Manticore's Sting
A magi of sand travels deep into the desert to find an oasis where supposedly a manticore has taken residence. A single drop of his venom is all she needs for her research, but she did not think he would be able to speak, and did not think there would be any other way to get that venom except battle.
An oasis sat deep in a desert beneath the harsh sun far away from any hints of civilization. Greenery surrounded the crystal clear pool of water that fed the land nearby with a seemingly limitless amount of life. Russet sand kissed and melded with the grass where trees and bushes sprouted spurred on by the water. A few steps away from the water there was a ruined temple made of chipped and crumbling desert stone. What remained of the temple was a hollowed out shell that the desert had yet to take back. There was moss growing on the stone from the moisture brought on by the oasis along with vines and other tangled growth seeping into the stone looking to bring the once holy place back to nature. The roof was still intact, but the large double doors that once served as entrance were forced apart and broken off of their hinges. Something had made its home in the temple long forgotten by time, a powerful beast that slumbered deep within. Normally, none would ever think of even coming so deep in the desert, but there were some treasure hunters and other fools who sought danger for one reason or another.
A gust of wind kicked up a cloud of sand past the entrance of the temple. When the dust settled, a white-robed figure made their way inside. The figure in white made their way through the ruined temple halls with steady steps that did not make a single sound. They ignored the shattered remains of statues that perhaps once stood in reverence of a deity worshipped by the people of the desert.
Deeper and deeper the figure walked into the temple until they arrived at a large chamber where fountains still poured water from the walls into little pools. A crack in the ceiling let sunlight pour down onto the center of the chamber where the monster of the temple slept on stone steps covered in a moss bitten rug. The manticore’s body was that of a lithe large feline with grey fur tipped with a black head. Instead of a big cat’s tail to match, it had a long segmented scorpion’s tail and a stinger that flicked from side to side in its sleep.
Most would approach such a beast with some amount of fear and care, but the figure stepped down hard, this step cracking down firmly and echoing through the chamber as they removed their hood to reveal and a woman with black hair braided back in a ponytail and amber eyes grinning wildly as she cried out, “Finally! The object of my hunt!” The manticore raised an ear but remained where it was lounging, eyes shut and tail growing rather still as the woman went on, “I have combed the desert for one of your kind, but all of you beasts shy from humanity waiting for your chance to strike in remote locations. What I seek from you is your venom, your venom which can be used to create a powerful antidote that eases those who suffer from any sting. Now, will you give me your venom, or will you suffer my magic?”
The manticore opened one golden eye and looked down at the robed woman before he simply turned over on his back and stretched out groaning, “A fight hm? I should take those odds considering magic wrought of the desert is dampened. Mind you, a shard made of sand will hurt and a gust of wind will blow me on my rear if strong enough, but the effects are weaker on me than if you were to use them on a different beast or human.”
Liya remained still with her eyes staring at the monster with some amount of disbelief. It wasn’t the acceptance of her challenge that caught her off guard or the admittance of a resistance to magic, but rather that the creature had spoken at all. She thought of saying something back to the creature, perhaps something witty or perhaps something that would begin their battle in a manner that folk would herald as brave, or well, stupid. Instead, she remained there gawking at the monster that had just opened its mouth to form a proper statement.
“Something the matter human? Are you going to let me continue to nap for a bit perhaps? Or maybe apologize for waking me and forget this folly? If you’d like, we could talk instead.”
And he was polite as well! Not what she had expected at all. Her hands came up to smooth back her hair, a few bangs getting in the way of her sight as she cleared her throat to speak, “I uh, I really came here for one thing and I didn’t expect you to be so…”
She motioned with her hands trying to search for the words before the manticore turned onto his stomach and stretched, claws coming out to rake the steps before he got up fully while speaking, “Vocal?”
“Yes!” Liya said with a nod, “Manticores are described as legendary monsters of the desert, beasts that torment caravans and traveling merchants. Then again, there was nothing about your resistance to magic either.”
Step by step the manticore came down to the ground floor of the chamber while he returned her words, “Not everything you read is true and not all rumors should be listened to. Merchants and caravans fail in the desert due to beasts and monsters of all kinds and maybe a few saw one of my kind through the sand, but that doesn’t mean we were the cause. We prefer a solitary lifestyle, away from people, but near enough to interact with one another. Why, if I wanted, I could call my cousins here and we could have a regular brawl between three manticores and a human, but it seems you’ve changed your mind about the fight?”
Liya resisted the urge to gulp and instead she bristled, “Well! I-if you’re talking to me like this then how could I even think of it? I’d much rather ah...Negotiate? If that is possible?” She then frowned and looked away, “Actually...Is the thing about your venom even true?”
The manticore stretched again before lying down with his front paws crossed as he yawned, “I think that is the case. I’ve never had a use for an antivenom because I’ve never been stung by anything that could envenomate me.”
Liya regained the hope she had nearly lost while mired in the thought that all rumors were false, but now she had another thought to contend with. How was she going to collect venom from this creature? She had planned on putting the manticore to sleep or perhaps even slaying it, but neither seemed like a viable option. Then again, there was one idea that had popped into her head, an idea that might have been stupid if not for the fact that the manticore seemed like an amiable monster. She would only need to explain her situation and surely he would give her what she desired. Liya couldn’t imagine a reason why he wouldn’t.
With a bracing breath she began, “Okay, I have come out here far in the desert looking for this rare venom of yours to bring back home to study with my colleagues. We would use your venom to fashion anti-venom, yes, but also to study the properties of it to maybe create something more. For the benefit of my people. So, I ask, may I extract some of your venom? Just a jar full! I have one with me as well.”
Liya’s hand came down to clasp the jar hooked to the sash around her robe. Just as she did this a thought occurred to her. Perhaps asking such a bold thing might as well have been another form of challenge or she might have been far too bold. Back home she was often told to be more reserved and subtle in her requests, but here she was being as foolish as she was back at home to a beast that could tear her in two no less. There were many reasons why he should give her the venom, but at the same time, she should have offered something in return. It wasn’t too late though, she could offer something, some sort of proper payment along with a gift of sorts to make amends for being so forward.
It was while she was rapidly switching between thought and thought about how she could appease the beast that he suddenly answered her with a very simple, “Sure.”
The woman stuck with her mind in the clouds was suddenly brought back down to earth when she heard that answer. Not really quite expecting to hear that and perhaps thinking that she imagined it, Liya asked, “Come again?”
“I said, sure.” Reiterated the monster. Liya brightened at that answer and beamed at that, clapping her hands together in excitement, but as she moved to fetch the jar from her sash she heard the beast rumble, “But I have a request.”
Liya blinked and then looked up at the manticore who was now grinning from ear to ear, every single fang on display. She felt her heart begin to quicken and it seemed as if the shadows around her were closing in. Despite feeling so odd, so strangely cornered despite her surroundings, she cleared her throat and answered, “Make your request and I’ll see what I can do. Not sure what I could do for a manticore though.”
From where he laid, the manticore rose, feline eyes staring her down as he began to approach her while speaking, “You have many things on your mind and your quest here is noble enough, but I have my own problems and my own worries and needs. I said that as manticores we can call on each other, but rarely do we answer because we do prefer solace. Maybe once in a while, we check in to see if we’re fine and all, but other than that it is lonely.” He then began to circle her, his words now quiet, “It isn’t often I see such beauty out in the desert, or a potential mate. I usually take what I can get, but here we have such a desert beauty in a human with such pretty almond skin and such darling ambrosia eyes that go perfectly with my own golden orbs. I wonder, would you care to trade your company for my venom and kiss?”
Such an offer! Such bold and heated words surely trumped any sort of rudeness on her own part. Liya’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as she tried to wrap her mind around just what he was saying. She needed to calm herself, to collect herself so she could really process what was happening, but all of that was made difficult with the manticore at her back.
When she could finally say something, she stammered, “I...I wouldn’t even know where, to begin with, this. The offer is, I suppose, fair. Your compliments are a bit much and I have to admit I’m not really sure what to think about having sex with a monster that I just met, why uh, we don’t even know one another.”
The manticore planted his chin on her shoulder, “Isn’t that better for a one time deal...Unless you wanted more?”
Liya cleared her throat. She supposed that the manticore was correct, but at the same time, he didn’t have to word it like that. There was something strangely attractive about the idea of accepting this offer, something that had her growing warmer beneath her robes despite the fact that the building seemed to guard against the desert’s heat.
With her mind edging closer and closer towards acceptance, she crossed her arms and sighed, “I guess this would only be fair. You would get something and I would get something in return. I am...A bit nervous about how this might work, but I guess you know what you desire, yes?”
A rumbling chuckle sent a shiver down her back. She turned around to see that the beast’s face was right in front of her own. Instinct drove her to start carefully backing away as those predatory golden eyes followed and his voice purred, “I do know what I desire. Tell me, do you know how to put on a show?”
Her heart began to thump against her chest wildly as she responded, “I...Don’t really know what you mean.”
The manticore answered simply while he slowly circled her again, forcing her to stop as he, “Dancing, stripping, I want to enjoy this and I want to enjoy you.”
With heated color growing across her cheeks she responded quietly, “No, but I could try if you desired.”
“Master,” She looked up with a blink directly into those bright feline eyes. The confusion was clear on her face and so he explained, “Call me master until you next wake after I’m done with you.”
A shudder ran the course of her body, “Very well, master, but will you really be using me that much until night falls?”
“Or until you pass out.”
Those words were said in such a matter-of-fact tone that her legs began to tremble. If it were a human, if only it were a human she would have easily braved the situation and even enjoyed showing off, but it was a monster, a beast, a manticore of all things. What bravery she could put on in the face of such a dangerous mate would surely only be an act. Liya tried her best to calm herself, to try and get some sort of control on the situation, but his eyes, his eyes kept on piercing her very soul. She was rooted in his gaze and in her mind she blamed it on some sort of foul sorcery, surely she could not be so stunned by just his presence.
When she remained quiet for too long the manticore laid on his stomach with paws crossed, his head raised as he ordered, “Entertain me then, strip for me. Make it a show or not, either way, I will see what you have to offer me.”
Such words would have angered her if it weren’t coming from such a monster. His words only seemed to drive a small spike of fear in her body that was accompanied by some sort of twisted curiosity and something else she could not quite put a finger on. Whatever she was feeling didn’t matter, at the moment, she knew what she needed to do. Finally able to feel some semblance of calm inside of her body, she took a deep breath and moved her hands to grip at the sash around her waist before slowly undoing it.
Liya was strong enough to handle this, powerful enough to do as this beast desired and gather what she needed for her home. It was important that she took that venom back home for the sake of those who were suffering and for the sake of her own studies. Again she breathed and she felt strength fill her limbs as she slipped the sash away from her waist and let her robes open. Carefully, she set the sash along with the items it held side before gripping her robe to keep it shut as she turned to him. She kept her head down and her eyes closed as she opened it slowly, feeling the draft in the ruins slide against her brown skin, sighing as she lifted her head and allowed her robes to slowly fall to the floor. Liya took heart in the fact that such a powerful beast had asked for her and she focused on that sentiment dearly. She was a young woman with supple breasts that rested ready to be cupped. Her body had ample curves with a gentle rounding near her stomach to show that she ate well. Strong legs told of her many trips through the desert and as she stepped out of her robes she opened her eyes feeling confidence returning to her, only to slip away as she saw those golden feline eyes staring at her like the desert sun bearing down on her.
Though she remained with her arms open and her body presented, she felt some sort of strange intensity growing in that gaze that made her feel as if she were being looked upon by a god. Such a fierce presence brought a shiver to her spine, but she remained still until she was addressed by her master. What she really wanted to know, was why he did not say anything? He only stared at her with that intense predatory gaze that made her feel so small. Every inch of her body was brought under the scrutiny of that gaze and perhaps she had never been so glad as when she saw his mouth move.
“Fantastic.” He muttered, “A true flower of the desert right before my eyes...And I can see it in you, I can see the magic and talent coursing within you...You are perfect to bear my child.”
Liya felt her cheeks burn. She wasn’t sure if that was part of the play, or if he was serious, but she spoke regardless, “If that pleases you master, b-but...I do not know if I am ready for a child.”
The manticore chuckled and got up from where he had been lying. He walked to her with slow steps that reminded her of beasts stalking prey. His eyes never left her and every move he made was a show of his feline grace. When he was finally upon her he mumbled, “You’ll just have to hope the seed won’t stick then. Get under me...Worship my cock with your mouth, pleasure me before we begin.”
Liya shuddered. Such a thing was impossible. There was no way she could become pregnant from a monster’s seed. They were two different species after all. With that thought comforting her, she stepped around and ducked underneath the beast to pleasure her master and finally begin this game. Underneath this hulking beast, she somewhat knew what to expect, but it still caught her off guard. The manticore’s cock was a thick barbed piece of meat that was difficult to grasp with one hand and long enough that two couldn’t cover it. One of her hands moved to caress the swollen length while her other hand moved to feel over those heavy balls. She was certain that whatever she did to prepare being bred by such a thing would hurt either way. Liya wasn’t even sure how she was going to pleasure such a thing with her mouth, but tentatively she moved in to start dragging her tongue against the tip while tugging it toward her. A purr rumbling above her caused her to shiver as a dollop of pre slid free of the creature’s tip. Carefully, she dipped her tongue against the tip to lap up that warmth leaking from the tip. She kissed the tip gently and slowly placed her mouth on it to suckle while her hand kept on working that shaft. The woman’s eyes grew wide when she felt the beast buck forward and drive his bulbous tip inside of her mouth.
There was so much danger in all of this. The beast was large enough to simply destroy her from his strength, but his girth would also be a problem inside of her pussy. She knew that she should tell him that this wasn’t possible, that maybe they should reconsider, but part of her took a sick thrill in the possibility of being ravaged by such a dangerous creature. With that thought pulsing at the back of her mind she brought her mouth closer rather than pulling away. She felt his fleshy barbs passing against her tongue as she continued on and on until she started to gag when the tip touched the back of her throat. She breathed heavily through her nose, taking in every little scent and taste as her tongue pressed and pushed against the thick shaft in her mouth. When she tried to pull away she heard a loud snarl and felt the beast buck against her mouth again. She shuddered and remained still, but he did not continue thrusting.
The beast remained still, allowing her to feel the dull heat of his shaft pressing against her tongue reminding her that he was claiming her mouth. Her eyes grew half-lidded at this and excitement began to press through her body for whatever reason. The fear was still there flowing through her, but yet again it only seemed to fuel her interest and arousal. Suddenly, the beast began pulling away from her, his cock twitching and throbbing against her tongue. She thought to move forward, but she remembered that wild snarl from when she had moved before and so there she remained still and waiting for his instruction. When his cock slipped free of her mouth she sighed deeply and trembled as he stepped back. On her hands and knees, she looked up at him with big eyes. Again he circled her, again he looked at her with those predatory eyes, this time something wilder than before boiling beneath the surface that had her heart thumping wildly.
Once the manticore was behind her she held her breath and braced for what she knew was coming. Even as she felt him take position over her and could feel his warm underside pressing down on her back she could not stem the excitement and fear rumbling in her stomach in a mixture ending in anticipation. The tip brushed against her pussy and a pulse of heat moved through her body as the anticipation continued to grow and grow until finally, the tip pushed apart her wet heat to stretch her insides and begin. Liya gasped as the manticore thrust inside of her. A good portion of his cock was forced in and she felt her insides being pushed apart to make room for the massive thing. She shuddered and clawed at the ground as she felt his pulsing member press inside of her. Inch by inch the creature pressed himself inside with slow and rolling movements that had her squeaking with each and every push.
It was as painful as she had expected and perhaps just a bit more than that. His girth was stretching her wide and with every push, she could feel it getting ever so closer to her deepest reaches. Despite that pain, despite that stretching, her mouth opened wide to moan with the pleasure and stimulation shocking her body. All of the anticipation she felt from before had burned and turned into a pure ecstasy that danced alongside the pain she felt. Soon enough, she could feel the beast begin to buck his hips back and forth to start breeding her. It hadn’t been long and so she wasn’t prepared fully for his strength, but still, she moaned and still, she remained on her hands and knees with her hips held high in the air to keep herself presented to her master.
At some point, the pain began to fade away and only pleasure seemed to ring out in her head with every thrust. Her mind was mired in fluttering pleasure which kept her from thinking too much about what was happening or what could happen with such a beast using his strength to pound inside of her wildly. After a few thrusts, she could feel his balls slapping against her thighs with every push and the tip kissed the farthest point inside of her pussy.
Every push and thrust brought her a wave of pleasure and pain together that caused her to gasp out loudly and moan and squeal. Her own orgasm struck her hard from the constant grinding and it filled her gut with heat and pressure as she struggled to keep herself up. It was with this feeling of a struggle, that she felt a sudden warmth flowing inside of her. Liya’s eyes grew wide as she felt the tip of his cock kiss the furthest point in her pussy one last time, hot and thick cum pulsing through his shaft and into her heat again and again. She felt so full, so extremely stuffed that by the time he was done she felt as if her abdomen would pop. From so many sensations striking her at once from all sides, she did not even realize that she had even fallen. Her eyes grew heavy even as she felt that massive thing inside of her still moving, and sleep slowly found her.
Some time later when the sun was falling in the sky, Liya awoke in the temple alone and on her back. She was fully clothed and next to her was the jar she had brought and it was filled with clear liquid. Blinking, she got up slowly and winced. She certainly felt sore and at the same time, she had to wonder how he had gotten her clothes back on her. Stranger things had happened and had happened before, but more than that, seeing the venom made her cheeks flush as she knew what price had been paid to get it. With a sigh, she reached down to grab it and underneath there was a strange thing. A compass without a dial. Setting the jar at her sash she knelt down to pick up the compass. From what she saw there was no dial, there were no marks on it, but when she squinted her eyes and looked closely she heard a whisper, “North will take you to your master.”
Her cheeks burned with color and she thought of throwing the compass, but instead, she clutched it in her hand firmly and bit her lip before walking. It was time to go home.