The Ebon Wood

The Ebon Wood was never to be traversed, not by the town's womenfolk at the least. None dared to venture far in, and those who did were seldom seen again. The very few who returned all developed torments before returning to the wood. Wild stories of demons and devils, of imps and phantoms were told to the young girls of the village to scare them away. Left out of those tales, however, were the real fears of their Elders. Many a hunting party were dispatched to the Ebon Wood. Warriors, rangers, clerics; all manner of strong-willed and able-bodied men would search for the cause of this curse. Each trip they would return empty-handed.

Asan Calarin was no fool. She yearned to help, but was forbade each time she asked. As the town's only local young priestess, she was seen by many to be the new High Premier of the town one day. It was often said she would need to learn humility before she could ascend to such a great title. At each balk, she grew more impatient. "One day," she would often find herself saying, "I will go out and overturn this evil."

One fall evening a routine hunting party returned, regaling the other villagers of their latest demon-chase. Asan listened carefully along with one of her young keepers named Gardel. Gardel too yearned to travel with the hunting parties, yearning for fame, adventure, and glory. His charge to protect Asan was one of greater importance, even if it was less glamorous. He listened intently to the hunting party's tales, so much so that he nearly missed Asan as she began talking and turned for the Priestess-House. "You coming?" She asked impatiently.

Catching up to Asan, she continued. "And no one will stop me. Something must be done!" Gardel looked at her questioningly and she sighed. "I'm going to find the cause of this Ebon curse. I'm leaving tonight."

"But that's madness!" Gardel protested. "You know what happens to the women who venture into those accursed woods."

"You forget I am a Priestess of the Light. Surely the goddess will protect me." Asan smirked. "Besides, the men of this village have been searching for how long? I wish to leave one day for my pilgrimage. And since the wars, no riverboats visit our village anymore. What would you have me do?"

"You're not going." Gardel said. "It is my duty to protect you!"

"It is also your duty not to desecrate this holy place." Asan said as they approached the stairs to her chambers. "I won't get in trouble on your account Keeper," She chided, adding the last bit with a smile. "Now go get some rest." Gardel grumbled as he turned to head for the barracks.

Night fell and with it, Asan made her slip out the back of the Priestess-House. Forgoing the traditional pale blue robes of a Priestess, she instead donned a pair of rugged leather boots, and a simple cloth and leather outfit; the typical garb of hunters and rangers. Bundling her cloak around her against the chilling wind, she slipped into the shadows of the Ebon Wood.

The woods were much darker than even Asan would have guessed, but she kept a keen eye for anything out of the ordinary. The tall shadows and twisted branches gave the young Priestess a chill, though she couldn't be sure it wasn't simply the wind. Up head was a clearing and she made her way toward it with great speed. Reaching the clearing, she found many small mounds of dirt, scattered in an eerily man-made patterns.

She suddenly felt very alone. She also felt like she was being watched. The mounds of dirt called to her, though she wasn't entirely sure why. With all her courage, Asan quietly approached the nearest mound. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though the thought these were made rather than simply molded out of the ground was still in the front of her mind. "There's nothing here." She told herself. "I need to keep moving." She passed by the remaining mounds, heading toward the other edge of the clearing. There were dim lights in the woods over there, or so she thought. A mist had begun to fill the woods and it was difficult to make anything out at any real distance.

By the time Asan had reached the far end of the clearing, the mist had thickened significantly. "The sharpest archer would be hard pressed to see more than a few spans," she said to herself "Perhaps tonight was not the be-" her voice locked as a sharp snap sounded right behind her. Spinning on one heel, she looked into the mist behind her. Nothing was to be found.

Peering into the dark, she couldn't see the mounds either. The mist seemed to have a life about it as it swirled and twisted through the branches. She noticed an odd feeling amidst the cool mist. A warmth. A warmth she had not felt before. A warmth from within, and it built inside her. She looked down to undo the clasp on her cloak, hoping the cool night air would ease her uncomfortable feeling.

At that moment, something leaped from the darkness. Asan reeled backward, and was narrowly missed by some sort of blob. "What what that?" she thought, but any further thought was cut off by more flying through the mist at her. At the same time, the mist condensed into swirling tendrils, some as thick a trunk, some as thin as the smallest fingers. The night air clearing, Asan could see the mounds of dirt moving, leaching something to the surface. Another blob flew by her. "The mounds! They are cover!" Asan turned and made a break away from the clearing. She knew she was traveling further from the village as well, but her first compulsion was to get as much distance from the mist and the blobs of goo as possible.

Asan only made it a few strides before a blob flew into her back. With a thud she fell face down into the leaves of the forest floor, her cloak sailing above her into the darkness. The blob felt heavy on her back, but it was only moments before she could feel it oozing around her. With a great deal of effort, she managed to regain her feet and turned. Her heart sank at the sight. Before she could react, three more blobs impacted her chest and legs, knocking her back down to the ground, this time onto the blob on her back. Almost immediately the blobs on her chest merged with the one behind her, encasing her upper torso. Asan's fight was futile as the blob began to ooze into the ground. She fought, but was unable to move an inch. More blobs rolled through the darkness quickly securing her arms and legs painfully spread to the forest floor.

Asan let out a cry for help. She knew no one would hear, but it was impulsive. Within a minute, more blobs had arrived and she was not completely encased from her neck down in the strange ooze. The warmth she had felt before staring into the mist had all but left her leaving the cold night chill. The blobs seemed to transmit the cold directly to her skin. How could this be? Looking down the length of her body, she saw the reason. The oozing had caused the loose garments she wore to float out of the blobs and away from her body. She wasn't yet naked, but she was rapidly losing and covering offered by her clothing. Her boots had been pushed off by the invasive blobs and she could feel their cold grip from her toes all the way up her exposed body.

She fought as best she could, but actually moved little. After what seemed like an eternity, she froze. The mist had returned. This time it's intent was not masked by covering the entire forest floor. It was still formed into tendrils. It began to snake over her, not touching her or the blobs of ooze. It just floated there over her. One tendril about the thickness of a man's wrist twisted out of the mass and brushed against her cheek and up her forehead. A rush of heat washed over her face. "It was the mist that made me flush," she realized. Again she cried out for help. This time, however, she could only muster one "help" before the tendril of mist recoiled. It shot at her like an arrow, filling her mouth and nose before wrapping itself fully around her head. While she could still breathe, she couldn't find the means to release any more cries for help.

As distracted as she was at the assault from the mist, she failed to notice the blobs' movement. It had opened holes around her breasts and her waist. It wasn't until a few of the smaller tendrils found their way to her breasts that she discovered their true purpose. Everywhere they touched, they send waves of warmth through her body; a feeling she had not felt until this night. She knew what it was, and she fought it. "I'm a Priestess of the Light... I... I must fight this!" she thought to herself.

After only a few more moments she felt a new sensation. This time the mist had wrapped itself around her waist. At this point she could no longer struggle to break free. All her will was being channeled to prevent her from succumbing to this assault. It was of little use. Within moments after this third sensation, she began to convulse. Bucking as much as possible, her body was wracked with orgasm. As Asan came to, she began to sob. A Priestess is to remain pure, and what could be fouler than a demonic entity in the woods. Her thoughts quickly returned to her defense as she could feel the mist begin to penetrate her. Not only penetrate her womanhood, but also her ass. There was little in the way of struggle, she fought the warmth building again, but the relentless mist and unmoving ooze quickly brought her a second orgasm. A third. A fourth. "Is there any giving in?" she thought through ever dwindling lucid periods. After some time, she passed out.

She awoke sometime later, in her bed in the Priestess-House. "Was it a dream?" she thought. She then noticed a familiar body hovering over her. It was Gardel.

"You're not supposed to be here!" She exclaimed, pulling her sheets tightly around her nude body. Her expression relaxed a bit and she continued. "Wait, how did I get back here?"

With a smile Gardel explained, "When you mentioned that you were going to seek out the evil in Ebon Wood, I knew you were bull-headed enough that I wouldn't convince you otherwise. I heralded a team and we set out at dusk to find you. We heard your cries and found you, naked, lying near a clearing in the woods. All we could find was a cloak. Did you really go out in just a cloak? Anyway we were able..."

Asan's thoughts began to drift. Was it really over? What was that thing? She was grateful that her Keeper was as stubborn has she. Gardel was a fine protector.

"Oh and as far as being allowed in here. When we returned, High Priestess Heidal immediately made me a Warden, so I am allowed in here now," he said, with a smirk of satisfaction.

Asan was happy for him, she really was. There was a nagging in the back of her mind, however. She felt like she had to go back, that she needed to go back. Not so much to defeat it, but to appease its desires. To appease her desires.