Hopeful Sin Ch 02

Filliandari

The Rend lay open before her, a tear in the land, about twenty miles from the nearest settlement. At the bottom, the Broken Dreams Dungeon. Inconveniently located and full of creatures too powerful for casual groups, it was the perfect place to go for some solitude from the adoring masses that wanted everything and nothing to do with her. Some days, the idea of withdrawing entirely from the society that had made her into a perfect idol and becoming a hermit was... indescribably tempting. If not for the mass panic that would erupt if ever she disappeared entirely, she might. But Filliandari's sense of duty was strong, and so she would continue to suffer for their joy.

That didn't mean she wasn't very, very happy to be free of them, even for just a little while, as she lightly stepped over the edge of the canyon, using a Featherfall spell to descend in safety.

The dungeon went as expected. Traps, her weak spot, shattered against her wards. Monsters fell to her spells. Some of the lesser ones even felt the weight of her mace. But she didn't have to explore far to draw them all out.

As soon as she entered, she was swarmed. She could hear their whispers in her mind, words of anger and resentment. Blaming her for their imprisonment. There could be no bargaining or attempts to subdue her. These creatures are out for revenge. Even when her defenses failed, her wounds were nearly instantly healed by her divine grace.

Soon the first level was still and quiet as the last lesser demon fell, its soul returning to the Binding Stone of this dungeon to regenerate. If the locals were correct, the last thing on this floor would be the Boss, allegedly a powerfully enhanced Chimera behind the double marble doors she stood staring at.

Filli took her time, internally debating whether she should bother. There could be some loot, some forgotten secret... but there could also be nothing worth her time and effort. Then again, that was true of the rest of this Godsforsaken place. Might as well proceed, for the sooner she's done, the sooner she would return to the pathetic excuse for a life that waited for her.

She pushed the doors open after renewing her wards, finding a massive pile of ash and goo, enough to represent a dead Chimera dissolving back into the dungeon. Standing next to it, idly examining its treasure hoard, was a figure in a gold and white robe. The broad shoulders hinted at a male... or an amazon. But otherwise, she could tell nothing about the figure.

They looked up and said in a cheery, very male voice, "Ah, finished off the horde, eh? I hope you don't mind, but since you were busy, I went ahead and took care of the boss." He began tossing his spoils into a bag of holding. An opportunist.

Filli's brow furrowed in complete befuddlement at the behavior of the man, and she stammered, "Who... what... how did you get here ahead of me?"

He blinked from the carcass, appearing right in front of her. "While you were busy with the horde, who seemed all too eager to slay you, I sorta slipped by... I mean, really, you seemed to be handling yourself quite well... Not like you needed my help." He grinned winningly at her. This close, she could see tanned and chiseled facial features beneath the hood. A few stray locks of red hair framed his face in the shadows, but his eyes remained unseen, "Hey, you look familiar, do you work at the Honey Pot?"

It took Filli a moment to think of it. Then she realized she had never seen the Honey Pot, much less worked there, as it was a brothel. Her shoulders straightened and her spine lengthened in indignant pride, and she demanded "Do you REALLY think that a prostitute could solo a dungeon? Just how ignorant and arrogant are you? How dare you take advantage of my presence to steal my loot!"

He stared at her solemnly for a moment before nodding, "You are right. That was... absolutely brilliant of me!" He grinned widely, slapped her ass, and headed for the door to the next level. "Hey, wanna see if you can distract the next level too?"

Her mind had been forced to process several things, very, very fast. First, the man. Second, the fact that he just slapped her ass. Firmly. Third, that was the first human contact she had had in 500 years that didn't involve ceremony or copious amounts of formality and gratitude. And finally, her innate repulsion had failed on him. While not unheard of, it was hugely uncommon.

She gaped after him like a fish out of water for a few moments, before her cheeks flared red with anger. "Absolutely not! I'm NOT going to be a damned distraction for you to get rich off of! Give me my loot!" she stomped after him in a fury. Honestly, she couldn't care less about the treasures, but it was the godsdamn principle of the thing.

She

did all the work, damn it!

Following him down the stairs to catch him, as soon as her shiny white boot touched the flagstone, she could hear the angry voices in her mind and howls in the distance down the corridor.

"You are amazing!" Her companion declared. Right before he turned invisible, revealing an ogre charging down the hallway right for her.

"You're UNBELIEVABLE!" she screamed after him, only practicality stopping her from throwing a dispel in the direction he must have gone. It would serve him right, but she didn't feel like being beaten to a pulp for the sake of petulance and no matter what, the dungeon's beasts would focus on her, so she turned her magic on the incoming hordes.

The ogre strained Filli's shields and the lesser demons and firbolgs broke them. Even as they died by the score, more kept coming. Suddenly it felt like the air was sucked from her lungs before the hallway exploded in a ball of fire that stopped just inches from her, though the heat washed over her. Many of the demons survived the explosion unscathed, but fiends were also particularly vulnerable to her magic and fell quickly before her.

Standing behind the carnage on the other side of the bodies was the man. His hood had blown back, revealing a truly handsome, tanned face, long red hair, and a pair of small black horns jutted from his forehead, giving away his fiendish heritage. A Tiefling.

"Come on if you want a portion of my treasure when we kill the floor boss." He took a moment to look her up and down, not having been able to do so from beneath his hood.

The human's platinum blonde hair was currently braided thickly down her back, brushing the light curve of it, hinting that its length could reach her butt when loose. Sapphire eyes contrasted well with the paleness of her hair and skin tone, and were glaring at him right now, at all her 5' 7" height. She wore a conservative priest's robe, as befitted of her rank as a divine idol. "YOUR treasure? You wouldn't have gotten through the first floor if not for me, you arrogant demon spawn, show some damn gratitude!" she snapped.

He sighed, blinked, and before she knew it, he was kissing her full on the mouth.

Shock had Filli frozen in place for a solid ten seconds before she wrenched away, shoving his chest. "You... how... Is that seriously what... I said gratitude, not... not..." she couldn't seem to complete a full outraged sentence. The nerve! True... she'd been yearning for some kind of more personal contact, but this was no gentleman and he'd just stolen her first kiss and treated it like it was a favor!

"I realize it was a bit much for gratitude, but you can keep the change. Come, milady...?" She realized then that they had not even exchanged names. The man waited expectantly, even as he bowed and waved for her to accompany him.

His absolute irreverence could only be called infuriating. Frustrating. Absolutely unheard of, frankly. If she gave him her name, surely all of that would change and... either he'd leave entirely or behave just like everyone else. "...Filli. You can call me Filli."

Once they return to town, he'll know the truth about her, but for now... maybe some irreverence could be a nice change.

"Like the horse. Cute. I knew a dancer... exotic... named Filly. Apparently, she could screw like a..." he prattled on as he headed down the hall. Filli's teeth ground together as she followed, trying not to let his casual talk of whores bother her. A normal woman wouldn't be so bothered by it, so neither would she be.

"I'm Eris, with an 'E', not to be confused with the famous stripper Heiress, with an 'H'. Watch the third flagstone, it's a trap. So, this boss is supposed to be a fire giant. Now, I do have some fancy spells to deal with such a foe, but will you be able to keep up? If not, they are easily distracted, maybe a little show to throw it off guard?"

"I do not put on shows." she hissed between clenched teeth. "Did it ever occur to you that women are something more than objects to get off on?"

Eris gasped in shock. "Lady Filli, are you suggesting that dancers and strippers are the same as..." his voice dropped to a whisper, "Whores?" He shook his head sadly. "Such a narrow mind. Poor lasses just trying to earn a few silvers to pay for apprenticeships, condemned to be scorned as wanton harlots by the high and mighty." He shook his head again in remorse for the cruelness of society as he made a turn to a wide corridor leading to a pair of double bronze doors.

"Yet you have given me absolutely no cause to believe that that is not exactly how you see every woman you come across, even one who is clearly on par with your magical ability! Hypocrite!" She drew up her sleeves, freeing her hands in preparation to begin her spellcasting when those doors were opened.

He stopped in front of the door, leaning in to listen at the door before smiling. "I appreciate the beauty of women. I like their soft curves and their firm curves. And I like to explore them with whatever part of my body happens to be around. It really isn't a crime. Duck."

He threw open the door and the fire giant beyond it, enraged at her very existence, hurled a flaming stone at Filli before charging forward, clearly not respecting the idea of staying in its room.

Filli dropped to the ground, letting the stone fly overhead, before scrambling to her feet, casting defensively as she tried to back away and give Eris some space and time to do whatever he'd intended. So it was with some surprise that she found the rogue-mage was not near the doors anymore... or near the giant at all... was that him over by the giant's hoard!?!

The giant stomped forward and swung its fiery greatsword at her, smashing at her shields and wards with such strength that even through them Filli could feel the bruises and burns.

Gritting her teeth, secure in the certainty of her immortality, she began to go on the offensive with no alternative, deciding this to be as far as she's willing to go with this untrustworthy demon spawn. She surrounded herself with ghostly guardians that began to attack the giant while she could focus on staying conscious and alive.

The Giant roared its anger and continued to batter her wards. Immortal she may be, but she felt it when her defenses fell and she took the first hit in her hidden mithril armor. The second didn't feel quite as bad as unconsciousness threatened to consume her. Suddenly the giant's angry bellows became squeals of pain, and it dropped its blade, both hands reaching towards its back. As it spun in place, she found Eris on its back, one arm wrapped tightly in its hair as the other repeatedly stabbed it in the neck and spine.

Filli watched him with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, her nostrils flaring as she waited, letting him contribute to the fight for the first time, damn him. Kill thieving didn't bother her, and she already did her part, so she was more than satisfied to sit back and watch, channeling healing energy into herself. If he took a hit or two from the flailing hands that swung around him, that won't bother her at all, either.

Tragically, not one of those hands made contact with the male as the giant's attacks slowed, then it dropped to its knees and groaned its last breath before falling on its face. Riding it all the way down, Eris assumed a dashing pose atop the corpse, declaring "Eris, the Giant Slayer!"

"Eris, the Loot Thief." Filli retorted, brushing past the corpse to see if he left anything while listing off more appropriate titles, "Eris, the Greedy. Eris, the 'Loot first, Attack at the Last Second'. Eris, the Mooch..."

"Well, I suppose I could have pelted it with my miniscule ice spells as I originally planned." He says as he leaps down beside her. "But then I saw this frost dagger in its hoard..." he displayed his new prize. There was still a sizable hoard remaining.

"Oh, so you were just lying to me when you claimed to have some "fancy spells" to deal with this kind of thing? And that's better how? Clearly you have absolutely no idea how to work as a team."

He rolled his eyes. "And you clearly are the expert on that, which explains why you showed up here alone. Look milady, if you are really so bothered by my presence, I can go back." Leaving her alone. Again. Without even a lecherous man who could be closer than five feet from her without groveling on his knees...

"I'm less bothered by your presence than your words and attitude." she snapped, "If you're going to continue to compare me to the whores in your life, without showing an ounce of respect, I may just take you up on that offer!"

He grinned at her lack of dismissal, and dipped into a dramatic bow, saying, "I shall endeavor to restrain myself. The rest of the hoard is yours. I suppose even though I had to actually kill the beast, you did contribute. Should we rest? My mana is depleted and frankly, I could use a massage."

Lesser dungeon creatures were weak and would regenerate in hours. The bosses, however, took at least a day and up to a week to reform. Boss rooms were usually safe because other creatures could not enter them, making them ideal areas to rest on a multi-day dive, especially as most of them could also be locked. Normally Filli opted to leave a dungeon when her resources ran low because she had no one to rotate watches with, but this time...

"Massage yourself." she muttered, going to the doors to close them. She needed the rest, too, as even her divine healing couldn't keep the exhaustion of constant and often overwhelming combat at bay. "I'll take first watch."

Filli returned to the treasure pile to rummage through for anything interesting, with wealth being nowhere near a priority for the Light's Scion. Among the loot she found a breastplate that would improve her defenses. However, it was clearly made by a male for a female, being little more than breast-plates. She made absolutely sure the enchantments worked, but...

Behind her she heard unfurling, likely a bedroll. More rustling followed, making her wonder... is he raising a tent? Filli glared at the breast plate, but after a moment, decided that as it'll all be beneath her robes, there's no harm in taking it. She put it aside, taking the opportunity to glance covertly at Eris to see what he was doing.

He was naked. Completely. Red hair trailed down his back, just below his broad shoulders. Chiseled thighs extended from a firmly sculpted ass. He stretched his arms up, making all the muscles flex and pull along the nearly bronze body. He moved to get into his bed, turning his side toward her, and she saw his hidden baton swing into view, all eight inches of... not a baton...

Filli's head snapped forward again with enough force to crack her neck a bit, making her wince and rub it. Demon spawn. Shameless, debaucherous, heinous creatures, each and every one. She could swear she heard a slight chuckle before more rustling that hopefully indicated he was now safely hidden in his bedroll. "Are you sure about the massage? I would, of course, return the favor."

"Yes, I'm sure." she answered tersely. She may be desperate for the touch of another person, but she would be damned if she let him treat her like a common whore!

Eris sighed as he settled in to sleep for his four hours of rest, leaving Filli on watch.

Nearly an hour later, having given Eris time to have truly fallen asleep, the woman pulled her robe open, doing her best to remain quiet as she removed her old,

proper

breastplate to swap it out for her new 'bra plate', as she bitterly referred to it in her head. She faced Eris while changing, wanting to watch him and reassure herself that there was truly no way he could be ogling her through slitted eyes.

Filli was able to watch his sleeping form up until her old chainmail was over her eyes. It would be fine, she thought, her Emotions Calmed. His silky voice was in her ear and while it surprised her, it didn't anger or alarm her as he said, "Let me help."

She fumbled with her armor at the sound of his voice, leaving herself slightly compromised and she felt his hands slide up her sides, hooking under the links to help her pull it off, leaving her in just her bra.

When her head came free, she could still see him sleeping in front of her, though her new doubt let her see his figure was slightly translucent. An illusion.

Holding the loose chain shirt in front of her like a blanket, Filli's eyes darted around the room as she frowned unhappily. "I can see through your illusion, Eris." she said with forced exasperation, a small quiver in her voice, "This is childish and immature."

Eris's blanket crumpled down flat, suddenly empty. His hands returned to her hips. Invisible, of course. She was pulled a half step back into a warm form. So very warm. Were people always this warm? She had long forgotten...

"I merely want to help you change your armor. And yes, to touch you. But only gently. Unless you don't want me to." His cinnamon scented breath blew warmly across the back of her neck, his hands staying on her hips, not exploring the too-cool portions of her flesh that were not touching him.

"You've done nothing to make me want you to touch me." besides existing... There was only a trace of the bitterness that otherwise would have been in full force without his spell soothing her mind. "You're rude, crude, tactless, brash, happy to compare me to whores, and all around disrespectful."

Through the light scolding, though, Filli hadn't stepped away, trying to use the words to work up the resolve to do so and only half-heartedly attempting to pull away once she's done, asking, "Why would I want you to touch me, if it ultimately means nothing?"

His hands slid forward gently, over her tight belly to halt her, but his grip was light and would be easy to pull away from. Such warm hands, so much warmer than the cold loneliness that has been the only thing to embrace her over a long five-hundred years.

"It means you are alive, that's something, isn't it? I am not going to bed you. Or even suggest you remove your greaves. I am going to slide my hands up your body and touch you very gently, toss this chainmail aside, and then turn you around."

Eris didn't ask for her blessing. He didn't thank her for living when a dozen others died to get her to that cursed throne. He didn't worship her.

Instead, he told her what he intended to do. No asking involved. No groveling. Just taking... and was well on his way as she felt those fiery hands touching the bottom of her bra.

Even with the Calm Emotions, Filli found the contact utterly unbearable. Overwhelming in every possible way, as her body drank in the heat of his touch, and she had to close her eyes to shield the tears in them from being noticed. It was truly meaningless, and not at all what she had spent centuries yearning for, but... it was something. Filli found herself unable to pull away, letting him continue.

His hands caressed her breasts over her bra. He gave them a tender squeeze to assess their size, smiling approvingly at finding the pair of generous C-cups, full and firm. Filli swallowed and as she looked down at her breasts in his hands, she couldn't help but notice that her nipples had hardened without being touched.