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Nametag:rook
THE WATCHERS IN THE DARK
"I once bailed out a leaky boat with my bra. It's chain mail.
You know how long that took?! I can be patient." Red Sonja
looked past the camp fire where it had been built at the
opening of a slab of carved rock which had collapsed long ago
it's impediment halted by its striking several large rocks
thus creating a stone lean-to.
The young man next to her followed her gaze past the fire at
the mouth of their makeshift shelter at the swirl of smoke
and dark beyond and sighed. "Very well, I will tell you what
little I know."
"Why don't you start at the beginning. We seem to have all
night. I doubt either of us will get much sleep. And since
you are a monk. I guess we shall spend it talking." The busty
young teen smirked at the young man.
"Well, it began with the Master of our order, Jardin, passing
on suddenly and without warning. There was some, well,
confusion and disorder, about who his successor should be.
Mainly as another sub-branches leader, a man named Marius,
showed up and claimed that right and title."
"Marius, was a famed and noble brother and surely qualified
as the overall leader of our order, but Jardin had already
hinted, if not proclaimed, another called, Panderus."
"This produced a schism in the sect. For both men had great
followings in all the various branches. In the end, four
brothers, including myself, were selected to consult the
oracle at Vesh. A long and dangerous journey, but one we made
there intact. For the brothers chosen were of those trained
to defend the sacred places and thus more than a match for
rouges and thieves and the common dangerous of the road."
"And yet," Red Sonja interjected and looked to the back of
the lean-to's shadows were a monk lay dead.
"And yet," the young monk sighed.
"You were heading south from the mountain pass. Am I to take
it you and your brethren made it to the oracle in one piece?"
Red Sonja cast a wary eye over the camp fire at the maw of
their sloped cave were not all that was cinder glinted in the
dark.
"Yes." The monk looked back from the corpse to join the young
girl in looking out of their stone confine into the fire and
dark.
"We arrived and made the offering and received the reports of
the vision and were on our way back when- well, the attacks
started."
"Made the offering..." Red Sonja smiled. The current high
priestess of Vesh and her sisters were known for very
accurate, if oblique prophecies, and a somewhat shameless
lust for gold. "I could see why you would be attacked on your
way there, but having parted with the, 'offering,' there
seems little reason for anyone to waylay you now."
"True," the monk nodded. "We had some encounters with highway
men on our travels there and dealt with them soundly. But
these attacks on our return journey. Well, these are no
highway men."
"Yes," Red Sonja looked at her slender sword which lay
unsheathed across her knees. "Highway men generally do not
bleed black blood." She glanced once more to the dead monk at
the back of their shelter. "Nor do they rip men to shreds
when they kill them."
"A bear perhaps," the monk offered.
"A bear that wears a hooded cloak?" Red Sonja snorted in
disbelief.
"Well, whatever they are; there is at least two of them and
they only seem to attack us at night." The monk added with
some bitting of his lip.
"You were lucky I came along or you would all be dead now. I
don't know how much damage my sword did to it but at least
the surprise of my attack seemed to startle it away." Red
Sonja narrowed her eyes. "For now."
"I am truly thankful for your rescue. We lost brother,
Edward, on the first night and brother, Salamis, on the
second. And tonight brother, Arris, and no doubt myself as
well, if not for your quick and bold intervention." The monk
sighed and rubbed his hand over the top of his head.
Red Sonja shot a hard look back at the monk, "and truly you
are carrying nothing of value upon your persons?!"
"Nothing!" The monk recoiled at her aggressive question.
Suddenly Red Sonja's frown lifted and she smiled, "but you
do. You carry the response of the oracle. Which one did it
choose?"
"Well, it's an oracle. So... well, it said, 'Let knowledge
guide your strength in this your fatal hour.
For all that was but is; recollection houses power.' That was
it. Rather short for an oracle but-"
"And so which one of the two men does it mean?" Red Sonja
hated oracles and had no patients for their often ambiguous
deciphering.
"Well, Panderus is keeper of scrolls and is known for his
wisdom; while Marius is known for his protecting of the
temples against the heathen savages of the hills."
"A leader and tactician, against a man well instructed and
knowledgable in his order. Fighter against scholar. I can see
why there is division in your order. They should rule
jointly. But as it is, the oracle dose seem to favor
Panderus." Red Sonja rubbed her chin in thought.
"That was the conclusion we arrived at as well," the monk
gazed at her waiting her next spoken thought.
"I believe we will find answers if we return to the oracle
again," the young red headed girl spoke to the low roof of
their shelter.
"But we have no more to offer the oracle for another
prophecy?!" The monk blurted out confused and frustrated.
"And it is a two day trip back to the oracle. Yet we can
reach the nearest village of Vesh this day! If we continue
out of these accursed mountains!"
Red Sonja half smiled at the stone ceiling, "the world is
filled with beautiful women who will fuck for money. Oracle's
are no different. I think if we continue down the mountain
those things will pursue us come nightfall even in a village.
We will only be putting other's in harms way. No. The means
of stopping these things is to return to the oracle."
The monk shook his head, "that means another night on the
open road versus a night behind a guarded stockade." But he
pulled his knees up to his chest and set his chin upon his
knees rolling his head from side to side and brooded.
Resigned to follow the lithe swordswoman for reasons that
frustratingly eluded him.
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Red Sonja pushed them hard. The road was strange to her but
the monk spoke of a small natural cave where the monks
sheltered and rested upon their journey to the oracle but
passed by on their return as they had left early in the
morning from the oracle and thus reached it far too early to
use to make camp.
The pair of them reached the small cave at twilight. The
creature came before they could gather brush or make fire.
The monk fought with torch and staff and Red Sonja fought
with sword and skill. The creature bleed but would not die.
And soon Red Sonja ordered the monk to escape into the small
cave while she continued to fight the beast. For while the
monk's combat skills nearly matched her own it became obvious
to her that the monster was intent on killing the monk. The
monk was its target; she was just something to kill in its
way if it had to.
Thus putting herself between the beast and the monk she split
the beasts attention. For it was obsessed with killing him
and only attacked her to get past her; this gave her a
tactical edge.
Never before had the she-devil of the battle fields fought
such a creature. It was large. Twice her own height and
indeed as bulky and hairy as a cave bear. But it moved upon
its hind legs. It was humped back with heavy thick ropey arms
and it fought with no weapon but its deadly razor sharp
claws. It's face was flat and sunk upon its massive
shoulders.
It wore a tattered heavy hooded cloak but no other clothing.
As such it was certainly 'male'. And it's proving member
quiet long and thick. If the damn thing had not been so lost
in its frenzied bloodlust to kill the monk and her that stood
between it and him; she might have subdued the beast by
'other' means.
But as it was, once the monk had slipped into the cave, and
she had turned the beast momentarily away from it, and rolled
past its powerful arm swipe, she joined the monk by sliding
into the cave mouth at a dead sprint.
Panting and sweating the monk and the girl crouched under the
heavy low overhang of the cave. As she had guessed the sure
bulk of the creature kept it from being able to squeeze in
far enough to reach them with its deadly claws. But it did
not let that from stopping it from trying for several ground
shaking heart pumping minutes.
Eventually, howling with rage, the monster fell back leaving
huge gouges in the rock from its claws.
"It seems some strange mixture of bear, man, and ape?" The
teen girl muttered still gasping to catch her breath.
"There! The other one has joined it!" The monk jabbed to the
entrance of the cave with his torch.
There indeed, a second cloaked shadow had arrived. This
figure was much smaller in stature and size than the beast.
And soon Red Sonja deduced it was a naked woman wearing only
a cloak.
The woman seemed to assess the situation and then speaking to
low to be overheard spoke to the beast and left. The beast
fell back out of the reach of the monk's torch light. But
it's unblinking eyes glittered cold as gems of jet in the
dark beyond it; and watched them through the night.
At daybreak it was gone. And the exhausted monk and girl made
as fast a journey as their tired limbs could manage to the
oracle.
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The shrine of the oracle sat upon a small cliff that jutted
out over the approaching path. For the road that made its way
past the shrine to the mountain pass split here for several
hundred feet into this singular winding path.
The layout of the temple consisted of a small ice cold
shallow mountain brook which ran through the very center of
the grounds; spliting the foundation of the main building in
half.
This stream was crossed in several places by small arched
stone bridges. There were many small stone buildings; all of
low design with vaulted steep roofs clustered on either side
of the central brook.
The only building of any significance was the central large
rectangular temple of the oracle. This was the lone building
built out over the jutting cliff above the sole path leading
to and from the site of the oracle.
It was into this building the pair was lead after several
hours of purification and waiting in one of the lesser
buildings.
Here it was explained that the oracle would answer their
question if they parted with all their earthly possessions
currently upon them. The monk was hesitant but Red Sonja
quickly shed her harness and sword and her knapsack and her
scale mail bikini and thigh high boots and stood naked and
ready.
The monk slowly followed suit. Handing over his robe and
backpack and sandals and staff. Muttering under his breath,
"it's going to be a cold and foot sore walk back down the
mountain now."
The monk paid honor to the oracle and re-asked his question.
To his utterly shock and Red Sonja's obvious amusement the
oracle completely contradicted its first prophecy and made a
new one that obviously favored Marius election?!
The meeting done. The pair left the shrine stark naked. Red
Sonja giggling in mirth and the monk utterly confused.
Back on the road a short distance from the shrine and it's
sisters the frustrated monk could take no more and demanded
what the young girl found so funny?!
Red Sonja only wagged her finger and led them a short
distance further and then bid him to sit down next to her and
wait for nightfall.
This suicidal act in face of the nocturnal roaming monster
further confused the monk. But he complied and the two of
them slept away the better part of the day at the path's
side.
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Night fell and with it the brisk summer chill of the mountain
gave way to a bitting cold. Limbs stiff from sleeping upon
the barren ground, and hungry from a lack of food, the pair
made their way back, by Red Sonja's command, as stealthy as
possible, to the oracle shrine.
The monk could only guess that the girl meant to pilfer their
belongings back from the sisters of the shrine. While this
was an offense against the gods, he could not but frown at
his own feet turned by the cold earth into stones and the
long walk to the nearest village without food or water for
the next three days and two nights. Not to mention that the
arrival at the village naked and penniless did not bode well
for welcome or any change in their situation.
Casting about for other ideas he followed the girl. If SHE
did the stealing? Well, then... no he knew that he would
still be in the wrong. But he did have a duty to his order to
bring back the conflicting reports. Once he returned to them
he would make penance for this crime of necessity.
Thus reluctantly committed to this act of robbery and
blasphemy the monk was surprised that the red headed teen
made no effort to search the smaller buildings were the
'offerings' were kept under lock and key and guard by the
sisters and instead meekly followed her back into the main
building of the oracle it's self!
This building was not guarded at night. Being barren of but
stone and the sparse furnishings of office of the high
priestess who made the prophecies.
Instead the sisters stood watch over the many smaller stone
buildings were the offering treasures were kept and where
they bedded down at night.
The main building, the largest at the site, consisted of a
large rectangular single room split in half by the brook
which disappeared down a drain in the center of the building.
Above this drain the oracle would sit during the day upon a
bronze tripod amongst a stream of vapors which poured up out
of the drain hole.
She would talk in tongues and the sisters would interpret
this into verse for the petitioner to understand. Or not
understand as the case may be.
The high priestess lived in the temple. There were a small
flight of stone stairs leading down to her privet chambers
and here one lone guard would stand sentinel during the night
hours.
With a whisper of sound except the monk's own muffled squeak
of protest. Red Sonja leaped down the stairs and subdued the
guard before she knew that she was under attack.
Now armed with pillaged spear and shield the busty young girl
pushed aside the drapes leading into the high priestess inner
chambers and slipped silently in.
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The chambers consisted of a large circular single room cut
out of living rock. From the center of the low ceiling fell
the brook through the floor grate from the main room above to
another floor grate where it disappeared. From this floor
grate rose the plumes of vapors which passed on up into the
chamber above, but also filled the room with a light fog of a
not unpleasing odor.
There were niches and benches and a bed all carved from the
rock and covered in rich pillows and blankets. Tables full of
food and wine sat scattered about the room.
Otherwise the room was empty.
The young girl and the monk quickly attacked the wine and
food. Breads and fruits and salted meats. Eating as hurriedly
as possible while Red Sonja continued to search the rooms.
The feast ended when she found the heavy wooden trap door
under the thick rug. The foods and wines ported up the
mountain road from the distant valley of Vesh every week were
abandoned as the two of them opened the trap and cautiously
descended the iron ladder below.
The ladder was not rungs set in stone singularly but instead
a ladder made fully of iron that lead from the trap door and
its throat of a few feet of stone straight into the expanse
of a natural cavern.
Forty rungs brought them upon the cold wet rough surface of
the cavern floor. The rock was folded and cracked and broken
in many places by fissures and from these issued forth the
billowing fumes of even greater depths.
The cave was naturally sloped and ended on one side into a
large pool of water into which from above the brook waterfall
fell from its grate rippling its otherwise placid surface.
The other sides of the cavern were walled in the folded rock
mirroring its floor.
The entire room was well lit by a few large braziers. Which
Red Sonja quickly pointed her spear and whispered, "larger
than the trap door entrance. There's another means of entry
to this cavern."
"If it's by boat. We're screwed." The monk whispered looking
at the barren shore of the pool which shimmered away into
darkness.
Red Sonja said nothing but moved quickly and quietly to the
other end of the cavern. Following the glimmer of the lit
braziers through the slight haze of the vapors rising from
the cracks in the rocks at their feet.
"We need to get out of these gasses quickly. The brothers
burn herbs that have this effect to have the injured breath
before setting limbs or cutting bone. Our sense will beguile
and we will sleep if we are exposed to long to this mist."
The monk muttered as he coughed a little and cleared his
throat.
Red Sonja only nodded and moved a bit more quickly. The
natural firm heaviness of her giant breasts not only bouncing
upon her small torso but pulling her shoulders as they swayed
so her upper body swung back and forth almost as much as her
full hips rolled from side to side.
They reached a cliff that fell away into infinite darkness.
And here turned to find a path leading along its edge that
passed through a narrow opening in the cave wall and again
ended at a cliff. But this cliff was only a few above a small
cave floor and the ledge of its lip had been enhanced by
stone blocks to reach a natural cut in the side of the
mountain.
Through this slit they stepped and found themselves at the
ancient ruins of carved stone where they had spent their
first night together under their stone lean-to with the dead
priests body?!
The short underground path had cut the mountain road journey
from the village of Vesh to the shrine of the oracle by more
than HALF!
They stood naked in the moonlight. Shivering. The monk once
he gained his bearings breathing thankful short laughs and
about to talk when he observed the red headed girl bending
low and creeping forward through the stone ruins. He
immediately closed his mouth and dropped into a squat and
started to slowly follow her full pear shaped ass wiggling
inches in front of his face.
The ruins had once been a small city built upon what must
have been a plateau upon the side of the mountain. This
jutting surface had long ago collapsed and the ruins had rode
the rock slide a short distance until it came to a stop.
Thus the ruins were mainly a few upright slabs or etched rock
sticking up here and there amongst hills of boulders that had
once been buildings. Still there were a few edifices of rooms
still standing and a few places still intact.
One such place, a stone circle of henge with a central plinth
of a sacrificial altar, now lay immediately below them. And
in the center of that weed choked circle stood the great
beast and the hooded cloaked naked woman.
This woman now pulled back her hood in the full moon light
and raised up a silver two handed goblet full of blood and
proceeded to hold it at arm's length above her as she poured
its contents into her open mouth and over her breasts and
down the front of her pale naked body.
The monk realized with sudden clarity that the naked woman
was the very high priestess who he had now looked upon in her
brocade robes and silks twice now upon her oracle tripod and
who's privet quarters he had now passed through.
That the red headed girl showed no surprise at this
revelation convinced him that somehow she had already guessed
this dual identity.
This was sacrilege! For the alter was stained in blood of
what was obviously the remains of his brethren and the
monster at her side, so obviously under her command, could
only have been spawned by some heathen gods' petition and
dark blessing.
For all his rage and disgust the monk stood rooted both in
horror and creeping superstitious dread. As he watched the
woman now lay upon the foul bloody remains upon the altar and
bid her summoned beast to copulate with her!
For several minutes the beast and priestess entwined and
moaned and howled upon their hideous bed. The at the moment
of the beast and the priestess climbing orgasm; the red
headed teen leapt from the height of their hidden perch and
baring her full weight and the gravity of the fall, punched
her spear through beast, woman, and stone!
The heavy headed spear's broad point driving through the
hunched back of the beast, through its heaving breast,
through the breast of the priestess, and into the stone of
the altar its self.
So died that foul pair at the moment of rapture of their
heathen delight.
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The sisters of the oracle shrine when led to the undisputable
sight were so anxious to bribe the red headed teen and the
monk to silence that they opened up their treasure vault's to
them.
The monk took only his personal effects.
The red head took all she could carry and bemoaned bitterly
she could carry no more.
Back upon the oracle path leading down to the road heading
yet again to the village of Vesh and his long journey beyond
that back to his fellow monks. The monk turned to the girl in
puzzlement and asked exactly what had just happened.
Red Sonja shrugged. "You saw all that I saw and perhaps even
more. But if I was to hazard a guess. I would surmise that
the high priestess of the oracle took your money and gave you
her prophecy. But then received word from Marius along with
more gold to choose him. This must have arrived by messenger
AFTER you had already arrived and departed. The road has
travelers well enough upon it and one may have passed you
baring such a message as any other did without your knowing
it. With Marius's gold in hand and with probably a promise of
more yet to be had. She sent her pet to kill you and stop the
original prophecy from being delivered. When you survived the
attacks and returned. She gave you a new prophecy favoring
Marius."
"But this is terrible! It would implicate Marius in the most
foul of intents." The monk grabbed his head and howled.
"Well, there's no proof." The red head laughed. "So if you
accuse him I doubt things will go well for anyone."
"I can't believe the oracle would risk her credibility by
delivering a false prophecy," the monk fumed.
"Don't be a fool. If you think about it; delivering the words
people WANT to hear is almost certain that those people will
then do their upmost to make THAT happen." The teenager
rubbed her nose against the dust being kicked up by their
feet.
"But what shall I do?" The monk bit his lower lip and looked
down at the dusty path.
"Deliver the oracle's message of course! That is what you
were sent here to do, right? Which one you choose to deliver
is up to you." The red head looked up at the promise of a
bright clear thin blue sky.
And with that the red head parted ways with the monk as they
had reached the end of the oracle's path and the branching
off of the mountain road that lead to Vesh in one direction
or the mountain pass in the other.
She had already been to Vesh and had left it in rather a
hurry. So she was bound for the mountain pass. She waved
goodbye to the monk and disappeared in a few bold strides
into the early morning mountain mists.
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