"Where did you..."
"Closet in the bedroom. Sharp eyes."
Deciding not to press the matter, and discouraged by her sarcasm anyway, he closed his mouth and followed the trail. Looking back, he remembered what had happened in the chamber between his cell and the bedroom. The dead imps lay there, but Nali was nowhere to be seen. Noticing his glance, Erendiel nonchalantly explained that the succubus was occupying a seat of honor in a half-dug escape tunnel that the spellcaster had discovered. He barely had time to digest that fact before she held up a hand for him to stop. The hallway had reached its end, culminating in a rusty, heavy iron door.
"We're heading out into the open. Plenty dark, even in the daytime, and you don't really know what's out there. We're probably headed straight to the main mine, so be quiet. Difficult for you, I'm sure, but have a go at it."
He had learned by now to simply roll with the punches; her wit was a good deal sharper than his. However, as she creaked the door open, he couldn't help asking, "What do they mine in there, anyway?"
"Mostly iron, but they're digging for some sort of relic as well, I think. Heard an overseer mention it once, sounded important. Now seriously, shut up for a minute."
Argunthal was quiet, meekly following Erendiel as she sought out the burnt trail. A dim orange glow, presumably the mine, was visible not too far off. Surprisingly, Zalana's tracks went in a different direction. He couldn't help but feel paranoid, almost like the travelers in the old stories who sensed unseen eyes watching them. This seemed unlikely, given that thick brown fog was virtually everywhere, severely limiting visibility.
The mist made it all the more surprising when a small, open stone building emerged from the mist, appearing from the dimness in a slightly unsettling manner. The vaguely sinister structure revealed itself as a humble mineshaft cover, nowhere near as unnerving as the black pit that opened under it.
"Looks abandoned," mused Erendiel as she examined the stones. "I've never seen or heard of this before, yet here it is just a few minutes' walk from the prison. I'll be honest, I'm a bit suspicious."
Argunthal couldn't help but agree. Hairs stood up on his arms as a breeze of chilly air whispered from the pit. The darkness was dissipated a bit as Erendiel somehow lit a pair of sticks to bright torches, handing one to him as they peered into the blackness. No doubt about it, there were the tracks.
"Argunthal, I don't like this at all, but you don't really have a choice here. Go ahead, I'm right behind you."
This didn't really seem to fit her personality so far, and he asked why. She'd never really trusted him with anything important, or, for that matter, doubted her own skill. Her rather subdued tone was unnerving, although he tried not to show it. He had only known her for a short time, but she was already a very stable personality as far as he was concerned.
"Like it or not, you're sort of a demon now. You might be a bit less likely to set off traps, especially considering that I'm not really a standard human."
He shrugged, taking a long, deep breath and stepping forward. The tunnel wasn't too unsettling once he actually entered, solid-feeling wooden steps supporting his weight with ease and vaguely warm, pleasant torchlight illuminating his path. Erendiel's footsteps behind him made a reassuring padding sound, and he strode forward with a bit more confidence.
This confidence didn't last, quickly undermined by a deep rumble, like some giant, unholy stomach. Please, he thought, not what he worried it was. He wasn't sure exactly how it would feel, but death by rockfall in a tunnel collapse did not sound like his idea of a good time. Erendiel stopped for a second, but took a look at the sturdy walls and gestured him forward.
She was right. The walls of the tunnel were fine. Unfortunately, this was of little reassurance to Argunthal as a particularly broad stair swung open under his feet on his next step. Crying out, he fell, bracing for impact only to land on what felt like some sort of cushion. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was at least fifty feet down, sprawled on an odd purple blob. Experimentally poking it, he sighed with relief after deciding that it was, if nothing else, inanimate. Looking around the cave, he was intrigued to see a sort of throne sitting at the opposite end of what was really quite a large chamber, carved by nature out of dull grey bedrock. He looked away from the distant chair, distracted by an odd rustle. Seeing no apparent source for the sound, he nervously shrugged, tentatively standing up and standing on the balls of his feet, ready as he could be for whatever might live down here.
His steps echoed in the vast chamber, which was easily fifty yards long and twenty-five wide in the shape of a rough oval. The floor was smooth, making his steps unexpectedly pleasant. It seemed fairly likely that someone had modified a natural cave to produce this.
The rustling sounded again, longer this time. Argunthal stopped in his tracks, crouched lower into his ready stance, feeling a hint of adrenaline pumped into his veins, and looked up, seeing nothing but stalactites. Including one particularly thick one- one that might not have actually been a rock. A pair of wings unfolded, their impressive, deep red span revealing an inverted female body, clad only in a loincloth and hanging from the ceiling by her demonic claws. Oh, fuck.
The winged demon released the stone, fluidly rotating to her feet as she fell and landing on one knee, her fall slowed by her bat-like appendages. She looked up, straight at him, with features that reminded him of Zalana's. High cheekbones, interestingly angular but feminine jaw, and the same blood-red eyes. Her pointed ears were unpierced, poking through waves of hair that, instead of black, was a strange, deep, iridescent red. She stood up, the athletic movement of her slim, toned physique swinging a long tail into view. It would have extended to her ankles were it fully extended, but she kept it in motion with the rhythm of her legs as she strode towards the stunned man, claws clicking sharply on the stone beneath them. Her feet had the same dragon-like quality as Zalana's, but the largest toe of each possessed a much larger, sickle-shaped claw. These were truly terrifying.
As intimidating as she was, his doubts melted away as her hypnotic voice made an entrance, sexy in the husky way that only a very few women can use effectively.
"You're Argunthal, I believe. I've heard things about you, human. I'm Aryth Zur-Kal'dre, but let's keep it informal, shall we? Aryth will be just fine."
Her voice was like luxurious velvet; yet, enticing as it was, the sound was quickly swept from his mind: Argunthal could barely move as he was hit by the full aura of Aryth's body. A bit curvier than Zalana, but still plenty powerful-looking, she had what nearly any sane man would consider a perfect body. Hips wriggling and claws clicking with every step, she crossed the rest of the distance between them, casually laying a clawed hand on his chest. The other hand lazily slid across his torso, making a quick inspection. The results were apparently satisfactory, and she leaned closer, engulfing him in a strange, arousing odor as she purred into his ear.
"I like what I see, Argunthal."
He could not have been happier had he been instantly transported home and handed a crown. What else mattered when he could please her? He started in surprise at an unexpected touch, which turned out to be her tail wrapping around the back of his knee. For some reason, this too was quite arousing in and of itself.
His member began to stir, growing to its newly expanded size as he noticed her perfect, large breasts. Seeming to defy gravity, they remained girlishly perky despite their size, black nipples standing out like little monuments to the sheer sexual power of their owner. Even these were forgotten in an instant as she slid a hand down to his manhood. Her fingers were like velvet, effortlessly bringing him to spectacular hardness as her other hand pulled his head to hers, letting her luxurious lips take control of his. The soft pressure that she exerted on his lip was just right, filling his mouth with a wonderful, alien taste.
Between the power of her kiss and the incredible touch of her hand on his crotch, Argunthal was entirely under her control. She bent her moist lips to his ear, and the whispered command, "Cum for me," was more than enough to release the fruit of his loins in an instant, spraying an impressive amount of semen over her legs, where it mixed with what appeared to be a few drops of her own fluids. She softly laughed, cradling his testicles with one hand as she gently urged him back towards the purple blob.
A light touch of her palm sent Argunthal down to the purple mass of comfort. His body lay in a relaxed sprawl, too content to bother moving as she stroked him back to full size. He craned his head forward for a better look at the gorgeous demon, nearly fainting with joy when he was what was about to happen. She bit her lip a little before enveloping his manhood in her luscious breasts, taking him to a new level of pleasure that he hadn't even thought was imaginable. A long tongue like Zalana's slithered down, flickering over the tip of his cock through the drops of pre that were already making a return. Seeing this, Artyh's red eyes took on a fresh gleam, abandoning his throbbing member for a moment as she stood up, flaunting her incredible figure as she seductively reached for the pin that supported the fabric covering what Argunthal was by now sure was the single most enjoyable vagina he could have possibly encountered.
He was entranced by a fragrant odor that could only be some of her preliminary girlcum, the hypnosis complete as he eagerly awaited his prize. The pin removed, folds of black cloth fell away with agonizing slowness. What stood revealed was beyond anything he expected.
