Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
*****
A roar echoed through the mountains, shaking them near to collapse and causing every villager in their small and fragile towns to dive for cover and clamp hands over their ears.
They gibbered frantically about the evil one, and the end of the world.
The only figure who seemed unaffected by the roar looked towards the mist rising behind the tallest mountain and drew a longsword slowly from their back.
From a face hidden behind a steel mask a satisfied grunt was heard, before they headed off and up the mountain pass.
— — —
"You have to save us, please!" The peasant woman fell to her knees as the wizard stood in front of her. The man didn't seem to notice her, his eyes instead fixed on the figure emerging out of the ash on the wind.
He nodded knowingly at the armoured figure and spread his hands, "Hero, you have returned!"
The head of the dragon fell at his feet with a squelch, and the figure rolled their shoulders.
"Amazing." The wizard said in admiration, "You have slain the dragon that plagued the people of this region for generations. You have killed the Great Trzask!"
The armoured figure held up a hand and rubbed two fingers together.
The wizard spread his hands, "But of course! A mighty reward like none other is deserved for this task. The original poster of this quest lived but a little way from here, on a farm with apples. To the south. His grandson will have your prize of ten thousand gold."
The knight turned and began striding away, dragging the dragon's head behind them.
The wizard chuckled at their back and raised a hand to look inside a flame that spawned there. "It will be interesting to see what you do, Hero. Very interesting, indeed."
— — —
"Ack!" The man in the orchard yelled and nearly fell off his ladder. He slid down it to stare at the knight in front of them, "You've killed the Great dragon, Trzask! My family has sworn to pay your reward. Feel free to eat any apple from this farm, for so long as you live. We will provide you with shelter and -"
The knight soundlessly held up a hand and rubbed two fingers together.
The man frowned, "Eh... I think I could scrounge up twenty gold, if you'd really prefer that. Wouldn't you prefer it if I had a word with the merchants in town? They can give you a significant discount, I'm quite influential, if I do say so myself."
The knight swept off their helmet, spilling out waist length golden hair as the beautiful woman inside yelled, "What the hell do you mean two hundred gold, you piece of crap!?"
The man flinched, pulling back, "I said twenty... Eh... You see, I'm an apple farmer and -"
"Ten thousand!" She shouted, flecks of spittle hitting his face. The knight glared at him and reached for her sword, "I was promised ten thousand gold, by the Wizard Osiol. So that's what you're going to pay."
"Hero." The man begged, "It has been two generations since that poster was put up. The land isn't as fertile as it once was. Be reasonable. That's more gold than I have."
"Pay up." The Hero replied.
The farmer winced, "Bloody Osiol. You know he'd be able to pay it, right? Why don't you take the dragon head over to him. I'm sure he can use it for his dark magics. Pay you well."
"He sent me here." She drew her sword, "And I did just kill your dragon for you. Pay or die."
The man held up his hands, "Hold up, hold up. Let's be reasonable. If I sold everything I had, even the shirt off my back, I might be able to put together six thousand gold. I've got some rare sztuczka cards. Give me a day, and I'll see what I can do."
She sheathed her sword quickly, "You play sztuczka? Why didn't you say so? Let's play a round."
The Hero sat down cross-legged without waiting for an answer and quickly spread out a series of cards. Some were face up, a couple were facedown, and a deck waited like a looming trap to her right.
The farmer sat down slowly and pulled his dirt-encrusted deck from his shirt and spread out his own attack, "What are we playing for? My debt?"
"Debt and the rare cards." She replied as if it were obvious, "You win, I'll forgive your ten thousand gold debt, and even throw in two of my own rare cards. I win, I get your cards, and you'll pay me the full ten thousand."
He didn't really have a choice.
The Hero's blue eyes were icy cold as she surveyed the gameplay in front of her, toying with his frontlines of defence. She attacked and retreated, wearing down his main attack, before turning over her trap card and destroying every unit in the field in a single brutal attack.
She grinned up at him, "I'll be taking those cards, now."
He muttered and picked them out of his deck to hand them over to her, "Lucky bloody draw."
She shrugged, "And now, about that gold..."
"I don't have it!" He said in frustration, "Haven't you been listening to me at all!? I just gave you cards worth four thousand! I sell the farm, and I might get you another two. Wouldn't you rather get a massive discount at every merchant? I could spread your legend and -"
She glared and rubbed her fingers together as she finished putting away her deck of cards.
"The wizard could literally pay you out of his pocket. You're ruining me! I have a family to feed. You'll kill my children. Turn my wife into a whore." The farmer begged her, "A reputation would last you a lifetime. Enemies hearing of your victories could run away. Please."
"Rather kill them myself." The Hero shrugged, "Blame your grandfather, not me. I just killed that dragon. It's not like it was easy, so... Where the fuck is my gold!?"
The farmer fell to his knees, clasping his hands together, "Please, Hero. You wouldn't want everyone to think that you are a heartless and -"
"I will gut you right here, in front of your home." She replied and drew her sword, putting it against his throat and cutting the skin with the smallest of touches. "I literally do not care about my reputation."
The farmer winced, staring up at her, "What will it take to make this go away? I'm fucked, no matter what happens. I die here, or I starve to death. Starving to death is sort of worse. You ever starved, Hero?"
"No. I'm the Hero. I kill everything. Including Death." She replied with a roll of her eyes, "Eugh. Fine. I could maybe turn you into a slave. You got any useful skills? Like... Maybe some elven heritage that gives you fire magic?"
"No, I'm human." The farmer winced. "I could carry your burdens?"
She glared, "Last person who said that to me got punted right off the mountainside. Sounds like you can't pay. Got any gods you'd like to pray to before I kill you and burn down the entire town?"
He winced, and bowed his head, "Well, I guess I'm fucked. Go ahead and kill me. I can't pay."
"Huh." The Hero looked around, checking who was in sight, "You said something about a family? Where are they?"
"In the house, over that way. Please, spare them." He begged her.
She shrugged, "Actually... I was sort of thinking... Your problem is that you're fucked. Maybe, if we turn that around, you wouldn't be."
The farmer looked up at her, "Huh?"
"Maybe if... I were the one who was fucked... You wouldn't be?" The Hero tried to put an emphasis on the words.
He shook his head, "Not following you. Osiol screwed up my life, not yours. You just go around killing dragons that multiple generations of my family have failed to."
"Do you call yours a dragon? Some call it a snake." The Hero began, and the farmer stared at her like she'd gone mad, "What the...?"
"Others call theirs a third leg." She stared at him. "I could... Slay your dragon?"
"You want to... Cut off my dick?" He shuddered, "And that means you won't kill me?"
Her hand slapped into her face and she let out a long groan, "Oh for... Sex! I have needs, and no friends, because everyone else dies. I will forget about your debt, if you fuck me. What do you say? Wanna have sex?"
"Oh." He looked at her in shock, "Oh, wow. I was... Oh, wow. That went a completely different way than I was expecting. Suppose... That would make me the most expensive male whore in the entire land. Are you sure? You really want to have sex with me?"
She shrugged sheepishly, "You're not the ugliest thing. Nor is this the most I have ever spent. It's... Kinda lonely, you know? The Hero thing. Always being the sole survivor of the giant battles. Even if you find a nice guy, all you get is a one night stand because you know he's going to get devoured by orcs right after, or burned up by a dragon, or... I don't know why I'm explaining."
"So... Do I get to brag that I fucked the Hero?" The farmer asked cautiously.
She shrugged, "I... Guess? I think we've already established I don't care about my reputation. Won't your wife care if you go around town bragging?"
The man considered for a moment and then nodded, "You've got a deal. There's a quiet spot over this way. You don't mind if we're outside, do you?"
He took her by the wrist like he was afraid she would be the one to change her mind, and dragged her off to a clearing in the middle of his orchard which made her wonder if he had cheated on his wife before.
The Hero put him onto the ground gently with a fast movement, and kissed him lustfully. Her hand reached down to find what kind of reward was going to await her this time.
It's not the easiest thing to tell size and shape through canvas, but what she found was definitely something, and she couldn't wait to be putting it inside her.
His hands fumbled at her back to release her breastplate, with a resounding thunk and a gasp as he lost his breath. She laughed at him, sitting up to move aside the metal weight, before reaching behind to remove the rest of the armour on her torso.
She stood in front of him, as he watched her undo her jerkins and slip them off with difficulty. The Hero stood in front of him in only a rough shirt, one hand on her hip, feeling his eyeballs burning her image into his skull.
The tent in his pants announced his appreciation.