The Academy Volume One

by Maxine Mansfield

  Briar watched as Headmistress Seychelle made a production of turning and, with her human following close behind, sauntering to her throne. She took her time getting comfortable and settling the human on the fur floor in front of her. She crossed her legs and once more turned her attention to Uthiel and Briar.

  “Mr. Ohmni is very good at his job and rarely mistaken.” She tapped a long red nail against her lips. “Can you honestly tell me neither of you even glimpsed Ursula at work? I doubt you can. Mr. Ohmni will expect some form of punishment be dealt out.” A sly smile crossed the Headmistress’s face. “The question is, what punishment best fits the crime?”

  Just then the human at the end of the chain jumped up. “Ray loves cock!” he yelled.

  Briar gasped, sure she must have heard wrong.

  Mistress Seychelle closed her eyes, shook her head, and rubbed her forehead as if in pain. “What have I been telling you all day, Raynorel? You will get cock when Mistress is done with business. I know I promised to give you cock yesterday because you’ve been such a good boy, but I’ve been busy, very busy. Now do sit down and behave.”

  The human would have none of it and jumped up and down at the end of the leash. “Ray loves cock! Ray loves cock! Ray loves cock!” Each declaration louder than the last.

  Mistress Seychelle jumped to her feet. “Okay! Okay! Okay! Stop that incessant yelling and I’ll give you cock.” She looked toward Uthiel and Briar. “Please excuse me for a few moments, won’t you? He means well, but Ray can be so demanding at times.”

  “Zunnoab!” She yelled.

  The bahsheer startled and ran to the Headmistress’s side. “Yes, My Mistress? What is your pleasure, My Mistress?”

  Briar wasn’t sure if they were supposed to stand there or leave and return later, but she knew she didn’t want to be the one to interrupt Headmistress Seychelle. She glanced at Uthiel. He was no help. All he did was shrug his shoulders at her and grin. She had no choice but to simply listen and watch.

  “You know what to do, Zunnoab. Now hurry.”

  The bahsheer bowed before his mistress and took off in a flash.

  The Headmistress’s gaze landed on the pair once more. “I truly am sorry for this interruption. This rarely takes more than a few minutes, really. These past few days have been ever so busy, with classes starting and all. Then that damn panty thief is up to his old tricks again, and the Board of Directors will be here any day. They love springing surprise visits on me at the beginning of the semester. And then there’s the budget crunch to deal with, and staffing issues. There’s never enough turns of the hourglass in a day to get everything done.”

  The bahsheer returned. Briar was glad she hadn’t already eaten dinner as she watched the catlike man hand his mistress the biggest, gaudiest, rubber dildo she’d ever seen. It was bright orange, with sparkly knobs here and there.

  The human jumped up and down then ran back and forth in anticipation. He sang over and over, “Ray loves cock, Ray loves cock.”

  The bahsheer backed slowly away then made a hasty retreat to his desk.

  Headmistress Seychelle sighed. “This is Ray’s favorite toy. I have no idea how I acquired the disgusting thing, but he absolutely loves it.” The fleshy orange apparatus sparkled brightly despite the room’s dim light.

  Briar knew herself to be a coward when, as Headmistress Seychelle approached the human with the huge fake cock dangling from her finger, she squeezed her eyes as tightly closed as she could and breathed deeply through her mouth. She may have no choice but to remain here and listen, but no one could force her to watch. The day had already left her traumatized, and it clearly wasn’t close to being over.

  The sounds were bad enough. Lots of scampering to and fro, mixed with grunts, groans, oomphs, giggles, and even squeals. She was almost ready to run when the sound of someone, or something, collapsed to the floor and one last Ray loves cock rang out, letting her know the ordeal was finally finished.

  Slowly, one at a time, she opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn’t. The Headmistress was once more seated on her throne, but now the strange little human man was fast asleep at Seychelle’s feet with the orange rubber dido wrapped securely in his arms like a well-loved teddy bear. Mesmerized, Briar couldn’t look away, not even when Headmistress Seychelle spoke.

  “He wasn’t always like this, you know. Believe it or not, Ray was once a very competent assistant of mine. Then I loaned him out to High Mystic Purrell to help with what was supposed to be a detailed line editing job for one of his many cock books, and when I got him back…”

  She pointed toward the little man, who curled up into an even tighter ball and stuck a thumb in his mouth. “He’s been like this ever since. So, I take care of him. Someone has to, and it’s the least I can do. It really doesn’t take much to keep him happy most of the time.”

  She sighed. Accepting a towel from the bahsheer, she wiped her hands before leveling her gaze at Uthiel and Briar. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, punishment for your crime.”

  Briar had no idea how to react to anything anymore. She kept her expression passive, as over and over her eyes darted back to Ray and his dildo teddy. She glanced at Uthiel to gauge his reaction. From the half grin on his face, he appeared to be amused by the entire situation.

  “I have it.” The Headmistress stood abruptly. “You two may clean my instruments of pleasure. I’ll have Zunnoab show you the way.”

  She walked over to Briar and pointed to the horrible orange object Ray was cuddling. “You might as well take that one with you. It can benefit from a good cleaning, I’m sure.”

  Briar approached the human and held her breath. She didn’t want to touch the thing in his arms but knew she had no choice. Slowly, so as not to wake Ray, she used two fingers to grasp the base of the slimy toy and jiggle until it was free.

  In his sleep, Ray hugged himself and turned over, plopped his thumb back in his mouth and suckled noisily.

  Briar hung the disgusting, wiggly object as far away from her body as her arm could accomplish. Silently, she followed Zunnoab and Uthiel behind the wall.

  Chapter Four

  How could one woman have so many sex toys?

  Briar scanned the collection of artificial cocks of all sizes, shapes, and colors―even some with penis heads on both ends. There were fat ones, skinny ones, long ones, short ones, vibrating ones, and striped ones. Some were made of rubber, some metal, and some were gemstone encrusted. Briar bet the really shiny one in the locked case was pure gold.

  And it didn’t stop with just fake penises either. Headmistress Seychelle had taken advantage of every inch of space in the area that was surely larger than a classroom. Briar slowly spun, gaping at the erotic contraptions not only gracing the walls, but also on display in glass cases and even hanging from the ceiling.

  Her nipples hardened, and her pussy thrummed to life. The room possessed every naughty thing she’d ever heard a whisper about, and then some.

  Whips of single leather strands hung next to those with nine tails. Some had tiny, sharp-looking barbs on their ends. Silver-handled wooden paddles with holes graced half a wall, while chains and studded collars took up the rest of the space. One entire display case held row after row of fur-lined cuffs, feathers, and leather masks, while another held beads of all sizes and shapes, some strung together, some alone.

  Briar had no idea what the majority of these things were used for, but she tingled all over anyway. The air was so powerfully filled with the essence of sex, even a virgin could recognize it―which reminded Briar of her need to speak with Uthiel at some point. Soon.

  She glanced warily at him, knowing he was probably still a bit angry with her. What choice did she have, however? He was her partner in Healing the Soul, which made him the perfect person to ask. She straightened her shoulders and took a deep, steadying breath.

  “Uthiel, you still mad at me?”

  He didn’t even look up from his task as he answered. “No, Briar. Burning my face was
a mistake, just like you said. The infirmary healer did a good job. The blisters are all but gone. As far as my eyebrows, well, they’ll grow back, eventually. It’s over, so let’s forget about it.”

  Briar cleared her throat. “Then, would you consider helping me with something else? I have this teensy problem. It seems my education in a certain area was lacking. Being a paladin and all, would you be willing to help a damsel in distress one more time?”

  Uthiel looked up from polishing what had to have been his sixth diamond-studded cock ring. The man knew what he was doing. “Sure, if I can. What do you have need of, my lady?”

  Briar’s heart pounded in her chest, and her mouth went dry. She licked her lips. “Did I mention I was raised in a forest?”

  Uthiel nodded as he absently drummed his fingers on the nearby counter. His intent gaze caught and held hers. Even though she desperately wanted to, Briar couldn’t force herself to look away. She gulped. Having to watch the paladin’s reactions to what she had to say wasn’t going to make her task any easier.

  Still, she stood up straight, raised her chin a fraction, and took a deep breath.

  “There really weren’t many inhabitants of the Dak Forest when I was growing up. Mainly my father and five brothers. Every once in a while a traveling gnome would come by, or a dark-elf would lose his way. My entire graduating class consisted of only six people. Two humans, a halfling, two high-elves, and me, a half-elf.”

  “Get to the point while we’re still both young, Briar. How may I be of service?” Uthiel sounded impatient, but his smile softened his words.

  Briar gulped once more and shifted until she was directly in front of him. Standing on tiptoes, she whispered, “I’m still a virgin.”

  She stepped back and watched all the color drain from Uthiel’s face.

  “You’re a what? How on Albrath did that happen?” He stared at her as if she’d grown an extra head. A slight twitch in his left jaw became more pronounced.

  “I told you, there wasn’t anyone around to take care of that tiny detail.”

  Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and her throat tightened so much she could barely breathe. If she lived to be a thousand, she didn’t ever again want to see the look of horror Uthiel leveled at her. She felt like a freak in a carnival sideshow.

  The paladin sat heavily on a stool. “I’ve never known a twenty-one-year-old virgin. How did you even get accepted into the Healer program? I mean, for God Draka’s sake, Briar, Healing the Soul is almost entirely sex, in one form or another.”

  Briar swallowed her tears. “They didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell. Well, really, they didn’t ask directly, and I figured what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt anyone. So, will you help me, or not?”

  Uthiel looked horrified. “I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’ve never lain with a…a…a virgin. I mean, my god, Briar, what kind of parents did you have? Didn’t your mother throw you a welcome-to-womanhood ceremony when you turned fifteen? Most mothers hunt far and wide for the perfect deflowerer to transition their daughters gently into womanhood. I’m no deflowerer, Briar. You need someone expertly trained in the proper handling of virgins for that job.”

  Desperation filled her, and the tears she’d so valiantly been holding back trickled down her cheeks anyway. “I don’t have a mother. She died when I was an infant. And…and, I’m sure my father simply didn’t think about it.

  “Midan Tumbleweed is a wonderful man, Uthiel, really he is, and he’d never have neglected my training on purpose. It’s, well, he still sees me as a little girl. Besides, just where would you expect me to find a deflowerer at The Academy? Not much call for their services here, you have to admit.”

  Her tears now fell in earnest, but she had to keep trying.

  “Please, Uthiel, I don’t have anyone else I can ask. At some point in class, we’ll probably have to have, you know, intercourse anyway. So why not take care of this small problem before we have to do it where I might embarrass myself, or you? It would be the paladin-like thing to do. Though I’ll understand if you wish to go to Mr. Chamman and ask for a different partner.”

  Unable to look at him any longer, Briar hung her head and studied her toes.

  Uthiel gently grasped her chin and tilted it until she was once more looking him in the eye. “I’d never go to Mr. Chamman, my lady. You’d be expelled. It simply took me by surprise. I just need time to think about the best way to deal with this.

  “How about if we get together tomorrow after Healing the Soul class? Between now and then, I’ll try to find a place where we can be alone long enough to…uhh, take care of the situation.”

  Briar beamed and threw her arms about Uthiel’s neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you. You truly are a paladin.”

  A question occurred to her as she gazed at Uthiel. With a mischievous grin, she asked, “Who was your deflowerer, or whatever it’s called for a guy, and what was she like?”

  Uthiel chuckled. “For a man, they’re called seductresses, not deflowerers, my lady. And, if you must know, it was Headmistress Seychelle herself. That’s how my parents met her and why she became friends with my family in the first place. She came highly recommended.”

  Uthiel hesitated a moment and the pink in his cheeks deepened before he continued, “She’s, shall we say, uniquely talented. To this day, I still feel like I’m fifteen whenever I’m in her presence.”

  The irony of where they were standing this very moment, and the significance of Uthiel and the Headmistress’s relationship, struck Briar as extremely funny. “Oh, I have no doubt Headmistress Seychelle was uniquely talented. She probably still is.” Briar doubled over with laughter.

  Uthiel waited until she had composed herself, then took her shoulders in his strong hands and stared sternly into her eyes. “Just one more thing, Miss Briarlarn Tumbleweed. Promise me you’ll turn off that damn protective force field before we start your…your deflowering tomorrow. I certainly don’t wish to lose any more hair or―considering what I will be using, God Draka forbid―body parts.”

  Just then, the door swung open and in sauntered a little man who couldn’t have been much over three and a half feet tall if he were an inch.

  Briar had seen him numerous times in the hallways over the past week, but it surprised her to see him here. If the look on his face was any indication, he hadn’t been expecting to see them either.

  “What the putrid, purple pustules on the hairy thighs of a tainted troll are the two of ya doing in here?”

  Briar blushed at being discovered in such a suggestive room, especially since she was in this room with Uthiel Stoutheart. “Oh, Mr. Shortz, isn’t it? I―we…uhh, didn’t expect to see anyone else here. We were just doing a job for Headmistress Seychelle.”

  The almost-bald gnome puffed out his chest. His poochy tummy all but disappeared. “Mr. Shortz is much ta formal, lass. Ya’ve seen me fixing stuff around here all week. Call me Leeky. Everybody else does.”

  His bulbous red nose twitched, and Briar couldn’t help but smile.

  “I wasn’t always The Academy’s handyman, ya know. I was once a great rogue and even a commander in my day, and I will be again if the Realm ever has need of me. I know the ways of the world, lass. Why, during the great war, there wasn’t an enemy I couldn’t fell, a location I couldn’t find, anything I couldn’t steal, or a woman I couldn’t seduce.”

  Leeky looked at her as if he was mentally undressing her. His eyes twinkled with mischief. Briar plastered a smile on her face and took a step closer to Uthiel.

  The paladin, though, didn’t appear the least bit disturbed by Mr. Leeky Shortz.

  Uthiel shook his head and grinned. “So, Mr. Shortz, what are you seeking today? A weapon to fell an enemy, or something to use to seduce a woman?”

  The gnome cackled, “Wouldn’t ya like ta know, lad?”

  ****

  Sarco Sunwalker landed with a loud thump on the arena floor. “What is with you today, Uthiel? I’m a wizard, remember? Not a warrior. I use
magic―not brawn―against my opponents.”

  Uthiel offered his friend a hand. Sarco didn’t take it, choosing instead to simply sit in the middle of the arena and glare up at his friend.

  “No wonder you’re having difficulties finding sparring partners. You can’t be tossing people around and expect them to keep coming back. How would you like it if I hit you with a fireball?”

  Uthiel bent, grasped both of Sarco’s arms, and helped his friend to his feet. “I’m sorry, and you’re right. I’m a little distracted this evening.”

  Sarco rubbed his backside. “A little distracted? I’d say you’re more than a little distracted. It must have something to do with a woman. It always does. As a matter of fact, the last time I remember you being this unfocused was―”

  He suddenly shut his mouth.

  Uthiel sighed. “You don’t have to remind me. I know. How could I ever forget? And yes, you’re right again. It’s a woman. But it’s not what you think. I’m not infatuated with this one, though she is lovely. She simply needs my help.”

  “Please,” Sarco laughed, “don’t tell me it’s the same female who burned your eyebrows off?”

  Uthiel shrugged. “What if it is? Anyway, it was an accident. Briar swore she’d never forget to take her protective barrier down again. She’s my Healing the Soul partner and she needs a favor. What kind of a paladin would I be if turned her down?”

  “What does she need help with?” Sarco limped over to the bleachers and gingerly took a seat.

  Uthiel mumbled, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

  Sarco shook his head. “What?”

  “I can’t tell you.” Uthiel sat down heavily beside his friend. “It’s a secret, and I gave my word.”

  Sarco laughed, “A woman with a secret. Man, are you in trouble.”

  ****

  “Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.”