Demonthorn Ch 04

Ravencrag was not even close to what Lora had thought it would be. She had heard stories of a luxurious and gleaming palace that would burn the unrighteous if they dared to touch it and warrior women that wore armor forged by anjels with walls that dwarfed even the mountains themselves.

In reality it was a sprawling city-like structure surrounded by a stone wall that connected to the cliffs behind it. They entered through a gate that was even unguarded and the moat outside of the wall was filled with the contents of slop buckets and privies that made her nose wrinkle.

Women of all shapes and sizes worked within the wall. She saw that some sewed, some cooked and most just went about their daily lives. She saw no great warriors, no weapons that could smite evil or anything all that different from a regular town, except that there were no men.

"This is Ravencrag?" Asked Lora.

"I know she is not much to look at now, but the Citadel is near the back of the city, which is going to be far more impressive than anything you have seen in your entire life." Said Kelli with a grin. "Half the reason I am a jangler is to see the look on first timer's faces."

At this Lora brightened.

"Word of this doesn't get around much, but the Citadel simply is too small to hold all the sisters anymore. The city was created so that we can take on more recruits and to feed, clothe and train them."

"What happens if the demons attack?" Asked Lora "There wasn't even a guard at the gate."

"The city is deemed expendable in an attack." Kelli's jaw clenched at this. "It is actually a defensive measure beyond the wall as well."

"What do you mean? I think I could climb that wall and sneak in if I wanted to." Said Lora.

"Well, demons are not ones for subtlety or stealth, so a sneak attack is not really a concern. Demons are creatures of impulses, they have to be whipped into line by their masters to even accomplish the simplest tasks." Said Kelli. "Simply put, they would be too distracted raping and pillaging to even think about the Citadel before we had our army here to crush them."

"So all of this, all of these women are just here to be raped in case of a demon attack? That is awful!" Lora said, looking around.

"No, that is only the most dire of their roles. They help to support all of the warriors, soldiers and officers so that they can defend the world. Many of them are like you." Kelli said, pointing to Lora. " people who have lost everything and have nowhere else to go."

They walked the winding streets in silence. The city was not that crowded, but was constructed as if it were a megalopolis like Siluntar or Theopolis. Lora began to see the defensive measures that Kelli had been talking about, hidden in the very construction of the city and buildings.

The winding streets prevented anyone from reaching the Citadel (which she hadn't seen yet) from a direct route. The tops of the buildings had slots for archers to snipe from and spears were everywhere as decorations so that in case of an attack, no woman was unarmed for long.

"This place is more than a rape pit isn't it? The city is designed with no direct route to the center and there are fortifications everywhere." Said Lora.

"Very good, every woman in this city is trained to kill demons. The demons may be intent on penetrating us, but I can guarantee that a true Valkyrie will take down five times her number in demons before they get to her."

Lora saw a gleaming white edifice rise out of the morass of the city, it had a red roof and was not the fortress that Lora had been told about.

"Is that the citadel over there?" Asked Lora.

"No, that is just the Women's House." Said Kelli with a smile. "Although we let everyone who is not a Valkyrie think it is. That way the demons have a false target to attack."

"What is the Women's House?" Asked Lora. "I have never heard such a thing."

"Why do you pester me with questions? The entire journey you are so silent you are almost bad company and now that you are here you want to learn everything in the first hour."

"I didn't know what I didn't know, so I thought I would wait and see what everything was like."

"Well that is actually a horrible way to learn about the world. If you are going to be asking questions you need to be asking them constantly. The reason a Valkyrie is worth five demons is that she is learned, she knows to plan and strike swiftly. She lays traps and ambushes and she does all this by constantly finding out what she doesn't know so that one day when her life depends on having a knowledge she can use it to kill demons." said Kelli.

Lora was silent for a moment.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Very good Lora. You are perceptive and I think that will take you far in Ravencrag." Kelli thought for a moment while Lora waited for her answer. "You must know by now that men have needs that only a woman can satisfy."

"Woman's hands work too. I have had a load of semen spurted on my face enough times to know that too."

"Right, sometimes you are so normal that I forget what you have come from. But the opposite is true as well. Women have needs that the rest of the world thinks can only be met by a man and as you can see, there are no men here." Said Kelli.

"You mean there are women in that place that have, um, male equipment?" Said Lora shocked and more than a little curious.

Kelli started laughing so loud that a passing woman in armor frowned, probably because she wasn't in on the joke. Or maybe because she thought it was about her.

Lora pouted until Kelli had finished laughing.

"I have never actually heard it put that way, but it is not what you think. The ladies of the House only have the female parts, but they have apparatus and machines that can simulate the male parts. Fingers work as well."

At this Lora blushed and began to feel the heat of desire stir in her body. She had long ago figured out what fingers were good for and had secretly pleasured herself in the dormitory of the brothel many times, fantasizing about a farm hand that had worked on her family's land before she was taken away.

"Lovers meet there too. It keeps things from getting out of hand in all the rest of the city. Women meeting and fucking all over the place is no good because then no work gets done. And what if half of the city is fucking each other during an alert or an attack?" Said Kelli. "Having the House ensures that we all have a place to go when it is appropriate to do so."

"Are many of the women here, um..." Began Lora, but she faltered.

"You mean how many of us are into tits and pussy?" Laughed Kelli. "I really do think everyone tries it at least once. Some more than others. I prefer to think of a woman's sexuality as a moving target that changes with the phases of the moon. On the Goddess day I am sure that everyone visits the House at least once for the orgy."

Lora coughed and blushed even more as Kelli watched bemusedly.

"There is an orgy to celebrate the Goddess?" Said Lora incredulously when she had recovered a bit.

"Can you think of a better way to honor the giver of life than in the most carnal way possible?"

"We just used to dance around in short skirts and put flowers on everything." Said Lora. "We also paint gourds and bake cakes to celebrate Her sweet bounty."

"Well, outside the city it is not so appropriate to have an orgy, so the people make do with watching you young girls prance around and shake your assets for the men to pleasure themselves to later on." Kelli grinned as Lora seemed lost in thought. "You didn't thought it was weird that the young boys never pranced around for the women?"

"I guess not. I never thought the Goddess being so... perverted." Said Lora, her mind busy comprehending the new way she could see the world.

Kelli frowned.

"It is only perverted if you let yourself be tied to the ways outside of Ravencrag. Where women are cheap and men cheaper to use them." She spat at the ground. "The Goddess has given us something beautiful and those old men in Theopolis are so bitter they can't get any that they make everyone feel sinful for the gift of our Goddess."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. The girl had a lot to think about, mostly sexual love. It was something that she had never experienced nor hoped for while a girl nor in the brothel. She had fantasies of a gallant knight coming to get his dick wet but taking pity on both sisters and whisking them away. It was ridiculous, but it helped to get her off after scrubbing the cum from her face for the next man.

Lora began to wonder if the Citadel was even real, or if it was if they were ever going to get there. It seemed like they had walked through the gates hours ago. Just when Lora felt as if she should say something to Kelli, the jangler stopped at the top of a set of stairs.

When Lora reached her, what she saw took her breath away. It was then that she realized that the cliffs that bordered the town

were

the Citadel. They were carved with doorways and paths that wound through the entire cliff face. Paintings of Furies, warriors and anjels decorated the smooth surface at the bottoms of the cliffs, worn down by what must have been generations of stone workers.

Lora craned her neck back and saw that the windows and doorways stretched impossibly high above her head. She saw women warriors all over the place in their gleaming armor that accentuated each woman's breasts and curves. Clearly each woman had her armor made and maintained specifically for her. Lora had never seen such a wondrous thing in all her life.

"Everyone is speechless their first time Lora." Grinned Kelli.

"How do we get up, there are no doors near the bottom and that smooth stone there won't allow us to climb up."

"Look closer." was all Kelli would say.

Lora squinted and strained her eyes, hoping to see what was happening at the wall. She saw the little figures of people and was astonished at the scale of the Citadel. That was when she saw little baskets being lowered all over the the side of the citadel. She saw the little figures of people being hoisted up in the baskets and stopping at the lowest levels of the citadel to drop them off.

"Those little baskets drop people off and pick them up."

"Yes, we find it is an easy defense against an attack. It also reduces spies and traitors if it is so incredibly hard to leave the citadel."

"People will actually betray the Valkyries? Why would they do that?" Said Lora incredulously.

"The Master and his demons offer many different things to people. Some are seduced by sex. Others through promises of money, power or immortality. Often it is holding family hostage though." Kelli said, her heart seeming to be heavy. "We do our best to dissuade such things, but in a never ending fight against evil they will always try and find new ways to bring us down."

As they approached the Citadel, each woman was quiet and focused on her own thoughts as well as dodging other people on the increasingly busy streets. Lora thought of her sister and how much Ilsa would have loved Ravencrag. Kelli thought about all of the young girls she had led to this place only to see them succumb to disease, battle and seduction.

When they finally reached the base of the Citadel, Kelli ushered Lora towards a line for a basket. The process was so polished that a basket came down to take a load of passengers about every 7 minutes. When the time came to get on, Lora hesitated, unsure of the basket's design and strength as well as the height from which she would be looking down.

"Hurry, or you will throw the schedule off." Whispered Kelli.

Lora took a deep breath and stepped into the basket. Almost immediately Kelli stepped in as well and she fastened a rope to both herself and Lora. Lora's eyes were wide as she did this.

"Just a precaution, Lora. We haven't had an accident on these things in a while."

Kelli then reached up and pulled on a rope 3 times in quick succession and the basket began lifting off the ground with a tiny jolt. Lora let out an involuntary shriek, at which most of those gathered in line chuckled. Lora's face burned red when she saw that even Kelli was smiling.

"Don't worry, more girls than you would think are more than a little scared to be given a ride in a basket." said Kelli.

When they reached the top, Lora stepped out of the basket as quickly as possible, eager to have solid stone and dirt under her feet again.

"Just look at it, Lora. This is the best view that any mortal has ever had."

Lora turned to look. The entire town was laid out before her. She could see people below hurrying about their day. She could see the magnificent white building, The House of Women. She could see even beyond that, to the Ursine river and as far as Bloomtown. The green view of the countryside took her breath away and her fear for a time.

"Come on newbie, it is time for your evaluation." Said Kelli, ushering the young girl along. "They may not see you today as it is."

They moved deeper into the mountain, Kelli leading her down several turns before Lora could speak. The passages were surprisingly roomy, able for about ten people to walk side by side. There were signs and directions to key places like the mess hall and dormitories for each of the 5 branches of the Valkyries. Lora quickly became lost as to how to get back out. She would clearly need to use the signs to get back to the exit.

"What do you mean an evaluation? Is this some sort of test? I had no idea there would be something like this!" Lora said, on the verge of panic.

"Lora, you need to calm down. It is just something the Council of Admissions does to determine where you will fit in best in Ravencrag. You could be best with the Warriors, Diplomats, Builders, Servers or Scouts based on how you respond to their questions and tests." Said Kelli.

"Will you be there?" Asked Lora as they made another turn within the mountain, glad for the torches and glowstones that had been placed to light the way.

"I will be questioned separately. The journey here allows for us janglers to get a feel for the recruits we bring and that is a large part of the decision making process. Don't worry, I will put in a good word for you." Said Kelli with a wink.

"But what about after? Will I see you?"

"You will stay with me for the night until we get the decision from the council in the morning as to where you will be staying. But after that I am heading back out to see if there are even a few more girls out there that we can recruit." Said Kelli as she stopped in front of a door that was larger than most she had seen, with a sign that said Council of Admissions above it.

Kelli pushed the door open and a spacious chamber appeared before her. A long table was in the middle of the chamber, with five elderly women who sat at it in plush chairs. Lora noted that many of them sported scars, even on their faces and one even had clearly lost an eye.

"You're late again Kelli." Said the woman in the middle. "We had word of your arrival 2 hours ago."

"Well as you know Ophelia, if the Goddess had given us wings, then we could fly like the damn pigeons. As it is I am surprised to see you still holding your little court here." Replied Kelli.

"There were extenuating circumstances." Said Ophelia slowly. The rest of the council murmured their assent.

Kelli raised an eyebrow and her breathing quickened, but she said nothing.

"Come forward, Lora Cravestead. Let us old crones have a look at you." Said one of the women.

Lora stepped forward, thinking that this seemed an awful lot like the time her mother had tried to marry her off and the boy's family was judging whether she was worthy to bear his children. Which wouldn't have been for a while, the young man in question had been five years old.

The women picked up their pencils and muttered to themselves. Lora could not hear them, but was certain they were being critical of her. She blushed slightly and lowered her eyes as she had been instructed to do by her mother. She heard the door groan open again and knew that Kelli had left.

"Now, take your clothes off dear." said Ophelia after they had muttered for a while.

"May I ask why?" Lora asked politely.

"We need to see what kind of body you have my dear."

"That doesn't have too much to do with where I will go, will it?" Lora asked fearfully, well aware that even though she had put on weight with Kelli on their journey, she was still fairly skinny.

A few of the women cackled with glee.

"It has almost everything to do with it you silly girl." said Ophelia with a frown. "If we sent a girl with a pock marked face to seduce an Earl, she would hardly be successful. If we sent a twiggish thing to the Builders to lift stone, she would be useless. If we sent a girl with weak legs to the Scouts, she would be left behind. Now take your clothes off before I take them off for you."

Lora began to undress, a little more angrily than she intended until she stood before the Council of Admissions stark naked.

"Her breasts are too small, few men are into that." Ophelia shook her head as Lora covered her tits with her hands, embarassed.

"Her stomach looks like a little weight is there, which is good." Said another woman.

Lora began to try and cover herself with her arms.

"Her face is pleasant, but, Girl! Do not try and hide yourself from us, or you will be escorted right outside the city faster than you can say lesbian!" shouted Ophelia with a ferocity that surprised Lora and she dropped her arms to her side and clenched her jaw as she blushed.

There was a roaring in her ears as the women began to debate her flaws among themselves as if she weren't there. She felt her anger build and build until she felt she couldn't keep it in any more.

"STOP! Just stop you old crones and let me help!" she screamed as loud as her young body would allow.

The sound echoed in the chamber and it seemed as if the torches flared to twice their size as if her anger were fueling the flames. Lora could feel heat in her eyes and she felt in inexplicable sensation of power throughout her body. The women had stopped talking and even the tactless Ophelia seemed to be awestruck at Lora's outburst.

Lora felt her anger fade and be replaced by horror. She had just insulted the women who would decide whether she would be cast out to the road or given a purpose. What was worse is that she had liked being angry. She had liked feeling powerful. She gathered up her clothes and pressed them to her naked front and turned to leave the chamber.

"Where are you going?" Asked Ophelia softly.

"I do not belong here. I have just insulted you all and now I am going to be cast out. I have no future because I could not keep in my anger." She forced back tears.

And my sister died for nothing.

She thought.

"My dear child," Said Ophelia. "You have no idea what you just did, do you?"

Lora looked back at the old woman perplexed and shook her head no. The rest of the council still seemed in shock of her, as if they had bought a horse and found out it was a lion instead.

Ophelia wrote something down on a piece of parchment while the rest of the women whispered among themselves hurriedly, and much lower than before.

"You will report at this room for training in the morning. Now get dressed Lora, Kelli is waiting outside for you. You will stay with her for tonight." Ophelia said, extending the parchment scrap to Lora.

"Thank you." Said Lora, still confused as to what had just happened as she strode forward and took the paper.

The council was silent until she had finished dressing herself and as she opened the door a roar of sound filled the chamber behind her. She couldn't hear much before Kelli embraced her in a jangle of clacking metal.