Ambrosia

Prologue:

If you have ever had one of those moments in your life where you stop yourself and wonder, just how the hell you got to that point, then you may understand the way she feels right now. The metal greaves of the armor she wore clanked against the stone floor as she moved. She was running. Correction, she was running for her very life. She could not stop, not if she wanted to live. She had to escape, and she had to find the way out of this gods forsaken place. Truly the gods did not see into this dark hole, for their presence was nowhere to be found. All that lingered here, were monsters.

But she had to get out, for the sake of her children, for the sake of the man she loved, she HAD to get free. The light of her torch illuminated the path before her, but not quite far enough to pierce the darkness deeply. Just enough to see what monsters she would run into just before she reached them. But that was not the point at this moment, for the path before her was clear, but the path behind was not. She rounded another corner quickly and sprinted as fast as she could down the long corridor before her. The stone slate beneath her made it easier to run and indicated that this place was built here for a reason. And that reason was to house what was behind her.

She peered over her shoulder and saw movement in the darkness, that thing was still chasing her. She couldn't let it catch her. No matter what, she had to get away. And she thought just that.

I will make it... I must make it. For them.

She heard the large mass of flesh slam into th e wall behind her from the corner she had just turned. She had put some distance between her and it. Good. It snorted and growled in frustration and snapped its massive maw. She heard it over her steps as she ran, she heard it over the thumping of her heart in her ears. Then another rhythm began again behind her. The rhythm of its stomps on the floor behind her. It was still chasing. It was determined to catch her. Perhaps just as determined as she was to get away. She could feel the vibrations in the floor from the huge beast slamming each foot down as it gave chase to its quarry. It thundered after her, faster than the beat of her heart thumping in her chest. It was closing all ready. She could not run fast enough in her armor. It carried too much weight, and slowed her down. There was no way she would out run this beast in a straight away.

She saw passages ahead. Perhaps they were more twists and turns that she could use to slow the beast. But it was still quite a few strides ahead. Could she make it there in time? Could she out run the creature for the next few seconds? As one foot landed, and then the other, again and again, she felt as though she might make it. She may live, may survive and escape this beast.

But as she neared the first passage, she felt something hot on the back of her neck. It caused a cold chill to run up her spine. The realization struck her that the creature was so close, she could feel it breathing on the back of her neck. Most would be paralized with fear, but she was a warrior, a fighter. She had felt real fear standing in the presence of a dragon, she had felt real fear when He found her. The fear of this beast at her back, only steeled her resolve to run as fast as she could. But she could not help but glance again. Over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of what chased her, what could it be this time?

Many beasts in the darkness of this place had chased her, but as the light of her torch illuminated the beast and cast its shadow on the wall, she knew that this thing was huge, and extremely close. Close enough that at any moment, it could reach out with whatever it had to snatch her up and end her. Break her clean in half perhaps? Judging by the sheer size of the creature, it was possible. What would it do next? Eat her? Torture her? How smart was it? It was right there, within touching distance. A split second was all it would take, and her hopes and prayers would end. Her attempt to survive would be over. Her children, by the gods her children. Alexxa, Quinn, they would be raised by the very bastard who put her down here. He lured her into this damned situation and because of him, the loves of her life, would never be seen again. A split second, and everything was over.

Panic gripped her at that thought. But not in the way that one would think. It did not seize her mind. It did not stop her movements. It did flow through her body and soul, but she did not freeze up. Quite the opposite. She gained focus.

Her instinct kicked in and the world seemed to slow down. Images flashed through her mind, as her eyes searched and her brain registered things she saw in this split second instance. Things she hadn't noticed when she was running for her life. Thoughts, feelings, actions and reflex seemed to all react at once in a stopped moment in time.

She loved him.

The walls were 15 feet high, based on the 1 foot wide stone bricks that stretched from the floor to the ceiling stacked upon one another, and torches lined the wall every 20 feet.

Her daughters would never know why her mother left them.

There was nothing on the walls to climb.

The love of her life had asked her to marry him, and she couldn't say yes, yet.

There was a small passage, at the bottom of the wall to her right. She would not fit, while still in armor.

He

had found her after all these years.

Her hands came up to the clasps on her armor above her breast in unison after she dropped her torch. She unclasped them.

Her children would be left alone if she didn't survive.

Her heel turned perfectly and her armor scrapped against the passage walls as she slid out of it and into the passage. Leaving her without torso armor, in just a cloth top. But she was somewhere this creature could not get her. She will see them again. The beast behind her came into view as the torch flickered on the ground where she dropped it.

The cold stone chilled her as she slid against it, peering up between her armor straps out at the creature as it flew past where she had seemingly just vanished beneath the wall. She heard the beast tumble as it grasped for where she had been just a second before. She didn't know how she had slid away so quickly, but the gods still must be on her side. She heard the beast roar in anger and slam something against the floor. Felt it vibrate against her breast and back as she slid a little further down the passage. She saw its giant hand reach into the hole and grab the armor, yanking it free easily. It didn't seem pleased to find she wasn't in it. That made her smirk. It moved down to look into the hole. Its features passed the opening as she watched. She heard her heart thud in her chest hard. It peered down the hole at her.

She gasped.

His gaze seemed to pierce her very soul. Those eyes, they were so intense. They were a fierce blue that almost seemed to glow. She knew he could see her. Just as she could see him in the light of her torch that was still on the floor next to the beast. The passage seemed to be at an angle downward, and she backed up just a bit further. She couldn't look away from him. She knew what he was. And he knew she was in this small hole in the wall. It huffed, and pulled back. That large paw of a hand came into the hole again, reaching for her. She backed away just enough to be out of reach. Her breath caught. She had done it. She had gotten away. It looked inside again to see if she was still there. And there she was, looking back into those eyes.

There was something familiar about the way he looked at her. Something that almost put her fears to rest. For a moment, just a moment, she felt as if the hole wasn't deep enough. She felt he had her, he would somehow reach her. Her will would break as it always seemed to in this type of intense situation. It would demand, and she would submit. Its very gaze seemed to feel as if it had already subdued her. The beast pulled away and stood up again, and then she heard his roar echo into this small passage. It stomped on the ground in front of the hole she had slid into. Reminding her that he was a beast after all. Dangerous, and angry. She was sure he would reach for her again, she backed up a bit further, afraid that if it looked into the hole once more, it would have her. Then the floor beneath her suddenly gave way.

Her mind reeled as she tumbled through the darkness. The confines of the passage gave way to nothingness. She spun in the darkness. The pitch black darkness was never ending. She hit something firm with a thud. It felt like the fall had taken minutes in the dark, when it had only been seconds really. The wind left her lungs when she landed on her back and it took her a moment before she could breath in again. Pain shot through her spine right into her head from the landing, and she groaned. Well, she had lost her torso armor. She still had her shirt, greeves, and gauntlets though.

Above her, she heard a muffled version of the beasts roar once more. Then a thump, followed by another. It felt like dust of some kind was falling on her face but she could not see. She guessed the beast was beating on the wall to try to get to her. She heard something like stone rubbing against stone above her. The passage apparently closed up, because the sounds became fainter.

This Labyrinth she was in had shifted, and for the moment, she was safe. And now she knew for sure, she was in just that, a Labyrinth. For a moment she gave in to memory. She remembered its massive features. Its muscular legs and arms, covered with short fur that let skin show through enough that she could make out its muscle lines. It had black hooves for feet, and atop its muscular torso was the monstrous horned head. It had long white horns that were stained mostly red with blood. It had done its fair share of killing down here. Its muzzle was filled with both flat and pointed teeth. It could eat plants like a cow, or meat like humans. There was no doubt, this labyrinth came complete with its own

Minotaur.

She willed herself to sit up. And she reached out with hands feeling along the floor until she found the wall. Remembering early that this labyrinth had torches every 20 feet or so. She slowly slid her hands up and along the wall until she found a torch. She took off her gauntlet and struck it against the stone above the torch over and over, causing sparks to fall. Until after a moment, the torch was lit. She surveyed her surroundings. Above her was that large stone slab for a ceiling, the walls were still 15 feet high, but instead of bricks, they were covered in ornate carvings. Quite beautiful carvings really, some with etchings beneath them. She wondered if it was arcane writings.

She wished Jaina was here to tell her. She smiled at the thoughts of her friend momentarily. Looking down she found the floor was stone once again, a slab. How many floors did this labyrinth have? Did it matter? For now she was safe.

She lost the beast, and it would be some time before he found her again by the sound of it. She had to keep moving, and hope she didn't run into any other creatures. She pulled the torch off the wall and began to walk. There were passages everywhere on this level it seemed, and one caught her eye. A very thin corridor that she knew the beast was too large to fit between. She squeezed her body through the passage into a cul de sac.

Looking around she saw the stone circle of a room filled with dead bodies. Others that had come here to starve to death it seemed. She slumped against the wall and slid down it slowly. Looking over she saw one of the dead bodies had a sword clutched in his hands. Since she had not been given a weapon when she was thrown in here, she went ahead and took it from the warrior that would not need it any longer. She couldn't stay here too long, but it was safe enough to get some rest. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

"How the hell did my life get to this point?" she painfully asked herself as tears began to swell in her eyes. She cried until sleep took her.

Chapter 1: Adventure

Ambrosia's eyes opened slowly this morning, she looked over at her husband who snored quietly on his side of the bed. She laughed a bit and sat up in bed. She and her husband Edward lived a decent life. She stood slowly and slid herself out of bed.

Ambrosia was a fighter for hire for about 2 years now. They made money easily enough. She looked at Edward as he slept and let out a sigh. She and Edward had met in a tavern one night after a particularly hard adventure. He was cute, funny and kind. Very flirty and just dirty enough to be fun. He wasn't perfect. But she loved him, enough anyway. He wasn't like

HIM

. So she dated Edward again, and again. They married 4 months later. The first 6 months were wonderful, but the relationship slowed down after that. When they moved into the house they now lived in, they both had to work more, and they saw less of one another. But that was life.

She had to go see the guild this morning where she and other adventurers took on jobs, to see if she could get any work. Today was like most days, she stopped to glance at the mirror and look at herself. She hated how she looked. To her, she looked like a fat cow with huge udders and a dragging ass with tree trunk thighs and wings under her arms. At least, that's what she has been told all her life. She was fat, and worthless. She wanted to change that, and that's why she had chosen to be a fighter for hire. She would learn to fight, and fight back against the horrible people of the world.

In truth she stood at 5'11". Her face was gently round, with narrow brown eyes with golden specks in them. She had long flowing dark hair that seemed to cascade down to the small of her back. Her breasts were larger than most women. Her tailor had told her they were 42 triple D. Her body hour glassed downward to her hips which flared back out nicely. Her ass wasn't dragging as she thought but bubbled quite well. Her legs were a bit thicker than she would like, but she was working on it.

"I don't look too bad..." she told herself. Though she was convinced it was a lie.

She pulled her shirt over her and slid on a pair of breeches. She quietly moved out of their bedroom, towards her living room. Her eyes took in the rather nice looking decorations and furniture she worked so hard to provide for her family. While it wasn't anything grand, she was still very proud of the things they had. The "kitchen" area came with a small dining hall and a hearth for preparing food. They had one long table for eating while the rest of the area was adorned with soft satin curtains that served as a room divider for her various "trophies" from her adventures, tucked off to the side. Making her way through the great chamber of her modest home towards the door, she grabbed a sword off the weapon rack, opened the door, and went out into the city of White Harbor.

A port city of opportunity, far from the inland farmlands where she came from. She had run away from home at 19, coming here and joining the first adventurers guild she could find. That was two years ago. She had run from her past life and started a new one far away from the past she despised.

Now she was a fighter in an adventure guild instead of a quivering child. She was a warrior instead of a slut to the man she called

Him

. She hated

Him

. She hated herself for what she let

Him

do to her. She hated herself for allowing it. She hated herself for enjoying it. Hated herself for loving, no she despised that place. She was ashamed for missing some of the things she did in that place. She was not going back to that place. She would not let herself do it again. She had to stop looking back.

She walked through the street to the guild hall and stepped inside. There were a few other members in there, including Jaina. Jaina was her friend. The first person she had met here and almost her exact copy. There were other people whom she had worked with on occasion. But she and Jaina had become friends quickly due to having some of the same opinions on many things. Jaina was kind, and on their first adventure together Jaina had gone out of her way to help her. After that, they worked together often. Taking on challenges that sometimes they overcame, and sometimes they came up short. One in particular they had been caught and locked away as ransom for 2 days. They learned a lot about one another those nights.

Oh, and Jaina was a flirt. Something Edward didn't know. He would probably get jealous over it. If he knew. Ambrosia considered for a moment that maybe she wasn't the best wife. She enjoyed Jaina and her flirting. She enjoyed the attention, it was electrifying. To have someone find her that desirable always made her feel that way. Maybe it was Edwards fault for being a poor husband, maybe it was her fault for loving the attention. She knew the answer, and she always felt bad when she would allow herself to admit the truth.

No matter. She put it to the back of her mind with the rest of her thoughts and headed to the posting wall to check on any new jobs that may be available.

******Edward******

Edward awoke this morning to find as usual his wife was not there. She had probably headed into town to look for work. He groaned as he looked down the length of his body to his cock. He was throbbing hard this morning. He was a stocky man that was built for war in his own mind. He probably weighed in at about three hundred and twenty five pounds. Strength of an oxen. He was 6'1 and damn it, he needed his wife this morning. He reached down and grabbed his 5 to 6 inches of manhood and began to stroke. Pumping his cock with his hand as he groaned again.

"Damn it Ambrosia. Where the fuck are you" he complained to no one in particular.

A year ago she would have sucked his hard cock until he came in her mouth as he awoke. Now, she was always heading off on some adventures or hanging out with her friend, or Edward had to pull a shift, or was at the tavern with his buddies, or out hunting with his father, or at training, or hanging out with his friends outside the brothel looking at the sexy women standing on the corner, or down at the docks watching the people come off the boats. He had a lot of things he liked to do. Wasn't his fault his wife was too damn busy to enjoy them with him.

Thinking about the whores tho...his hand pumped faster. That one with the plump ass. Fuck yeah. He was an ass man. For sure. He pumped his hand faster. Thinking about the times he had thrown them coins to see their tits, or rub their ass against his cock. He squeezed his cock and moaned as he filled his hand with cum.

He wiped it on the bed then got up and headed into the hearth. He stopped and nearly growled. She hadn't even put breakfast on the table for him?

"What the fuck..." he complained again.

He was the man of the house damn it. He was starting to regret speaking to Ambrosia first when they had met, instead of her friend. Jaina. He shook his head.

"Maybe she would have made a better fucking wife. Who tended to her man's damn desires as wife's are supposed to do." He grumped.

Sure he had been all suave and shit for the first couple of months. Got her to marry him. But she was still acting like she wasn't his wife. Like she wasn't supposed to tend to his every need like wives are supposed to do. When they first got married, they fucked all the time. Twice a week at least. Now he was lucky to get it once a week. At first she was so alluring and the fantasies he had about her were so hot. The fantasies they would enact were amazing, but since they got the house? It had stopped. Sure she was a good woman, but she wasn't the best wife and now he was bored with her. Especially since she would not do her wifely duties. But then he remembered his father's words to him the day he got married.