The Deviant Dominant Ch 10

Chapter 10 - The Dark Warlock

"What's a Dark Warlock?" Lukas asked. He could paint a general image in his head; based on what he'd heard and read while training to become an Adventurer, the enemy in question was likely a ghastly, supernatural boss with menacing magical mastery, but he wanted details. One look at the battered elf told him this was not the boss to underestimate. He pitied her condition, but she was the party's only source of information. "What is a Dark Warlock?" He repeated his question with more insistence in his tone.

Freya's sobbing only grew more intense, and her inconsolable state prevented her from responding.

Laera's started shaking with dreadful anticipation as her limited patience wore out. "I have to go save my sister!" She stormed off towards the tunnels.

"Hold up, princess!" Fiona was the quickest to snap into planning mode. "I doubt you could find her in time by yourself. I have no idea what a Dark Warlock is either, but I think we need to find out. If it wiped out an entire Anoran team, I'm not sure we want to go running to the rescue."

"I have to save my sister! Are you with me or am I going alone?"

"We will help you save your sister," Lukas promised, "but Fiona is right. We need to be smart about it." Lukas' eyes connected with Fiona's and he nodded his head. "You got this."

"I'm going to stay here and make sure Laera doesn't lose her mind," Fiona said, "and help Gwyn calm this elf down while she heals her. If we can get her talking, I can put together a strategy that will hopefully not get anyone killed. Lucy, can you check the area just outside the cave entrance for help? It's doubtful you will find anyone, but it's worth a try. Lukas, I'm assuming it has been more than twelve hours. Will you please take Gemma off somewhere and boost her damage? My instincts tell me we will need it."

Lucy's face scrunched up with confusion at the mention of Lukas' boosting abilities, but knew it wasn't the time to ask any unnecessary questions. She headed out to start her search.

Lukas, in turn, nodded at Fiona, duly impressed. He grabbed a willing Gemma, and they headed towards a darkened tunnel. "Don't take long," Fiona teased from behind, "I want to head out in a couple minutes." Despite the somberness of the situation, the redhead still slipped them a wink.

As Lukas rounded the corner, he swiftly pinned Gemma against the wall, his hands wrapping around her arms to hold her in place. The intensity of the situation was palpable, but Lukas' instincts took over, and he couldn't help but be drawn to Gemma's curvaceous figure. Despite the danger that lurked ahead, he found himself lost in the moment, his senses heightened as he savored the feel of her body pressed against his.

"Enough foreplay," Gemma said in a husky voice. "Shove your cock in me and dump your load." Lukas spun her around and yanked down her pants and underwear. Fishing out his cock, he lined it up with her already dripping cunt.

"Why the fuck are you so wet already?"

"Why am I wet at the idea of a fierce warrior brutally taking me in a dark cave with the sole intention of pumping his seed into me? Stop asking stupid questions and fuck me!"

He spanked hard for her quip, leaving a red handprint on her toned ass before giving her what she craved. He slid into her wet snatch from behind, her standing height giving him an ideal angle.

The act was primal, fueled by the thrill of the taboo and the rush of adrenaline. The cave seemed to pulse with their rhythm, each thrust echoing in the confined space. Gemma's nails dug into the tunnel wall, her cries of pleasure mingling with his grunts of exertion. It was brutal, raw, and utterly consuming.

Lukas violently plundered her womb, enjoying the amount of punishment that Gemma's sturdy body could handle. Each plunge into her depths brought him closer to expelling his load. He grabbed her arms and pinned her wrists together high above her head, her whole body pressed against the cave wall with Lukas molded into her back.

"Fuck, Lukas!" she exclaimed as her pussy clenched around his cock and she carnally embraced the control that Lukas had taken over her body. "You're such a fucking beast. Take what's yours." Her tightening pussy signaled the start of her orgasm.

Lukas continued pumping away with ferocious strokes, offering no respite to his quivering conquest. He held nothing back as his balls prepared to launch their contents down his shaft and into his tallest, strongest bitch. He slammed into Gemma hard, his muscular arms holding her in place as he sent his load flying deep inside her. He ground his hips into her ass, dominating every inch of her womb.

Lukas finally released Gemma, convinced that every ounce of his sperm was inside her. She spun around and kissed him fiercely. "I want nothing more than for you to throw me down on the ground right now and fuck me again," she said, "but we have to go." She very much sounded as if she were persuading herself.

"Where have you been?" Fiona called out to them as the well-fucked brunette and her dominant emerged from their tunnel. "Did you wine and dine her first?" Their walk of shame didn't last long, as the redhead immediately ushered the reassembled group towards the tunnel that Freya had emerged from. "Come on; the sooner we get there, the better."

Lukas was grateful for his long legs as they moved forward at a brisk pace. "Lukas, grab the Experience Scroll from Lucy," Fiona commanded as she walked. "It's been decided that we need it on you. We are going up against a bunch of nasty magic and I need you completely immune. If I remember correctly, your Praise ability is off cooldown now?"

Lukas nodded. "Are you sure I am the one who should take it?"

"Yes," Fiona responded firmly. "Everyone else agreed, too -- except Gemma. She was busy."

Lukas retrieved the scroll from Lucy and applied it. The item promoted him to level seven and simultaneously decomposed into floating dust particles. As instructed, he maxed out the Confidence skill, passively granting himself fifty percent magic resistance.

"What's the plan?" Lukas asked as they raced through the caverns.

"The battle rests on Laera's opening moves," Fiona explained hastily, "with you as a last resort. Our mage's Ultimate and silence are available, but we need two of each. That means using her refresh and more mana than a witch's tit could produce."

"Where is she going to get the mana?" Lukas asked, a little worried he was going to need to pop off another quick shot while everyone else waited.

"She's got that figured out," Fiona answered, "but we aren't going to get any lightning support. Her mana is needed elsewhere. Our job is to protect her from the minions and take down the warlock before the second silence expires."

"Minions?"

"Lukas," Fiona said with a serious look on her face, "if the story we dragged out of this elf is even mildly accurate, we are about to head into a complete shitshow. Be ready for anything." Freya heard the brusque reference to herself, but didn't dare interrupt the intimidating redhead.

With the Adventurers' blistering speed and Freya's guidance, they arrived outside the Dark Warlock's lair before Lukas could ask more questions. "Every second counts," Fiona said. She took a deep breath with one of those valuable seconds, and then led the charge into the cavern.

Laera silenced the warlock before Lukas could even take in his surroundings. The air in the lair was thick with the stench of decay and charnel houses. The cavern's walls seemed to writhe and twist, as if the very rock itself was alive and tormented. Flickering torches cast eerie shadows on the walls, making it seem as though dark creatures were lurching and scurrying through the darkness.

The lair was a vast, natural amphitheater, with a dais at its center where the Dark Warlock stood, his eyes blazing with malevolent energy. His twisted, nightmarish form seemed to be crafted from shadows and darkness itself, as if he had been ripped from the very fabric of the undead cavern.

An altar sat in front of the warlock, and atop it lay the pallid form of Frelich. Lighted wisps of life were floating from the comatose elf into the warlock's gnarly, blackened staff. Surrounding the necromancer boss was a sight that shook Lukas to the very core.

Five undead creatures stood, weapons raised, ready to engage the intruders -- except they weren't mere creatures. They were Adventurers -- no, not quite. They'd used to be Adventurers. Lukas was horrified. Their skin was a pasty white, even their clothing was paler than it should have been. The entirety of their eyes were consumed completely by pitch-black darkness, devoid of any life. They were moving aggressively -- hardly shambling or dragging -- but not under their own power. They were wholly owned and controlled by the warlock's necromancy. The moving corpses that formed a protective circle around the dark wizard were just empty husks of Adventurers whose souls had been cruelly ripped from their bodies.

Freya gasped as she spotted a zombified Anoran amongst the five undead fighters. "Roderick!" The possessed Roderick notched an arrow and drew back on his bow, intending to fire upon his former teammate. Laera's bewitching Ultimate invaded the archer, temporarily switching his allegiance back in their favor. It pivoted expertly and shot its arrow into another of the Dark Warlock's minions.

Laera gasped as she gained access to what was left of his mind. "There's... there's nothing there! He's gone." The news was a harsh blow, but there wasn't a moment to spare. Another mind and soul were at stake; Frelich wasn't quite dead, or undead, yet.

The only other beacon of hope amidst the warlock's realm of darkness was finally spotted by Lucy, who pointed it out to the rest of the team. In the back corner of the lair, Elvira and another Anoran mage were bound to the twisted walls by dark, sinuous restraints that seemed to writhe like living vines. The prisoners' eyes, though sunken with despair, still contained a defiant spark of life

The Adventurers engaged in combat with the Adventurer-like minions. They feinted towards the Dark Warlock itself, but, per Fiona's plan, their true mission was to prevent them from targeting Laera. Fiona jumped in and launched her frosty Ultimate, hitting three minions with the slowing magic. Lukas and Gemma charged into the fray with her, forming an initial front line. Laera rushed over to her sister, but it was not the right time for a proper family reunion. She attempted to free the two captives, but the warlock's magic was unbreakable. "The mana potion," she said urgently. "Where is it?" Elvira weakly glanced over to her bag which had been dropped and abandoned thirty feet away. The faint gesture was all her sister needed.

Laera quickly found the mana potion and downed it. She refreshed her spells and then bewitched an additional, sword-wielding minion, turning the tide decisively towards the side of the living. The elven mage resisted the urge to batter the undead with a barrage of lightning as she watched her friends fight, holding on to her last bit of mana for a second silence.

In the center of the lair, a heated battle against cold necromancy raged on. Lukas focused on one of the remaining minions, letting Gemma chase after the Dark Warlock. Without its powerful magic, the evil sorcerer could only retreat, weaving between its minions, trying to evade the mighty brawler on its tail. Lucy, Gwyn, and Freya peppered the surprisingly mobile warlock with arrows as Gemma's harrowing speed overtook the dark magician. The warlock took a couple hits from her flaming sword before raising its staff, ready to unleash a vengeful wave of magic as it sensed the silence nearing its final seconds.

A refreshed and waiting Laera unleashed the second silence, catching the Dark Warlock in a uselessly offensive and highly vulnerable stance. Gemma's fiery blade violently slashed through the inky blackness of the warlock's robe and Lucy's bow sent a couple arrows into its hooded face. Lukas was also successful in hacking through his chosen minion, then moved to assist Fiona with hers. The archers' volleys, combined with Gemma's incessant assault, weakened their chief enemy considerably as the battle grinded on. Fiona's instinct about Gemma's damage boost had proved to be spot on. The sheer damage being put out by the team, and especially by the fire-and-steel-wielding berserker, lit a flame of hope in the living hearts throughout the twisted chamber. Victory was in sight.

The warlock, however, had one last wicked card to play. It fled to the back corner of its lair, towards the two captives that were still bound tightly by dark magic and vulnerable to errant ranged attacks. It frustrated the archers, as their target's erratic movements forced a pause in their barrage. Both Lucy and Freya scrambled to find better angles, while Gwyn's self-perceived inexperience caused her to shift away from launching arrows completely. The cunning strategy bought the sinister boss just enough time, as one too many precious seconds ticked away.

Lukas swore that he heard an evil cackle as the warlock's magic unlocked after nearly a minute and a half of silence. In that fleeting moment, the battle completely flipped on its axis -- to the darker side.

The Dark Warlock's casting speed caught them all by surprise. The magician slammed its staff into the ground, launching its first spell: a powerful radial shockwave that traveled through every surface of its lair. Its raw magical strength knocked every single Adventurer off their feet, and the ones closest to the staff's point of impact were sent flying backwards. The corrupted wizard then consumed the essence of a minion, padding its meager HP; Roderick's corpse fell lifelessly to the floor, completely abandoned by both living and undying power. The next spell sent a blood red ribbon springing out from the staff, the magical filament thread itself through each member of Lukas' party. The effects were unknown, not causing damage, which only worried Lukas more. The warlock followed that up by summoning a glowing purple force field all around itself, taunting the Adventurers to test it.

The Dark Warlock's incredible magical prowess struck fear into every living soul in that room. Gemma, however, instantly turned that fear into rage, and she charged into the forcefield even as the archers' arrows bounced off of it. Laera had regenerated enough mana to fire off a single lighting bolt; the electricity also struck the purple barrier to no effect. Gemma made it through and thrust her sword into the warlock, but discovered that within the force field existed a decaying aura. It extracted a heavy price on the berserker's health -- and, adding to the party's shock and dismay, upon everyone else's, too. The sorcerer had cursed the party with a linking spell, ruthlessly multiplying any damage received to the all team members.

"Damage linking!" Lukas cried out.

"Gemma!" Fiona shouted. "Get out of there." She turned to Lukas. "It's all up to you now. I know you can do it." Fiona's confidence in him gave him a surge of hope and energy. He triggered Praise and charged into the purple field, replacing a retreating Gemma.

The Dark Warlock faced its newest assailant for the first time. With a wave of its staff, it engulfed the tall Adventurer in green flames. Lukas ignored them. As they pointlessly flared out, he sunk his blades into the warlock. The magician screeched in pain as it conjured a network of dark, finger-like restraints to writhe against Lukas' broad figure; again, to no effect. Another incantation would have inflicted a necrotic poison. The next would have placed a vampiric curse upon him, granting the sorcerer constant flow of healing at the expense of the Adventurer. Nothing fazed Lukas as he focused on one singular purpose: silencing the warlock permanently with cold steel. He knew the situation was a matter of life or death, but he also felt like a god as he slashed away at the evil wizard, with dark and twisted spells he couldn't even identify bouncing harmlessly off of him.

With a forceful gesture, the warlock once again struck its staff against the cavern floor, unleashing a seismic shockwave that resonated through the space. Lukas, however, stood firm, impervious to the blast's effects. In contrast, his companions were not so fortunate, stumbling backward from the impact. Bound by the warlock's devastating linking spell, the normally minor damage each one suffered from the shockwave was amplified, causing panic to follow the enormous HP hit. The irony was stark: having a larger team had almost killed several of them. Undeterred by that cruel twist, Lukas redoubled his efforts, fighting with unyielding ferocity to save his struggling allies.

The Deviant Dominant ripped mercilessly through the boss' remaining health. There wasn't a lot, thanks to an admirable effort by Gemma and his other teammates, but everyone was counting on him to finish the job. The dark wizard sensed that it was in true danger, and it desperately launched another blast of green flame at its lone attacker. Lukas' arms burned, but from exertion rather than flames, as he fought to maintain his unrelenting offensive.

Being diligently focused on his assault, he completely missed the one final spell that the Dark Warlock cast. It wasn't aimed at Lukas, nor was it a defensive spell of any kind. The target was Frelich's nearly drained body; the elf jolted atop the altar, but nobody was paying attention to him. All eyes were on Lukas and his almost-vanquished foe.

A skillful slice across the warlock's neck ended it. As the boss creature fell, the bonds that restrained its two captives also dissipated. A gasp sounded from the middle of the room, as Frelich shot up to a sitting position on the altar. Laera rushed over to Elvira and embraced her tightly.

"I was so scared, Laera," Elvira managed to get out between sobs. "I watched that creature drain Roderick's soul and then start on Frelich. I might have been next. How did you find me?" The younger sister silently comforted the elder, letting the questions come as they would. "You remembered I always carry an emergency mana potion?" That one carried a hint of pride.

"Good thing I did," Laera said. "It barely got me through. What led you to fight such a powerful boss?"

"Frelich," Elvira sneered in disgust. "He was upset that your new boyfriend defeated the lich so easily. His stupid pride led us here. We got trapped before we realized how screwed we were."

"There has to be a way to get you off this team!"

"Don't worry about that," Elvira promised. "The team is done for. I plan on returning Roderick's body to his family and recounting the foolish mistake that got a young Anoran killed. I hate to use such a tragedy for political purposes, but someone has to knock Frelich and his pompous father down a few notches." She glanced over at the offending elf. He was on the other side of the cavern, idly observing everyone as they looted the lair. "I have half a mind to march over there right now and chew him out, but he's had quite the rough night as well."

"The silver lining here is that you'll get to return to your guild," Laera said.

Elvira nodded, a long-awaited smile sneaking across her face. "So," she asked, finally feeling calm enough to try for humor, "how lucky is it that your boyfriend is the ultimate mage slayer?"

"Not just magic users," Laera responded, happy to brag about her man. "We took on a Demon Fiend right before this. He's an amazingly talented Adventurer."

As if summoned, Lukas approached them, concern etched on his face. "Are you doing okay?" he asked Elvira.

"I'll live," she replied, "thanks to you."

Lukas turned to Laera, who was still visibly shaken, not to mention low on HP. Everyone except Lukas was. "And you? I'm glad we got to your sister in time. You were ready to charge in without a second thought."