The Tale Of The Nemorvian Band Ch 05

Chapter Five: Songs of Safety in the Forest and the First Shipment

Kilne and Amitkoa still sat in the pool of the bathhouse, transfixed by the lion's head statue. They stared at it, awaiting more travelers to enter the place and decide how to use their curvaceous bodies. They continued to stare blankly ahead even as heavy footfalls sounded from outside.

A single figure entered the bathhouse, but luckily for them it was no man. The figure was a woman, a gigantic woman so large she had to lean down and practically crawl through the doorway to enter the small bathhouse. Once through the doorway she rose back to her feet, standing over ten feet tall.

The Collossi stared silently at first, looming so tall her head touched the ceiling of the bathhouse. She wasn't just tall but thick and wide, her body nothing but muscle and plump curves. Her breasts were massive, but their true size seemed to be constrained and suppressed by the strips of leather clothing the imposing figure had wrapped tightly around her body.

Her hair was platinum and although long was pulled up into a tight bun on the back of her head. That left her face on prominent display. It was a face that was unsettlingly inhuman due to its immense size, yet the happy smile she wore gave her face a prettiness that softened her hulking features. There was more to the smile. I radiated a peaceful pressure that worked to clear some of the stupefying magic that hung in the moist, steamy air of the bathhouse.

Slung over her back was a huge stuffed pack and a massive mace nearly the size of a normal Human. The Collossi, seeing the transfixed women in the bathing pool, did not move to draw the weapon. Instead she started forward, smiling happily with her eyes focused on the two hypnotized Nemorvians.

"There you are," she said, her voice feminine yet a deep rumble that echoed loudly through the small bathhouse.

When she reached the two women sitting naked in the water she leaned down, grabbing each of them with one of her massive hands. She lifted them with so much ease it seemed as if their weight was inconsequential to her mighty muscles.

As she rose they dangled limply in her grasp, their naked bodies dripping water. She quickly turned, leaning down as she approached the door and carrying the two women out into the daylight. She sat them down in the road, both women standing on their feet but taking no other action.

"You just wait here," she said to them in a manner that made it clear she understood they wouldn't really hear her words.

She turned to duck back into the bathhouse and quickly returned with their clothing and weapons held in her huge hands. She dropped their gear at their feet then stood tall before them, crossing her arms and smiling down at them.

"Poor things. Who knows what has happened to them since they went into this vile place." She glanced back at the bathhouse, her pretty features twisting in hatred for a moment. "It would please me to tear the building down, but the Queen has commanded us to take no actions that would reveal that her forces are nearby."

She turned back to the two Nemorvians. "Well, best be fixing your minds." She reached her arms out before her, her fingers spread and her palms pointing towards their faces. She muttered a few quick arcane words that caused her hands to glow with blue energy. The energy flowed out from her hands into the women's heads. Then, as the energy started to fade, they both blinked their eyes.

"Be at peace, little Nemorvians," the Collossi boomed soothingly. "I am Zomos and I have been sent to retrieve you."

Kilne and Amitkoa look confused and disoriented but when they glance up at the Collossi looming before them then back to the bathhouse some of that confusion disappeared.

"You saved us from that place," Amitkoa said, staring up at the Collossi.

"Yes," Zomos replied, smiling kindly down at her. "The bathhouses on the road to Iphasea are not to be trusted. Some are as they seem but others are like this one. They hold a powerful enchantment designed to leave attractive women ensorcelled so that they can be more easily captured and brought to the brothels of the capital. They are a trap to enslave women and turn them into sexual toys."

She stood tall, glaring fiercely at the building. "But such perversions shall soon be put to an end for the mighty Fey Queen Faeven is gathering an army of woman liberators in these very woods. Once gathered we shall free all the women held in sexual servitude in Iphasea City." As Zomos mentioned the Fey Queen her face lit up with joy, as if the woman's name were a charm that chased away all bad thoughts and feelings.

Zomos looked back down at the two Nemorvians. "And those captured by this foul place's charms are left playthings for any male traveler passing by." It was a statement but by the way she looked into each of their eyes the two Nemorvians also felt it was a question as well.

Kilne quickly broke eye contact and looked away, shame on her pretty young face. But Amitkoa, the older of the two, glared up at the Collossi. "It has happened to us," she declared, her words making it clear her anger was not directed at the huge woman. "I can't remember it clearly but... there were men. And they used us."

Zomos knelt before them so their eyes were more level. She reached her huge arms out to hold them protectively, telling them, "No man shall use you in such a way again."

Kilne seemed soothed by the Collossi but Amitkoa pulled away from the massive woman's embrace. "Someone else promised us the same thing," she said, wrapping her arms around her naked breasts protectively. Then her eyes opened wide and she turned around, looking about in alarm. "Where is Novaoa?"

Zomos blinked. "It was only you two in there," she said dumbly. Then, snarling in anger she stood, slamming the palm of one hand onto her forehead. "Stupid! There were supposed to be three of you. I was so excited to have found you I forgot all about that. Do you remember what happened to her?"

"No," the two Nemorvians said in unison. Then Amitkoa spoke, "She was with us when we entered. And... and I know she was there when the men arrived. But everything after that is a foggy blur..."

"Perhaps they took her," Kilne said, looking distraught and on the verge of tears.

"Maybe," Zomos replied, looking down the road that led to Iphasea City. "If the men did take her some of the Queen's other agents may rescue her before they reach the city. But sometimes women who fall into this trap wander off on their own, muddled and zombie like thanks to the cursed place's magic. She may simply be lost in the forest, although they hold many threats of their own. Yet the Queen's Fey are patrolling the forest even as we speak. They look for you three and any other women in need. And they work to ensure our presence is not discovered by the men that are our enemies."

As she spoke both Nemorvians bent down and started dressing, both eager to have their naked bodies covered and once more have their weapons at their side. "Her gear is here with ours," Amitkoa said, "but it looks like our horses are gone."

"That could mean anything," the Collossi replied, looking about suddenly as if afraid they were being watched. "It is not good for me to stay here long in the open. And you two are being hunted," she added, looking down at them with concern.

"By Minotaurs," Amitkoa said with a nod. "We'd been running and hiding for a long time before coming here."

"These Minotaurs are known to us," Zomos replied, looking even more concerned. "They have an evil reputation, especially when it comes to dealing with women. They are not a band of just three or four, their numbers are far greater. To encounter them with just us three would not go well for us. That is why you must come with me, deep into the forest where the Queen gathers her forces. The camp is hidden and will take many days to reach. But once there we shall be safe. Upon arrival we may even discover that your friend has reached the camp before us."

"And what is expected of us once we arrive there?" Amitkoa asked, her tone making it clear she thought the offered safety came at some unmentioned price.

"Then you will join our army," Zomos declared, "and you shall help us free the women of Iphasea City."

Kilne placed a hand on Amitkoa's shoulder. "This is exactly what Novaoa wanted for us! We were never going to be able to do it alone."

"Yes," Amitkoa replied, fresh determination on her face. "Although she wanted only to free the other Nemorvians. This Queen, though, strives for more. And that feels right to me. Hopefully we shall meet Novaoa again, if not with this Fey Queen's army then in Iphasea city. If that is where she is then we will save her the way she saved us."

"If that is where she ends up then we shall save her," Zomos said eagerly. "And every other woman held there in sexual slavery. But now we must be on the move, come, into the forest. I shall lead the way."

* * *

Novaoa woke slowly. At first she felt only pain but slowly the pain in her body began to lessen as if being leached away by some magic. Then, little by little, she became aware of the faint sound of a flute playing. The music was strange, light and drifting to her on the wind. It was like a whisper the world had only for her. There was soft, powerful magic interwoven with the music and she quickly realized that it was the music making her body less sore, that the tune was healing her.

For a moment the healing faltered as the memories of her ordeal at the hands, and cocks, of the Trolls returned to her. Her recovery wavered, despair threatening to overtake her. She started to sink back into unconsciousness but then the music grew louder. A moment later the memories were chased away and the healing continued.

Eventually she was able to open her eyes. Sun shined down through the trees overhead. She blinked, letting her vision adjust to the brightness. Then, seeing what towered above her, she gasped. Quickly, her body still hurting, she frantically crawled away from the two Trolls looming above her.

As she scrambled away she realized something was wrong. The Trolls weren't chasing her. She blinked again, stopping her mad dash to freedom to look at them. It seemed the two beasts had returned to fuck her. Their huge monstrous cocks stood erect and throbbing, yet the beasts were unmoving as if frozen in time moments before falling upon her.

As she thought this the music became louder. She turned her head, trying to pinpoint what direction it was coming from. It was impossible to locate as the music seemed to be coming from every direction at once. But it was growing louder, getting closer, that was clear.

Novaoa began to get to her feet, feeling more refreshed with every moment that passed. As she stood she looked at the Trolls. They were motionless except for the drool pooling then dripping out of their open mouths. The music kept her fear and despair at bay yet as she looked at them she knew that if they had gotten her a second time her mind would not have survived the ordeal. She shivered, ashamed she had been defeated so easily.

Think not on such things,

a musical feminine voice rang in her mind.

Come away from this place so you can be truly safe. Follow the music to me, brave Nemorvian, for I have searched long for you.

She turned, instinctively knowing which way to go now. She was aware that she would not have been able to resist the request of the voice she heard in her mind if she had wanted to. The magical music was not just healing her, it was enchanting and enthralling her. But this did not fill Novaoa with dread. This was not an evil force. Everything told her that surrendering to it was safe.

Novaoa moved through the woods for some time, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. With every step the music grew louder. The clearer the music became the more healed she felt, in both body and mind. Even after she was fully physically healed the music continued to work its magic on her, leaving her feeling more powerful and brave than she'd ever felt before.

The trees around her were thick, their tangled branches and leaves making a ceiling above her that only faint light seeped through. Then, as she moved ever forward towards the music filling her with might and bravery, the canopy above her parted. A shaft of bright, almost blinding light shined down on her, making her halt. She was staggered by the intensity of the light yet felt completely safe and protected by its warmth.

A figure suddenly appeared above her, floating down from the branches of the trees. It was a woman, small and thin with tiny perfectly rounded breasts and a small plump ass. She had wild, curly bright red hair. Her features were dainty and pointed, her ears elongated and tipped like an Elve's. But there was an otherworldly air to the small woman, something more magical than even a High Elve radiated. That power seemed to flow forth from the forest around them, swirling around the small woman with golden spasms and sparks of visible magical energy.

As Novaoa stared up in awe she realized the small Fey woman was not floating but rather she was hovering. Translucent, shimmering wings on her back fluttered quickly, keeping her airborne. They reminded Novaoa of a dragonfly's wings, only colored more beautifully.

The Fey woman's pretty eyes were filled with benevolent mischievousness while her small, narrow lips smiled around the flute held up to her mouth. The flute itself seemed to be made of wood but looked not as if it was carved but rather as if it had grown naturally and been plucked like a fruit from some enchanted tree. Glowing golden energy flowed down through the wood then when it reached the end of the flute it sparked out before it. For a moment the energy took the form of musical notes before turning to golden vapor that flowed swirling around the Fey woman.

Fluttering, the woman moved the flute from her mouth yet the music continued, fainter but still filling the air around her. "Novaoa the Nemorvian," she said, her voice a soft feminine song as musical as the sounds that were coming from her flute, "we have searched long for you."

Her wings fluttered furiously as she slowly descended to the forest floor. Then, as her naked feet touched the dirt below her, her wings shuddered and pulled behind her, curling up into themselves and then moving flat against her back, disappearing as they did so.

"I am Meadow and I come to bring you the tidings of Queen Faeven. She knows of your past, of your time of sexual servitude and how that has driven you to try and free the other members of your race. She also desires this, but not just the Nemorvians. She desires to free

ALL

women who are sexually enslaved by men."

Novaoa was so awed by the Fey woman's presence she dropped onto her knees, bowing before her. She looked up, feeling nothing but warmth as the Fey smiled kindly down at her. "You have saved me," Novaoa declared. "I owe you, and your queen, my life."

"Then rise, warrior Novaoa, and come join my Queen's war of liberation."

"Yes," Novaoa replied, rising quickly to her feet. "I shall! I

MUST

. Please, show me the way."

"I will," Meadow replied, stepping closer. Novaoa noticed that her feet only barely touched the earth below her and that small greenery sprouted from under her feet as she lifted them back up. "You are strong and the fire for revenge burns bright in your heart. Yet we cannot be too careful. Alaria is a world full of threats, many that would like nothing more than to see Queen Faeven brought low to suffer the same fate that once befell you. She must be careful, and her trust must be earned."

"I don't understand," Novaoa said, furrowing her brow.

"I will take you to my Queen and at her feet you will be given a test that will make it so you can speak truth and only truth. In the past my Queen's foes have sent agents to us disguised as allies. Till you can be tested you must be blindfolded, lest any forces working through you see where our army camps. You shall also be allowed no weapon till you are proved a true ally."

"Alright," Novaoa replied. "But this forest is dangerous. Will you protect me on our journey?"

The Fey woman laughed, the sound more music than voice. "Oh yes. Although much darkness flows through these woods the ancient power we Fey draw our strength from is very powerful here. With me by your side you need not fear anything."

Then she stepped closer, moving a hand towards Novaoa's face and twirling it about as she worked the magical power swirling about her. A blindfold made of interwoven green leaves appeared and wrapped around Novaoa's head, blinding her from the world around her.

Meadow placed a hand on Novaoa's shoulder, calming warmth radiating from it. "I will lead you. Before long you shall meet the Queen and be tested. The journey may take days, maybe even longer since you will be blindfolded," she told Novaoa, "but my presence will alter your sense of time and it will seem but a few brief moments." Then, with the Fey leading the way, they began to march through the woods with purpose.

* * *

Jennenes Moonlight strode through the busy streets of Iphasea City, his royal guard surrounding him. Looking around he was proud of how large the city had grown during his life, although he begrudgingly admitted to himself that was mostly his father's doing. His "kingdom" had been little more than a few newly settled towns populated mostly by Humans when his father had arrived in the region. But through brute force of willpower (and some magical aid) he had gathered the towns together under his banner and turned the central Iphasea City into a bustling metropolis.

Geographically Iphasea was a small kingdom. Aside from the capital there were only a handful of other towns of note under its banner and one could ride from one border to the other in only a couple of days. To the north was the Shadow Mountains, full of Dwarven cities built into and under the mountains. The eastern border was surrounded by a vast forest that no monarch yet laid claim to, although Jennenes had done much to prove his dominion over it. The expansion of territory was not so much about the forest itself but the thriving cities on the other side whose trade did much to enrich him.

Looking about he saw that the population of his capital city was a diverse mix of races. Many who came to visit who were aware an Elve was king were surprised to find Elves only a small minority of the population. Jennenes' father had not been from this region, he had simply come and claimed the land as his own.

Iphasea had a diverse population yet one race was far more numerous than any other: Humans. Their lives were so much shorter than most other races in Alaria, yet it seemed they were destined to populate their world with far greater numbers than any other. Jennenes didn't mind.

The Humans were easily manipulated or outright intimidated into doing what he wanted them to do. There was also the fact that their short lives held a boon Jennenes' father had discovered early on, one Jennenes planned to continue to take advantage of. He was a full-blooded High Elve and as such his life would last far beyond entire generations of a Human's. This would allow him to rule over them with an iron fist while their short lives fluttered past him with almost no notice.

But it wasn't Humans that had brought him out into the city that day, it was Dwarves. The first shipment of Dwarven women from King Teddem who were being sent to serve as sex slaves in the city's brothels were arriving.

As Jennenes and his retinue of guards and attendants turned a corner to approach the open court of the slave market the banners of the new Dwarven king flew high above the crowd. He smiled seeing the simple yet elegant beauty of the new kingdom's flag: a green background with the angry runic face of the Teddem clan's ancestors on it. It had been their clan's crest before the crowning of the new king, the only addition being a golden crown atop the scowling face's head.