected from the pile she had left on the floor. Clearly, they no longer thought of her as a threat, or an interloper. But, she suddenly remembered, what of the third dog? That one had stuck to the shadows since she entered the rooms. It hadn't responded to the meat, and it seemed as if these two had only ignored it on his command.

Looking towards the corner where she had seen his vague outline, she narrowed her eyes and willed them to penetrate the gloom. Judging from the silhouette, he was quite a bit bigger than the other two, particularly across the shoulders - the body-shape was reminiscent of a pitbull, quite unlike the wolfish aspect of the other two. And while her two lovers glowed slightly from the hellfire in their fur, this one seemed entirely dark. Was it a hellhound at all? Then, suddenly, it rose, and turned to walk calmly towards her. She gasped. It wasn't a hellhound - it was clearly much, much worse.

Not one, not two, but THREE heads emerged from his muscular shoulders, each circled by a spiked collar engraved with glowing blue runes. A Cerberus! She had heard of them - vicious, intelligent beasts that guarded the lower planes of the underworld. Their breath-weapon was not burning hellfire, but a chill, blue flame, said to be the emissions of decaying souls. Only powerful necromancy could counter and defend against it - and the beast's massive jaws could tear through steel with ease. It would've been a deadly opponent under normal circumstances, and in her present condition - tied to the groin of a large and unwieldy beast - she had no way of stopping it from tearing out her throat.

Fortunately, it did not seem overly hostile - perhaps because it knew that she was at his mercy. Calmly, it sauntered towards her, keeping at least one set of eyes at her at all times, even as the others scanned the room - one of the heads looked hungrily towards the steaks on the floor, but the other two seemed more interested in her. A wolfish grin adorned their fang-filled mouths.

Standing before her, the massive beast looked down upon her and spoke. It was a strange voice - all three heads talked simultaneously, but rather than just being three-tonal, it seemed as if each head provided a different part of the sound-spectrum required for human speech. It was like listening to a trio of musicians, each using a different instrument, but their music somehow coming together into recognizable human speech. "That was quite a show, little girl. You certainly handled my two pack-mates with gusto. Not your average, run-of-the-mill thief, I'd say. Clearly not human - if your scent had not told me so the moment you stepped in here, the fact that you aren't a charred pile of bones by now certainly proves it."

Anitra swallowed briefly, but then put on her best face. If he was talking to her, he clearly wasn't planning to kill her immediately - she had an in. Some means of negotiation. A chance to survive, and maybe even get what she wanted. She decided to try the most obvious approach first. "That's true, noble Cerberus. I am something more than human - and I've mated with bigger beasts than these two before. Indeed, I would be happy to help... ease the pressure on you, too." She smiled seductively. The Cerberus snorted. "No doubt about that. In fact, I'm quite confident that you'd enjoy it immensely, which raises the question of why I should give you anything in return for it - such as your life." Anitra began to open her mouth, though she was not quite sure what to say. Fortunately, the Cerberus interrupted. "However, you have one saving grace - I have little affection for my 'master', who keeps me locked away here to guard his precious treasure. He treats me like a simple beast, indeed, like my foolish cousins here - though I am much more than that." He was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking.

"You are very unusual. Interesting, even. You seek something from these chests I am bound to guard. If only to annoy my 'master', I am inclined to let you have it." Wild hope roared within Anitra. She could get away with it after all... "BUT!" The Cerberus interrupted her silent celebration, "I AM bound to guard these chests - my specific orders, which I cannot break - much as I'd want to - is to attack anyone who approached the chests... with one exception: The other members of my pack. A necessary exception, obviously." His grin grew wider. "So, if I were to induct you as an honorary member of the pack, I would no longer have to prevent you from reaching your goal... and, well, should you decide to leave the pack afterwards and pursue the path of the Lone Wolf, well, that would be your business, I suppose."

Anitra eagerly nodded. "I'd be happy to join your pack, noble Cerberus." The beast rolled its eyes - all six of them. "It's not that simple - packs have rules, even those from the demonic realm. A stray may be adopted into the pact as an Omega - the lowest rank within the pack - but certain formalities must be observed. Proper deference must be demonstrated." She nodded. "Just tell me what to do." He grinned at her eagerness. "Well, part of it, you will find enjoyable, I'm sure. A bitch who wishes to join the pack must give her body to the Alpha - which would be me." She returned his grin. "Oh, yes, I understand perfectly, my Alpha - I'm happy to serve you in that respect."

He barked a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure you are, and I said so already. But it's not all fun. An Omega must display submission towards all other members of the pack. I suspect you'll find THAT a bit less entertaining." She blinked, trying to figure out what he was hinting at. "What do I need to do, Alpha?" His grin, if possible, grew wider. "Fairly simple, really. Clean off the asshole and, where applicable, balls, of all pack-members. With your tongue, in case you hadn't guessed." Anitra grimaced and, realizing it, tried to straighten her face again. The idea was rather disgusting, though she probably should've expected something like that. After all, dogs were always sniffing each other's butts, and usually cleaned their own genitals with the only thing they had available. And of course, she'd been known to drink Blake's piss down with joy, though usually while in the throes of pleasure - which, objectively speaking, wasn't really much better than what she was now being asked for.

"Of course, Alpha. I'll demonstrate my submission as you wish." The Cerberus looked only slightly surprised, but laughed loudly in a hyena-like fashion. "Good, good, my little bitch. You can start with me, then. No need to wait for you to be released from your present... situation." The large dog turned around in front of her, its small tail held high, and presented his hindquarters to her. His balls, she noticed, were dangling pretty far down, in a large and heavy-looking sack. But clearly, those would have to wait a bit. As the Cerberus backed his ass towards her face, she grimaced again, and stuck out her tongue, preparing mentally for the taste.

It wasn't as bad as she had feared... not really bad at all, actually. The Quickening was coming to her rescue again, she guessed - apparently, she'd 'borrowed' the hellhounds' sense of taste as well, and THEY probably wouldn't think much of it. With a shrug, she decided to make the best of the situation, and give this 'alpha dog' the best rim-job she could - better chance of him holding up his end of the bargain that way. She hadn't exactly tried this before, but Pamila had given her some solid pointers on how to properly lick a pussy back when she visited the Forest of Fairies... and it was MOSTLY the same thing, right?

Enthusiastically, she dug her tongue into his asshole, feeling the muscles relax and the wrinkly flesh straighten out under the treatment. It DID have somewhat of a taste, she realized as she pushed the tip of her tongue inside. It was... spicy? Like a good chili. Was it the taste of hellfire, as filtered through her hellhound-type tastebuds? Regardless, she'd always had a certain fondness for spicy foods, particularly since she became a dragonrider, so if anything, it encouraged her to dig in deeper. She could feel the Cerberus respond to her, pushing back against her as she alternatingly smoothed the edges of the scrunched-up brown hole, and drilled her tongue inside.

After a few minutes of this, the Cerberus - rather breathlessly commanded her. "That's... quite enough of that, I think. You should get on with the next part, hmm?" She pulled her head back, grinning. Despite her seemingly-problematic situation, it seemed like her adaptability and sexual openness had once again turned things around. Bending her arms, she lowered her heads to his dangling ballsack, and was momentarily taken aback. Not by the fact that the shape of the sack indicated that he had THREE testicles, but rather, but the extension thereof. Her gentle treatment of his asshole had clearly aroused him, and his canine cock has slid out of its sheath... or rather, cocks. There were three of those, too. The knots, interestingly enough, seemed to be shaped so that they fit neatly together into one, large sphere, with a third of this 'superknot' attached to each shaft. The combined size of it was the size of two fists - man-fists, at that, not dainty little lady-hands. And knowing what she did of canine sexual physiology, they wouldn't fully inflate until he penetrated something. How big would it get then? She shivered at the thought.

But, that was for later. For now, the dangling sack had her attention. With her tongue, she caressed the hairless skin, wetting it with her saliva. Gently, she sucked each of the three testicles into her mouth, one at a time, being careful not to suck on them so hard it'd discomfort the large canine. From her newfound perspective, she could easily see the effect she was having on him - his legs, and cocks, were vibrating as his muscles stiffened in response. It always delighted her to see the power she could wield over a male with her sexual talents, and seeing that same effect on a monster created to guard the very doors of Hades was no less satisfying.

She was so absorbed in watching the effects of her ball-licking, that she barely noticed the hellhound behind her stir. The knot in her ass had shrunk back to normal size, and easily slid past her sphincter when he stepped forwards. Noticing only long enough to briefly shiver at the delicious sensation of his veiny cock slipping through the tight circle of her ass, she was glad that the Cerberus was too busy to notice that no rivulets of contained cum followed it out - as would have been the case on a normal woman. If he knew of her true nature, he might have been less forthcoming with the 'deals'.

Indeed, it took another minute before the Cerberus even noticed that both of the hellhounds were now walking loose, fighting over the remaining steaks on the floor. Blinking, he stepped forwards, removing his ballsack from the reach of Anitra's lips and tongue with some reluctance. "Right... right, then! It seems to be time that you, as an Omega-class bitch, submit your body to the use of the Alpha Male." She just grinned and shook her ass in the air. "Whenever you're ready, oh great Alpha..." He 'harumph'ed a bit, perhaps sensing that his position wasn't as powerful as it should've been, considering the circumstances, and circled around her.

Having enjoyed dog-sex before, she knew that the angle of entry would normally be troublesome for him, and lowered her front all the way, squishing her boobs against the cold stone floor while crossing her arms in front of them for support. As his dinner-plate-sized front-paws landed on her shoulders, she relished the sensation, the feeling of having a great weight and mass above her, and soon within her. Clearly, he was immensely aroused - his tri-cock was rock-hard and dribbling pre-cum. The three shafts were arranged in a 'two on top, one on the bottom' shape, so she figured it was probably a good thing that her asshole was still a bit stretched out from the hellhound's knot. She could feel the two heads poking at the hole, even as the last one found her pussy, and concentrated on relaxing her sphincter again.

If the Cerberus was surprised at how easy his entry was, he was too horny to care, or give any sign thereof. Two canine dicks, forced closely together, slid easily into her ass, while a third moved effortlessly into her pussy. She felt the oddly-shaped knots bounce off her sphincter and labia, and could not repress a groan of anticipation. She'd greatly enjoyed her ride with the hellhounds, and now she got a three-for-one deal for dessert? It didn't get much better than this...

He wasn't wasting much time, either, already moving back and forth eagerly... though not with as much speed, or strength, as she had anticipated. The knots were repeatedly pushing against her eager orifices, but only that. Suddenly, she giggled... he was being GENTLE with her. Probably thinking that his knots would tear her wide-open. But she didn't have time for this - she could feel that they were already starting to swell further, and if it kept on much longer, she wouldn't be able to get them in at all. Quickly, she counted out his thrust-pattern, while simultaneously pulling her ass a bit forwards, forcing him to push further ahead to get his cocks all the way into the warmth - which he instinctively did.

Then, timing it carefully with one of his thrusts, she pulled a bit further forwards, and then smashed her ass back just as he thrust forwards. Her holes, already well-relaxed and lubricated, eagerly swallowed the three knots, closing hungrily around the very base of his cocks. The Cerberus yelped in surprise, and one of his heads turned to look down at her, wide-eyed. She grinned back up at him. "There's no reason to go easy on an Omega, is there? I'm sure a big Alpha like you can do better than that, anyway..." Then she closed her eyes and moaned as his knots swelled to full size within her.

The combined size, she guessed, had to be around the same as her whole head. She could feel her skin bulging out right over her groin, stretching to accommodate it. The thin barrier between her pussy and ass was pinched tightly, and she could even feel the space between her lower labia and sphincter being forced into the shape of a broad, upside-down V. Fully-engorged, the three sections truly formed one, huge knot...

The Cerberus did not reply to her. Instead, all three heads simply howled in lust and triumph - a shockingly bestial sound, considering his remarkably sophisticated (if confusingly tri-tonal) speaking-voice. No doubt, the 'intelligent' part of his minds were surprised that this strange intruder not only took his knot without breaking open at the seams like an over-filled wine-skin, but actually seemed to ENJOY it - but that part was entirely trumped and drowned-out by animalistic lust. All he cared about was the fact that he had a tight-and-willing little bitch wrapped around his cocks. His muscular haunches bunched, and he started to move in earnest.

Anitra felt like she was truly being 'fucked stupid', as the crude saying went. When she mated with Blake, lust and love intertwined in a beautiful and unsurpassed symphony of joy - but this, this was pure, animalistic lust. No emotions, no strings, no considerations or cares - just undiluted rutting. The knot was so solidly set within her that it might as well have been sewed on, and he pushed into both of her holes with a level of force and violence that compared favorably to Balrog, her first - and most forceful - equine lover. It was far from the deepest penetration she had enjoyed, but the three shafts seemed to be fully stimulating every nerve they could reach - and the one in her pussy was long enough for the tapered head to slide inside her womb at full depth, which it did several times per second.

The fierce amount of force that was poured into her hindquarters was actually enough to push her forwards, despite the large amounts of friction her current position caused. Bit by bit, the Cerberus fucked her across the floor, her bulbous tits scraping across the rough floor, providing additional signals of mixed pain and pleasure for her already-overloaded brain. The Cerberous, of course, merely danced after her, shifting a leg forwards every other second without ever losing his balance or slowing down for an instant. All three tongues were hanging out of his face as he panted, saliva dripping from the mouths, and often hitting Anitra's head below - though she was too far gone to worry about it. Indeed, her own tongue was hanging out just the same, and she panted just as loudly - having become in appearance, as in performance, a bitch in heat.

Almost delirious with pleasure, she noticed the mouths hanging open above her, and reached up with both hands to grab the middle head, pulling it down while lifting her own head. The head registered surprise, but the other two simply continued to pant, focusing on providing the oxygen necessary to maintain the high-powered mating-session. But when she mashed her lips against his, and pushed her tongue inside his mouth to wrestle with his large, soft canine tongue, the response was not lacking - soon, he was returning the wild kiss, licking the inside of her mouth, and pushing his tongue halfway down her throat while she caressed his huge fangs with hers. His pace never wavered, however - having three heads does wonders for ones multi-tasking skills, apparently.

It was a small miracle that it had lasted that long, but it couldn't last much longer. The Cerberus had - in another impressive display of multitasking - been deliberately holding back his orgasm in an attempt to show up the female for her smart-assed comment before. But he hadn't had a bitch in ages, and the pressure was quickly becoming intolerable. Finally, he tore his middle head away from the girl's hands - and lips - to raise all three heads in a final, orgasmic howl. Blue flames shot from three heads, while white-hot cum shot from three canine cocks, filling Anitra to the bursting-point. Her stomach and womb quickly flooded and expanded, pushing outwards and stretching her belly - a sensation she never failed to enjoy. The pressure was high enough to force rivulets of cum to escape around the edges of the knot in her pussy, running down across her smooth cunny to drip from her distended belly.

Nothing escaped from her ass, however - the pressure was quickly alleviated as she began to absorb the cum, setting off a Quickening that nicely cleared her head after the however-many orgasms she had enjoyed during the ride. Thinking back, it had all seemed like one, long climax, without beginning or end. Her metabolism, however, could not absorb all of it - she was still somewhat 'sated' from the load she'd gotten out of the second hellhound, and her stomach remained somewhat stretched - better that way, she reasoned. Would make her 'absorption' less obvious.

With her head clear - though she was still enjoying the sensation of being stretched open by a gigantic knot, three dicks and what felt like several GALLONS of cum - she searched her instincts to see what she might have gained from the Cerberus. She didn't feel very different - stronger, maybe. The Cerberus had a rather muscular physique, which was apparently enough to enhance her physical strength past the baseline boost of The Quickening. Still no firebreathing, though - red OR blue. But she had a hunch that she was probably a lot more resistant against dark and demonic powers for the moment, though - which COULD prove useful, considering where she was. Other than that, there didn't seem to be anything of note. Ah well.

Above her, the Cerberus was resting heavily on her, his legs visibly trembling while he panted. Clearly, the ride had taken a lot out of him - and, considering the configuration of his cocks, he couldn't pull the old turn-around ass-to-ass trick that the hellhounds had taken advantage of while waiting for their knots to deflate. It took him a couple of minutes to even regain his breath enough to start talking. "You... certainly are enthusiastic. And sturdy. My weight hardly seems to bother you at all..." He sounded more impressed than suspicious, she noticed. Almost in awe. How did she know that? Maybe two canine Quickenings had provided her with an instinctive insight into canine nonverbal communication. Should make it easier to negotiate with him, if it should prove necessary.

"Well, I'm an adventurer. I wouldn't have survived this long if I wasn't tough. As for enthusiasm... well, what can I say? You're an excellent lover. It's not like I put on a show for your benefit, y'know. I just enjoyed myself, and saw no reason to hide it." Two sets of eyes glanced down at her, noticing the canine signals she was now unconsciously sending, while the third head had its eyes closed, still concentrating fully on panting. "I... see. Well, I hope you're comfy - it'll take some time before I'll be able to slip out again, 'specially since you're so tight. Try not to move - that'll only delay it further." She nodded, resting her head on her crossed arms. "All right. Take your time. Maybe we could just chat while we wait?" He gave her a surprised glance. "Chat? About what?" She smiled up at him. "Well, you're a Cerberus - you hail from the deepest circles of Hell, right? I'm sure you know a BUNCH of cool stuff about demons and devils and such..." He seemed to swallow - at least, one of his heads did. "Well... I suppose that's true. If you're really interested in that stuff, I don't see why not..."

The next half-hour proved immensely informative. With her newfound canine empathy, she was easily able to keep him talking, even about stuff he probably should've realized was dangerous to tell a self-confessed 'adventurer'. The different types of demons, their special abilities, their weaknesses, how they related to one another... immensely useful for any future confrontations with the denizens of hell. While he talked, she subtly shifted her internal muscles, applying gentle pressure on his knots, keeping him slightly aroused - ensuring that their edifying conversation did not end prematurely. She wasn't afraid of wasting her Quickening, either - there was still a significant quantity of his cum sealed inside her belly, and she could feel herself metabolizing it bit by bit, lengthening her Quickening.

When she felt that most of it had run out, she seized her surreptitious stimulation, and five minutes later felt the knots rapidly shrink. The Cerberus stopped in the middle of a clarification about the common misconception that Balrogs had wings, noticing the looseness. "Ah... it seems like my hindquarters have finally calmed down. Took more time than it used to. Guess it's been longer than I realized..." With a grunt, he stepped backwards, pulling his tri-knot out of her stretched orifices with an audible - and somewhat slimy - 'PLOP'. A small waterfall rushed out of her pussy as the contained cum was rapidly rejected by her dragon-exclusive womb, and she quickly flipped over on her back so that it would run down across her ass as well - disguising the fact that there wasn't a drop of cum left in her stomach anymore. The Cerberus didn't seem too interested in starring at her crotch though, and looked around the room instead. Then he nodded towards one corner. "There's some old cloth over there you can use to wipe yourself down with, if you like." She gave him a grateful smile. "How considerate... thank you."

As she got up and walked towards the corner with her back turned, another kind of smile played across her face. She had the big brute in the palm of her hands. He'd actually looked embarrassed when she thanked him. There was no way he'd betray her now - in fact, if push came to shove and a fight broke out nearby, he's be more likely to help HER than his summoner.

The 'cloth' turned out to be the remnants of some unfortunate thief who'd snuck into the chamber and come to a bad end. Not that there was actually anything left of HIM, mind - or her, even, it was hard to tell. Flesh and bone had been consumed by the hellhounds, leaving only the shredded and singed remnants of the clothes. It served its purpose, though, wiping the cum from her groin and belly - and, almost as an afterthought, the drool from her neck and hair.

Cleaned off, she returned to the center of the Chamber, where the Cerberus was waiting - now with the two hellhounds in close attendance - they had, apparently, finished dining on the steaks she brought. Noticing them, she snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot. I need to give them the oral treatment too, right?" The Cerberus looked momentarily bewildered, having apparently forgotten himself. Then he quickly shook all three heads. "Oh! Oh, no, you don't need to do that." "Really? I thought it was an unbreakable rule..." She gave him a coquettish look, while flaunting her naked pussy in front of him. "Ah, yes, for the induction of an Omega, it is... but... well, in light of your enthusiastic performance, I figured I'd just name you Alpha Female... purely symbolically, you understand. Just to save time, you know - it took me longer to get off than it should've, and if you're gone too long, I'm sure someone would get suspicious. Don't want to break your cover, right?"

Anitra barely restrained an urge to giggle like a maniac. Seeing a massive Cerberus, Guardian of Hell, practically stepping on his own feet in awkwardness was just too delicious. "Oh... well, if you insist... I suppose you're right. That means I'm your exclusive mate, though, doesn't it? Just symbolically, I mean." All three of the heads bobbed. "Well, that's the essence of it, yes - such as it is." She kneeled in front of him, ostensibly to pick up her panties where she'd dropped them before things really got started. "Well, all right then..." She smiled broadly at him, without showing teeth - which would send the wrong signals in 'canine' - and then grabbed and deeply kissed each of his three heads in turn. "Just a little gesture of love for my dear mate." She winked at him, and delighted in the distracted way he nodded while stumbling back. Poor mutt... he could never compete with her beloved Blake, but he could be a useful card to have on-hand.

Having pulled her panties snugly back in place, she proceeded to the three chests that stood against the far wall. They weren't even locked, she noted - apparently, the cultists had a great deal of faith in their guard-dogs. First, she opened the one on the left. It was filled with gold and precious gems - the cult's 'backup funds', clearly. She briefly considered grabbing a handful to add to her monetary supplies, but she was far from short on cash, and she could faintly see a dark, magical shine on the gold that MIGHT indicate a latent curse designed to strike down thieves. Probably nothing that could overcome her magical resistance, but no sense taking unnecessary chances.

The next one was filled with weapons - compact ones, mostly. Daggers, shortswords, maces, morningstars, arrows and crossbow-bolts. Some throwing-knives, too. All of them shining, to her eyes, with a dark aura. Imbued with demonic magics, no doubt - stored for emergencies. Probably quite powerful, but no match for her own sword. With a sigh, she closed it and opened the last chest. It looked more promising by far - it was filled with odds and ends, baubles and unidentifiable devices. Crystal-balls and strange cubes, disgusting biological bits preserved in jars of bubbly liquid, and a couple of geometrical shapes that definitely shouldn't be able to exist. Most of them shone with dark energy, even moreso than the weapons, though some seemed un-magical, or maybe just lacked a form of enchantment that her eyes could detect.

Handling each of the objects with care, she dug through the entire chest, searching for a tablet-piece amongst the oddities. Her hopes disappeared bit by bit as she dug her way towards the bottom - and disappeared entirely when she knocked on the bottom of it to ascertain that there was no hidden compartment there. Despite containing a huge collection of strange, demonical artifacts, there was no sign of the tablet-piece there. Cursing under her breath, she put the objects back in place and closed the chest. At least she'd gone with the careful option. Her cover was still good - she could scope the place out, cautiously interrogate a few important people... but she had best get back to her room quickly. The guards outside the main door were probably already getting suspicious.

Rising with a sigh, she collected her cult-robe from the floor and pulled it on. The Cerberus regarded her with astonishment. "I thought you wanted the treasures?" She shrugged. "I'm after one very SPECIFIC treasure. I figured it was probably here, but... it's not. Guess I'll have to ask around. I can count on you to keep my cover intact, right?" She batted her eyelids at him, and two of his heads eagerly nodded, while the last one just kept starring at her, as if transfixed. She smiled again. "Oh, that's good... maybe I'll come by to visit you and the boys again later, since I'll apparently be sticking around. You wouldn't mind, right?" He shook his heads energetically enough to cause them to collide - unnoticed - several times. "Of course not. You're the Alpha Female of this pack! ...symbolically speaking, of course. You're welcome to drop by whenever... for any reason."

"Oh, that's nice to know..." With a gentle smile, she walked past them, reaching out her hand as she passed. The hellhounds, having instinctively understood her 'alpha' status from the behavior of the Cerberus, licked her hand and whined submissively. Then she waved back at the Cerberus, who nodded his large heads in reply, and pushed through the magical curtain.

...and suddenly found herself face-to-face with the Lucifex Maximus. He was standing directly in front of the curtain, as if he'd been waiting for her. He didn't look absent-minded or senile, like he had during the day. He was standing up straight - and was quite tall, she noticed - and his eyes had a devilish fire burning in them. The same fire, she realized, that she had seen for a moment during her induction-rite. A self-assured sneer was on his face, and his voice was sarcastic to the point of being caustic. "Well, well. You certainly don't waste any time, do you, young lady?"

Things clicked into place in her mind. She wasn't sure how she'd reached a conclusion so quickly, but it all fitted together neatly. Rather than reaching for her sword, she merely returned his sneer with a lopsided smile of her own. "Neither do you, it seems. Are you sure you shouldn't watch me for a bit longer before revealing your hand? I COULD be a plant from Sharanama, you know." His eyebrows went up by the slightest bit, but he hid his surprise well - as could be expected of such a clearly consummate actor. "And quick on the uptake, too... yes, yes, I suppose that IS a possibility, but the odds were low, and I won't get anywhere without taking SOME chances."

Then his eyes narrowed. "But since you're so clever, why don't you tell me what you've figured out about the situation here, hmm?" She shrugged. "I don't usually like showing off, but if it'll make you happy... Sharanama is the power behind the throne. He always picks weak-minded people to be the 'leader', so that he can easily play them like puppets, and then leave them to take the fall next time a group of righteously crusading adventurers show up. But he screwed up on you, somehow - you're much smarter than you appear. So now you want to turn the tables on him - wipe him out so that all the power will be yours in name AND in effect."

He nodded, and his sneer become more of a smile. "You ARE clever... well, assuming you're not a plant, as you suggested before. Well, it's too late to back out now. As you've no doubt figured out as well, I can't overthrow Sharanama alone. And I can't trust anyone here - it's impossible to tell who's on his side - or which side the ones still on the fence will leap to if I challenge him openly. My best bet, therefore, is to collude with a new arrival - someone he hasn't had the chance to bring into his fold yet. Preferably someone skilled. You got past those guard-dogs somehow, without setting off the alarms. I don't know what you did, but you've clearly got skills. An adventurer of some stripe, yes? Albeit, one with a more flexible moral code than most..."

His eyes scanned over her robes, though it did not seem to be the 'undressing with the eyes' scan she was used to getting from most men and some women. "You do not seem to have picked anything up, despite reaching out main treasure-trove. Most unusual. I HAD planned to request your aid in return for letting you leave with whatever you came for... but you apparently didn't find it. And since you didn't even touch any of the gold stored in there, you're clearly looking for something very specific."

She nodded. "Very perceptive. Indeed, I'm looking for a specific treasure that was left in the hands of this cult a long time ago. And if you can get it for me, I'm willing to help you kill Sharanama." The old man stroked his beard. "A fair deal. If it's not in there, then it's probably something with little perceived value - to us, anyway. I am well aware that one man's junk can be another man's treasure. Ceremonial though my current position is, I am well-versed in the lore of our group, and have access to most of our secrets... what is it that you seek?"

"It is a fragment of a stone tablet, with strange writing upon it. It has powerful preservative magic upon it, but otherwise would appear quite unassuming to the casual observer." The Lucifex seemed to search his memory, stroking his beard as he did so. "A tablet-fragment... a tablet-fragment... hmm... I believe I've read of an object of that description, in one of the old scrolls. If it's the one you seek... it's in one of the underground vaults." He pointed downwards, at the black obsidian floor. "The ground underneath this temple is filled with tunnels - some of them natural, the remnant of old lava-flows, others dug out by the members of this church over the years... as escape-routes, hidey-holes or secret storage. There's several vaults where object of possible importance are held - stuff that might come in handy eventually, but doesn't need to be immediately available." His smile grew broader. "It's a labyrinth, really. Finding the right vault would take a lifetime if you don't know where it is. And if you start blasting down walls down there, it's liable to collapse on your head, and bury the object you're looking for under a thousand tons of volcanic rock."

Anitra sighed, rolling her eyes. "I could've almost guessed the last part. So, I help you with your little coup d'état, and you dig up the artifact I need. Deal?" He nodded. "Indeed, and a better deal than I'd have expected... especially since you'll now have to work EXTRA-hard to keep me alive. I'm probably the only one alive who knows where to find it - Sharanama never concerned himself with the old vaults, dismissing them as being filled with rusty junk. So if I die... you'd have to dig through several tons of musty old scrolls to find the location. Assuming you even know how to read Olde Mitelrich."

Anitra just rolled her eyes again. "Whatever. Shall we get this show on the road?" He nodded, eyes burning brighter than ever. "Indeed! I have been working on an intricate plot to destroy Sharanama for years - in fact, I've merely waited for the final pawn to arrive before putting it to work... the first part is-" She cut him off. "Stop right there. Years? You're overcomplicating things. Just summon him to your throne-room - you can do that, right? - and when he comes in, I run him through with my sword, from behind. It can penetrate any magical or mundane barrier. Problem solved." The Lucifex made a sour face. "I suppose it was too much to hope for that I'd meet an adventurer with enough intellect to appreciate my plan for the beauty that it is. Fine. Your... 'plan' has a certain direct charm to it as well, I suppose. And I suppose such a direct method is the last thing Sharanama expects."

Standing behind one of the obsidian pillars that held up the domed ceiling, Anitra discarded her cultist robe - for good this time, she figured. Sharanama wouldn't be able to see her immediately when he entered, and she'd be able to circle around behind him without being seen. Then it was just one jab, end of story. All in all, one of the simpler tablet-pieces to acquire. She'd already contacted Blake and informed him of the state of matters. He was standing by as close to the temple as he dared, so if things didn't turn out as planned, he'd be able to smash his way in and lend assistance as necessary. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he was near - that for once, she didn't fight alone. She tried not to think about how things had turned out last time they'd fought together. This was a completely different situation, after all. At that time, they had been ambushed. This time, they WERE the ambush.

The doors creaked open. The Lucifex - she never HAD thought to ask for his real name - was sitting on his black throne, having used one of its minor enchantments to summon Sharanama. The lank, pale-skinned cultist seemed grumpy, as he strode into the chamber - having been, to his knowledge, roused from his bed in the middle of the night to answer to the senile whim of a puppet ruler. Good. Angry people made mistakes, and sleepy people weren't very aware of their surroundings. The Lucifex was playing his role to the hilt, for the last time - sunken into his oversized throne, he seemed half-asleep, mumbling to himself. As Sharanama approached the throne, Anitra inched around the pillar, her sandals making no sound on the smooth stone floor.

Sharanama kneeled perfunctorily before the Lucifex Maximus before standing again. "You summoned me, oh Lord?" he drawled. The Lucifex seemed to wake up at that. "I did? Oh yes, I did! It was something important... I think. What was it... I'm sure I knew just a moment ago..." his voice trailed off, and his wrinkly face gave no appearance of thought - or, indeed, the fact that he could clearly see Anitra moving stealthily up behind Sharanama. "Oh yes, now I remember! It is a good thing you came, for this is a terribly, terribly important matter!" He sat up in the throne with seeming intent, and Sharanama looked up at him wearily. What was the old fool up to now?

Then he felt a strange, cold pain in his back and chest, and shivered. "Very important indeed... to both of us." The Lucifex's voice was filled with triumph, and his eyes burned hellishly as he rose from his throne with the agility of a much younger man. "I thought I'd inform you that you are dead. You don't seem to have noticed yet, after all." Dumbly, Sharanama looked down. A black blade, flecked with his own blood, was sticking out of his chest. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, kept partially upright only by the sword. Then, suddenly, the sword caught on fire in front of his eyes, and everything became pain.

The trap had worked beautifully. Anitra knew that it was silly to use the sword's dragonfire at this point - she might need it later, after all - but the Quickening was still coursing through her veins, boosting her feelings of elation and triumph - and so, she could not resist adding a bit of show to the kill. If nothing else, the display might help convince the Lucifex to follow through on his bargain. Like it had happened twice before, the activation of the sword's fire while buried in the flesh of a foe, had seemingly transmuted blood to fire. Sharanama's head lolled back, with tears of liquid flame rolling down his charred cheeks. He opened his mouth, in an attempt to speak (or, more likely, scream), but only a gout of fire and a cloud of thick, black smoke issued from his throat. The dark-red robe he wore was already catching fire, burning off him or melting into his skin in places... but something was wrong. He wasn't burning as fast as he should. Something was flashing on his chest. A pendant of some sort.

One shaking hand, with smoke issuing from under the fingernails, rose to close around the pendant, freed from the constraints of his robe as the fire consumed the fabric. From his tormented throat, one word issued, in a guttural scream of utter agony. "L E G I O N !"

A force seemed to push Anitra back. Her sandals skidded across the floor, and her sword was no longer caught in charred flesh, though still it burned merrily. A pentagram wrought from blue flame had appeared on the floor, surrounding Sharanama. He was still burning, but somehow, it seemed like the flames were no longer consuming him. He was clearly still alive, holding himself up with one hand on the floor, while the other still clutched the pendant.

Meanwhile, the pentagram continued to inscribe itself on the stone floor, growing more and more intricate, with additional circles added beyond the first, and strange markings appearing along the edges. She could hear the Lucifex cursing sulphurously on the other side of the pentagram, and through the growing heat-distortion in the air, she could see him trace a pentagram of his own on the ground. This was bad and getting worse by the second.

Then, space seemed to warp within the circle of Sharanama's pentagram, and suddenly there was someone else standing beside him. It wasn't the towering, horned beast she had been expecting, though. It looked... ALMOST human. A tall, somewhat skeletal man, whose skin seemed to be drawn tautly around his skull. His nose was hooked, and his chin protruded. His eyes burned demonically, and his fingers were clawlike, holding a knarled staff. A simple, black robe covered his body, and he was pale as a corpse. Now it was Anitra's time to curse out loud. One of the things she'd learned from the Cerberus earlier was that only the highest-ranking and most powerful devils were capable of assuming a fully human form. Lesser devils can get close, but usually retain telltale signs, particularly horns. This devil's head was bare, and there were no signs of horns. Ergo: A really powerful one.

The demon - 'Legion', perhaps? - seemed mostly concerned with the fallen Sharanama for the moment, and Anitra quickly seized on the chance to send out a panicked call for help to Blake. He'd be there in less than a minute - with the two of them and the Lucifex working together, they should stand a decent chance of sending this creature back to where it belonged. "My, my... look at you..." The voice of Legion was like broken glass. "Terrible state you've gotten yourself into. I suppose you want my help..." One clawlike hand reached out and touched Sharanama, who screamed anew and started to writhe on the floor. "No power without pain, Sharanama. You should know that. But if you survive, you will be stronger for it."

The gaunt devil straightened up again, and surveyed the room, noting Anitra - who was still clutching her sword while the last of the flames disappeared from its blade - and the Lucifex Maximus, who was standing within a red pentagram, rapidly chanting something indecipherable. "What a troublesome situation you've called me into, you foolish child..." The Lucifex seemed to reach a crescendo with his chanting, and a fearsome beast rose from the ground in front of him, outside of the protective wall of his pentagram. From her recent study into demonology, she recognized it as a Hezrou - a hulking, 8-feet tall demon with immense strength and little intelligence. The Lucifex was still chanting, however, and more demons began to rise, of many different kinds. The Hezrou roared a hellish challenge, and with numerous infernal kinsmen behind him, he charged towards the glowing blue pentagram where Legion stood.

Legion, meanwhile, merely clicked his tongue and lifted his staff, banging it against the floor, sending up a shower of sparks. Suddenly, several demons were rising around HIS pentagram, ready to meet the charge. The area between the Lucifex and Legion quickly turned into a chaotic melee, with demons tearing bloodthirstily at demons. The devilish man smirked at this, and began to turn his attention towards Anitra, who was still standing transfixed where she was, trying to figure out if she had a chance of taking him down if she charged.

Then, with a thunderous noise, the left side of the domed roof above them crumbled inwards, sending large basalt blocks flying through the air and skidding across the floor. Blake had arrived. Reaching his head through the hole he'd just made, he let his fiery breath wash across the battleground of the demons, indiscriminately destroying a dozen with a single blast - proving once and for all that the Black Dragon's Breath burns hotter than the flames of Hell itself. Anitra grinned. The Lucifex jumped in shock. Legion... merely smiled, and hit his staff against the floor again.

With a rumble that seemed to come from the very center of the world, a vortex opened on the floor beneath the hole in the dome, and a gigantic entity rose from it. A Glabrezu, she realized - immense and powerful demons that were, in essence, manifestations of the lust for power. Covered in chitinous plate, they sported four arms - one with a set of humanlike hands with which they wove intricate spells, and another, heavily-armored and ending in monstrous pincers. Easily 15 feet tall, it shrieked deafeningly towards Blake, who answered with an equally-deafening roar, and clawed the hole in the ceiling bigger. More blocks of basalt rained down, only to be crushed to rubble by the Glabrezu's pincers. Within seconds, Blake wormed his scaly body through the hole, and dropped to the floor to take up the demon's challenge.

Anitra felt lost. Blake was fighting desperately, and on the other side of the pentagram, the battleground that he had scorched was quickly renewed by a fresh batch of demons from both sides. The Lucifex had regained his equilibrium, seemingly satisfied that the dragon that had torn a hole in his roof was an ally, at least for now, and renewed his chanting to bring out more reinforcements for his side of the conflict. But Legion had remained entirely unperturbed through it all - Anitra had been ready to rush him the moment his attention was elsewhere, but it never seemed to waver - she felt certain that, if she were to rush at him, he would instantly meet her attack with overwhelming force - and she was fairly confident that she couldn't take on a High Devil in a straight fight.

Still, as the being turned to gaze straight at her with his hellish eyes, she wished that she had at least tried. Those eyes seemed to burn into her, like they were seeing straight through her, all the way to her soul. And he was still smiling. "Well, well... what an interesting adventurer. I've faced a few of those before, but never one with a soul as tainted as yours. Normally, I dig deeply to find some old sin to dredge up, but you're positively steeped in it. I could sum them up, but I doubt you'd care... because you really don't care about ANYONE, do you? Except for that scale-covered lover of yours, who is fighting so bravely over there." He gestured offhandedly towards the titanic confrontation unfolding on her left.

"But... you USED to care about some people, didn't you? Back before you met him, hmm? Maybe not your mother. Oh, sure, I could bring all the things you did to her back... but you were never really all that fond of her, were you? Always thought she was a slut. How ironic. But calling you a hypocrite wouldn't be likely to have much impact, eh?" As he spoke, she felt her mind twisting... memories were being summoned up by his words. Her mother, naked, tied to a rock, and tormented by her own hand. Left to her fate in the hands of a red dragon. She winced at it. Legion's eyes were still burning into her, but when he spoke again, his voice seemed different, like a distant storm. "Born in lust, turn to dust, born in sin, come on in, born in vice, say it twice..." Then, suddenly, his voice was 'normal' again.

"Ahh... but what about... your FRIENDS?" Legion's smile broadened. "They looked up to you, didn't they? Treated you like their queen. Always coming to you for help or advice. Always depending on you. How do you suppose they're doing without you, hmm?" Visions flashed before her eyes as the world faded. The enormous confrontation seemed to disappear, and a different image manifested. It was... her home. The city-state of Caristad. She was looking down on it from above, recognizing the market-streets, the proud castle, the stout walls... only, it was different. The walls were breached. The castle was a crumbling ruin. Half the buildings had fallen in on themselves, and crude huts of mud and straw had been erected in several places. Large bonfires burned in most of the plazas. And the guards that should be patrolling the city walls looked... green.

As she descended towards the remains of the city, she heard the voice of Legion whisper in her ear. "It shouldn't come as a surprise, really. Your mother, the mighty Amazon Arthenia, is gone after all. Remember that orcish horde she repelled some years back? Seems like they heard about that. And decided it was a good time to come back for revenge. Without Arthenia to lead the defenses, the city-guards didn't stand a chance. And this is the result..."

Up close, the devastation was even worse. The market-street, previously a bustling center of commerce where merchants loudly hawked their wares, was lined with crosses - most of them adorned with skeletons, others with bloated corpses that the ravens were busily picking away at - and some of them with people who were still alive, weakly struggling against their bonds. They were examples, she realized, as a whip-wielding orc pushed a line of raggedy slaves down the road, carrying baskets of food. She recognized some of them - both the slaves, and those on the crosses. People she'd spoken to once or twice, people who had visited her mother, merchants she'd bought dresses or food from. Hopelessness was painted across their faces, and the backs of their dirty clothes were torn, clearly signifying that the orc's whip wasn't just for show.

It seems like she was pulled through the streets, broken buildings and pitiful slaves flashing past her eyes. "Ahh, but what do you care for the plight of people you barely know?" Legion's voice whispered again. "We were talking about your friends, weren't we?" Suddenly, they stopped, in front of an assemblage of crude, orcish huts. One of them had a stout, wooden door, while the rest simply had untanned hides hung up in front of the entrance. Into this hut they flew, through the wall, to find a group of tired-looking girls within. Each of them wore a rusty metal collar, and was chained to a central post with equally-rusted chains. The hut stank of sweat and shit, the latter coming mostly from a clay jar on the far side of the hut, seemingly an improvised latrine.

The girls weren't wearing much clothes - some of them shivered naked apart from the collars. The marks of whips and claws were red on their pale skin. Clearly, these slaves didn't labor in the fields, but served another purpose. It wasn't hard to guess what it was, either. There weren't that many of them, though - so they probably weren't there for the enjoyment of the common soldiers. Most likely, they were the property of some orcish Warchief, who shared them only with his family and his most loyal soldiers.

And there they were... three of them, at least. She'd known those girls, swapped gossip and giggled with them. One of them was pregnant, her belly huge, probably with a half-orc child. One of the others held a baby in her arms - a small boy. With a flash of recognition, she recognized the babe - it was her baby-brother! "Ah yes... you left that child all alone, didn't you? A good thing you have such good friends that will take care of him. One wonders what she had to do to gain permission to keep that child..." Legion's voice was like honeyed poison in her ear.

Back in the throne-room of the Church of the Bloody Dawn, Anitra was standing lax. Her sword was hanging loosely from her hand, and her eyes stared emptily into space. Blake had tried to wake her up with both physical and mental calls several times, but nothing seemed to reach her, so he'd chosen to concentrate completely on taking down the demon before him, so he could go and deal with this devil, who had seemingly hypnotized his rider, himself.

Legion, meanwhile, was only partially keeping attention to the vision that was now entrapping the adventurer. He was still throwing disposable demons at the Lucifex, and gradually beating him back. With an evil smile, he beat his staff against the floor again, and a small group of demons sprang up around the adventurer. They were similar to the ones fighting behind him - big, dumb brutes with bestial traits - goat-legs and dog-faces, tails and claws. They found pleasure in tormenting and humiliating mortals. He'd let them have their fun with the adventurer, while her mind was trapped in the vision he had forged - it would help morale, no doubt. With this taken care of, he turned his attention to the other two - concentrating on summoning more demons to overwhelm the beleaguered Lucifex, and shoring up the Glabrezu so that it could overcome the dragon.

The demons crowded around her, and tugged at her armor. Being currently little more than a sleepwalker, she had no will to resist, and as she felt a tug on her breastplate, she released the seal, allowing it to pop off. The demons slavered and hooted, and a pair of claws soon found her panties and pulled them off as well. Their cocks, as varied and bizarre as they were, were appearing swiftly from their respective loins - some were knotted, some were tapered, some were covered in bumps, others seemed equine. All of them were quite big.

Her eyes were still starring emptily into space, not seeing the demons, trapped in a terrible vision - but there was enough consciousness left in her body to wince as a demon roughly grabbed one of her tits and squeezed it, before chewing absently on the nipple. His sizeable fangs made the golden nipple-ring vibrate, but the enchanted metal stood up to the rough treatment, even as the sensitive flesh was mauled. Another demon was soon giving a similar treatment to the other breast, while minor fights were breaking out in front of and behind her as the demons fought about who would go first.

A large, equine-looking brute won the battle in the front and pushed forwards, his huge, flat-headed cock fully erect. Unconsciously, Anitra spread her legs as he approached, and he easily parted her pussy-lips with his hard-on. Brutally, he pushed it as deep as he could, forcing the blunt head all the way up into her womb, and finally lifting her partially off the ground by the groin, fully impaling her. Only her toes still touched the ground, and most of her weight rested on his cock.

Behind her, an ugly, toad-like demon had won out, and now approached her with a semi-human dick covered with hard bumps. Unconcerned with the lack of lubrication, he solidly gripped her hindquarters with his three-fingered hands, and forced the knobby shaft into her ass. The resulting friction was no bother to him, and he enjoyed the feeling of her asshole cramping around him as it tried to resist the hardened intruder.

Together, the horse-demon and the toad-demon lifted her body up, halfway off their cocks, before plunging her down again on the both of them. Her head rolled around wildly as the impact jarred her entire body, while the dry, knob-covered shaft in her ass twisted and tore at the sensitive flesh there. The demons had strength to spare and they weren't holding any of it back. After another thrust, a trickle of blood could be seen running from her anus, and the demons laughed loudly at the sight. The blood, however, DID serve to add a bit of lubrication, preventing it from getting much worse.

The horse-demon soon finished, blasting a huge load of demonic cum up into her womb, ballooning out her belly - which was still somewhat elastic after her session with the Cerberus earlier. The surrounding demons once again laughed uproariously at the sight, while the temporarily-sated demon pulled out his slime-covered dick and stepped back. Swiftly, the toad-demon pulled his blood-flecked pecker out of her ass, and jammed it into her briefly-empty pussy, before releasing a flood of his own, yellowish sperm there. While the act of raping and tormenting a moral woman certainly had a value in itself, all of the demons hoped to impregnate her - though few women survived carrying a 'demon-spawn' to term, those few cases resulted in monstrous beings that could not be banished or fought with traditional demon-hunting methods - usually causing massive amounts of devastation as a result. Any demon would be happy to be able to take credit for that.

The next pair of demons quickly stepped up, and the rape continued. Anitra's pussy was filled to overflowing, the cum running like a yellow-white waterfall between her legs whenever the orifice was unblocked, and squirting slimily around the edges whenever another demon thrust inside her. Each of the demons blew his load in her womb, though the one occupying the pussy wasn't always the first to finish. Several times, the one who was raping her still-bleeding ass would reach his limit first, and then resolutely jam his cock up her pussy next to his comrade's, usually prompting another round of laughs from the onlookers as her labia stretched to accommodate the double intrusion.

Even with a constant downwards flow of sperm, the colossal loads that each demon squirted - and the thick, viscous consistency of it - ensured a mounting pressure in her womb. Soon, she looked like she was 8, maybe 9 months pregnant, her belly sticking out enough to make things difficult for those who queued at her pussy. They still managed, though, by using the limbo-like approach of bending over backwards - which also allowed for a more vertical hip-thrust, ensuring that they didn't need to lift and drop her anymore - the one at her pussy would simply thrust up hard enough to lift her off the floor, thus pushing her up the shaft of whoever was in her ass, as well.

Though Anitra was too far gone to count the minutes, it actually hadn't been more than 15 of them since Legion trapped her in a vision and called up the demons. None of them were what you might call 'considerate lovers', after all, and with their peers crowding in behind them, they did not linger. None of them had taken much more than a minute to blow their load, some had taken noticeably less. Over a dozen demons had guested each of her whole, each of them depositing a load of burning-hot demonic cum in her womb.

And in the meantime, the battle had raged on. Blake was holding his own against the Glabrezu, but with Legion constantly reinforcing and healing it with infernal energy, he could not overcome it. The Lucifex, meanwhile, was only holding on with the skin of his teeth, Legion's demons crowding around his pentagram and tearing at his defenses while he desperately called up more fiends in his defense - none of them lasting long against the horde. But on the floor, inside the blue-burning pentagram of Legion, something else was happening... Sharanama's transformation was finishing.

He burned, still, but the fire seemed to have become part of him. His skin was broken, like the ground of a dried-out wasteland, and through the cracks, flowing fire was visible. Some parts of his skin were charred black, while others were dark-red, where his robe had melted into it. His eyes were pits of hellish flame, and when he breathed, wisps of oily, black smoke billowed from his nose and mouth. The pendant he had used to summon Legion with was now permanently affixed to him, the metal having partially melted and fused to the skin. With a shudder, he rose to his feet.

Legion barely spared him a sideways glance. "So, you survived the transformation. The fire that would have consumed you has become part of you. Relish in your newfound strength, even as you burn forevermore." Sharanama coughed, releasing another large cloud of smoke. "Yes... master." If he had been about to say more than that, it was cut off by a thunderous barking. The curtain covering the entrance to the treasure-room was torn aside as the Cerberus rushed out of it, two hellhounds in tow, and beelined for the pentagram. Legion glanced at them, sighed, and turned his attention back towards the Glabrezu, hoping to shore it up enough to give it the upper hand in the battle with the dragon. "Seems like the beasts you summoned don't particularly like you... and now that you are technically dead, they are free to act on their inclinations. But don't worry; my demons will deal with those mutts..."

His silent command reached the mob of demons what were tormenting Anitra, and they quickly broke off the gang-rape to intercept the three charging canines. To their surprise, however, the dogs altered course as well. Rather than attempt to rush through those demons that had moved to stand between them and the pentagram, they tore into those that still surrounded Anitra with demonic ferocity. Even as the brutes turned around dumbly, trying to figure out what was going on, something was happening. Something unexpected.

Anitra was still standing as if comatose, her bloated belly gradually receding as the cum drained out to form a large pool on the floor. Her sword, fallen from her limp fingers and ignored by the demons, lay nearby. Only a couple of demons stood between her and the blue pentagram, and those were now lying on the floor, trying to keep the hellhounds away from their throats. Then, suddenly, she started moving. Scooping up the sword from where it had fallen, she leaped across the distracted demons and hellhounds like a professional gymnast, and landed in a full run towards the pentagram, where Legion still had his attention focused on the battle between Blake and the Glabrezu.

What she had not realized - and Legion, as a result, had not seen in her mind - was the fact that she had gleaned more than increased strength and a resistance against hellfire from her session with the Cerberus. The Quickening was fast wearing off, but it had a few more minutes left in it, and while it endured, she possessed an obvious, yet subtle gift of the Cerberus: Multitasking. With three minds, it was easy for a Cerberus to focus on multiple foes - or multiple problems - all at the same time. Thus, while her consciousness was still trapped in Legion's horrible vision, a part of her mind had never stopped watching the situation, waiting for an opening - an opportunity to strike at Legion when he was distracted. And it had finally happened.

The blue pentagram responded to her approach, rising to become a solid wall of cold, blue flames, but she did not hesitate. Rushing through the flames, they failed to even singe her, thanks once again to the power of the Cerberus. The sword, BlackFire, was ready in her hand, and Legion still had his back turned. But there was somebody else in the circle as well, and Sharanama hadn't been able to ignore the charging hounds, glancing nervously back at them even as he tried to emulate his demonic master's stoic behavior. Seeing Anitra move, he had become dumbstruck, unable to comprehend how anyone could shrug off the power of his master - a power he had felt firsthand more than once.

But as Anitra closed the last couple of steps separating her from her target, and swung her arm back for the strike, he found his voice. "Master! Look out, behind you!" Legion whirled around, his face registering surprise for, perhaps, the first time ever, as he saw Anitra's eyes, far, far too close, still empty, still trapped in the vision, and yet moving! Surprising a High Devil isn't easy, but when it does happen, they don't react much better than a human does. As he saw the black blade in her hand swing towards him, and felt the power resonating in it, all he could do was lift his staff in an instinctive attempt to block it.

BlackFire bit through the demonic staff, cutting it neatly in halves, and then continuing into Legion's flank. It had slowed the blow enough, however, that an attack that would normally have cut clean through him, only got halfway through. Green ichor flowed from the wound, and from the corner of Legion's mouth as he stumbled back, tearing himself loose from the blade, even as Anitra - moving like an automaton - pulled her arm back for another strike. His mind speeding to catch up to events, Legion realized that the situation had, in a split-second, turned from a certain victory, to being far too risky to be worth it.

Grabbing Sharanama's arm with one hand, and covering the gaping wound in his flank with the other, Legion fell back, the ground opening beneath him as the darkness swallowed him. His gaze burned into Anitra's sleepwalker-eyes while he tried to figure out what had gone wrong, how this mere mortal had bested him. Then he was gone, leaving behind only the faint echo of Sharanama's surprised scream as Legion dragged him along for the ride down to Hell.

With Legion gone, the demons he had summoned followed suit almost immediately, melting into the ground like errant shadows. The Glabrezu shrieked in protest as a vortex manifested at his feet and swallowed him up, never giving him a chance to finish the fight he started. The Lucifex was left with an expression of relief and bewilderment as he stood inside the crumbling remnants of his pentagram, having been seconds from being disemboweled by a demon that had finally turn through his defenses. And Anitra woke up, as if from a long dream, to find herself standing naked, with her sword dripping green ichor in her hand.

With some swift mental communication, Blake and Anitra compared notes and figured out more-or-less what had happened. With a glance towards the still-bewildered Lucifex, they decided that it was probably in their best interest to pretend that everything had proceeded as planned, and perhaps to layer a bit of additional deception on top of it. With studied nonchalance, Anitra picked up a charred fragment of Sharanama's robe from where it had fallen on the floor, and used it to wipe the ichor off her sword. "Well, I guess it didn't go EXACTLY as planned, but I had enough tricks up my sleeve to handle it. You did a good job keeping him busy for as long as you did, too." She complimented the Lucifex with almost insulting offhandedness. He looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and fear, then took a few steps back and sat down on his throne with a tired look on his face.

"Who would've thought that he'd already made a compact with a High Devil..." he mumbled. Then he looked sharply towards Blake, who had laid down to lick his wounds - the claws of the Glabrezu had penetrated his scales in places, though none of the wounds seemed to be more than surface cuts. Maybe he'd get a couple of roguish scars to show for it, but little else. "Friend of yours?" he asked sarcastically. Anitra nodded. "Something like that. He does what I tell him to, anyway." She'd walked back to the puddle of demon-cum on the floor, and was fishing her armor-pieces out of it, wiping them off with more cloak-pieces, before quickly wiping the goo off her own groin, and slipping the pieces back on.

"And the hounds? It's not unusual for a summoned demon to turn on its master, given the opportunity - but instead of attempting to attack Sharanama, they helped YOU..." The three canines were still standing along, the hellhounds happily panting while the Cerberus looked downright embarrassed. She kneeled in front of him and rubbed each of his heads in turn, prompting a delighted whine. "We reached an understanding earlier, that is all. Just one of the contingency-plans I mentioned." She winked at the Cerberus, who winked back with one head while the other two tried to lick her face.

Suddenly, she became conscious of a rhythmic sound - something beating against wood with a lot of force. She cast a look towards the iron-banded double-doors that were the only apparent entrance into this chamber, and saw it shudder. The Lucifex seemed to notice too. "Ah yes... I sealed it when he entered, to make sure he couldn't bring in any unexpected reinforcements. Fat lot of good that did me. The brothers seem eager to get in here... no doubt concerned for my health." He glanced cautiously towards Blake again. "I've got a story ready to feed them, but your friend there might be a... complication." Anitra shrugged in reply. "I suppose so. How 'bout I just send him away, then? I can always summon him again if necessary..." With a mental nudge-and-wink, she made an airy gesture towards him, and he rose from the rubble to spread his wings once more. With a single jump, his claws closed around the edge of the gap he'd torn in the dome, sending a few more basalt-blocks raining down, before pulling himself through the hole and taking flight - disappearing entirely against the darkness of the night sky.

As Anitra walked over to the pillar where she'd dropped her robe, the Cerberus approached her with a guarded look towards the Lucifex. She shot him a gleaming smile. "Thank you so much for coming to my aid. I'm not sure I could've made it out of that mess without you." The large canine shrugged, and tried (unsuccessfully) to look casual. "Well, you ARE my mate, even if it's only symbolically - I'm obliged to defend you, y'know." He hung his heads. "But... it's time for me to go. Our summoner is dead. Without those bonds tying me to this world, I can't stay here very long. Same goes for the other two." Anitra nodded. "I know... it's a shame, really. I wish you could come with me on my travels. We'd have lots of fun together!" The Cerberus swallowed visibly. "Yeah, well... that's just the way things are. But I'm glad I got a chance to meet you. You're all right... for a mortal."

Anitra glanced quickly towards the Lucifex, who seemed to be engrossed in a study of the remnants of the blue pentagram, then leaned down to give the Cerberus a deep, intimate kiss on the central head, her tongue darting into his mouth with almost as much enthusiasm as when she'd done it during the throes of their mating. Then she repeated the performance on the other two heads. "Just a little thank-you for all you've done for me, my Alpha." She grinned naughtily at him. "If we ever meet again, we'll have to catch up on matters..." One of the heads barked happily, the other hung sadly, and the third just nodded. "Definitely." Then, the Cerberus and the two hellhounds disintegrated into a mish-mash of shadows and flames - and then they were gone.

Her cultist robe back in place for one last performance, she walked over to the Lucifex, who took up position on the throne and cautioned her to 'let him do the talking', to which she rolled her eyes. Then, with a wave of his hand, he dispelled the sealing-enchantment on the door, causing it to fly open as several soldiers and cultists tumbled in, several of them holding on to a large, basalt statue of a demon-looking fellow, which had apparently served as an improvised ram. While they picked themselves off the floor, the Lucifex spun them a yarn to remember. Apparently, Sharanama had betrayed him and attempted to seize power, by way of a cowardly assassination-plot. Fortunately, a loyal priestess (Anitra bowed at this point) had warned him in time, and he had repelled the attack. Finally, Sharanama had called up a demon more powerful than he was able to control, and been dragged down to Hell as a result.

It did not escape Anitra's notice that several of the cultists below seemed less than happy with that story, but most of them kept a straight face. There was little true loyalty in a place like this - even if most of them had secretly supported Sharanama, he was gone now, and they could not openly question the Lucifex Maximus. Some of them looked at him with newfound respect, having apparently figured out that his old, feebleminded persona had been an intricate disguise - while others looked at her with a mix of respect and suspicion, apparently wondering if she might not be the new 'power behind the throne'.

With 'story-time' over, the Lucifex quickly tasked some servants and low-ranking cultists to clean up the throne-room, which had been messed up pretty badly in the fighting. A group of reasonably-skilled sorcerers set to work on repairing the dome, lifting fallen basalt-blocks into place and fastening them there with magic, in an efficient, practiced manner that indicated that they'd done it many times before. With a sideways glance towards Anitra, who had not budged from her position next to the throne, he then summoned a high-ranking priest and ordered him to retrieve a certain object from one of the sealed underground vaults, giving him careful directions. The priest, though visibly surprised at such a random request popping up at such a time, nonetheless carried out the order without hesitation.

Once he'd left, the Lucifex whispered to Anitra. "I'm not going to bother trying to recruit you. You're obviously on some 'quest', and if there's one things adventurers never do - regardless of morality - it's giving up on a quest." He leaned back, seemingly enjoying the throne a lot more than he had earlier that day. "I could certainly use a woman of your talents, though. And there are many things I could do for you. Money, power, immortality even - dealing with devils can be very profitable if you're clever and careful." He grinned. "How about I just give you an open ticket to come back if you ever feel like it, hmm? Maybe when you're done with your 'quest'."

She shrugged. "If that'll make you feel better, sure." He nodded. "Once you've been 'paid', I assume you'll be leaving right away... I'll let the others know that you're off on an important - and secret - mission for me. Your name will remain on the Scrolls - any Inducted Member of the Inner Circle will be able to recognize you as one of our own, and will render assistance if possible." Anitra lifted an eyebrow. She had no plans to ever come back here, but she knew that the cult was well-distributed throughout the lands. What he was offering could come in handy. "All right, I'll think about it. I suppose adventuring won't stay interesting forever..." The Lucifex nodded, a knowing smile on his face. Anitra suppressed a grin. If only he knew that she already had everything he could offer, and more...

Ten minutes later, a somewhat-winded priest returned with a dusty tablet-piece in hand, respectfully handing it over to the Lucifex, who passed it on to Anitra. A quick glance told her that it was exactly what she had been looking for, and with a sarcastic bow of 'respect' towards the Lucifex, she left the dais and walked past the working cultist, right out the front door.

A short while later, she was reunited with Blake in the mountains near the temple. He was still licking his wounds, though they had already stopped bleeding. "Draconic saliva has regenerative properties..." he explained, covering the scratches with a fresh coat. "In a week, these will barely be visible." Then, glancing at her breasts, which bore fresh wounds and punctures from the rough mauling she had endured at the hands of the demons, and playfully let his tongue dance across them, making her moan. "It works on dragonriders, too!"

After giving him a chance to extend 'first aid' to the full surface of her milky-white orbs, she lovingly rubbed his snout before proceeding to the pile that Blake had left their saddlebags (and his saddle) in, before flying off to join in the battle. Digging through the bags, she pulled out the thick wad of parchment that had steered their course so far. It was getting a tad worn and raggedy, but a mild enchantment placed on it by Lezard ensured that it was still all in one piece and clearly legible. Looking over her shoulder, Blake queried as always: "So, where to next?" But as she leafed through the parchments, looking for a description of their next destination, something made her stop.

That vision that Legion had trapped her in... had it been just an illusion, woven for her benefit? Or was it something more... even though she was no longer trapped in that nightmarish dream, she couldn't shake the impact of what she'd seen. Her friends had relied on her. Depended on her. She'd enjoyed the time she spent with them. If it was real... if they really were slaves now, used and abused for the enjoyment of their orcish masters...

"What's the matter?" Blake looked at her questioningly as her hands fell still. "Actually... Blake, would you mind terribly if we took a slight detour before heading out for the next tablet-piece?" He tilted his head, bemused. "A side-trip, huh? What did you have in mind?" "Well... I just feel like I left some unfinished business back home. I just want to check by there, see how things are. Then I can focus on the path ahead." Blake scratched his chin with a long talon. "Home, eh? As in, Caristad? Might not be a bad idea. Could be fun to drop in on Inferand, see how he's doing. Regale him with tales of our adventures. Sure, why not? We could use a bit of a rest, anyway. That last battle was pretty rough."

Anitra smiled adoringly up at her draconian lover, and kissed him on the muzzle. "Thank you, lover. I promise it won't take long. Really, I can probably see all I need to see from the air..." After all, it had obviously been an illusion. Even without Arthenia, Caristad had stout walls and brave soldiers - no way some two-bit orcish horde would overrun it. Once she saw the city, still intact and no different from when she'd left, she'd be able to put that foolish bit of demonic trickery out of her mind and move on, surely...

The End

Coming up next - Chapter 13 of the DragonRider Chronicles: Homecoming!