Moonlight Temple: the Pursuer

The young man ran as fast as his legs could take him, dodging between trees and bushes. The forest he sped through was dark, the tree branches forming an impenetrable canopy high above him, casting his surroundings in eerie shadows. The fact that he could barely see did little to stop him; he had to keep moving.

The only sound he could hear was the thudding of his footsteps and his labored breaths. He couldn't tell if he was the only one running or if his pursuer was still after him. He should have been tired but his mind was panicked, all he knew was that he had to keep moving.

Branches nicked at his face and skin, every now and then an uneven section of terrain threatened to throw him off balance and leave him face-first in the ground. Sweat streaked down his face and stung at his eyes. He didn't even remember how long he had been running.

Eventually, the adrenalin began to wear off and his fatigue began to outweigh his fear. His mad sprint slowed to a reasonable run, then to a trot then a stop. He placed his hands on his knees and took deep ragged breaths, sweat still streaking down his face, his gray tunic was ruffled and flecked with dirt and leaves.

The sound of his own heartbeat eventually began to fade from his ears but his fears still remained. They had transformed from immediate fear of danger to a distant gnawing dread. He knew that deep down no matter how far or fast he ran he was doomed, he had come face to face with that doom moments ago.

Alexios had stolen something from the wrong person. A few weeks prior he had worked as a scribe to a powerful and wise man. A man who fancied himself a practitioner of dark magic. One of the most prized things the wise man owned was a strange golden medallion, carved with runes that corresponded to no known culture or language.

He claimed that the medallion would open the door to a temple in an uncharted land in the far south. Alexios did not understand why his master saw such great value in a key to a temple he had never even laid eyes on himself, but all the stories he had heard of the moonlight temple tickled his imagination.

A place where his wildest dreams would be fulfilled. Where any who reach it would be granted one wish, anything they could dream of. The young scribe could not understand why his master never sought it out himself.

As time wore on Alexios became more and more enamored with the medallion and the moonlight temple it was connected to. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life being a servant to others. The thought of a wasted existence had kept him up many a night. The temple and the promise of its one wish began to occupy his every waking thought as well as his dreams.

In a fit of greed or madness or both, he had stolen the medallion and a book that might have held clues to the temple's location. He fled that night and for the first few days away from his master he felt safe, even a bit happy. Then he noticed something stalking him.

In every town, he visited the hooded figure followed him. The first time Alexios laid eyes on him his gut told him he could only bring trouble.

A few days later in another town miles away he saw the hooded figure again, scanning the crowds of people looking for him. Its eyes were far from human, they were two yellow orbs that looked more at home on a snake than a man.

The second time he saw the hooded figure he knew he was being followed. His master did claim to be a practitioner of dark magic.

Paranoia began to seep into every pore of his life. Everywhere he went he looked over his shoulder (metaphorically and often physically) for the hooded pursuer. After he spotted him a third time and was nearly seen by him, Alexios resolved to only venture into towns and villages when it was absolutely necessary.

The thought of the creature that stalked him filled his mind more than the thoughts of the temple. Sleep rarely came to him and when it did the slightest noise would have him scrambling awake. His appetite soon fled from him and found himself having to force food down.

After only a few weeks his mind was stretched to a breaking point. Then the figure found him.

On a dirt road in the countryside, Alexios looked up to see the hooded monster on the hill not far from him. Its inhuman eyes locked into his. For a half-minute, the two just stared at each other. Both knew what was about to happen but neither was ready to make the first move.

Then there was a noise, a simple tree branch snapping but that was all it took. Like a frightened deer, Alexios broke into a wild sprint straight into the thick of the forest, his panic and fear finally overwhelming him after weeks of building up. He ran for what felt like an eternity until he could run no more.

Now he was here, slumped against a tree, still panting. He knew the monster would find him again and if he ran or evaded it, it would find him again and again. He cursed his master, his pursuer and his foolishness for ever stealing that damned medallion.

After he caught his breath he knew he had to keep going. Something told him his master had not requested he be brought back alive. Alexios would find the temple or die trying.

Despite the ache in his muscles he urged himself back on his feet and continued his walk. He pulled out a compass from the satchel on his side and held it to the little light in the forest. After a bit of squinting, he began to head south.

Something stopped him though. Was that the sound of a snapping twig? Alexios paused for several seconds trying to locate the sound before giving up. If the creature was still chasing him it would have found him already. He had to focus on putting more distance between them.

Suddenly from the direction of the sound, something burst out of the bushes, its shoulder collided hard with Alexios's chest and he fell on his back. It took him a few seconds to gather his breath and look up and when he did his blood ran cold. The figure now stood above him. Its yellow, hateful eyes glared down at him.

Alexios began to scramble backward trying to put any distance between them. "Please! I'll give him back the damn medallion!" He cried. The hooded figure reached into its robes and produced a long knife, its edge gleaming on the little light that escaped the forest canopy.

Alexios' head began to touch a tree behind him. He had nowhere to scramble backward to "Please! you-you don't have to-" He stammered. The abomination raised the knife over its head. Slowly, like it was savoring his terror. Just as he was sure it was about to bring it down there was a whistle and what could only be described as a wet crunch.

The hooded creature twitched and Alexios only now realized that only one eye looked down on him. The other was replaced by an arrow shaft. Like a cut tree, the creature slowly tipped backward and fell, hitting the ground with a great thud.

Alexios spun round to the direction the arrow had been fired from. The first thing he noticed about his would-be savior was that it was a woman. She was tall, taller than him and almost reaching six feet in height. She sported a head of golden hair that cascaded around her shoulders and most likely down her back.

She wore surprisingly little. All she had was a wine-red loincloth that just barely covered what it was supposed to cover and two brown leather slings that contained what must have been a pair of large round breasts.

All else she had to her modesty were a pair of black sandals that reached her knees and an arrow pouch over her back. The fact that she was wearing so little drew attention to the rest of her exposed body. In some places she was built like a warrior, her arms were toned and the muscles on her stomach were as defined as the contours of a map and glistening with moisture.

At the same time, her hips were as wide and as pronounced as all her other muscles and formed a mesmerizing hourglass figure, all supported by thighs so thick they could break a man's skull between them. She was not shy about tattoos either. On the outside of each log-sized thigh was a stylized tattoo of a wolf. Around each of her biceps were the tattoos of a snake chasing its tail, and under and around her eyes were a sort of blue paint that ran down her cheeks like blue tears.

Before Alexios could say a word the warrior woman retrieved an arrow from her pouch and notched it into the bow she held in her right arm. Her bow was pulled tight and Alexios found himself once again staring down a weapon meant for him.

He slowly raised his hands above his head as if to both request she not fire and show that he was unarmed. "I-I am of no danger to you" he started shakily. "I know" she smirked smugly followed by a demand "Stand up" Alexios had no room to deny her. He had nowhere to run and unlike his last assailant at least she was not trying to instantly kill him. The wisest course of action was to comply.

As he slowly got to his feet, with his hands still above his head the woman looked him up and down giving no indication of what she was thinking.

"Turn around" was his next instruction. He did so, "Start walking," she said. seeing no alternative than to comply Alexios began to walk into the forest, The warrior woman's footsteps were close behind him.

He wished that there was something he could do. Nothing wholesome could come from his predicament but alas he could not outrun an arrow no matter how hard he tried.

For about twenty minutes the two walked in complete silence, save for the sound of their own footfalls. Soon Alexios found himself in a small clearing with a camp in the middle.

The camp consisted of a single tent, a very small fire pit and a pot over it. It was a miserable little place but Alexios kept that opinion to himself partially because he could do little better in terms of setting up a camp and partially because he did not want to incur the wrath of his captor.

He stole a glance behind his back. The warrior woman still stood behind him, her bow and arrow still raised though her posture was relaxed and unconcerned. "What do you want from me?" Alexios asked calmly.

"Silent" She replied curtly. "You only speak when I say you can" The string of her bow being pulled back slightly more, he could hear it tensing up. "Who was the man who was chasing you? I didn't say you could move! Stay facing where you are." Alexios stopped mid-turn.

"I don't know" There was a short laugh behind him. "You seemed to know who he was a few minutes ago, or do you assume I'm deaf?" Her voice was deep, slow and precise but undisputedly feminine. "I don't know, I think he... it was sent by someone else."

"Why? And what's this about a medallion? Are you a thief?"

For a moment Alexios wanted to say no but realized theft was his exact crime. "You can take it if you want, it's caused me nothing but trouble." There was a moment's silence. "No, there's something else I want from you," Said the woman. "I helped you so you have to help me." Could he detect a hint of mischief in her voice

"Help you?" Alexios responded, "How?" There was another half-second of indecisive silence "strip down". Despite his situation, he disobeyed his order and half turned confused and surprised. He was sure she must have misspoken.

"What?" He asked with a condescendingly. "You heard me!" She said firmly, "Lose the clothes" Alexios was convinced that this had to be some kind of joke at his expense. But still, no escape from his predicament presented itself.

Going on the assumption she was serious he slowly slipped off his sandals and pulled his tunic over his shoulders and head and let it fall to the ground. It was a simple but humiliating gesture. He stood in the clearing wearing nothing but his undergarments.

The warrior woman stepped forward and cast her bow and arrow to the side where they clattered on the floor. She stepped forward. "I've been traveling alone for a very long time" Surprisingly she reached out and ran a finger across his chest. "A very long time..." She said distantly like her mind was miles away.

Alexios was caught completely off guard when she shoved him. Despite using one arm he found himself flat on his back. "What is this!?" He demanded, trying to sound authoritative and failing. The woman didn't respond as she reached behind her back and unfasted the clip, keeping her leather slings together.

They fell to the ground revealing the two plentiful orbs of flesh it had contained. They were firm but not enough that every step caused them to giggle slightly as she walked towards him. Alexios found his voice caught in his throat. He wanted to say something but his mouth was dead dry.

Before he could react she sat on his chest grabbing both his wrist and pinning them above his head. He tried to struggle but she was about as just strong as she looked and he had spent his life organizing books. His resistance was comically futile.

"Shhhhh" She cooed deeply, keeping both his hands restrained with just one of hers she grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his own. Alexios tried to keep his mouth shut but even the warrior's tongue was stronger than his own and she forced it into his mouth seeking out his tongue aggressively jousting with it.

She broke off the kiss leaving Alexios panting and flustered. She was far from done as she transferred her kisses to his neck moving lower down his body to his nipples. As humiliating and unwanted as the attention was Alexios found his prick as hard as a rock, harder than it had ever been. "Just relax" She moaned in between kisses, "You might enjoy this."

She released his hands allowing him to try and grab her shoulders and push her off but his attempts were feeble even by his own standard. Without warning, she ripped his underwear off with a loud tearing sound revealing his massive swollen member.

The young man gasped and gripped the grass in his fist as she ran her tongue up his erect stick. Her tongue was smooth and most like nothing he had felt on himself before. She planted both her hands on his waist to keep them from bucking and continued to eagerly lick and nuzzle his member, moaning quietly as she did.

Alexios wasn't able to stifle his gasp as she slowly engulfed his cock all the way till her nose was tickling his groin. That was the only slow thing the warrior woman did as she immediately began to aggressively suck and move her head, her mouth and lips sealed tight around his cock.

He arched his back as much as he could with her hands on his waist. He gripped the grass in his hands tighter as his eyes almost involuntarily began to roll into his head.

Just as suddenly as it had begun his captor stopped, releasing his member with a wet plop. Alexios looked up to see her crawling back onto his chest. She looked down on him with hungry lustful eyes as she pulled off her loincloth. She once again grabbed both his hands and placed them behind his head making sure to hold eye contact with him as she lowered herself onto his throbbing membrane.

They both gasped as the woman slid his meat stick into her warm wet hole. It was even tighter and wetter than her mouth. She leaned back as far as she could till she could hold his ankles and began to roll and rock her hips shifting his cock inside her. She started off slowly but quickly increased her pace. She began to raise her waist a few centimeters and bring herself back down again and again. The wet lurid sound of their flesh slapping together only served to make Alexios more aroused.

In only a few moments both their bodies were slick with sweat and about to reach their climax. Alexios grabbed the woman by her waist and gritted his teeth, her moans were louder and more ragged than ever as her movements became faster and more erratic.

Alexios was suddenly overcome with pleasure, his whole body tensed as he exploded into his captor. He was not alone as she threw back her head and let out a long shaky cry of ecstasy, her whole body quivering. Both were left panting and spent, drenched in sweat and caked in dirt.

"It's been so long," the woman moaned contently. Alexios, exhausted from all that happened bad his most recent expenditure of strength was ready to fall asleep, still inside the woman. Darkness was creeping into the corner of his eyes.

He was about to close his eyes when he saw something shifting behind him. His euphoric release had laid his frayed nerves to rest for a short period but his mind was still wound like a violin, and anything that looked even slightly out of place set him alert. And the shadow moving behind him was certainly out of place.

The warrior woman must have looked down at that very moment and noticed his eyes snap open because she spun round just in time to grab the hand of the monster just before its blade buried itself into her back. It's one remaining eye burned with vengeful anger.

It grabbed her by the throat and forced her off Alexios into the dirt. Despite catching the creature's weapon she was clearly taken by surprise as. She tried to swipe the monster but it caught her free hand and pinned it to the ground. He placed all his strength into the hand that held the blade, the hand that the warrior woman held by the wrist keeping the blade from entering her throat.

Alexios surprised even himself when he grabbed a rock and bashed the creature in the head with a mighty crunch, sending it rolling off his potential captor. Before it could respond the woman was on top of it, plunging its own blade into its heart. The thing spasmed violently before going limp, the evil and malice in its eye fading into nothing.

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "That was close! I thought that thing was dead for sure".

"We should burn it just in case" Alexios pointed out "I have no idea what it is, and it survived an arrow in the eye."

"Good idea" she finally said, getting up" get to it, I'm going to find a lake." She was still naked save for her black sandals. That was only half true she was caked in dirt and grass and sweat.

"Wait," Alexios said. The woman sighed and not even looking back grumbled "what?" Alexios found himself having to work up some courage to continue his sentence. "I need your help, I'm going somewhere and I won't last long alone"

"Why should I help you?" She responded scornfully. Alexios opened his mouth before stopping himself. He was going to tell her everything about the moonlight temple. Even if she believed him she would surely betray him for such a great power. He found himself standing with his mouth open in awkward silence.

The woman to his surprise put her finger to her chin like she was considering his offer. Despite him providing no reason for her to agree to anything he said. "You know what, I'll help you in your little endeavor if you do something for me." Alexios was surprised, part of him was happy to know that she was willing to help but smelled a catch.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked cautiously "You will cook, clean my clothes and..." She paused mischievously, "you will satisfy me whenever I want." Alexios must have turned red from that demand, he wasn't sure if he was ready to take on such a shameful offer. To become this woman's servant and concubine was a low he was not sure he could stoop to.

He turned away but the warrior stepped closer and placed a hand on his cheek. "I can see that you're embarrassed," she said with a laugh. "That's fine, I'll give you a few hours to ponder your decision, if you decide that you'd rather not die with the little pride you have left there's a village a few hours from here, you can find me in the tavern there. Until then I need a bath and a drink" She turned and picked up her clothes walking off in a way that made her ass shake at him.

"I don't even know your name!" Alexios called after her. She turned to him with a smirk "Just ask for Aphrodisia."