Corruption Story: The Paladin's Servant
Commissioned by FA: Sanmer is this little story. Well, more than a little story; due to a slow day, he managed to snag two slots, so he got this longer bit compared to the other stories in the stream.
If you like these little short stories, consider coming in during my weekly streams and getting one for yourself. They're only $10, and customized for your needs.
The Paladin's Servant for Sanmer by Draconicon
A paladin's work was never done. That's what the Order told him, and it was what Fenris believed. Still, the wolf could hardly believe some of the things that came up in his day to day life that needed dealing with. From the monsters that came from the north to the occasional demon portal opening beneath a secret warlock's house, he was kept busier than he'd like as Guardian of Denem, a small town on the Haern River.
But this was worse than the small demon incursions he was used to. The wolf held a naga at bay with his sword, his eyes narrowed at the unnatural creature. Thankfully, the monster didn't seem willing to fight, not while cornered.
"What are you doing in Denem?"
"Nothing, my lord. I am merely a traveler, returning home."
"You're lying."
"Not at all, my lord. My family and I -"
"You mean your clan."
The naga's eyes narrowed. Fenris stepped closer, and the annoyed look faded quick enough.
"You have a clan around here?"
"If you musssst ussssse that word, yesss."
This is bad, he thought. Nagas were dangerous enough to the untrained on their own. Hypnotic gazes and their lustful, wanton ways left the uninitiated in danger of losing their souls of the creatures. To think of a clan of them nearby...Denem could be in great danger. And there was no time to send for the garrison in Sharen, even if they believed him that there was a nest waiting to be rooted out. That left only one possibility.
"Take me to them."
The naga looked shocked.
"You assssk me -"
"I will not tolerate the danger you pose to my town."
"Then at least give usssss the chance to leave."
Fenris arched an eyebrow.
"Would you?"
"If death issss our other choice? Yessss."
The wolf wondered at that. He doubted the naga's words, but if it were true, it would preserve the town. And he did not, as much as he wished he did, have the power or strength to deal with an entire clan of the things on his own. All he had was the threat of force, and he was lucky that the naga believed him so deadly.
But could he trust the creature? They were as deceitful as the serpents they were descended from. No, he had to see it done, not just hear it.
"I will come with you. I must see you leave."
"Of coursssse, of coursssse."
The naga bowed his upper body repeatedly as Fenris slowly sheathed his weapon. Yet, there was a glint in the serpent's eye that he didn't like.
"Lead on."
The departure from Denem went better than he hoped. The townspeople understood the need of ridding the local area of the naga clan, and they were eager to see it done. Some, perhaps, were a bit too eager to see him gone, but not all could appreciate the sacrifices that paladins made for others safety, and fewer seemed to understand that it was all for their own good. There was nothing to be gained by living a life outside the light, no matter how much they might protest at how the paladins demanded certain behaviors for their protections.
Fenris walked along the path by the river, while his naga prisoner kept to the water. He kept a close eye on the serpent, knowing how they could disappear in seconds when they were left unobserved, but it was inevitable that the creature would have a second or two to itself. The wolf always worried that the creature would make a break for it, but perhaps it knew the score or was too afraid, because it always stayed close.
Traveling over rough country rather than by the road slowed them down, however, and they'd only covered a dozen miles by the time that Fenris called a halt to their travels. Using a bow to 'encourage' the naga to come out of the water, he nodded to a pack he'd thrown onto the ground.
"Take out the ropes."
"Why, sssssir?"
"We need firewood, and I'm not leaving you here with your hands free."
"Ah, but ssssssir, if I am tied, how may I asssssist you?"
Fenris blinked.
"Assist me?"
"Of courssssse. I am your prissssssoner, am I not? I ssssssshould help."
"...Fine. But I'll be watching."
He followed the naga away from the riverbank, and to his surprise, the naga did just what he said. The serpent creature pulled roots and twigs from the ground, and carried his weight surprisingly well. It didn't take long at all, due to the naga's serpentine way of slithering around the grasses and shrubbery, and soon they were back at the riverbank.
The creature even lit the fire for him, and the wolf nodded in appreciation before catching himself. He had to remember that the naga was something deadly, something that would turn on him at the slightest chance. There was no way that the servility was more than an act.
The fire crackled between them quietly as the wolf considered his options. He was still wondering how he could force the clan to leave when the naga spoke up again.
"You are a paladin, correct?"
"Do you doubt me?"
"Of coursssse not. But I would assssk your name."
"Is this some trick?"
"Not at all. I merely wissssh to name my masssster correctly."
He hesitated before nodding.
"I am Sir Fenris."
"Masssster Fenrissss." The naga nodded consideringly. "Mine issss Sssssithissss."
"I didn't know you named yourselves."
"We are different, but we have mothersssss and fatherssss to name ussss, jusssst asss you do."
Fenris wasn't sure what to think of that. He shook his head, looking to the fire and enjoying the warmth.
"Get some sleep."
"But surely -"
"I'll keep watch tonight, snake."
And don't get any ideas. I just don't trust you. It's not that I think you deserve some rest or anything.
Over the three days that it took to travel from Denem to Sithis' home, Fenris learned more about nagas than he ever thought possible. It wasn't necessarily knowledge that he searched out, but rather what he experienced during his time with his prisoner. Even that seemed to change, as Sithis seemed to become less and less of a prisoner, shifting to more of an eager servant, one that Fenris was happy to have along.
The church had always taught that nagas were among the worst of the non-demonic species. Descended of the snake, they lived beneath the ground because they were not worthy of the light. Their eyes were said to glow with the flickers of deceit, their mouths whispering lies so powerful that they could be forced to become truth.
It might have been true. As Sithis had never tried to use the legendary hypnotic powers, Fenris had no idea. But his servant showed little in the way of deceit, and nothing of the hellish natures that the church preached of. And if the other nagas were like this...well, perhaps there was something to consider.
He received most of his lessons in the firelight of their camps while he watched Sithis. The naga spoke of many different tales, mostly legends of the naga people, but occasionally of the people back at the nest. Fenris was surprised to see the genuine fondness that the naga had for his people, and to hear so much of their familial relationships. It was...almost like hearing about his own people.
It got to the point where he allowed the naga to keep the night watch when they were only a day away from the other's...Clan no longer seemed the right word. When they were near to Sithis' family, Fenris let the naga keep the night watch. Something about the warmth in the serpent's eyes and the whisper on the wind told him that it was the best idea, and he felt that Sithis had earned his trust.
Fenris was more tired than usual as they stepped into the mouth of the cave. The sound of the river rushing by was thunderous in power, and he shook his head to try and clear it of some of the sleep fog that still lingered.
"We're almost there, right, Sithis?"
"Almosssst, Fenrissss."
Even the 'master' from the first night had been dropped after the wolf realized that there was no need of that between friends. He was there as a guest, not as an attacker. He was there to solve a problem, not create another one by displacing an entire people.
His guide led him further and further into the cave. As the natural light disappeared, they ran into a line of torches. The wolf's instincts told him to grab his sword and draw it, but he suppressed them. Sithis was not worried, and thus, he felt that there was no reason for him to feel the same.
His eyes adjusted enough to catch sight of one of the torch-bearers, realizing that they were all nagas. They had to be Sithis' family, he thought as one of them slithered forward, embracing the returned naga.
"Your Majesty -"
Fenris stumbled, accidentally kicking a stone at that. The nagas turned to stare at him, while he gaped at Sithis.
"Majesty?"
"Oh, I ssssupposssse I didn't tell you." Sithis turned his upper body. "I am King of thissss clan. And now...I am sssafe enough to usssse you properly."
The wolf was helpless as the king naga gestured to his followers. They swarmed forward like snakes out of hibernation, rushing him and pinning him to the wall. Fenris couldn't even lift his arms to fight, a strange weakness holding them down as the paladin struggled to react. It was like...
The lights of the eyes...
The realization hit the paladin as the naga slithered over to him, and he tugged weakly at the snakes that were holding his arms. Scaly coils wrapped around his ankles, pulling his legs apart, and other scaly hands pulled at his armor, unstrapping it from him as the King of the nagas stopped in front of him.
"It'sss a pity that you were ssso definite about removing usss from our home, Fenrissss. I wasss ssstarting to like you."
"You lied to me. Let me go!"
"I can't do that. Not when it would endanger my family. You know how much I care for my family."
"I know nothing! Everything you told me was a lie!"
"Not at all. Only my ssservice wasss a lie."
Sithis grabbed him by the chin, smiling at him and shaking his head a few times.
"You are like all the ressst. Believing we are demonsss. Perhapsss, for now, that isss what we ssshould become."
"You can't! I'm a paladin of the great church. I have -"
"You've done nothing but chassse and condemn 'monstersss' for being nothing but themselvesss."
Sithis slithered closer, to the point where his eyes were nearly against the wolf's. They were so close that there was nothing he could see but the reflective depths of black in the snake's eyes. The King hissed, his tongue playing over the wolf's jawline.
"You will fall, Sssir Fenrisss. And you will love it."
Suddenly, the eyes of the snake turned a brilliant green. Fenris was caught in the light, unable to look away as the color seemed to spin, spiraling in on itself as it strengthened. The other nagas hissed around him, but soon, their sounds fell away, leaving him with nothing but the sound of the King's voice, nothing but the sight of the King's glowing green eyes piercing into his mind.
In the back of his mind, Fenris knew that it was the light of deceit that the church had always warned him about. The power of the nagas, it seemed, was very real. The wolf clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the feelings coming from his armor and his underclothing being stripped away, but it was so hard. The only alternative were the eyes of the King, and he knew looking there would end him.
He began reciting verses of the church's scripture. The ancient words meant little to him, but as long as he could keep droning on, Fenris felt he could push out the rest of the sounds. All he had to do was just...keep thinking of the verses. Think of the scriptures, of the rules of the church, and no demon could harm him.
No man may devote himself to the pleasures of the flesh, lest he wither and die. For the pleasures of the flesh are temporary, giving nothing but sparks of indulgence to those that fall to the temptation. Let a man -
The wolf groaned as a tail slid up his thighs, clutching onto his sac. His concentration disrupted, he felt the green glow slid deeper into his mind, his eyes fixed on the spirals again.
"Let yourssself fall...Lossse the teachingsss."
He couldn't. He wouldn't let that happen. Fenris tried to close his eyes, but the nagas held them open. He tried to recite it again where he left off.
No...no man may...devote himself to the...pleasures of flesh...but rather to the...pleasure of...scales...
No, that wasn't right. That couldn't be right. Shaking his head as much as the scaly bonds around him allowed, he tried to think of the proper verse, but it wouldn't come. There was nothing in his head that would come to mind that sounded right. The verses of righteousness and chastity and wonder were twisted even as he tried to remember them, turned into nearly whore-ish statements that felt like they would be taught by devils rather than the church.
Yet, despite that, he couldn't shake the authority from them. It was the truth...wasn't it? The church taught it...as strange as it was.
"Yesss, that'sss it, little wolf...remember the real teachingsss...how the ssscaled onesss are the true rulersss."
It was right there, though he could barely believe it. The teachings that he thought he'd been following all his life were...not what he thought they were.
The paladins were not meant to be the great protectors of all, they were meant to be the servants of scales. He should not be banishing the nagas, but protecting them. The King was not the great demon he remembered in old teachings, but the great one that should be followed and serviced to the best of one's ability.
Where these thoughts had come from, his mistaken beliefs, he didn't know, but he felt like he should cast them off. The King smiled.
"Let it go...let go of all that...and be reborn."
And Fenris did just that. He let the thoughts go as he was held down by the nagas, let the green in the King's eyes wash over him. His vision went emerald as he looked out at the dim cave and the naga himself, and the wolf felt...warm. Like he'd just been welcomed into the service of the greatest god in existence. His lips turned up from a snarl to a smile, and he panted softly as the tails rubbing his crotch slowly pulled him to an erection, his cock sliding free of a sheath too long restrained.
The King smiled at him, gesturing for the nagas to lower him to the ground. The green in his eyes matched that in Fenris', and the King pulled him close. The wolf felt the King's shaft pressing against his belly, and he felt all the hotter for it, the need that the King's eyes had awoken burning in his belly.
Scaled tails drew his hands to it, and he instinctively knew what to do as he began stroking it, teasing it, giving it the attention that it deserved. It throbbed beneath his fingers, and he began to pant in his own eagerness. His cock bounced and twitched in time to his own need, and he thrust against the air in an instinctive attempt to relieve his own needs.
In the back of his mind, he knew that the groundwork laid by the King during their travels was the source of all of this. There was no way that he could have thought this on his own, but his sympathies for the nagas, his need to see them as something more than monsters, had been ingrained by their ruler. And now, he had nothing but that. Everything else was gone, and even that awareness was fading as he continued to stroke the King's cock with all the happy thoughts of a pup with his first bone.
The other nagas came to him as well, surrounding him and feeling him. He felt their hands running along his thighs, his chest, his ass. Fingers pinched his nipples, and others, slick with slime, ran beneath his tail. They prodded and pinched and groped, and he moaned for more. Fenris, a fallen paladin, moaned like a cheap whore.
The King leaned down, whispering to him.
"Mount me. Sssit on my cock...and cry out your loyalty for all to hear."
In the past, such a thing would have been inconceivable, but now, with the heat in him burning and his hole opened by the slick fingers, it was a gift to be treasured. Fenris grinned, his tail wagging as he climbed atop the coils of the naga King and turned around. His tail up high and his legs spread, he reached back and grabbed hold of the King's shaft, feeling the pre run down his hand as he lined himself up. The whispers of the crowd left him shuddering, feeling both excited and nervous at his audience.
That didn't stop him from mounting the King's cock, however. As it pierced him, sliding inside, the wolf felt the vaguest of tingles run through him. It was like...like something was leaving, something that didn't belong with him anymore. He paused with the head of the cock inside of him, wondering what it was.
Then the thought went away as the King naga shoved him down. Fenris moaned as inch by inch the King's shaft spread him open, leaving him gasping in shock and pleasure as he was given what the scripture said he needed. The scaled cock was the sacred shaft, the spire that must be served by all those with fur, and all those with the love of the proper gods in their hearts. He would be a proper servant, he decided; he would serve that cock.
Up and down he slid, his blush fading as the nagas around him cheered at his service. The wolf raised his head, staring towards the ceiling of the cavern as he felt that cock empty him, and then fill him once more. Bit by bit he took it, feeling as though he was being filled with the spirit of the great King himself. By the time that he hit the base of the naga's shaft, he swore that he was being blessed by the greatest of the divines themselves, given their power to accomplish his task of bringing pleasure and service to these great people.
The King looked down at him with those great green eyes and the feeling doubled, tripled inside of him. Massive hands wrapped around him, squeezing around his waist as he was slowly lifted up. He felt the shaft slip from him, until only the head remained. It twisted inside of him as the King turned him around, forcing him to face his ruler. Fenris stared with his tongue hanging out, and the King licked his nose.
"You are home."
"Yes...home..."
"You are blessssed with your King."
"Blessed...blessssed..."
He hissed like them now. It was something he barely noticed, but it was there nonetheless. It was truly a magnificent day, to be accepted so deeply into the mind and soul of his god that he would begin to speak as they did.
"Then ssslide back down...and feel your greatessst blesssssing."
Obediently, he did just that. The shaft filled him again, and the wolf let out a moan of adoration that lasted for nearly ten seconds before he hit the base again. As soon as the scales of the naga's coils, his moan turned into a howl of worship, even as the King hissed in his own 'blessing'. A great warmth filled him from below, and the wolf felt pleased.
Slowly he was pulled off, and the King nudged him towards the rest of the scaled folk. And Fenris smiled, eager to begin the rest of his duties.
The End