[Author's Note: I've had this story about 90% completed in my documents for a long time. Thankfully the Naked Blades story contest this month had a prompt which inspired me to finally complete it. This story is not part of the Orc Dominion series, but is set in the Forgotten Realms. Hopefully as I finish up my current project I'll be able to clear out more partially completed stories in my backlog. Enjoy!]
Lyssara Torrani crouched down at the top of the stairs, listening intently to the sounds beneath her. From the grunting and moaning, Lyssara suspected she had come to the right place. Lyssara crept down the stairs, heedless of the creak in the wooden steps. The occupants below were making enough noise, and seemed preoccupied enough, that there wasn't any real worry about being heard. Each step she took made her short mini-skirt ride higher up her thighs. Scowling, she tugged it back down. It made her look damn good, and more importantly, memorable, but it wasn't practical for an adventuress to wear in combat.
Anything to make the bards happy
, she thought. Cultivating her fame both brought her more work and added to her reputation, meaning that when her enemies recognized her she often didn't have to fight at all. Lyssara wrapped her hand around the tip of the sheathed katana on her back so it wouldn't bang into the steps as she lowered herself enough to be able to see into the basement.
Lyssara had heard that this building was the sight of a cult, but what she saw was more shocking than what she anticipated.
By the hells, what is going on here?
Down in the basement, three women were on their backs, naked, legs spread and moaning in wanton abandon. Between each woman's legs was a ten-foot-tall ogre.
No, an oni, that's what they're called here.
Lyssara tried to remember what she knew about these beasts. Huge, strong, and much smarter than ogres; she wouldn't want to fight one on one, let alone three on one. Luckily, they were distracted for the moment.
Lyssara looked at the oni, the layout of the basement, and tried to come up with a plan. The nearest beast was a hulking brute, with blue skin and a large, cracked horn on his forehead. Lyssara gulped as the oni lifted the woman's leg, giving her a look at the massive blue penis sliding in and out of the woman's snatch.
How could she be taking that and still enjoying it?
She pressed her thighs together, banishing the thought and image from her mind. Now was not the time to imagine what that cock would feel like.
Another blue skinned oni was a few feet away, making a different woman quiver beneath him.
She looks delirious, or drugged. Or maybe enchanted.
The last oni had red skin, two horns, and was all the way across the room in front of a door. Luckily, he was the smallest of the lot and hopefully the least powerful.
It will be difficult,
she thought,
but I think I can do it.
Lyssara raised her hands, making arcane gestures as she began to cast.
****
After the baron she worked for in the Border Kingdoms had been ejected from his castle, Lyssara spent two years travelling east along the Gold Road, protecting the caravans and adventuring in the major cities. In Shou Lung she had won an imperial magic tournament, and in Koryo she prevented the summoning of a demon that would have plagued the land. The exotic nature of it appealed to her, and she quickly picked up the language of Shou Lung, making it much easier to explore the region and to learn more about the people that in habited it. After banishing the demon of Koryo, an emissary of Kozakura had approached her, summoning her to the imperial court on a matter of pressing urgency. After collecting her reward for stopping the demon, she left with the emissary for Kozakura.
The royal palace in Dojyu was not as massive or luxurious as that in Shou Lung. Lyssara found the land in general to be poorer and less developed, but it did have its charms. It reminded her more of her home in the Border Kingdoms, even if the people, buildings, plants, and wildlife all looked different.
The emissary led her to the apartments of Tanekawa Okawa, the shikken, or regent, of the land had heard of her triumphs and had an urgent mission for her. Okawa was slight, as many of the men in this land were, though still taller than Lyssara, who was small even for a human woman. He had an air of authority about him nonetheless, and Lyssara could see the intelligence and power in his eyes that got him into his position.
Okawa could not speak common, or the language of Shou Lung, but was able to communicate through the emissary. "Miss Lyssara, welcome to the imperial palace. Your speed in answering my summons is appreciated."
Lyssara mad a low bow, the kowtow it was called, as a sign of respect.
Thankfully no one is behind me,
she thought as her short skirt rode up high on her hips. "Shikken, it is a great honor to be able to serve the empire. What orders do you have for me?" She tried to suppress the blush in her cheeks as she tugged her skirt back down after rising from the floor. These eastern lords liked these overt signs of respect and obedience, and playing the game loosened purses.
Okawa nodded in gratification at the sign of submission and respect. "Shinkoku, this island, has suffered from a rash of kidnappings and disappearances. All the victims have been young women. Pretty girls, of varying births. My samurai have been unable to find them, and have uncovered only hints and rumors to their whereabouts." Okawa paused, the next part seeming hard for him to say. Lyssara let the silence hang, until Okawa continued. "The most recent girl to disappear is my daughter, Tanekawa Matsu. She has been missing for three months now. There have been no ransom demands, or news of a forced marriage. The only clue my samurai have uncovered is that a foreigner, a westerner, appeared around the time that the disappearances started. But they have not been able to find her, or the girls."
Lyssara gathered her thoughts for a moment. "This is most distressing to hear, my lord. I am humbled by your trust in my abilities, and will set about rescuing your daughter, and all the girls who have gone missing. I will begin immediately."
Okawa turned to the emissary. "Arrange lodging for her in the city and see that she gets everything she needs. Provide her with an imperial emblem and written authorization to do as she must. Miss Lyssara, I have something for you." Okawa pulled a katana from the wall and handed it to her. "This is the sword of Matsu's sworn guard. He took his life when she disappeared for failing her. Take it, and bring her home.
Lyssara left the palace and began her investigation. It was not easy, most people didn't want to talk to a foreigner, but the katana, the emblem, and the written note were enough to get some cooperation. By talking to the people of the city, she heard that the western man had been buying supplies to maintain a household, and her own divination magic had led her to the abandoned estate a week's ride outside the city.
****
Lyssara didn't want to hurt the girls, so she couldn't just lob a fireball into the room and hope for the best. Her first priority was to see if any of the women were Matsu, and to identify where the western man was. So instead, Lyssara cast greater invisibility on herself and moved further into the basement. From what she could remember about the creatures, oni could turn invisible so it was better to get the jump on them before they could vanish. Lyssara had already fortified herself with a bull's strength spell, mage armor, and enchanted her new sword before entering the house.
Lyssara had to suppress a cough as she practically waded through the thick scent in the basement. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was in the midst of the oni the smell of sex pervading the room was unavoidable. They must have been rutting down here for days, if not longer. Lyssara made her way to the first couple, stepping carefully to avoid clacking her heels on stone foundation of the estate.
Another impractical surrender to fashion,
she thought.
Her heart beat furiously, and she had to remind herself that she was invisible and they couldn't see her, as impossible as that seemed. Lyssara leaned over the first girl to get a better look at her, but the girl's face was twisted in orgasm. Lyssara had been shown a painting of the shikken's daughter, but it was hard to compare faces in this situation.
Lyssara moved her eyes down the woman's body to get an idea of height and build to help determine if she was Matsu or not. The build looked wrong, this girl didn't seem as tall as Matsu, and her bust was larger. That part was easy to determine, as they were clearly visible and jiggling with each of the oni's powerful thrusts. Lyssara flushed as she caught sight of the oni's thick blue cock again.
How could she be getting pleasure from that thing? It would rip me in two.
The shaft seemed to slide into the smaller woman effortlessly. Either she was well stretched by now, or there was magical influence at work.
Lyssara shook her head and moved to the next couple, quickly determining that she was not Matsu either. That left the third girl, or the possibility that there were more people beyond the door at the edge of the room. When Lyssara saw the last girl she gasped in shock, then froze to wait and see if anyone heard. If they did, they must have assumed it was a gasp of pleasure from one of the women as the fucking continued unabated. The third girl was not Matsu, thankfully, but what shocked Lyssara was that the girl was obviously pregnant.
This is going to make things even more complicated. How are the Kozakurans going to react to the half-oni child?
Lyssara moved to the door and pressed her ear against it, trying to listen through, but heard nothing. There was no way to open it without attracting the attention of the third oni, so they would have to be dealt with before she continued the search.
It might be more prudent to wait and observe, but this spell won't last forever...and I don't think the shikken will thank me for leaving his daughter here a minute longer than I have to.
Lyssara ran her tongue over her lips as she mentally prepared herself for the coming fight. She moved back across the room and stood between the first and second oni.
Lyssara took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. Finally, she drew the enchanted katana from the sheath on her back. Holding it in two hands, she swung it down, and then upward at the first oni. The 'keen' spell she placed on it allowed it to slice through the oni's neck, causing the severed head to fall down on the woman. As blood spurted out of the creature's neck, the woman screamed and the two other oni looked over at the scene in shock. Still invisible, Lyssara side-stepped towards the second oni and spun around, arcing the blade as she did so to cut the second oni's head in half.
