"Hey," Lisa asks suddenly, as they are walking back to where they left the ranger, "Do orcs have a soul?"
Steve sighs and says, "You've been talking to Barry. He's full of shit. Don't believe anything he says."
"Oh. Good," she says, then looks alarmed as they get in sight of the brook and see Bubba's lifeless body floating in the water.
The paladin just gives an irritated sigh and mutters, "Damn pooka." He strides up to and into the water, holding out his hand and proclaiming, "Begone!" There is a flash of green light and a significant portion of the water around the half-orc rushes away in the form of a free-standing wave. Steve pays it no mind as he hauls Bubba back onto the shore and turns him over.
"He's not breathing!" Lisa exclaims helplessly.
Steve leans down, puts his lips on the ranger's, and gentle exhales into his mouth. A second later, Bubba's eyes open. The elf backs off and says, "Welcome back, big guy."
Bubba coughs and sputters, "Thanks."
The elf looks at him thoughtfully, then lowers his head and kisses him. Bubba makes a surprised sound, but doesn't protest. As the minute drags on, Lisa has to sit down and catch her breath. When the kiss finally ends, Steve simply says, "Hmm," and stands, helping Bubba to his feet.
The half-orc just blinks and looks to be in shock.
Lisa says, "Good news. Orcs have souls!"
Bubba gives a half-hearted thumbs up, then glances back at the water.
"Yeah, no more swimming for thee," Steve says, taking his arm and moving him a further away.
The half-orc looks at him and says, "Why'd you kiss me?"
"Isn't that how these things work?" the paladin says in mock confusion. "I saved the damsel in distress so I get a kiss?"
"No... " he says, shaking his head in confusion.
"My mistake, then," Steve replies brightly. He runs a hand down the half-orc's bare chest and says, "Ah, the clothing situation. Lisa, give Bubba back his shirt and return my cloak."
Lisa sheds her clothes with typical abandon while Bubba continues to look stunned, just staring at the elf in disbelief.
The paladin raps lightly on the trunk of a large oak and calls out, "Vivian?"
The head of a dark-skinned woman emerges from the wood. "Oh!" she says, "Hi, Steve!"
Steve gestures at Lisa and asks, "Do you have something she could wear?"
She looks the warlock up and down and nods, saying, "Give me a moment," before disappearing back into the tree. A few minutes later, when the dryad emerges, she is carrying an opalescent gray gown with long sleeves. She helps Lisa get into it and then smoothes the lines with her hands. When he fingers brush over her swollen stomach, she frowns and says, "You don't feel pregnant."
"She isn't," Steve says, dryly.
"Oh!" Vivian exclaims, removing her hand and looking apologetically at Lisa, "Faux paux!"
Lisa smiles and shakes her head, saying, "No apologies necessary. I have a tenant!"
"Ew," the dryad remarks.
"It isn't as bad as it sounds," she protests.
"It really is," Steve replies.
Lisa glares at him and says, "You're just jealous because Pokey's been inside me and you haven't."
Vivian holds up her hands and says, "I am
not
getting in the middle of this."
The warlock doesn't pursue the matter, instead twirling in her new dress. She exclaims, "I can barely feel it! It's like being naked."
"It's silk," the dryad explains.
"It's wonderful! Thank you!" she replies, throwing her arms around her and looks about to kiss her when their eyes meet. Lisa is lost in their dark brown depths, seemingly transfixed.
"You owe me," the dryad purrs in a deep, sultry voice, wrapping her arms around the woman possessively.
"Vivian --" Steve begins, with a warning tone.
She interrupts sternly, "She
owes
me," without breaking eye contact.
"
I
owe thou," the paladin retorts.
"Then you wear the dress," comes the reply as the dryad gently urges Lisa to the soft, mossy ground.
Bubba looks at Steve, uncertain what to do. The elf holds up a hand to him and says to Vivian, "Be nice."
"Oh," she purrs, "I intend to be." She runs her hands down Lisa's body and Bubba swears he can see her fingers elongate for a moment, like branches of a tree. Once she's no longer looking into her eyes, Lisa blinks like she's just woken up, but does not protest when the fey creature lifts her new dress just enough to get access to her pussy. Fine fingers pry apart her thighs and the dryads head dips down to taste her. The warlock moans, allowing her head to fall back on the grass, eyes shutting as she shudders in response.
Bubba just looks around awkwardly, then sidles over to Steve and whispers, "This happens a lot here, huh?" He gestures at the two women.
Steve shrugs and nods.
The half-orc shuffles his feet, glances around again to avoid staring at the lovemaking, then steps in front of the elf so his back is to it. He asks, "So, you are going to be a man again now?"
"Why do you ask?" the elf replies.
Bubba shrugs, looks down, and says, "Just making conversation."
Behind them, Lisa very loudly announces her first orgasm to the woods, breaking the sacred silence. Steve frowns slightly and peers over Bubba's shoulder to see Vivian shifting positions so she's straddling his friend's face, her clothes shed and her own cunt now hovering over her lips.
The half-orc looks up and narrows his eyes angrily at being ignored. He moves to the side to block the paladin's view and demands, "Why did you kiss me?"
"I already told you," he replies.
Bubba stares hard into the eyes of the obstinate elf, as if trying to will him to answer truthfully, then spits out, "Fine!" But, rather than storming away, he drops to his knees and begins to clumsily undo Steve's belt.
He's very satisfied when the paladin's usual air of detached calm is shattered with a frantic, hushed, "What are you doing?"
Bubba just glares up at him and yanks down his pants. For a moment, he stares at him, as if daring the elf to say something. When he doesn't, he takes the rapidly hardening cock in his hand and then loses his momentum a little while he seems to be trying to figure out what to do with it. He leans forward and takes the tip of it in his mouth. He's surprised at the unexpected jolt of lust this gives him, which is further stoked when the elf gently rests a hand on his head and urges him further. He moves his rough hands to the paladin's slender hips and takes more into his mouth.
None of this is visible to Lisa, whose field of vision is consumed by dark brown thighs and the damp patch of black hair currently consuming her attention. The dryad's skin smells of her tree and her secretions are sweet sap. The warlock feels intoxicated as she laps them up. Her senses become confused. Sometimes there is a soft woman above her, but sometimes she's trapped in the unyielding branches of an oak, unable to move. Vivian, however, has an excellent view of the elf and she watches closely for a lapse in his attention, which definitely seems forthcoming.
A riot of emotions demand the half-orc's attention and he feels the panic of having rushed in rashly to something he wasn't altogether prepared for. His actions were taken out of spite, he thought, an attempt to get a rise out of the frustratingly obtuse elf. But he's unable to deny how much he wants this and how much the kiss and how he felt during it, prompted this. He can't really ruminate on it, though, as the unfamiliar experience of having a cock in his mouth demands focus. He is clumsy and it frustrates him, but each response he gets encourages him and gives him another jolt of desire.
The elf whispers softly, "Thou art doing well. Just mind thine teeth and don't be afraid to use thine tongue." He's trying hard to keep his voice steady and failing. He glances frequently towards Lisa and Vivian, both to keep an eye on the dryad and because he's anxious about his friend observing. The half-orc is certainly a novice but Steve can't ignore the enthusiasm and desire to please. Despite himself, his urgings become more insistent. He closes his eyes and loses himself to experience.
As Vivian orgasms, she glances back at the elf and smiles slyly. She lifts herself off of Lisa and helps her to her feet, keeping hold of her hand so she can lead her back to her tree while the paladin is distracted. The dryad tries to meet the warlock's eyes again but Lisa notices her companions and stops moving, causing Vivian to lose the grip on her hand. The faerie slides up beside her and tries to coax her into motion, but she's rooted to the spot, dumbstruck by the spectacle. Finally, she gives up with an exasperated sigh and stalks back into her tree.
With a choked cry, the paladin comes, thrusting his hips into the half-orc's face. Bubba is, unsurprisingly, surprised and nearly chokes on elf-cum. He recovers and, though somewhat disgusted, he's really turned on and revels in a feeling of power. For a minute, he doesn't move, letting the cock in his mouth soften as he teases it with his tongue, just to make the elf squirm. His hands hold Steve's hips firmly to prevent his escape.
The ranger feels a hand on his shoulder and Lisa's voice hot in his ear, whispering, "I think you're going to kill him." She gentle urges him back onto his heels and then helps him to his feet. Half-orc and elf just stare at each other.
Steve swallows and asks, haltingly, "Why didst thou do that?"
Bubba replies coolly, "Figure it out." Impulsively, he leans in and kisses him, hard and quick.
After the half-orc walks away, Lisa teases, "I wouldn't read anything into it," as the paladin pulls back up his pants.
"So," Bubba asks, "We have a quest?"
Steve, thankful for the distraction, says, "Yes, time to have another talk with Tess. The trick will be finding her."
"Tess?" Lisa repeats.
"I'm sorry, the one thou callest the Necromancer," he explains with a distasteful look. He adds, "I really don't like that name."
She notes, "So, you know her?"
He nods, saying, "I was around the last time she was active," and kneels down to summon a portal, murmuring, "Stygia."
"Wait, wait," Bubba interjects, "We are going to the underworld."
The paladin nods, standing and wrinkling his nose as a foul wind blows through the portal. "It's always the best place to start where she's concerned," he explains.
Lisa peers through the doorway hesitantly, then says, "Bleak."
He nods and steps through. All of the color seems instantly washed out of him and he appears somehow older, more tired and less vital. He turns and gestures them through, saying, "In many ways, it is the opposite of Faerie, a land drained of life and emotion."
The warlock moves to join him and feels the effect instantly. Where entering Faerie made her senses more aware and her passions stronger, here everything seems muted and her emotions are instantly subdued. She has a sudden wild urge to throw herself on one of the men in an attempt to stoke them but the energy to do seems elusive.
When Bubba follows, he stops short, like he's hit a wall, and says through gritted teeth, "This is a terrible place."
"Agreed," says Steve, "Let us not linger." He gestures to a short tower in the distance, almost invisible amidst a tangle of dead, twisted trees. Dust stirs at their feet as they move towards it and the only sound to be heard is the cawing of crows but even that sounds distant. They trudge rather than walk, each step seeming to take more energy than the last. By the time they arrive, even the effort to raise a hand to lift the knocker takes a tremendous force of will.
Several minutes later, there is the sound of a bolt being pulled and the door creaks open just enough to cast a sickly line of light on the ground between them. A voice from inside demands, "What do you want? Who are you? Go away! We don't like visitors here."
"Open up, Harry. It's Steve," the elf replies.
"Who?" comes the curt reply.
"Steve, knight of the Emerald Order," he adds.
There is a long pause, followed by a whispered, "Oh. Yes. I should have expected you." The door is opened the rest of the way, revealing a winged demon the size of a toddler. He reluctantly waves them in.
The lowest level of the tower is spartan, not much more than a fireplace, a small bed, simple table, and chairs. The imp closes the door behind him and then climbs up onto one of the seats, where a wooden box has been placed to let him sit and still see over the top of the table. The three of them take the remaining seats.
"So, Harry. What happened?" Steve begins.
The imp shrugs and replies, "What always happens. She got a new idea."
