by Everson Cook
Meridtora gave a sharp clap and giggled. She brought her hands up to her mouth to stifle herself.
"That was a nice try. A very nice try," she purred, dragging out every word in the final sentence.
Belosic reached for his sword. But it wasn't there. He patted his side and glanced around expecting to find it laying on the ground.
"Oh honey," Meridtora pouted. "We only allow certain weapons down here."
Meridtora slithered to a standing position.
"And they aren't made of steel."
"Give me the ring," Belosic said. He puffed his chest out extending his body to its full size. He stuck out his hand. He avoided making eye contact with Meridtora. He didn't want to accidentally look at her breasts and fall under their spell.
"You are a funny one. I'll give you that," Meridtora laughed. She patted Belosic on the chest with her open palm.
"Please?"
"Oh, such manners. Your mother raised you correctly."
"I never knew my mother."
"You poor baby," Meridtora pouted.
"Never mind that. I need it."
"You need it?" Meridtora said. She licked her lips and arched her back pushing her breasts into his side. Belosic didn't take the bait. He continued to stare straight ahead.
"The ring," Belosic said. "My kingdom is about to come under attack from another. I need it to protect them. If I don't bring it back they could all die."
"Oh, they're going to all die anyway, honey," Meridtora giggled. Her breasts jiggled on Belosic.
Belosic steeled his jaw. His fists clenched at his side.
"How about I make you a deal?" she asked.
"A deal? I'm listening."
"How about I allow you to live?"
Belosic looked at the mass of naked men that were starting to close in around him.
"Not enough," he said. "I need assurances that you won't harm my people."
Meridtora pouted again.
She turned her back on him. She dragged one breast and then the other across Belosic's arm in the process. She appeared to be considering. Then she turned back toward him, pressing her chest into his side again. Her cheeks bulged and her eyes crinkled as she pulled his face to her's and gave him a large smile.
"You're mad," Belosic said.
"Oh honey, you have no idea."
Then she pulled her already plunging neckline down further and revealed her bare breasts to him.
Belosic for his part remained stoic.
Then Meridtora's breasts started to glow. A vibrant yellow. Shafts of light shot from them and spread around the room.
And he could no longer hold out.
Belosic's eyes were drawn to the sudden shift in light. He felt himself stiffen as he fell under Meridtora's spell.
"Bless the Gods," Damon shouted as he too could finally no longer stop himself from staring at her breasts.
Meridtora, her minions, and Belosic all glanced up at the interruption. They found Damon. He was hanging over the edge trying to get a better view of her heaving, glowing breasts. Meridtora purred her excitement. Belosic gasped. The minions did not react at all.
Kaateria managed to drop down before anyone saw her.
"Run," Damon said to Kaateria without pulling his eyes away from Meridtora's glowing orbs.
And she did.
She paused before pushing deeper into the passage. She turned back to glance at Damon.
"I'll come back for you," she said.
But he didn't hear her. Like Belosic, he too had fallen completely under the breasts's spell.
Meridtora pointed her finger at him. And then crooked it calling him to her.
"Come on down, honey. We won't hurt you. Will we boys?" She said with a wink.
But she didn't really need to ask.
Because he was under a trance and a woman with glowing breasts was begging him to come to her.
Damon climbed up on the ledge and looked down. Everyone stared back at him. He could feel a strong pulling sensation.
Then he jumped.
His arms were spread out and he held his body straight.
The naked men waited below to catch him. Their arms outstretched and raised toward him.
Damon twisted his body, so that his back was facing the ground. The wind whistled past as he plummeted. It felt for a moment like he was floating.
And then it didn't.
As his back slammed into the rocky ground below.
"Hey, what happened to catching me?" he groaned. Damon stared up at the ceiling and into the faces of several naked men who stood silently over him. They shrugged.
Damon slowly sat up. The men silently moved away, giving him space.
"That really hurt guys. I thought we were trying to build some trust here," Damon said as he rubbed at his aching back.
"Oh, I'm sorry that happened to you," Meridtora said. She crouched down and pulled Damon's head into her pillowy breasts.
"You know, I was going to say don't let it happen again, but... Any way we could turn down the glowing though? It's really taking me out of the moment."
Meridtora pulled Damon's head out from between her cleavage. She held it between both hands. The glowing dimmed.
Her face lit up. Not literally, like her breasts had. Just out of recognition.
"Damon Arkon?!"
Belosic rolled his eyes.
"Oh boy," he muttered.
"Why yes, yes I am." It was Damon's turn to puff out his chest. It didn't glow.
Meridtora helped him to his feet.
"We've been waiting for you."
"You hear that Belosic? They've been waiting for me." Damon smirked.
Belosic remained silent, glowering at him.
"You weren't waiting for him too, were you?" Damon asked tilting his head toward Belosic.
Meridtora shook her head.
"Sorry big fella," Damon said. He gave Belosic a reassuring pat.
Meridtora dragged her finger along Damon's collarbone. She walked around Damon, examining him.
"You're just as advertised," she said. She swatted him on the butt. And then came back around to his frontside.
"The World's Greatest Swordfighter."
She ran her entire hand up his crotch.
"This sword is for me. Your loving sword. For later. But first, I need you for your other sword. Your killing sword."
She pushed her finger under Damon's chin lifting his eyes from her breasts to her's.
"Will you do that for me?" she cooed. She fluttered her eyelashes.
"Yes," Damon nodded.
His voice sounded funny. Not funny, like haha, but funny different. It came out in a monotone. It was so boring sounding that Damon thought if he listened to himself talk for an extended period he might put himself to sleep. Damon had never had anyone in his company fall asleep from him speaking before. At least, no one had claimed that to be the reason. So he found it odd and unsettling. He rubbed at his throat and took some deep swallows.
"Good boy. I knew I would make the right choice. Some guy told me that Lance Polehea was the greatest, but that didn't quite sit right with me. Then some other guy mentioned you. After some hard debating, I came to a decision. You don't feel like you'll let me down," Meridtora cooed. She tapped Damon lovingly on the crotch.
Then she turned her attention back to Belosic.
"He's right, you are a big fella, aren't you?"
Belosic tried to resist from responding, but couldn't. He gave in and nodded.
"We can always use more men. Especially ones of your," she flicked her eyes down to his crotch, "size."
Meridtora gave a little twirl and threw herself back down on her throne. Her body was splayed out and took up the entire seat.
"So much action for little me today. This is very exciting. Damon Arkon, The World's Greatest Swordfighter. And?" she waved at Belosic.
"Belosic," Belosic responded. His voice, like Damon's, also came out in a monotone. He too rubbed at his throat.
&nb
sp; "Ah, yes. You noticed that?" Meridtora purred. 'You're losing your voices. Don't worry. It'll take a while for them to completely disappear. But I really prefer to look at my men," she waved toward the naked mass, "than listen to them chatter on incessantly about subjects I really don't care about."
"I'd close your mouths completely if they didn't have other uses." She winked. "Well, that and it would look kind of weird."
"We'll worry about that later though, ok honeys? We really do need to get moving. Next month is my birthday and we have five kingdoms to claim before then. It is my birthright after all. And now that we have the world's greatest swordfighter there should be no stopping us. And I think we'll start with--"
"Flenshorn," Belosic croaked. It was the last word he would speak.
Meridtora clapped her hands, "Oh, that sounds just perfect."
37
Meridtora pointed at Damon. "Now we need to get you a sword. Not some pathetic stick a town blacksmith would make. No, we need to get you a proper sword."
Meridtora clapped her hands and one of the naked men stepped forward from the crowd.
"Get the menu."
The naked man gave a slight nod. He moved closer to where Meridtora sat on her throne. He kneeled down on one knee in front of her. He carefully drew his arm forward. And pulled the menu from a stack that protruded out of a bin that was built into the right side of the chair.
He got back to his feet, took one step back, and held the menu out for Damon.
Damon took it and silently thanked the man. He perused the front. Then he flipped it over.
Then he looked at Meridtora with confusion.
"Do you find the menu lacking?"
Damon flipped it back to the front.
He showed it to Meridtora. On top was the word "food." And under that were a bunch of descriptions, also of food.
"Fool," Meridtora said to the naked man who grabbed it. "You gave him the wrong menu. Get it back and give him the correct one."
The naked man slunk forward and rummaged through the stack searching for the one he was actually supposed to give Damon. He had to pull out several and put them back before he finally found the correct one. He again walked it over to Damon and held it out for him to take. Damon handed back the other in exchange. As the man was taking it, Damon's eyes caught on something. He pulled it back.
He began pointing at it wildly. He showed it to the naked man. And gestured until he knew the naked man understood.
The naked man nodded. And walked the menu back to Meridtora. He pointed to the same spot that Damon had indicated.
Damon watched her with hope in his eyes. The hope quickly died when she gave a little laugh. Then shook her head.
"Oh honey," Meridtora pouted. "No. I'm sorry, but no. You can't have the baccow."
Damon's face dropped.
"Now be a doll and pick out a sword. Time is wasting."
The naked man handed Damon the sword menu.
Damon snatched it from the naked man's hand and searched through the offerings. He tried to act indifferent about it, but he was pretty impressed with the listings.
Among the choices were "The Stiffie," a heavy weapon for the fighter who spent a lot of time building up strength in his wrists and forearms, otherwise it was just too hard to use. "The Needle," for the fighter who wanted to leave his opponent in stitches. "The GRRM," for the fighter who didn't care who they killed or how long it took for them to do so. "The Spoon," for the fighter who wanted a dull blade that was more difficult to penetrate flesh with, but would hurt more once you pushed it through. And "The Fork," which instead of having a pointed end actually split off into four tines which would make it easier for the fighter to eat the flesh of their opponents, presumably after death.
There were options for blades ranging from dragon glass to orcish to dwarven or just plain wood. The handle types ranged from the intricately ornate to the less so and were made from several metal types or just plain wood. There were options for which hand, and how many, the sword would be wielded with. It was even possible to get one with a wooden hand if the person making the decision was missing one or two of their own.
It was very thorough. And totally overwhelming. Damon was struggling with what to choose. He was the world's greatest swordfighter. And he didn't earn that title with a fancy sword. No, he earned it with skill, luck, and a canny ability to stay alive.
But sometimes a man needs to indulge himself.
So, he picked the sword that called to him: "The Legend."
"Excellent choice," Meridtora cooed.
She rose to her feet and strode over to the fire hole. She locked arms with Damon, making sure he followed. She took the menu from him and handed it with a flourish to one of the naked men who returned it to its place.
"You can stay there, big fella," she said to Belosic. She drew her free hand across his chest as she walked past.
Meridtora stopped at the edge and looked down into the pit. She pantomimed rolling up her sleeves. Then she began murmuring and muttering. Although he knew it was just an incantation, to Damon it sounded like pure gibberish.
The drum noise that Damon had heard earlier started increasing in volume as it came from out of the pit. Flames started shooting out of it, reaching as high as the ledge on the second level. Meridtora kept spouting gibberish and the flames kept growing. Along with the growing flames came an intense heat. Damon felt compelled to remove his clothes like the rest of the men, except Belosic, had done. He grabbed at the bottom hem of his shirt and started lifting it over his head.
Then Meridtora stopped chanting. The flames dropped back down inside the hole. Damon dropped his shirt back down and smoothed it out.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Meridtora purred. She walked behind Damon, draped herself over him, resting her chin on his shoulder and ran her hands up and down his biceps.
Hovering above the pit was his sword.
And it was beautiful.
The sword's shaft was made out of dragon bone which was a little thicker and harder than most other metals. It started thin at the handle, but swelled toward the end where it bulged out before meeting at a fine point. A hole was cut through the middle like a vein, allowing for it to be lighter in weight and easier to swing. The sword ran the length from Damon's waist to the top of his boots. On one side was engraved the silhouette of a nude female angel with her hair tossed back, her legs crossed, and her wings spread. On the other was a silhouette of a nude female devil. Her hair was also tossed back, but unlike her counterpart her legs were spread wide. The bottom of the handle held two pommels. The sword was constructed so that it could be worked with either hand.
It was basically a giant dick with two naked ladies riding on it.
Damon lunged for it, but then snapped his hands back.
"Go on honey. Don't worry, it won't be hot. Take it."
He reached out again. Still tentative. He grimaced as he wrapped his hands around it, expecting to be scorched. But it was surprisingly cool to the touch. Just as Meridtora said it would be.
Damon held the sword out on the palm of his hand checking its balance. The sword didn't waver. He tossed it up and grabbed it out of the air. He swung it around testing it. He spun it a couple of times. After each movement he would bring the weapon to an abrupt stop at his side, wasting no effort. He flicked and locked his wrists.
Meridtora watched him intently.
"Do you like it?" she asked. "Your killing sword?"
Damon held the tip in the ground and flipped the sword from front to back, admiring it.
He grinned and nodded.
Meridtora clapped with glee. She held her hands up to her mouth and beamed at him.
"Fantastic. Let's get the rest of you guys equipped and get going. We should probably get some armor on you as well. Won't do us any good having you go into battle naked, will it? Too many floppy parts to get in the way."
Meridtora made a motion with her hands, quickly said another incantation, and then stepped
away from the hole.
Standard issue swords with uniform shaft sizes and wooden handles shot out of the pit and rained down on the men. Most of the men caught them or were smart enough to get out of the way. At least one man lost a finger. Another lost a hand. And yet another lost an arm.
And one got his dick cut off.
It got kicked into the pit in the skirmish before he could bend down and grab it. The man tried to throw himself into the pit as well, unsure how he could go on living stuck in the presence of a voluptuous woman, and he with no dick, but the hole had a spell on it that prevented men from leaping to a fiery demise.
So instead he reluctantly picked up a sword. At least he'd have something to hold in his hand and play with when bored.
After all of the naked men were weaponized, clothes and armor shot out of the hole next.
Sweat dripped down everyones' face once they were suited up. But none of them could complain about it. Because of the no talking spell.
Meridtora walked through the ranks checking each man out, making sure everyone was all set. Once she was completely satisfied, she turned toward Damon with a swirl.
"Lead the way."
Damon raised his sword and opened his mouth to let out a scream, but nothing came. Again, because of the no talking spell.
Damon pursed his lips together in a sign of disdain and let loose a silent, unsatisfying sigh. He waggled his sword with mock excitement. Then he turned his back on everyone and began running up the four flights of stairs. He was followed close behind by Meridtora, then Belosic, then all the others.
Damon hit the top floor. He pushed through the passageway.
He, Meridtora, and Belosic made it to the front. Then they waited. And waited.
And waited some more.
"Be a dear and go check on what the hold up is, ok?"
Damon nodded and began to make his way back. Meridtora grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Oh, never mind. You won't be able to tell me anyway and I was never all that good at 'Guess the Galliwhopule.' I'll do it myself."
So Meridtora instead made her way back. When she got to the opening, or ending depending on whether a person was coming or going, she discovered what the problem was.
The armor was too thick to pass through the narrow hole while worn.
