Fair warning: This story contains some pretty dark themes. If you're okay with that, I hope you enjoy.
*****
Chapter 2
True to the demon's word, the process lasted one year and one day. During this time, the Five Kingdoms of men were alerted to the fate of the amulet, and a massive manhunt was on the way. The reward was high enough that even the simplest of peasants could live well – his subsequent generations, too. Needless to say, knights and adventurers from all across the Five Kingdoms of Man involved themselves in the search. The goal the mages gave was simple: Find the creature that destroyed the amulet and bring its head. A year later, someone finally did. It was too late.
For three days, Dolan the Dishonored led his group of misfits deep into the Forest of Antiquity. The forest had been searched many times before, but nothing was ever found. Dolan, thinking that these groups simply did not bring enough supplies or courage to search found a few people willing to brave the deepest, darkest depths of the woods. Only the toughest, bravest, and/or most foolhardy would do. He found three that fit the bill, nicely.
Dolan was the kind of man people never messed with. Anyone who did either lost his guts, or his head. It was this ruthlessness towards even his fellows that got him kicked out of the Knights of the Sun. He was quite the well-built man, and rather big, even for a knight. He had a reputation among adventurers as a man who took high-risk jobs with a large reward. The fact that in almost every mission he was the sole survivor meant that not many would work with him.
Red Bear was the typical barbarian – big muscles and and little clothing. The fact that she was a woman at least made it a somewhat pleasant sight. She was far from looking the typical woman, being over six feet tall, and her breasts were almost gone in favor of her pectoral muscles. She wielded a large two- handed ax and wore heavy hide boots and a bikini made of animal skins. She never understood why the people of civilization looked at her weirdly. Maybe it was her long, curly red hair. Either way, she had heard of Dolan before, and knew of his reputation. That just meant he was tough. Red Bear was even tougher.
When people heard the word 'ranger', thoughts of elves and humans braving nature and guiding people through potentially hostile territory came to mind. No one would think of a halfling doing so. That was largely why Calvin Renny had trouble finding work. He was quite fit and was quite the marksman with a crossbow. Unfortunately, as hard as he trained and no matter how good he was, he was overlooked for a job. It was a no-brainer when Dolan came to him with the offer of a lifetime. He jumped at the opportunity.
And then there was Terrence. He was formerly a member of the Order of Sais, but when the amulet incident happened, he was caught up in the wave of hysteria and was one of those dismissed for political reasons. He had given the Order fifty years of his life, and it was all taken away from him in a matter of moments. Terrence wanted revenge on the thief, plain and simple. Dolan gave him the opportunity.
They arrived in the late afternoon. It took the group three days to get to where they would begin the search. "We'll set camp, here," Dolan told the others. He looked at the pack mules Red Bear was leading. "We should have enough food to last us a week, so we need to get to work as soon as possible."
Everyone started removing the packs they were carrying. "Renny, you said there was water nearby. Go get some. Bear, grab us some firewood. Terrence and I will set up camp."
Though nearly exhausted from their long trek through the woods, the group worked quickly and before they knew it, the sun had almost set. This deep in the woods, it meant night had fallen. The only light available to them was fire that now burned in their midst. Soon, they would be fast asleep, taking turns at the watch.
*****
It is time.
Just one hundred yards from the camp, beneath the roots of a tree and covered with brush, sat Ana's prison. The solid black substance that had molded itself completely to her body had grown until her figure looked no longer human. For the past year and a day, the demon did just what he said he would. He had worked her inside and out, unrelenting in his sexual torture of her. All that time, the only thing she could do was endure.
Wake up.
The shell around Ana slowly melted away and she slowly crawled out of the small cave into the open forest. She stood up and stretched, revealing the work Meerach had done. Her body underwent a significant change. She went from athletic to a slender but very well-defined musculature. Her skin had turned incredibly pale and her lips had turned very dark.
She was decked in ornate armor as black as night. It was not made of any metal, but it was stronger than the mightiest steel. These plates covered strategic places along her arms and the front of her thighs and knees. On down were armored boots with high, but thick, heels. Her helmet only covered her face down to her nose and completely blocked her eyes. Once again she used the demon's eyes to see. Her long, dark hair was neatly braided and draped over shoulder almost down to her waist. Her gauntlets ended in claws sharp enough to tear through flesh with ease. On her torso was a breastplate that mimicked the front of her body perfectly. It showed off her new well defined abdomen and plentiful breasts, including her nipples. From waist were attached three additional plates, one in front and two at her sides. On the back of the armor was molded a scabbard holding a bastard sword made of the same infernal material as her armor.
