Price of Pride

You stood among the shadows cast by the mid-day sun as it fell towards the horizon marking the start of the evening. Just ahead of where the shadows of the forest began stood the clearing of a meadow. Your sights set on what you'd argue was less of a small encampment and more of a modest fortress. The very same fortress you tracked those rat bastard bandits who stole your gear in the middle of the night and extorted you for whatever you had left. Though it looked like these guys needed as much as they could get their hands on. Just from the front entrance, you saw the two guards posted held a chipped and rusted sheet of metal that might've been a sword once upon a time. The other holding what looked to be a hammer, though you doubted it would get much more than a single swing out of it before the frayed handle snapped in half.

Regardless of the armaments the guards had on them, it was still more than you had. Which at this point, was nothing; not anymore. With no source of income, no weapons or armor, and certainly no right to be choosy about where any of those came from, you set your sights on the bandit camp ahead of you. Your own personal pride dictated that you were not about to just walk up to the guards and ask to join their club. Rather you were just here to get a few things so that you could make it to the next town and maybe even to off shore. Once you got there, you'd flip the bird to this place and start a new life somewhere else, anywhere else.

The shrill squawk of a bird perched just behind you ripped you out of these day dreams and forced yourself back into focus. The sudden and sharp sound was enough to force you to stifle a yelp in the back of your throat while your body instinctively whipped around. The subsequent rustling inside the brush and the noises you made also looked to call the attention of the guard who now started over towards your position.

Cursing under your breath you felt a surge of energy course through your body and prayed that it would be enough to help you survive. Without your pack or any means of gathering food, an empty stomach already made your joints heavy and stiff. You wondered just how fast you could move and if you could outrun these guys if they spotted you. The only other option was to fight and looked equally as likely to get you killed.

Just behind you, the black bird from before cawed out yet again as if to force you back into focus. You snapped your attention back over to the bird and saw the way it seemed to regard you. It was a normal bird for sure, but there was something different about it. Its bright red eyes holding an unnerving weight to them. You shook the thoughts away and looked back to the fortress.

The walls were too high for you to scale and the camp too small for that to go unnoticed. With both guards headed straight for your position, you needed to think fast. You turned your back and leaned up against the tree trunk, laying yourself flat up against the side. You closed your eyes and reached deep down inside of yourself.

Willing your heart still, the thrumming war drums of your pulse steadied to a stillness.

Your lungs that made you think you were on the verge of suffocation calmed with a single breath.

The storm raging in your mind blew away and you summoned up what strength your body still had to offer.

Play your cards right, you thought to yourself. You've done more with less.

Drawing in one more breath, you held it deep inside your chest and waited for the first of the bandits to pass by where you stood. The stillness of your body allowing you to blend in with the shadows cast by the forest. When the second bandit passed you by, trailing just behind the first, you stepped forward and summoned your will and courage into your foot and planted a kick into the back of the knee of the bandit closest to you. The blow bringing the bandit down to kneel before you while you took the same guard's head in hand and jumped up with a knee to the back of his skull. Hearing a sharp crack indicative of broken bones under the force of your blow, the first bandit fell dead to the floor.

Scrambling to grab the broken and worn sword, you weren't gambling on this weapon lasting longer than a single strike. With a slash through the air, the second bandit looked to block your blow with the handle of his hammer only for the blade to strike clean through the splintered wood. With the blade still holding, your circled the sword around to a downward chop and sank the blade straight down onto the bandit's head. The man's head splitting like a piece of wood with a sickening crunching noise. The body of the bandit falling to the floor with the sword stuck between his head.

You stood over the two bodies, your shoulders bobbing with each breath you took, your hands shaking; unable to keep themselves steady with the battle fever that consumed you. You nodded your head, impressed with your handy work. Even more impressed the sword lasted longer than hammer.

Turning your attention towards the gate, you saw what looked to be that same black bird flying off towards the entrance and pondered your next move. Sure, you could just as well strip the cloths off one bandit and waltz right in wearing their insignia. Yeah, they'd look a little ill fitting on you but who would really notice? Right, like that would work.

Running your fingers through your hair you looked up to the sky, blowing a stream of hair between your lips before noticing the black bird staring at you from its perch on the wall. It cocked its head to the side as if to regard you further before hopping from its perch and flying south, further into the camp.

Accepting this as a sign, you dressed yourself in the bandit's clothes. The man you'd taken down was at least two sizes larger than you were and his legs were far shorter than yours. The clothes hung awkwardly around your body, but it was better than the soiled tatters you'd been wearing before. Last, but not least was the sword. It was little more than a hunk of sheet metal at this point, the edge dulled and chipped the metal rusted and worn thin. But it was a weapon and, in a pinch, it was better than nothing at all.

Before proceeding into the camp, you realized that someone was apt to notice how the guards were gone and thus it wouldn't take much longer for them to find their corpses. You stroked your chin and a devious smile came to your lips as a plan began to form. You turned and ran towards the camp, the haggard and worn look coming naturally. All that's left was to sell the performance.

You screamed at the top of your lungs!

Monster!

Monster in the forest!

Killed two men, gnarly beast like you've never seen before!

The performance worked like a charm as someone came up to you and caught you in his grasp to keep you from running.

"What was it, how close?" the bandit asked.

You explained you didn't see its face; you just saw how it killed two of the guards before it set its sights on you. You didn't stay any longer than that and you were lucky to make it out alive. You turned to the man holding your arm and furrowed your brows, fear coming naturally to your face as you'd no idea if this was going to work.

With a grimace that came off the bandit's face, you thought you were a dead man right where you stood. The bandit shoved you off and threw you to the floor before coming over and snatching the saber from your belt. He pointed its blunted tip at your noise and left you staring down its length.

"Stay here and stay out of the way!" The bandit growled before turning to the rest of the clan and raising the blade high above his head. "Were going hunting boys!"

The whole of the camp raised their weapons above their heads and bellowed out a war cry that was enough to send a flock of birds fleeing into the sky. All but one other bird that remained perched above a large tent towards the center of the camp. That same bird with those red eyes that felt like they were staring at you.

With vigor and blood lust, the bandits marched off out of the camp, heading south out of the front gate... right towards the bodies you'd left. If they were smart, they would be able to deduce that this wasn't the work of a monster, then again, they were bandits for a reason.

Regardless, you needed to work fast. You hopped to your feet and surveyed the camp, noticing that only a few other people left inside to guard it. By your count, it was only three. Still not the kind of odds you liked in your current state. You kept your eyes to yourself and hobbled on through till you reached the large tent in the center of camp. Judging by the size alone, you figured this was the chieftain's tent. With a quick cursory glance to make sure no one was watching, you slipped inside to see what you could burgle from the bandits.

Inside you saw a small knee-high table with a tea set placed for one and steam seeping out from the spout of the pot set to the side. Off to the side, deeper in the tent sat a rug of fur draping over few wooden struts that served as a bed. You thought to yourself about what you wouldn't give to just lay down for a few minutes. Rest your eyes on something other than the hard ground or a tree branch. That wasn't a luxury you had right now nor the time for it.

Looking around the room, you saw a few baubles and jewels lying about an open lock box and swiped them up before stuffing them into your pocket. This might just pay for a boat ticket, maybe even have enough left over for something to eat.

Speaking of which...

That smell. Just next to the tea sat a half-eaten lunch. It was little more than a few chunks of meat on a stick over a bed of boiled leaves. But it was still food. You walked over towards the table and knelt at the pillow set on one side.

Caw!

You jumped out of your skin again, hitting your shins on the table and nearly spilling the tea over your food. You groaned out in frustration and looked up to see the red eyed black bird standing on the table before you. You scoffed and sighed and told the bird that it had gotten you into enough trouble for today. You then proceeded to pour a small cup of tea for your guest and then one for your-self before shoving as much food into your mouth as you could handle. You chewed and swallowed, washing it down with a gulp of hot green tea and emptying your cup.

Just as you set your cup down, a hand reached out to the pot to refresh your drink. Only forgetting most of your table manners, you thanked the gesture before stopping yourself from taking another mouthful of food.

"You're welcome," A female voice called out.

With a weight feeling like it was pressing down on the back of your head, you felt your body refuse to regard the figure now sitting across from you. Your very spine felt like a steel bar at what you could only assume was self-preservation. In the end, you managed to raise your head as you felt your stomach drop at the sight of a pair of oddly familiar red eyes regarding you.

"Enjoying the food?" the woman asked and watched you nod your head in silence. "And the tea? It's been steeping for a few hours now so it might be a little bitter."

Elise the Witch Queen sat before you with her red and black robes draping around her alluring body with a belt sinching around her waist to accentuate her natural hourglass figure. The neck of the robe opened to a wide V that draped just over her shoulders while falling across her lap. The slit in either side of the robe trailing up to the crest of her hips revealed a pair of stockings holding her long and slender legs. The glow of her fair skin shining out across her chest and where her robes draped at her thighs. Her hair spilled over her shoulders with soft dark waves like an ocean before a storm.

The whole of your body ached as you and your instincts fought over what to do next. You sat with your legs tucked underneath you. Springing to your feet would only telegraph your moves and from the look of the sword at her hip, she wasn't just some thug. You could tell by the handle alone that she took care of her weapon. Not that she'd need a sword to kill you at all.

You opted for the plea by the logic that she'd yet to kill you, so perhaps there was still room to negotiate. You raised your hands slowly to the sides of your head, swallowed back to last of the food in your mouth and began to speak. You told the woman before you that you didn't want any trouble, but before you could finish, she interjected.

"You've already found it," Elise said, her tone calm and her unblinking red eyes holding you where you sat. "You've been watching this place for at least three days now; I've been watching you for just as long."

"My Queen we," The bandit from before, the one who'd taken the sword from you, burst through the tent flaps and caught himself mid-sentence before stopping himself. Seeing you sitting across from the Witch Queen herself, he prostrated himself out before her. "Apologies my Queen, I didn't know you had guests."

"I already know about the men," Elise said without looking away from you. "Their killer is having a late lunch with me right now." Elise smoothed out what little length of her robes passed as a skirt. When she stood, her back bending at just the right angle that you could peer down her robes and see a line of soft swell of her chest underneath. Along with that, not a single scar marred her flawless skin. This much was impressive to say the least as every other bandit wore their scars like badges and medals.

Rather, if not for the sword at her hip, you would have never guessed a vivacious woman like her would be a bandit, let alone a chieftain.

Elise reached to her side and produced a small dagger from a sheath at her thigh. She twirled the knife over her finger at the hilt and broke her gaze with you long enough to peer over at the man who had entered the tent. The simple act of turning her head was enough to warrant a flinch from the man as though she could kill him with but a glance. Elise scoffed at this, tossed the blade into the air, caught it by the edge and struck it into the floor.

Both you and the bandit looked to the dagger then back to Elise while she regarded the two of you with another passing glance. She took a step back, crossed her arms under her bust and shrugged her shoulders. Her forearms pushing up on her chest and causing her breasts to nearly spill over the hem of her robes.

"Kill him." Elise ordered.

The two of you looked down to the dagger then back up at one another. Your face a mirror of the man before you. Eyes vacant, mouth ajar, just before twisting into a mask of growling fury as you both charged for the weapon. You kicked your legs out from under yourself and stumbled before rolling right into the dagger. You caught the handle first and with a fury you summoned with the last ounce of your strength, you flung the blade forward and struck the bandit clean between the eyes. The force of the impact sending him to the floor with a thud, his lifeless body laying before you. The dagger's hilt buried into the corpse while the body gave a thousand-yard stair into the sky.

The subtle caress of dainty fingers at your shoulders brought your focus around the Witch Queen herself. Elise's fingers tracing along your muscular form, over your collar bone, along your neck till they reached the tip of your chin. Elise stood at the end of that hand. She loomed over you, half lidded and suggestive eyes holding your attention while a pair of full lips curled into a genuine smile. The very beating of your heart threatened to drown out the scoff she issued that turned to a giggle.

Elise shoved you back and your body fell slack against the floor, your neck just barley strong enough to turn and look up at Elise who stood over you, digging her foot into your chest.

"I think you'll make a fine addition to the tribe," Elis said with a soft tone that was just barely a whisper. She looked down to the corpse then back to you. When she spoke again her words felt like a stone dropped into a still pond. "Sleep."

These orders were not something you needed to hear twice. You rolled your eyes back, groaned out with what little energy you had and promptly fell asleep where you lay.

~Hours later~

You woke to the feel of something soft under your back and a warm blanket covering your form. Your strength returned to you with your small meal and time to rest. You had no real way of telling what time it was, but from the sun leaking in through the cracks of the tent flaps, you could tell it was still daylight outside. Still, you wondered just how long you'd slept.

The answer to this question came when Elise stepped into the tent and saw you awake in her bed. She placed her hand at her hip and smirked at you before shaking her head.

"It's about time you woke up, you were out for twenty-four hours at least." Elise said and began to approach you.

When you tried to pull yourself up to better greet your savior, your arms were unable to pull forward more than a few inches due the bindings you found around your wrists. The slack on the rope hadn't been enough for you to pull yourself up any further and thus left you laying where you were. Looking above your head, you saw the rope tied around a metal stake hammered into the ground. You yanked on the stake to test the strength of how secure it was and noted that the stake gave a little.

When you turned your attention back to Elise, you noted how she pulled the sash from around her waist to loosen her robes. The hem of the loose-fitting garb falling to fame her torso while still covering much of her body.

The parting of her robe bordered her well-toned and flat core that led up to the swell of her chest where her breasts parted at her sternum and traced up further to her neck line. Elise shrugged her shoulders and brought her arms just around her waist and under her bust to keep the robe from falling any further. The fabric just barely covering her chest now while the slack from the robe around her waist exposed her hips and her lack of any undergarment.

You writhed where you lay, feeling the rope cut into your skin as you tried to position yourself in such a way that didn't tent the blanket over your body. You could feel a warm blush on your face and the rush of excitement course through your body. A half smile showing on your face despite your best efforts to hide it. An expression Elise reciprocated with a quick laugh.

With one hand secured around her waist, she stepped forward and leaned down, posturing herself over you and giving you a full view of her ample cleavage and breasts. With a quick swipe of her hand, she yanked the covers away from your body and exposed your naked form to the early morning chill. At this sudden temperature change, your cock throbbed and stood on end. The motion calling Elise's attention and causing her smirk to brim into a full smile.

Elise kept her hand around her waist to keep her robes in place as she knelt onto your lap, a leg on either side of your waist to straddle you. The fingers of her free hand grazed the tip of your pulsing member. The feel of her hand against your skin forced you to draw in a sharp breath and clench your fists tight to keep from bucking into her touch.

"You belong to my tribe now," Elise said and pulled her hips forward and pressed the shaft of your member up against the warmth of her body. She ran her hips along your length with aggravating listlessness. "You belong to me."

You growled out under your breath. Your body deprived of the touch of another for so long that you'd forgotten what it felt like. And now with it being so close to you with no ability to fall into the embrace, your very core began to ache with longing. Your groans of yearning silenced at the feel of Elise's hand at your throat. She pressed her weight down onto your neck, threatening to crush your larynx had she applied a few more ounces of force. It was with this force that left you unable to make a sound or even breathe.