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Pathfinding: An Adult Choose Your Own Adventure

Thirty-sixth Entry

By Gideon Kalve Jarvis

Vote Tallies

A (Diplomacy) - 14

A (Battle) - 3

B (Stealth) - 0

B (Naked Force) - 0

C - 0

Additional Votes:

* Skaeth is up to something - 4 * Shara and Padmini learning flesh magic and non-lethal skills (sex quite likely) - 10

* Kyte's submission, and more Kyte screentime - 18

* Campfire tale for Urta and/or Urtan - 6

* Rufus/Urtan scene, where they finally go at it - 9

* Urta/Rael/Adel/Rufus scene; family dynamics in action - 5

Vote Options in Progress:

* Wisselfleur and Imogen seduced by Rufus (Adel included)

* Training Crystal (making her more combat-ready)

* Steampunk Trio's fate

* Appearance of Jonna the she-minotaur

Author Notes

Just sticking to Belthin's tower this time around. I'll finish up the scene back at the Blue Feather camp next time, I think.

Pathfinding Thirty-fifth Entry

Shaking himself a little, like a wet dog, as he turned away from the room with Maji, Rufus shook his head as he let Adel lead the way to the lone untried door.

"I dunno," he grumbled to himself, doing his best to focus on the task at hand, and not the tight-clinging leathers on Adel's bottom. "I think I'd rather take on the sorceress than go through there. Stuff that's flesh 'n blood, things that die when you stick steel in 'em, that's stuff I can understand. But demons..." he shook his head, trailing off.

The party was so focused on the door in front of them, however, that they all completely failed to notice as a long, translucent blue tentacle stretched its way out of the bathing room. Cassidy, quietly lingering in the rear as usual, started as, quite suddenly, that tentacle wrapped around his middle, pinning his arms to his sides. Opening his mouth to gasp, the tan-furred bunny never got a chance, as another tentacle smoothly slipped inside his short muzzle, effectively silencing him. The small bunny boy struggled feebly, making several muffled whimpers as more tentacles casually peeled off his clothes and other gear and left it lying in the hall just outside the door to the bathing chamber, before Cassidy was dragged inside, his expression filled with trepidation.

One person, though, noticed just as Cassidy was jerked out of sight. Scowling in anger at having her rabbit snatched away from her, Shara stomped her four soft paws towards the door and jerked it open, glaring inside. The pretty, red-furred foxtaur was just opening her muzzle to snarl words of anger at the naughty water elemental when, quite abruptly, her mouth was similarly stuffed with a thick, juicy tentacle of its own. Her eyes widening, tail jerking upward in surprise at this unexpected attack, Shara started to jerk backward, only to have tentacles lash around her wrists, then around her legs, fore and hind, binding them together, making her flop onto her side on the ground, while still more tentacles smoothly undressed her, leaving her garments and gear lying next to Cassidy's. Unlike Cassidy, Shara's expression as she was dragged back into the bathing chamber was one of curious anticipation, as though she were interested in whatever it was that the elemental orca might have in store for her and the bunny, without really being worried for her safety.

Still unnoticed, the door to the bathing chamber then shut with a quiet click. If one happened to lean in very close shortly afterward, that one would have soon heard the sounds of deeply pleasured moaning and a host of very luscious, wet noises and the sound of flesh slapping against sopping wet flesh.

At the other side of the circular landing, Adel steeled herself, as did those behind her, ready for anything, and then gripped the handle of the door. Turning it, she pushed the door open, her naked blade ready in her free hand. On one side, just behind the chipmunk girl, Rufus stood ready, sword and axe in either hand, Urtan's silent, steady presence at his shoulder, while on the other stood Rael, holding her spear tightly, obviously fearful but determined. Just behind them were Padmini and Ryg, the team's designees for dealing with the supernatural, Lesage drifting along just above the ground near them. Skaeth was next in the grouping, One-Eye and Urta close by his sides, Kyte just behind him, as though eager to keep the hulking bull between her and Rufus. At the rear of the group were Hanaro and Lysha, flanked in turn by the hippogriff girl Wisselfleur, who stayed as close as she could to Imogen, to protect the willowy little unicorn healer, her best friend, at all costs.

In their formation, the group stepped into the darkness beyond the door. With that single step, in that single instant, they all found themselves lost. Adel turned her head, only to discover she was standing in a long corridor of darkness and fire. Her friends and fellow party members...all were gone.

"Rufus?" Adel called out, shifting her grip to hold her sword in both hands. "Urtan? Cassidy?"

"Adel?" came another voice out of the darkness, young and frightened-sounding, and Adel immediately turned to hurry toward the voice. There, standing at a crossroad in the halls of fire, was Rael, looking as scared and lost as Adel felt at that moment. "Oh, Adel!" the wolfypup exclaimed, dropping to her knees to give the little chipmunk a tight hug. "I thought I'd lost everyone!"

"Not quite everyone," said Adel, soothingly rubbing the wolfgirl's back until Rael felt confident enough to release the smaller but slightly older female. "We won't find them, though, by staying here, Rael. We're going to have to stick close together, and press on. Can you do that? Are you feeling brave enough to keep going?"

The gold-furred wolfette gulped nervously at Adel's words, then visibly screwed up her courage, and nodded. Adel smiled, patting Rufus' daughter on her soft-furred shoulder, and then turned to face into the darkness.

"I guess this is the way I was looking when things got strange around here," she said with a shrug, before setting off, doing her best, as did Rael, to stay in the middle of the corridor, away from the crackling flames on either side. No sense taking chances, after all, and there was no telling what might try to reach out and grab them from within those flames.

Turning as they reached another of the many crossroads, Adel and Rael raised their weapons, ready for action as they saw other figures walking out of the darkness toward them. The weapons lowered again, however, as they saw that it wasn't any enemy after all, but two groups like their own little pairing, one approaching from each side. From the left came the dapple-grey hippogriff, Wisselfleur, holding tightly to the hand of her unicorn friend Imogen, their closeness of friendship ensuring neither was separated from the other. On the other side came Padmini, Lysha, and Hanaro, likely having reunited while walking along, just as Adel and Rael had.

"Looks like it's just us," said Adel, taking stock of the seven girls now gathered together. "I don't know if we're enough for whatever lies ahead...but here goes."

Keeping her weapon in hand, Adel turned and began to walk forward once more, deeper into the darkness of the firemaze surrounding them. The other girls followed without hesitation, knowing that in a place such as this, there really wasn't any other choice but forward.

Suddenly the walls of fire spread out, and it seemed as though the reduced party stepped out into a vast cavern, a place made of living rock rather than living fire. Strange and ancient ruins lay strewn about, and broad pavingstones lay beneath their feet as the girls stepped into the new area. At the center of the roughly circular region was a great stone amphitheater, with several stone benches and tables strewn about its center. And at its very center crouched a spot of deeper darkness, a thing that seemed to defy all attempts to quite focus the eyes upon it, at least at first.

Soon, the temporary protection from viewing was cast aside by the creature in the center of the amphitheater, and it rose up, spreading out four great, sinewy arms as it stood up to its full height, with sharp talons at the end of each arm that looked as though they could rend stone and bone with equal ease. The creature was a demon, and no mistaking it, a thing with vaguely canid and caprine features melded together on its face, topped with ridged horns on its head. Gleaming red eyes stared out from that face into the very souls of the seven girls before it, making each of them, even the disciplined Hanaro, shudder involuntarily with a brush of supernaturally-induced fear. As the demon spread out its arms, it could be seen that it was surprisingly humanoid, despite its four arms, and completely naked, its immensely-muscled body covered in green scales and patches of fur, with sharp, bony spikes protruding from its elbows and knees. Imogen gave a precious little squeak as she saw the demon's very large, green-scaled willie, and promptly turned away, her face flushed a bright pink, while Wisselfleur lifted a wing to shield her friend's virgin eyes from the sight of the infernal brute.

"What brings you here, mortals?" the creature asked, its voice astonishingly erudite, utterly belying its monstrous appearance, a deep baritone that was actually rather pleasant on the ears. "I am Valishak, and I am the guardian of Belthin's vault. At least," the green-scaled beast added afterward with a sly smile, "for now."

"My name is Adel, and we're here for for Belthin's heart," stated Adel boldly, seeing no reason to hide her name or her intentions from this creature of the darkenworld, her gleaming blade held out before her. "We'll take it from you if we must, but we'd rather get past you peacefully."

"You're a polite creature, for an adventurer," the demon said with a soft chuckle, before seating himself slowly on one of the long stone benches. "Pleasant on the eyes as well, and do believe me, I speak from many ages of experience." He let his eyes play over each of the seven girls in turn, his smile lightly lecherous, yet without losing a strange, otherworldly charm. "A beauty I admit you all share, each in your own way. Perhaps," he continued, reaching up with one taloned hand to lightly stroke the goatee on the tip of his canocaprine chin, "perhaps we can indeed strike a bargain. You see, I would very much like to leave this place, and Belthin's service. She has kept me here well past out original bargained time, and has left quite a powerful curse upon me that binds me to her will. To leave, I require something most difficult to obtain. Well, that or to fall in battle, destroying my current mortal shell, but I can hardly resist her command to fight with all my might if it comes to that."

"What do you require, Valishak, to be free of your mistress?" asked Adel, relaxing only slightly as she realized an attack did not seem immediately imminent, but also taking a step back as she did so, just in case the demonic being had a change of mood, something not unlikely with creatures like this if the stories Adel had heard were true. "What do you want from us?"

"A willing sacrifice," answered Valishak with a smile that was supernaturally winning, despite the sharp teeth behind the lips that formed the expression. "Not one of blood and death, though. No, what I require is the sacrifice of a willing womb. To escape Belthin's power, I need to plant a portion of my essence in this world, and for that, I need a willing mate, one who will voluntarily bear my seed."

"You ask much, demon," declared Hanaro, taking a step forward, her ancestral blade raised threateningly. "Too much, methinks. And how do we know that your words are truth?"

"Take it or leave it," Valishak declared with a casual shrug. "But know this: I am a terror in battle, armed with magic as well as might from countless forgotten ages and a thousand forgotten worlds. If you choose to face me in battle, I will only hold back sufficiently to subdue you without killing you." His eyes glittered wickedly as he said this, his expression no longer charming as he looked on the ripened young women before him with demoniac lust unveiled. "Though it may not satisfy the requirements for my freedom, your bodies will certainly satisfy a number of my other most pressing needs." Then his eyes turned expectantly back to Adel.

"We need to talk this over a while, Valishak," Adel said, glancing at the other six of her companions. "This isn't something we can decide in a moment."

"Take your time," said the demon with an airy wave of another of his hands. "After all, I have all of eternity to wait."

Path Choices

We rolled a 28 against the 45% chance of successful diplomacy, and it looks as though Valishak is willing to deal. But do we really want to go along with his deal?

A) Yes. One of the girls will offer herself as a willing sacrifice, becoming pregnant with a powerful demon's spawn. Choose one of the present females (Adel, Rael, Hanaro, Padmini, Lysha, Wisselfleur, or Imogen) to become the sacrifice, and Valishak will honor his end of the bargain. Bear in mind, though Valishak will do his best not to do permanent damage to his sacrifice, there is a 10% chance that whoever is chosen will not survive the ordeal.

B) Never! Die demon! The girls have only a 30% chance of defeating Valishak on their own, without the aid of the other eight members of the party, and if they lose, Valishak intends to ravish them all, one by one. There is a cumulative 10% chance of the rest of the party finding the center of the firemaze before Valishak cums inside (and impregnates) his present victim, after which the united party has a 65% chance of overpowering Valishak, due to his paying all his attention on violating the seven girls in his clutches.

C) Battle of wills. Instead of fighting him, Imogen and Padmini know how to channel their strength of will into locking wills with Valishak. They have a 40% chance of success, and if they succeed, they will be able to control the powerful demon, at least for a short while, long enough to get the heart and get out. If they fail, however, they will both be under his control, fully aware but unable to resist as he impregnates them. Choose one of the other options to determine what the other girls will do if Padmini and Imogen fail (Wisselfleur will attack Valishak regardless, to try and save Imogen, but she will lose if she is made to fight alone). Note that without the elephant or the unicorn, the party only has a 25% chance of success in a fight, rather than 30%.

D) Get away! Time for a tactical retreat. The girls will head back into the firemaze, and hope to find their companions (50% chance) before they end up in Valishak's lair themselves. If this option is chosen, indicate if the girls should search for a way out (85% chance) or try to find Valishak once more before he closes off the way to his lair (50% chance).