Echoes

by Nathan Ravenwood

  Her eyes flashed. “Well, since you asked so nicely.” She slid down his body, her fingers lifting his shirt up so she could nuzzle his bare belly. She kissed his skin, her lips tingling where they touched him. Her fingers had the catch on his pants done in moments and she slid them down his legs. His cock sprang free, and her eyes lit up in delight. “The spirits blessed you with this, Vann.”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that?” Vann snickered, squirming under her gentle touches.

  “It's just... wow, Vann.” Janaze nuzzled his cock – from base to tip it was almost as long as her face. She kissed it lightly, her tongue flitting out and making Vann moan in delight. She worked him slowly, her hands gently stroking him as her lips and tongue traced up and down.

  In moments Vann was squirming and gasping in pleasure, arching his hips up so that the tip of his cock pressed between the orcs' soft lips. Her tongue swirled around his head and flicked against his slit, her hand settling into a stroking rhythm. “Janaza...” Vann moaned. “Janaza, yes...”

  She looked up at him as she sucked on him, her golden eyes full of lust and pure need as she sucked on him. One of her hands reached out, and Vann took it, their fingers twining as she sucked and stroked him, the connection sparking between them, hot and crackling like a magical ley line. Vann held her gaze, and she held his, and they lost themselves in each other's eyes as Vann felt his pleasure build and build. He gasped out a warning to the orc, but she payed it no heed, sucking on him more and more until Vann cried out in pleasure and his orgasm rushed out. His cock spasmed against her tongue, and he felt her lap at his spurts of cum eagerly, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. Then she let him fall from her mouth, and a few more spurts of his cum shot onto her face, the white contrasting with the her orange skin and black hair. She kept lapping at him as if he were a leaky jar of honey, her tongue teasing and probing. “Mmm... delicious,” she murmured.

  Vann squeezed her hand, feeling giddy. “You've uh, got a little something...” He tapped his cheek.

  Janaza snorted. “I noticed.” Then she giggled, getting up. “I'll be right back.”

  Vann laid back for a moment, letting his breathing return to normal as he heard the orc splashing water on her face. His cock still glistened with the orc's saliva and his body thrummed with energy, the same kind that he'd felt when he'd grabbed hold of... whatever it had been during the harmonic connection earlier. He held onto it.

  He rolled over onto his belly as Janza straightened up from the river water, her face clean of his spunk. She stared down at him, breathing deeply. “Now then,” she said playfully. “Anything else?”

  Vann smiled up at her. “Every inch, remember?”

  The orc smiled, then reached up behind her neck. Her fingers toyed with the knot there for only a moment, and then her top fell away in a loose bundle of cloth. Her ample breasts hung low, each as lovely as the first time he saw them. But he wasn't intimidated by them, not any more. She reached lower, undoing a knot hidden under a leather fold of her skirt. It came loose, but she held it against her waist, cocking her hip as it slid lower and exposed the delicious curve of her hip. “You first,” she said.

  Vann shimmied out of his pants and shirt, leaving them in a little pile on the grass. The fauna was cool against his bare skin as he sat and looked up at her expectantly.

  Janaza smiled wide, then simply let go of her skirt. It flumped to the ground around her ankles, and she stepped forward. Vann almost started salivating at the sight of her fully bared to him. Her body was lined with scars, signs of a life well-lived, but they did nothing to diminish her beauty. She strode towards him with the confidence of a goddess, her wild hair adding to the effect. Her breasts swayed with each step, and she knelt down in front of Vann. He reached out and cupped her cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. “Beautiful,” he repeated.

  She made a soft noise of delight and kissed him again. He answered her, parting his lips so his tongue could slip through and rub against hers. She pushed against him, bearing him down and straddling him again as they continued to kiss. “I'll do the work this time,” she murmured, her lips sliding up to kiss him on the forehead. Vann twitched as her hand closed around his cock again, stroking him back to readiness as they groped and ground against one another. His hand closed around her breasts, cupping and squeezing them as he groaned with delight. His whole being felt alight. This was what people meant when they said that sex was good. It wasn't rote, mechanical grinding – this was something else, something much more magical. Their bodies moved in harmony, not unlike they had earlier when they played.

  Janaza drew back, her weight resting on his hips. Vann's erection pressed up between her legs, sliding against the slick lips of her pussy. Her fingers slid down his chest, and her eyes seemed to glow brighter than he'd ever seen. “Ready?” she asked.

  Vann nodded, putting his hands on her hips and rubbing where her legs met her pelvis. “Yes...”

  She took him in hand and angled him just so. A heartbeat later, she sank down atop of him. Vann's head lolled back as he felt heat, glorious, wet, slick heat surround him. He bucked his hips up, sliding the rest of the way inside Janaza as the orc settled her weight atop him. Her eyes were wide, unfocused. “Oh, spirits...” she breathed.

  Vann looked down his body at where the orc straddled him, at the thick base of his cock spreading her cuntlips wide, her puffy clit resting against his pelvis. He ground up into her, his eyes growing lidded and his breathing deepening. “That's...” he breathed. “Oh, First Gods...”

  Janaza giggled and leaned down atop him, her hair hanging down around him like a curtain, hiding his face from the outside world so that it was them and only them. “Wow,” she gasped.

  “Yeah,” Vann panted, slowly moving his hips as instinct demanded. “I...”

  “Shhh.” Janaza silenced him with a kiss. “No more words. Speak with your body, Vann.”

  Vann kissed her again, grabbed her hips, and slowly began to thrust upward. Janaza moaned into his mouth, bringing her body down to match his motions. Her fingers laced into his hair, hanging on as they parted and came back together, finding their rhythm gradually. Vann's worries of inexperience proved moot as the orc guided him with simple touches, and he was able to relax and enjoy the ecstacy surging through him. His worries were swept away, lost in the sensation of her body meeting his.

  “Good,” Janaza murmured. “So fucking good...” She began to move herself more forcefully, her hips slapping into his, the noise echoing around the clearing as she whimpered and moaned. Vann thrust harder to match her motions, his cock plunging into her tight cunny with abandon. His balls brushed the bottom of her ass with every motion, and his hands moved up to her breasts. He craned his head and planted a kiss in the hollow of her throat, making Janaza moan louder. “Vann... Vann, yes! Yes!”

  “Janaza,” he breathed into her skin, tasting her with his lips. “Gods, Janaza!”

  They were frantic now, both of them racing to their peak with abandon. Vann felt the orc ripple and spasm along his length, her orgasm powerful and drenching him with her juices. She pressed her body into his, her breasts mashing against his chest as he perky nipple brushed his. “Cum in me,” she panted, stealing his breath away with another headey kiss. “Cum in me, Vann...”

  Vann wouldn't have been able to resist the command. He wrapped his arms around the orc and held her close as he bottomed out inside her as that rush built in his loins again. Another few moments, then Vann cried out as he came again. His cock spasmed and shuddered inside Janaza's soft cunny, his cum shooting deep inside the orc. She gasped and mewled atop him, shuddering through her own climax as she went limp atop him. Vann bore the weight, his legs tangling with hers as he came and came and came.

  When he was finally finished, her relaxed, and Janaza did too, both of them wrapped up in each other, a single, sweaty, giddy mess of afterglow. Vann met her gaze, and saw his delight reflected in the orc's golden eyes. She kissed him gently, but Vann made i
t deeper, grabbing her head and holding her to him.

  “Seems like you needed that,” Janaza purred when they parted.

  Vann's heart hammered in his ears. “I did,” he said. “I really did.”

  The orc rolled off him, his cock sliding out of her with a slithering sound. He was coated in the mixture of their passions, and got a thrill out of watching his seed leak from between her legs.

  Janaza looked over at him. “Ready to go again?”

  Vann arched an eyebrow. “You're kidding.”

  Her grin turned predatory. “Nope.”

  ***

  Arielle cocked an ear as the orc's renewed yelps of pleasure echoed through the trees. “Sounds like they're having fun over there,” she remarked.

  “Fucking finally,” Rorzan said, folding his arms in satisfaction. “It was like pulling teeth to get him to sleep with her.”

  “You can't force these things, Rorzan,” Arielle said, tuning the guitar in her hands absentmindedly. “He would've come around to her eventually. She's got that 'it' factor about her.”

  “A sophisticated way of saying 'she's got nice tits',” Rorzan snickered, turning and floating over to her. He was still stricken by her after all these years, by her sharp eyes and slender body. Her fingers pressed on the strings, seeking fingerings that they'd discovered centuries ago.

  “Well, when you put it like that,” she grinned up at him.

  He floated down so that they were eye level. Even though he didn't have a heart, or blood, or even a body, something in him felt warm and fuzzy as he met her gaze. He held up a hand, and she mirrored the gesture. Their fingers interlaced, and for a moment, Rorzan felt warmth. Then it was gone, snatched away by the chill he radiated as a spectre from beyond the grave.

  “I missed you,” he murmured.

  Arielle's eyes grew sad. “So did I,” she said, closing her fingers into a fist through his own. “You know, I knew what that spell would do. I knew I would be aware of every passing day, trapped inside those crystals. But I...” She swallowed. “I never would have expected it to be that bad. My will was close to breaking, Rorzan. The next time the emissaries from my people would have come, I...” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I would've given in, Rorzan.”

  Rorzan desperately wished he had fingers to dry her eyes with. “I wouldn't have blamed you,” he said. “You endured something that nobody ever should. I'm surprised you were still coherent when we found you.”

  She laughed, shakily, and began to play a soft song on the guitar, putting no magic in it and letting the music speak for itself. “Coherent yes. Sane...” Something dark and dangerous flashed in her eyes. “Jury is still out.”

  Despite that, Rorzan smiled. She hadn't been called the Banshee Queen by the High Lords for nothing. Arielle could be as serene and peaceful as any elf, but her wrath was the subject of legend. “Before you ask, I don't know much about what's going on with the elves,” he said. “Vann doesn't know much, and neither does Janaza, and I've been relying heavily on them for information.”

  “My people don't concern me right now,” Arielle said, her eyes fixating on the neck of the guitar to make sure her fingers were where they needed to be. “Not yet at least.” Her eyes shifted, looking up at him. “Do you think they have what we need?”

  “You harmonized with them. You tell me.”

  Arielle grinned. “They're powerful, Rorzan. No offense, but Vann as he is now is almost as strong as you were at your peak. Given time and training, he could be a force of nature. And Janaza may be quick to flex her physical strength, but she's got much held in reserve. I don't know why she's so conservative with it yet, but given time I may be able to coax it out.”

  Rorzan nodded. “I got a similar impression. The first note Vann played on the guitar he blasted a giant hole in the side of Branna's palace and didn't die. That alone was an indicator, but seeing what you guys pulled together today makes me think he might be just what we're looking for.” He looked down at his transparent hands. “The rightful heir to the Metal Lord mantle.”

  “He won't go for it,” Arielle said. “Not yet anyway. You said he's still got that attachment to Branna's son?”

  “Yeah, but give it time,” Rorzan said. “Vann will realize I'm right in the end. Given that I sent Branna's Captain back with a message, he's sure to up the ante. It's hard to view someone in a good light when they keep tryin' to kill you, and if Branna keeps trying, Vann will grow to hate him and everyone close to him. And then, Arielle, my dear...”

  Rorzan turned, the fire rising to meet the lower part of his ghostly body, until it looked as though he were a wraith rising from the flames. “Then we'll have our revenge on the Lords who took everything from us, and we'll finally be able to work on bringing the world back into balance.”

  Arielle's eyes filled with determination. “And what of... them?”

  “I don't know yet. I saw something in the distance when we were on top of the mountain. I don't know how much time we have left.”

  She nodded. “We'll have to work fast then.”

  “Aye,” Rorzan said, looking into the fire below him. There was a part of him that regretted that he was manipulating Vann. He was a good young man, with a bright future ahead of him as long as he walked the metal path. Rorzan would simply place a few signs to make sure that Vann wound up exactly where he needed him to be.

  ***

  The next day, the group emerged from the forest and found a dirt road leading to the east. “This looks maintained enough,” Rorzan said, swooping low and studying the ground. “If we follow this, we should find some civilization to get our bearings and figure out the best way to the coast to get a ship.”

  “Have you figured out what we're going to do once we get to the Eastern Continent?” Vann asked. His hips were sore from his and Janaza's many frantic couplings the night before, and she'd already blown him once since waking up that day. The orc walked close next to him, so that their arms brushed every so often, the contact making his skin tingle.

  “I have!” Rorzan announced. He spun around and floated in front of them. “I've been thinkin, we - and by which I mean those of you with bodies - have an opportunity to do something great. There's a lot of good that can be done around the domains of the High Lords. Vann, you know as well as I do that things aren't good for the Voiceless around here. But what if we could change that?”

  Vann and Janaza shared a glance. “How?” he asked.

  Rorzan drew himself up. “We start the Metal Revolution all over again. Go the East, gather allies, and then head for the south. Ibanz is a shithole country, you told me that yourself. We can make the world a better place, starting from there!”

  Vann felt trepidation. “How can we even think of doing that?” he asked.

  “Look, Vann,” Rorzan said, floating in front of him. “Lord Branna's not going to stop until he has this guitar back. He sent a guy to kill you. If he's so intimidated by you, I say let's make it warranted.”

  “I'm not sure...” Vann said. The idea of spearheading a revolution seemed like such a strange direction to go in. Rorzan hadn't made any mention of doing such a thing at all before now. What had changed?

  “Look,” Rorzan said. “We don't have to commit now. Let's just head East, and go from there. We can worry about details later.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Janaza said, striding forward after Arielle. “Vann?”

  “Yeah,” Vann said, hurrying after her as they walked down the road towards whatever was next for them. “Right. Later.”

  Epilogue

  Lord Branna was beginning to grow worried.

  It had been two weeks since Ansel had ventured forth, and he'd heard nothing from his trusted Captain. A growing sense of unease hovered over him like a storm cloud, worry persistently nagging the back of his mind. Even here, in meetings with some of his provincial governors, he couldn't escape it. He knew he should be paying attention to what was being said about the state of his economy, about tariffs and taxe
s. These things were important after all.

  “So you'll see, My Lord,” one said, gesturing to a table of numbers on a scroll. “By levying just a slight increase on tithes to lumber imports we can-”

  The door to the room burst open. Everyone present turned to them as the heavy wood hit the walls with a loud bang. Branna felt himself go pale.

  Ansel stood there, looking as though he'd been through hell and back. His body was covered in burns that weren't healing right, his skin red and irritated. Every hair on his body had been burned away, and was only now starting to come back. His armor was blackened and melted in places. But the worst part were his eyes. Gone was the easy, darkly brutal confidence. It had been replaced by pure animal terror. “M-my Lord...” he rasped.

  “Ansel.” Branna hurried over to him and reached out a hand, then stopped himself. “What happened to you? Where are your men?” Icy fear gripped him. “Where is the instrument?”

  “It's g-gone, My Lord,” Ansel stammered out, falling heavily to his knees. “Gone with him.”

  “Vann?” Ansel nodded furiously. “One Voiceless boy did this to you?” Branna demanded. “How?”

  “Not just him,” Ansel said, his fingers trembling as he clung to Branna. “T-there was the she-orc too. She held off half a dozen men on her own, crushing their bodies with that... that instrument of hers. And the elf, oh the elf.”

  “What elf, Ansel?” Branna pressed.

  “Her,” Ansel breathed. “There was no mistaking her. Those eyes. That hair. Arielle Gamron, returned from out of the past.”

  Branna suddenly felt as though his body was made of lead. A ripple passed through the governors in the room. The Banshee Queen? How was she still alive? The elves had dealt with her, hadn't they?

  “But then there was the worst part.” Ansel's hands gripped Branna's tunic. “The ghost.”