ACROSS
ETERNITY

BOOK 6

HANNIBAL

NORTH

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons,

living or dead, events, locales is entirely coincidental.

Text Copyright © 2024 Hannibal North

Cover Art Copyright © 2024 Hannibal North All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Amazon.com.

ISBN: 9798866568284

Imprint: Independently published

2

Table of Contents

Prowler

4

Swift Wings

36

Think Tank

60

The Pool

94

The Second Round

130

Behind the Scenes

160

And Personal

185

The Drive to Win

214

Final Match

249

Deaf Ears

269

The Path Back

301

Upheaval

325

Faith

351

In Pursuit

372

Resistance

394

Pattern Type Blue

419

The Tyrant

443

Settling the Score

470

3

Prowler

The sky was overcast when Noah awoke, the clouds smothering the light of the unrisen sun. It was a chilly spring morning, but though the nearby fire was just a bed of smoldering embers, Shannon kept him warm. She slept soundly at his side, his arm around her slender waist. Noah straightened the blanket over them and held her closer, not wanting to brave the morning cold just yet. His movements caused her to stir.

“Is it time to go?” she asked, mumbling with her eyes closed like a newborn pup.

“Not just yet. We’ll let it warm up a little more.”

In response, she rolled over towards him and buried her face in his chest, trying to hide from the cold the same as he was. Noah embraced her and kissed her forehead, enjoying the peace while he waited for the sun to rise. Once it broke free of the horizon and shined its radiance upon their camp, they got up. They couldn’t sleep all day, after all. They scarfed down breakfast and packed their things, then resumed their journey. Shannon, in her centaur form, galloped across the Utheric landscape with Noah on her back.

They were following a path of destruction carved upon the countryside, left behind by the army of fiends marching on Uther.

Their mighty footfalls had flattened the earth, and any trees, homes, or other obstacles in their path had been destroyed. Though a 4

precarious situation, it made travel easier. Noah and Shannon had a brand new road leading them right to their destination, and they took full advantage of it, racing from dawn until dusk.

It was impossible for them to catch up with the fiends and reach the city before them, so by the time they arrived at Colbrand, whatever was bound to happen would be already over. Would they get there to find the city reduced to blood-splattered rubble, or would, somehow, destruction be averted? Would Valia be waiting there for them? She had raced ahead to warn Colbrand of the marching army, and all Noah and Shannon could do was hope that she made it in time, and that, by some miracle, she was still alive.

Those desperate thoughts drove Shannon forward, running like the wind. As the last surviving member of the Petosic horse tribe, she was accustomed to traveling great distances at speed with her whole life on her back, and was using all of that experience to push herself as far as she could go. Noah understood her desperation.

Before the birth of the fiend army, the three of them had traveled together to free her enslaved tribe, arriving at a Profane internment camp. It was there they found out that all of her friends and family were dead or worse. Whether they died in the labs as test subjects or became minions of the Profane, Shannon lost everyone she cared about. Once again, she was racing against time, hoping to reach Colbrand and save Valia from a horrific fate.

Once night fell, Noah would stop her, insisting that she stop and rest. “Just one more mile,” she’d always say, trying to put on a brave face. They’d set up camp and eat dinner by the fire, and though the light of the flames danced in Shannon’s eyes, Noah could see her despair and dread. She was hurrying towards Colbrand, despite being terrified of what she’d find there.

Noah, his soul scarred by the tragedies and crushed hopes of over a hundred lifetimes, said nothing about the unlikelihood of a happy ending waiting for them. Having told Valia he loved her before their parting, he, too, was worried, fearing he’d never see her again. He tried not to think of all the times in his past when he’d lost the people he cared about. He’d hold Shannon close, offering her support and dispelling her fears.

When her desperation peaked, she’d reach out to him, seeking more physical comfort. “Take me,” she’d whisper with a despondent gaze, begging him to help her forget her dread. He’d lay her down by the fire and make love to her, kissing her the way she 5

wished to be kissed, holding her the way she longed to be held, and distracting her from her fears with pleasure. After a day spent galloping, she’d have little strength, so Noah was slow and gentle with her. Held in his embrace, she’d softly moan, but her dread could not always be swept aside.

On one such evening, the two joined by the fire, Noah sitting cross-legged with Shannon riding him. She bounced on his cock, he lifting and dropping her to their mutual pleasure. She moaned and whimpered as he stirred her up, with her pert breasts jiggling as she moved. Tears budded from her eyes as he brought her to climax, with a cry of pleasure escaping her lips. Left exhausted by euphoria, she collapsed against him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Noah soon realized that the trembles moving through her weren’t simply from her orgasm, and her frantic breathing wasn’t just from the excitement. More tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto his neck as she clung to him.

“Shannon,” he whispered, rubbing her back.

“Promise me she’ll be there,” she wept. “Please, I need to hear it. Tell me she’s ok, that she’s safe and waiting for us. I can’t bear to lose anyone else.”

“Don’t worry, I know Valia’s fine. She’s sitting in her house at Colbrand, bored out of her mind and wondering where we are. I imagine she’s saying, “They’d better not be having sex without me,”

and pouting in jealousy.”

Shannon laughed and wiped away her tears. “You really think so?”

Noah reached out and cupped her cheeks. “I do. The three of us will be together again, I promise you.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms, just as they did every night.

They resumed their journey the next morning, continuing south. The weather was beautiful, with every day warmer than the one before it.

“You know, I arrived on this world just two years ago on a day like this,” said Noah on Shannon’s back.

“Really?”

“Yep, woke up on a forest road with nothing but the clothes on my back and the stuff in my pockets. Normally, when I reincarnate, my new body is that of a baby being born, but this time was different. I can only assume that the magic of this world altered my reincarnation.”

6

“What’s it like being born? You’re probably the only person who actually remembers how it feels.”

“Oh, it is extremely unpleasant. Imagine trying to fit your whole body through the sleeve of your shirt, and everything around you is hot and damp. Fortunately, your bones are soft and flexible to help you slide through, and your blood is oxygenated thanks to the umbilical cord, so you don’t need to breathe and won’t suffocate.

Then you’re out, and all of your senses are taking in the world for the first time, and it gets pretty intense. If you’re lucky, you don’t get spanked by the doctor—someone who treats people’s injuries and illnesses and delivers babies.”

“Why would he do that?”

“It’s a weird tradition for some doctors when a baby is born.

They say it’s for good luck. Bad enough I’m naked, hairless, and squishy; the last thing I need is to get slapped on the ass as soon as the cord is cut.” Shannon laughed as she galloped. “Now, here’s something I’m curious about. Are members of the horse tribe born as humans, centaurs, or horses?”

“We’re all born as humans. We don’t gain our animal traits until we’re old enough to use magic.”

“What if two people mate while in centaur form?”

“Still human. I didn’t come into this world on four legs.”

“Horses can stand up as soon as they’re born, but babies can’t even sit upright and raise their head. I’m just imagining a bunch of infant centaurs ambling around, their upper halves slumped over as if riding a horse while passed out.”

Shannon laughed so hard she had to stop so she wouldn’t trip.

As the day grew late, Noah and Shannon began thinking of where to set up camp. Each night, they’d move off the fiends’ path of destruction and find some wooded area where they could sleep while hidden. Today, however, as the sun approached the horizon, Noah squinted in the distance. “What is that? Looks like smoke.” He pulled out his spyglass and peered into the distance. “There is a village over there, and it appears intact.”

“Really? Wouldn’t the fiends have destroyed it like the others?”

“Since it wasn’t directly in their path, they may not have noticed it. Let’s check it out. We’re sorely in need of supplies, and maybe we can sleep in a nice bed beneath a roof.”

7

They took a slight detour, moving off the path and heading for the village among the rolling green hills. It was a small farming community built with stones collected from the fields. Most of the farmsteads were far and scattered, but towards the center, the homes and businesses were more clustered together, with a mill and its waterwheel at the heart.

It was spring, so everyone was busy as could be while the weather was ideal, but as the sun dipped and the sky yellowed, the tools of the various trades were set down and sighs of relief sounded out. Men and women migrated to the local tavern to drink away their fatigue, and Noah and Shannon joined them. As they passed the stables outside, the horses huffed and snorted at Shannon.

“Are they saying hello to you?” Noah asked as he slid off her back. “You could say that. Mostly, they’re just curious.”

Shannon respectfully approached each horse and whispered a greeting in her native tongue. As a member of the horse tribe, she could communicate with them as easily as she could with humans.

She then returned to Noah and assumed her human form. When beastmen transformed, their clothes would appear and disappear, seemingly fusing with their animal bodies, but there were limits.

Shannon’s saddle was one such example.

Riding bareback would be too uncomfortable for them both, so she wore one in her centaur form, though she had to remove it every time she turned back. Fortunately, stowing it was easy, thanks to Sir Reynolds’ knight ring, imbued with the storage enchantment.

Noah already had a storage ring, and his unenchanted ring from his knighting ceremony, so giving it to her was an easy decision. She wasn’t a knight, so wearing the ring might be problematic, but Noah’s gold-rank status allowed him to quash all arguments.

He and Shannon stepped into the tavern, finding it lively.

Beneath the wooden beams of this mead hall, villagers bid farewell to another busy day and found comfort in the depths of their mugs. A large fire burned in the center of the room, keeping everyone warm, and food and drinks filled everyone’s bellies. There was something about places like these that Noah enjoyed. By now, much of the novelty of living in a fantasy world had worn off, but these candlelit taverns always tickled his inner nerd.

However, there was an underlying tension in the air. There was no way these people didn’t know about the monster army that 8

passed them by, and though they were aware of how lucky they were, there was dread in their voices as they thought of where that army was heading. Upon arriving, Noah and Shannon received some curious looks from the locals. Travelers were common, but Shannon’s clothing and complexion painted her as an outsider, while Noah’s gold emblem projected his might and authority.

A servant girl hurriedly approached and bowed. “Welcome, Sir Knight! How might we serve you this evening?”

“Hello. We’d like a room for tonight and some dinner and drinks.” “Right away, sir! Please sit wherever you like, and I’ll bring you your food!”

Noah and Shannon obliged, sitting at one of several long tables. Moments after they took their seats, a man approached with several nervous villagers behind him.

“Excuse me, Sir Knight, are you here from Colbrand?” the man asked, removing his hat and wringing it anxiously.

“We’re on our way there, actually, following the monster army that passed by.”

“So you know what happened? What’s going on?”

“For the most part. That army originated from Welindar and is marching on Colbrand. We have no chance of beating them there, so we can only hope the city can defend itself until we arrive.”

“All the knights and most of the guards left town after the army passed by, heading towards Colbrand, the same as you,” said a tall, bony woman. “We’ve been left defenseless. What if bandits or monsters attack?”

“Well, unfortunately, my companion and I can’t stick around.

We need to get to Colbrand as soon as possible. The faster the situation is solved there, the faster everything will return to normal here.” The dejected villagers moved away, and Noah turned to Shannon, who appeared anxious. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s right; what happens if these people are attacked? I don’t want what happened to me to happen to them. I’m only alive because of you and Lady Valia.”

“There are always people in need of help, always. If not this village, then another one somewhere, and all the time you spend helping one person is time spent not helping someone else. You can’t save them all. These people want to be our main priority, but our goal is to get to Colbrand. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth.”

9

The servant girl returned, carrying two plates of food and foaming steins. “Ooh, that smells good,” said Noah, rubbing his hands together.

Shannon’s somber expression eased as her plate was set before her, now realizing how hungry she was. The ale was harsh, but it washed everything down fine.

“You know, a long time ago, I was a member of the Peace Corps. It was this organization that would go to impoverished areas around the world, giving out food and medicine, helping build homes, all kinds of good stuff. I and several others were in a city struck by an earthquake. You know those, right? Earthquakes?”

Shannon nodded. “Anyway, the devastation was incredible.

Countless buildings had collapsed, and I’m talking huge stone buildings, some more than ten stories tall. The entire infrastructure had been devastated, and moving resources was an ordeal.

We spent days digging people out of the rubble, tending to the wounded, trying to get everyone fed and sheltered, and so many people were left utterly traumatized after they lost everything. You’d see little kids covered in dust and blood, sitting in the streets with dead eyes, their entire families wiped out, unable to even cry because they simply couldn’t process what had happened.

I remember the word was eventually put out that we were no longer digging for survivors; now, it was just about collecting corpses. And then…” Noah gave a bitter laugh. “And then another fucking earthquake hit, even bigger than the one before it, and everything that had managed to withstand the first one was completely leveled by the second. The entire city was destroyed.

All the streets we had cleared were filled back up with rubble, all the buildings that people had been sheltering in collapsed on their heads, everything we had fixed was broken, and we were right back where we started. And the wailing, it was unbelievable, people holding their dead loved ones, sobbing and screaming in anguish, asking why God had forsaken them.

Overall, more than a hundred thousand people died in the quakes and the aftermath, and half a million more were left homeless and destitute. We worked ourselves half to death trying to help as many as possible, but we couldn’t help them all. You never can.”

Noah resumed eating as though he hadn’t spoken in the first place, but Shannon sat and gazed at him. She knew of Noah’s goal to break his curse, his desire to end his reincarnation and finally rest in 10

peace. Originally, she didn’t understand why he would want such a thing, why he would give up living forever, but the more she learned about him, the more it made sense.

She couldn’t imagine what it was like to have experienced over a hundred lifetimes worth of tragedies, and have all those painful memories swirling around in his head. She just hoped there was something she could do to finally help him find the serenity he wished for. Eventually, though, her growling stomach shook her from her thoughts, and she dug in.

After dinner, they retired to their room upstairs. It was small, with a rough straw mattress, a trunk for their possessions, and a lone candle burning on a table in the corner, but it was better than sleeping outside. Noah did his usual check of the room, ensuring it was safe.

“Does it ever bother you? The people that you couldn’t save?” Shannon asked, looking out the window.

“For every one person I couldn’t save, an infinite number of them live on in other timelines, meeting their end in different ways.

When I bury someone, that’s where I leave them. I don’t carry them with me, hanging from my neck like a heavy chain. Are you still thinking about your tribe? Or what happened in Welindar?”

“Both,” she whispered, her shoulders trembling.

“What happened wasn’t your fault. If I shot the arrow that killed Kaisen, would you blame me for what happened?” She shook her head, still with her back to him. “Then don’t blame yourself. It’s not that you didn’t save your tribe or Welindar; it’s that you couldn’t. Don’t lament that which was beyond you. We can’t change the past; we can only try harder for the future.”

Shannon turned to Noah and held his hands. “We can’t save everyone, but you and Lady Valia saved me, and for that, I will love you and serve you always.”

The two shared a tender kiss, and as it evolved, their hands wandered, stripping off each other’s clothes. They moved to the bed, Shannon lying back and Noah holding himself over her. His member slid inside easily, drawing a whimper of bliss, and as he began to move, a sensual moan slipped free. For Shannon, it just wasn’t the same if she wasn’t being sandwiched between Noah and Valia, but still, she was at home in his arms, and his technique was superb in cleansing her mind of doubts and fear.

11

Noah started out slow and gentle, but soon picked up the pace, giving her the vigor and strength she had come to love. Before long, the bed was rocking and bouncing, with Shannon’s moans a testament to Noah’s skill. Lying on her back, she kissed him deep with her legs wrapped around his waist, never wanting to let him go.

Noah eventually sat up, lifting her hips off the bed and continuing his thrusts with Shannon’s breasts tumultuously shaking. She clung to the bedsheets, moaning as he ravished her. With his strength, he made her climax before long, but didn’t stop until he had one of his own.

As he caught his breath, he moved his hands up her back and lifted her up, setting her on his lap without pulling out. While waiting for him to regain his rigidity, she wrapped her arms around his neck and passionately kissed him, soon feeling him grow hard inside her. Now it was her turn, and sitting on his lap, she rode him joyfully, bobbing up and down while he sucked on her breasts.

Thinking back, Shannon remembered how she would spy on Noah and Valia when they were together, watching them have sex.

She used to be so envious of them, not just for the pleasure and love they experienced, but for their confidence and energy, and the strength they exuded. There was assurance in their movements, how they trusted each other to satisfy their needs.

Though they faced each other with their lips joined, it was like watching them fight back to back, battling each other’s inner demons. Shannon dreamed of reaching that level, becoming someone they could rely on and fulfill all their expectations. As she rode Noah, giving her all to please her beloved Lord, she hoped she was getting closer.

Her conviction was tested when he turned her around and took her from behind. With his hands on her hips, Noah drilled her hard and fast, but he knew how to do it without hurting her. Still, the intensity and speed pushed her body to its limits. She tried to hold herself up, first on her hands, and then on her elbows, but it wasn’t long before she had her face pressed to the sheets. She did her best to reciprocate his efforts, throwing her ass back to meet him halfway, but she still had a long way to go until she could adequately keep up with him. Until then, all she could do was moan and receive his lust like a dutiful servant.

They went at it until late at night, with Noah’s reputation from Clive making a stylish return for the locals. The next morning, 12

however, Noah was shaken awake by Shannon. “My Lord, something is going on outside!”

“Fuck,” Noah sleepily mumbled. As he dressed, he heard a great commotion outside, including screams and shouts and horses racing back and forth.

Someone then frantically banged on the door. “Sir Knight!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

Noah went outside to find a group of marauders riding through the town, slashing the villagers with their swords or planting arrows in their backs. There were only five of them, but without the knights and soldiers around, that was all it took to force this village to its knees. Several men tried to fight back with various tools and farming implements, but these were seasoned killers, and cut them down without mercy.

The man leading them, dirty and bearded, laughed while swinging an axe over his head. “This town is now in Eichorst territory! We’ll burn it to the ground if you don’t pay tribute to your new masters!” A gunshot rang out, and the man fell out of his saddle. It came from Noah, holding an illusory pistol. The man lay on the ground, dazed and feeling his chest. All of his instincts were screaming that his heart was pierced and he was bleeding to death, but there was no wound, or even any pain.

“You fuckers woke me up,” said Noah.

“Bastard!” another marauder shouted as he rode towards Noah with his sword held out.

Instead of shooting the man, Noah shot his horse. The creature experienced the same near-death sensation and went lame, dropping to the ground and tossing its rider like he was thrown from a catapult. He hit the earth with a loud thud that knocked the air out of his lungs and left him struggling to breathe. Noah strolled over, picked up the man’s dropped sword, and cut his head off.

In the distance, he pointed to another marauder. “Shannon, be a dear and run that man down for me. I find the lack of arrows in his chest rather unbecoming of the situation.”

Shannon, with steely eyes, bowed her head. “Yes, My Lord.”

It wasn’t long ago that her own village was destroyed by raiders like these, but she had grown much stronger since then, and her Lord’s words of encouragement to wield that strength against these vermin made her heart race with righteous fury. She assumed her centaur form and went galloping after the bandit. Meanwhile, the 13

remaining two were now racing towards Noah, shouting and cursing this man who was interrupting their plunder. As they approached, they readied their bows and launched two arrows. One missed him by a few feet, and he deflected the other with his sword.

“Not this time.”

Noah stunned their horses, and they were both launched into the air like their counterpart. One of them hit the ground rolling, and managed to get back to his feet. As Noah approached, he drew a knife with a feral growl. The distance between them closed, and the man lunged, stabbing at Noah’s face, only for his arm to be taken with a lightning-fast slice. Before he could scream, Noah removed his head the same way. He then walked over to the other archer, slowly getting to his feet, but his life was ended before he could stand upright.

Noah then proceeded to the bearded man, brandishing his axe. “I take it you’re not Eichorst. No, I’m guessing you’re just a pawn leading a little scouting party.”

“I’ll kill you!” the man roared. He swung his axe at Noah, who countered with a sundering strike that cut through the shaft. The man was left stunned, and Noah put his sword to his throat. Still, despite the situation, he became indignant. “You think you’ve won?

Just wait until the boss comes here with all our men! We’ll have every villager’s head on a pike!”

“Oh, that’s exactly what I want.” Noah then slashed him across the face, not deep enough to kill him, but enough to draw a substantial amount of blood and a scream of agony. Noah silenced him with a kick to the balls, and before he could collapse, he grabbed the man by the throat. “Run back to your hideout and tell your boss this: Noah, the Wandering Spirit, is here waiting. I have a bounty of a hundred gold coins on my head, and if he wants to see that money, he’ll bring every henchman he can get his hands on and meet me on the north side of town an hour before sunset.

Every bandit, marauder, thief, killer, outlaw, fugitive, criminal, crook, brigand, plunderer, thug, and felon he can wring out of the countryside; he’s going to round them up and bring them here to face me before the end of the day. You understand? I want an army here. I don’t have the time to hunt them all down one by one, or teach these villagers how to stand up to you, so you’re going to bring their asses to me, and if you don’t, I’ll nail you to a tree and light you on fire. Now get moving.”

14

Noah threw the man to the ground, and he scurried back to his horse. As he rode off, Shannon returned. “I killed that outlaw.

What’s going on? Why are you letting that one leave?”

“Change of plans, we’re staying until tomorrow. Can’t leave the job half-finished.”

Though the idea of postponing their journey to Colbrand made her flash a momentary look of anxiety, Shannon smiled. After everything they spoke of last night, she wanted to leave this village, knowing they had done everything they could to aid the people, and was glad Noah was willing to do so as well.

They spent the day helping tend to the wounded and bury the dead. Noah had given all of his potions to Valia, and while he compounded a few with local ingredients, he had to stitch up several people on their dinner tables. The villagers were overjoyed to have their support and protection, and they got all the supplies they needed for the rest of their journey.

As the day grew late, Noah moved to the north side of town with Shannon at his side. It was a nice, wide-open area, a suitable battlefield. Numerous villagers had gathered at the edge of the village to watch. Noah had dispelled his aged appearance, often using it to make himself more charismatic and intimidating, but now he returned to his natural face as depicted in wanted posters. The sun approached the horizon, and several dozen men on horseback could soon be seen racing towards the town.

“Are you sure about this?” Shannon asked. She knew Noah’s strength and capabilities, but love was the perfect soil for worry to grow.

“I’ll be fine, you just hang back. Your job is to deal with any bandits that try to sneak past me.”

“Yes, My Lord,” she said with a bow before moving back to join the villagers.

The mob of bandits arrived and stopped their horses in front of Noah. The men varied in weapons, clothing, and armor, but all had the dirty look of lawlessness.

“So, which one of you is Eichorst?”

A gruff man with the best equipment dismounted and faced Noah, the two lit by the setting sun. “That’s me. You’re the Wandering Spirit, right?”

“Right. You know, I spent all day thinking about how I would deal with you guys, and what clever trick I could use to make 15

your numbers account for nothing. A trap? A fancy spell? Some tool or technique beyond your understanding? But the more I thought about it…” Noah drew his sword. “The more I realized that the simplest answer is the best.”

Eichorst and the men laughed. “You really think you can handle all of us on your own?”

“You wouldn’t ask me that if you knew what I did in Colbrand during the last Red Revelry.”

Eichorst’s smile faded. He did know. Of the myriad stories of Noah’s exploits that had flowed out Colbrand since Knight’s Day, the Night of a Hundred Heads was one of the most fearsome.

Eichorst had believed it to be just a rumor, a tall tale exaggerated every time it was retold, but now that belief was turning into an anxious hope. Stories had also been flowing from further north of Noah’s exploits in battle against beastmen insurgents, of hulking monstrosities left butchered in his wake. It was dawning on him why this lone man, standing before a small army of killers and outlaws, showed no fear.

“Now, shall we do this one at a time, or do you all just want to—"

“Kill him!” Eichorst shouted.

On cue, several mages in the mob raised their hands toward Noah and unleashed a volley of spells. Fireballs, lightning bolts, blasts of air and water, and flying stones bombarded him, and their combined power set off a roaring explosion. The twisting torrent of mana made everyone shield their eyes, except Shannon, left pale with dread and unable to look away. The marauders laughed arrogantly, with some complaining that this had been too easy and that gathering so many men was a waste. That was until the explosion petered out, revealing Noah, completely unharmed.

“It’s not nice to interrupt people, you know.”

Eichorst took a step back, shaking. “How… how are you still alive?” Noah revealed his knight emblem. “I wouldn’t be worthy of this if I couldn’t handle that kind of attack.”

“He’s fucking gold-rank!” one man shouted fearfully.

“Promoted by Prince Lupin himself, and I had to kill much tougher guys than you to get it.” Noah, having been standing on the sidelines in his invisible state, rejoined his clone in the scorched crater. “Now, I have a friend back there who would be crestfallen if 16

those horses were wounded in the fighting, so let’s remove them from the equation, shall we?”

He drew a spell card from his sleeve and bombarded the men with flashbangs. Bad enough the blinding light and deafening cracks left them disoriented, but the horses went into a panic. Screaming in terror, they all reared back, bucking off their riders before turning around and galloping away. Stunned by the assault on the senses and their painful landings, the bandits were slow to get their bearings.

“On your feet, gentlemen, unless you’d prefer to die on your knees.”

The taunt got them standing, Eichorst the first among them and drawing his sword. “I’ll fucking kill you!” He charged towards Noah, who made a practice swing through the empty air with his sword, but before Eichorst could get close, his head was sent airborne. The other men didn’t know what happened, but it was too late to back out now. Screaming to psych themselves up, they all closed in on him, and gore started spraying.

The villagers would spend the rest of their lives telling the story of what happened that day, and how the Wandering Spirit defended their town from a mob of bandits. But not once, in all the times they recanted the bloody event in the local tavern, never while sitting beside the fire and describing the violence to wide-eyed children, not even when they retold the tale to the returning knights and guards, was it ever described as a battle. The term ‘battle’

implied both sides having a chance at victory. This was a one-sided massacre performed by just a single man.

The bandits charged towards Noah, raising their weapons, and met their end. Swing by swing, slash by slash, stabbing and ripping, Noah carved them down. Severed limbs and heads went flying, blades and clubs were snapped and shattered, and men were bifurcated with blood filling the air. Using a combination of sword skills, innate strength and agility, and illusions, Noah slipped past all defenses, negated all attacks, and gutted his foes like fish. His clone would play decoy, distracting the men with false movements, while Noah, invisible, would rip through them like they were pillows. He didn’t need to fully separate from his clone; he’d simply lean forward or move his arm a different way.

Normally, he’d be more hesitant to rely on his invisibility/clone combo, especially with spectators, but when used lightly, even the most seasoned warriors couldn’t figure out the 17

secret. To the bandits and onlookers, he seemed to be moving too fast for his attacks to be seen, and cutting down foes beyond his reach. Had his mastery of the blade put him at a level beyond their senses? He would swing his sword, seemingly cutting through nothing but air, and then the men in front of him would lose their heads or erupt into fountains of gore. Before their comrades could ponder what they had just seen, several more lives would end.

Countless bandits, not outright killed, would drop to the ground and scream in agony, clutching the stumps that were once their hands or trying to stuff their spilled innards back into their bodies. They’d cry for their mothers, beg the gods for aid, and curse the choices they made that brought them here. Noah left them where they were, letting their anguished howls sink into the minds of their allies before succumbing to their injuries.

Those left standing, hearing the bloodcurdling screams and watching others get mowed down, realized that they were out of their league and that escape was their only option. They turned and ran for their lives, but Noah denied them their feeble hope. Those closest were chased down like rabbits fleeing from a wolf, while those farther away, thinking themselves safe, would drop to the ground, impaled by a thrown spear or launched arrow.

A few managed to escape, but Noah let them go to tell the tale. Besides, they wouldn’t dare come near the village again. Even after he left, even if they were to see him depart, they would never return, unable to stand upon the bloody soil where the scar on their souls was carved.

Finally, it was over. Noah stood among the dead, painted red with their viscera. He bent down, wiped off his sword on a slain man’s shirt, then returned it to its sheath and walked back to the village. The villagers gazed at him with pale faces and terrified eyes.

He had just saved their lives and homes, but it was impossible to witness such carnage from a single man and not fear him.

“I’ll leave the cleanup to you folks. Feel free to keep the horses and any loot you find, though I would appreciate their potions.”

“My Lord, your clothes are filthy. Give them to me, I’ll clean them.” Noah removed his coat and hat. “Thank you, Shannon. I don’t know about you, but I could go for a hot bath and some food.”

18

Unfortunately, a hot bath in this time and place was just a bucket of water and a wash cloth. Still, it was enough for Noah to get cleaned off, and the villagers quickly prepared a mountain of food for him. That night, he retired to his room at the inn and Shannon helped “relieve” the leftover strain of battle, and quite noisily. They left the next day with the villagers’ gratitude and resumed their journey. Unfortunately, protecting the town had added an extra day to their travel, so the fiend army was even further ahead of them.

The idea of catching up was never feasible, but this delay stirred their unease.

In the days after they left the village, the story of the Wandering Spirit’s bloody victory over the bandit troupe spread to other towns, carried by travelers, messengers, and even the sparse military. However, it was more than just the citizens listening in.

Enemy spies throughout the land relayed the details to malevolent beings.

More than a week after the conflict, Noah and Shannon set up camp in a wooded thicket, just as they always did. They ate dinner by the campfire and went to sleep early. Beside them was a magic tool of Noah’s design, alerting them if someone approached.

However, it only worked for assailants approaching on foot, and tonight, they were visited by a flying guest.

A woman descended from the sky, making no noise as she touched down. Her kind was biologically designed for stealth, able to elude even the lightest sleepers. Pale skin, tied-back raven hair, an alluring face, and an hourglass body with ample exposed skin; she was an undeniable beauty, regardless of her horns, scaly wings, and barbed tail. She gazed at Noah with ruthless eyes as he slept soundly, kept warm by his woman and the fire burning nearby, looking so peaceful with his head on that pillow.

“You took my Leanne, so I’ll take your life,” the succubus whispered.

She then stretched her wings and swayed them without making the slightest noise. Powder fell from her wings like snow, sprinkling on Noah and Shannon. It was succubus dust, a powerful sedative that also intensified dreams. She wanted to make sure he was deep asleep before she tried anything. First, she’d drain his mana, then she’d cut his throat.

“Now, let’s see what secrets lie in your dark heart.”

19

She placed her hand on Noah’s forehead and activated her magic. Succubi, though having the lowest combat abilities among the Profane, had the innate ability to peer into the minds of others, and even alter their dreams. Sensual fantasies and traumatic nightmares invoked powerful responses in the victims’ psyche, producing a rush of mana that the succubi fed on, eventually draining their life force. Unlike the other Profane, which feasted on flesh and blood, succubi subsisted entirely on mana collected in this manner.

However, Noah’s consciousness proved beyond her ability to penetrate. His mind and life force were so evolved and mature, like nothing she had ever encountered before. Even while unconscious, his will was so dense that she couldn’t get any purchase. Generally, the older and stronger the victim, the harder it was to dig into their mind and twist their dreams.

Humans were like potting soil, accessible by even the weakest succubi. Elder dwarves, long-lived and notoriously stubborn, were like tough clay, requiring more effort and experience.

For elves, especially those as old and powerful as Queen Elisandra, only the most seasoned succubi, or those with augmented abilities, could have a chance of affecting their minds, which were as resilient as stone. However, the succubus trying to pierce Noah’s mind struggled against his natural defenses. The stratifying levels of his consciousness resembled the layers of a blast door, capable of withstanding a nuclear bomb.

‘Tysinger, Carthace, Kaisen; it’s no wonder they all failed to finish the job. He’s like nothing I’ve ever encountered before. Forget stealing his mana; I can’t let him live even a moment longer!’

She held out her other hand, and long claws extended from her fingertips, ready to end his life, only to be taken back when a muscle spasm suddenly shot through Noah, as if shocked with a defibrillator. With killer reflexes, he reached up and grabbed the succubus by the throat, crushing her larynx like a scroll.

Whether he was acting on instinct or he was aware of what he was doing, he pushed her onto her back and pinned her arms with his legs, now choking her with both hands. More than simply cutting off her air supply, he was pressing down on the major arteries, cutting off blood flow to the brain. Ghouls and fiends were immune to such dangers, but not succubi. She looked into his eyes, icy blue 20

and filled with such bloodlust that it was like they were glowing in the dark.

‘Is this it? Is this how I die?’ she thought to herself as her vision grew dark and her mind slipped into the abyss.

When she opened her eyes, the succubus found herself not on the ground, but suspended by her wrists, which were locked in a pair of shackles that sealed her powers, and hanging from a tree branch.

Her wings and tail had also been tied down, and her feet just barely touched the earth. Upon waking, she coughed and spit out a mouthful of blood. Her larynx had healed, but it was still sore.

Shannon was sound asleep beside the fire, locked under the effect of the dust. Before her stood Noah, building up the campfire.

“I should have gutted you when I had the chance,” she hissed. “It’s a mistake you’re going to pay for,” he said as he stood up with his back to her.

“How did you wake up in time? No one has ever overcome my dust before.”

Noah picked up his pillow. “Though I missed my chance to get her on the dissection table, I learned a great deal from your kin in Sylphtoria, enough to come up with countermeasures. This pillowcase is enchanted to produce an electric charge when it comes into contact with succubus dust, a charge that runs the length of my body and then targets my adrenal glands. The combined shock and adrenaline rush are enough to start a stopped heart, and overcome your dust.”

“I knew it! You killed Leanne, didn’t you?! Bastard!”

“I’ll take responsibility for that. Is that why you’re here? You want revenge?”

“You’re damn right! She was my sister succubus, and you took her from me! I am Duska, and I will feast on your soul!”

“Interesting, is that love I hear in your voice? I didn’t know the Profane could feel such affection for their kind. I assume by the term “sister succubus,” you were both bitten by the same person? It must comfort your kind to find family in such relationships.”

“Don’t you mock me! You think you can take one of ours without retribution?! You’ll get no mercy from us!”

“Do you really believe you’re entitled to revenge? You and your friends sent her to Sylphtoria to destroy the elven kingdom and kill its inhabitants with a plague, and now you’re acting like her 21

death was some unprovoked act of aggression against your kind.

You really think that the only fair thing to do was for everyone in the Anorvan Forest to just lie down and die because you deserve to win?

There is no right to vengeance in war. If you go about hurting and killing people, you don’t get to complain when they fight back.”

“Semantics won’t persuade me from killing you.”

“You want to know what kind of person your Leanne was?

You want to know about the person you’re trying to avenge? The plague was a good strategy, very well done, but she decided to take it too far. She attacked Queen Elisandra, violated her body and mind, and left her bleeding, crying, and cursing my name.

Your sister turned her against me, made her think I raped her, and laughed at her anguish and humiliation. The shackles you’re wearing were modeled after the collar put on the queen to keep her from fighting back. If you want to avenge your Leanne, if you believe her life and death warrant retribution, I think it’s only fair I do to you what she did to Elisandra, so you can feel the weight of her transgressions.”

Duska’s eyes filled with fear. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Noah grabbed her by the chin. “You tried to kill me and my companion in our sleep over a foolish and unworthy casus belli. Had you attempted to kill us purely as a strategic move, that would be one thing; I could respect that, even let you keep your dignity. I would have just tortured you for information and ended your life.

Instead, you strutted into my camp with your self-righteousness, acting like you automatically deserved to win. I would be in my right to kill you for both my safety and to punish you for your arrogance. I could chop your head off right here and now, or I could leave you hanging there until morning and watch the sun burn the flesh from your bones, and no one would blame me.

However, in my infinite mercy, I’ve spared your life, despite you trying so selfishly to take mine, so now it belongs to me, to do whatever I want with, and I will exploit that privilege in every way you fear.” He then wrapped something around Duska’s head, and though she tried to resist, her efforts were futile. It was a metal ring on a strap, forcing her mouth open, with the buckle cinched tight against the back of her head. “There we go. I don’t want you doing anything with those sharp teeth.”

Her furious scream and curses came out as just a garbled moan, cut short by Noah forcing his fingers in her mouth. Again, she 22

tried to thrash and turn away, but he grabbed her hair to hold her still. His fingers moved through her mouth, playing with her tongue, probing the softness of the inside of her cheeks, and making her gag as he slid towards her throat. Just when she was about to heave, he pulled them away, leaving a string of saliva stretching between her mouth and his fingers. She gasped for air and tried to speak, but after giving her just a few desperate breaths, he jammed his fingers back in.

“You succubi are a curious race. You gain sustenance by leaching off others and defiling the sanctity of their inner worlds.

You wanted to do the same to me, didn’t you? You drugged me with your powder so I couldn’t resist and tried to molest my soul, penetrating the depths of my mind against my will.

What private horrors from my past would you stir up for your amusement? What desperate fantasies and wishes would you taunt me with? My life, my thoughts, my fears, my desires—they exist only for you to use to violate my consciousness, right? As I see it, you have no right to complain when it’s my turn to violate you.”

He then revealed a black knife and began cutting away at her clothes. She was already scantily clad, so there wasn’t much to remove. Most of the effort was spent circumventing the ropes binding her wings and tail. Soon enough, her breasts were exposed to the brisk night air, and Noah massaged them audaciously.

“Very nice. We’re going to have lots of fun. You’ll learn to love it. They always do.”

Duska closed her eyes and turned away, not wanting him to see her budding, angry tears. As a succubus, she was well-educated on everything sensual. Having probed the minds of countless people through the ages, she bore witness to every fantasy and sick perversion the mind could conceive. However, that experience was based on the dream world. She wasn’t quite so well-practiced in reality, and those sparse events were nothing like this. She was used to being in control, used to preying on others and draining them of life. To be bound in shackles, her naked body exposed and fondled by this human that should have been her food, was humiliating.

His hand slid down her flat belly, his fingers inching ever closer to her southern opening, but she kept her legs together, struggling to lock him out. Noah held his knife up to her face. A mere blade was nothing to her, but regular steel didn’t have this scent, this aura. Duska realized it was made from one of Carthace’s 23

spider legs, and staring at this harvested piece of her comrade, all she could think of was how Noah might similarly dissect her for parts, and how helpless she was to stop him.

“It doesn’t matter how much you resist. This is happening whether you like it or not. You can either be a good girl and give me what I want, or I can take it by force. I suggest you do everything you can to make yourself more useful to me alive than dead, because, as you can see, I can get quite a lot of use out of your corpse. I can use your flesh for scrolls, your bones for tools, and your blood and other fluids for runecraft. Now that I think about it, you don’t even have to be dead for me to collect them. I can carve off all the pieces I need, let you heal, and then harvest your body parts all over again in a repeating cycle.”

Duska mumbled a curse and shut her eyes while slowly parting her legs. Noah lifted her chin, his smile now gentle, and he spoke with a kind voice. “See, I knew you could behave and obey.

Deep down inside, under all that Profane malice, you’re a good girl, and good girls get rewarded.” He then leaned forward and kissed her. The metal ring holding her mouth open made it awkward, but she didn’t resist as his tongue explored her mouth, not that she could.

He soon pulled away and moved behind her. “Now I’m going to make you feel good.”

Once more, he began to massage her breasts with one hand while his other hand slid between her legs, this time finding no resistance. The humiliation of this intimate caress, the faux tenderness of his gentle touch, they made her sick. He teased her clit, stroked her plump labia, and swirled his fingers inside her with the familiarity and care of a devoted lover, but it was all just a façade.

He was playing with her like a toy.

“You know, I have quite a lot of experience when it comes to sex, and have pleasured many different kinds of beings, from elves to aliens. Your former ally Carthace and I had a great deal of fun, tossing in turning in her web, our tongues forming a double helix.

Yet, in all my years, never did I think I’d ever get the chance to enjoy a real-life succubus. This is very special for me, so I’ll make it special for you.”

He whispered the words in her ear, making her shudder, but it wasn’t just his voice that concerned her. Duska had now found something she feared more than death: pleasure. As Noah spoke, he upped the intensity of his technique, his whisking fingers turning her 24

body against her. Despite the hatred in her heart, her flesh relished his touch, and the wetter she became, the more powerful his movements grew. Duska whimpered as all gentleness faded from his performance, soon finger-blasting her with masterful, overwhelming force. She tried to block off all sensations, attempted to resist the overwhelming pleasure, feeling herself being burned alive in the fires of her shame.

‘Don’t cum! Absolutely do not cum!’ She mentally screamed this order at her body over and over again, trying to maintain one last shred of dignity. Despite her turmoil, she knew it was only a matter of time, and could even hear the wet squishing of his fingers rampaging inside her. Finally, she moaned like an opera singer as an orgasm exploded within her, but Noah didn’t stop. If anything, he upped the intensity even further, exacerbating her climax until she released a jet of nectar.

Noah, at last, pulled away, leaving Duska with tears streaming down her cheeks, brought forth by the mind-shattering orgasm. She had no strength left to stand, and could only hang limply from the tree branch as liquid lust ran down her legs and saliva dripped from her open mouth. No man had ever made her cum like that, so why did it have to be this one? Why him? Why now?

She almost wished he’d hurry up and kill her so she wouldn’t have to live with the embarrassment. She then watched as Noah removed his clothes, and her eyes fell on his erect cock, instilling fresh terror in her.

“There you go. I told you I would make you feel good. Now it’s your turn to make me feel good.”

She frantically shook her head, but could do nothing to stop him. He moved between her legs, lifting them up onto his forearms, and then shoved his member inside her. Duska cried out from the penetration as Noah began fucking her with callous speed and force.

Compared to being burned with sunlight or stabbed through the heart, a rough fuck was nothing. Her Profane body could easily endure such inflictions, but still, it hurt. It was her pride that ached, her soul, if she even had such a thing. To be used and violated like this by a human, unable to fight back, was agony.

Yet it also felt good, sickeningly good. After her orgasm, Duska’s sensitivity was at its peak, and though her soul churned with hatred and disgust, her body felt nothing but the ecstasy he was giving her. He subjected her to several minutes of pleasure and 25

anguish, his moves never slowing, never easing, but eventually, she felt a change come over him. His breathing was different and there was a tremor in his movements. She knew what it meant, and it terrified her.

‘ No! Please! Not inside me! Anything but that!’ She wanted to scream and beg, ready to forsake her pride if it meant keeping this one small shred of her sanctity intact. Noah finally stopped and the two of them shivered, he in bliss and she in disgust as several jets of seed were pumped inside her.

“Damn, you succubi really are something special. I felt downright pampered in there.” Duska didn’t respond, not that she could. Not since the day she was turned into one of the Profane had she felt so dirty and corrupted. “Your arms must be exhausted. Let me fix that.” Noah cut the rope holding her up, and she collapsed, exhausted and sore beyond all measure. Her wrists were still bound in the shackles, but at least she was no longer dangling like a prisoner in a dungeon. “See? There you go. Shhh, it’s all ok,” he said, wiping away her tears as though she had cried on his shoulder.

Was it over? Was he letting her go? Either way, she had to escape. As he turned to put some wood on the fire, she tried to crawl away, but Noah grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up onto her knees. She looked into his eyes, the fake kindness now gone.

Instead, there was only the frigid bloodlust she had seen before, when he had his hands around her throat.

“You’re not done until I say you’re done.”

Then, before she could brace herself, he rammed his cock into her mouth. So many flavors struck her at once, none of them ideal; Noah’s manly scent, his salty cum, her own sinful honey, and all of it was forced on her with what could only be described as a battering ram to the uvula. Her gag reflex triggered and she began to convulse. Before a mess could be made, Noah pulled out, but he only gave her a few moments to collect herself before shoving back down her throat.

With the metal ring holding her mouth open, there was nothing she could do to defy him. She could only kneel helplessly as he skull-fucked her, using her horns as handles to hold her still and control her. With her mouth forced open, suction couldn’t form, producing a grotesque hollow sound. More than just her throat, he left no corner of her mouth unviolated. The head of his cock ground 26

against the roof of her mouth, her tongue, and the inside of her cheeks.

A frothy mixture of saliva and semen dripped from her lip with each thrust as he thoroughly abused her. She struggled for every breath while choking on his cock, wishing desperately for the nightmare to end. It only did with a burst of semen flooding her mouth. He finally pulled out of her, and as his seed trickled off her tongue, for a brief moment, she allowed herself to hope that it was over.

“You know, had you attempted to kill me before the winter, I would have just beheaded you and been done with it. However, after Carthace and I made the fiend with two backs, my better half decided to give me a pass to let nature take its course when it comes to sexual partners. Some might argue the shackles divert from the nature rule, but as Carthace would say, how can I resist a fly that would so eagerly land in my web?”

Noah threw her to the ground on all fours and got behind her.

Before Duska could do anything, he forced himself back inside her pussy, with the semen he deposited earlier lubing the penetration. He took her fast and hard, hammering her from behind with nothing short of violent lust. The fake tenderness Noah had used her before, she now desperately wished for him to display it again, to show her some measure of mercy.

He was nothing short of brutal with her, his thrusts so rapid and deep that she felt like he was rearranging her insides, and not even her Profane pain tolerance could protect her. Normally, Noah would use his skills to keep his partner from suffering during such rough play, but he didn’t do that with Duska. Her unholy body was strong, easily capable of withstanding most injuries, so there was no reason to hold back as he usually would. He gave her everything, the pleasure and the pain.

That sound, the lurid sound of flesh on flesh, she had heard it so many times before in the dreams of her victims, but to hear it coming from her own body as she was violated, it was like a language in and of itself, a language of taunts and ridicules laughing in her ear. Eventually, despite her misery, he once again brought her to climax. Waves of shame washed over her, shame for being given such euphoria through such pain and degradation. She felt betrayed by her body, her flesh submitting to him and welcoming further exploitation.

27

Noah stood up, and once again, Duska dared to hope that he was letting her go, or at the very least, he would kill her and her suffering would end. But then he crouched over her, and she released a scream of fear, immediately becoming a scream of pain as he penetrated her anus, deepening her violation.

Noah didn’t bother taking it slow, he showed her no mercy in his assault. He drove his cock into her down to the base, then pulled out and rammed it back in even faster. It was just the start of a savage chain of thrusts, coming so fast and hard that Duska thought she would die. He was driving straight down into her, hammering her asshole like a chunk of hot iron on an anvil.

Each time he went in, she felt like his cock was ramming against the underside of her heart, and every time he pulled out, she thought he was pulling half her insides out with him. Yet though she cried in humiliation and anguish, she could not contain her moans, caught in the maelstrom of Noah’s cruel technique. That was what truly burned, that infernal pleasure. He still had that power over her, the power to make her moan.

Face down in the dirt with her ass in the air, there was nothing she could do but endure, to let him subject her to his wrath until he grew tired, reduced to a plaything for him to use however he wished. Her asshole had become a toy, one that he seemed hellbent on breaking. The physical anguish was matched only by her humiliation. She had lived for centuries, and without a doubt, this was the worst night of her life.

The brutality continued throughout the evening. Noah spent hours ravaging Duska, pushing her body to its limits and crushing her mind. Every orifice was stretched, bruised, violated, and left painted with semen, and her voice grew hoarse from moaning and screaming. He’d pull her hair and grip her horns, able to move and manipulate her into any position he wanted.

Every time there was a pause between positions, she would attempt to crawl away, but he would grab her by the ankle and drag her back, forcing himself inside her once more. She clawed at the strap around her head, trying to remove it, if only so she could beg Noah to let her rest, to give her just a moment to recover and brace herself before continuing to subjugate her, but he offered her no reprieve, and if she resisted, he had ways of punishing her.

She kept expecting him to tire, to stop and catch his breath, but he just kept going. She had no idea a human was capable of such 28

sustained brutality. Duska knew of mankind’s proclivity for sexual violence, having seen it in countless dreams, memories, and fantasies, but those episodes of horror never went on this long. This seemed to last forever, an endless cascade of abuse and degradation.

Did his stamina know no limit? How many times had he done this before? How many women had he brutalized? She had been unable to infiltrate his mind, unable to read his memories, and could scarcely imagine the horrors that dwelled within his soul. If only she knew the atrocities he had committed in the past.

Again and again, he brought her to climax, each time breaking her will further. How did he have such control over her?

How, despite her hatred and misery, could he force her to experience such euphoria? Pleasure that dismissed all loathing, that overshadowed all pain, that crushed all pride and identity; it was his greatest weapon against her.

Eventually, all thoughts of hope and resistance were extinguished. She gave up and submitted to all his orders, surrendering her ego and sanity. She’d ride him with hysterical desperation, her breasts heaving as she bounced on his cock, climaxing with him as he used her like a cum rag. As long as she obeyed him, he showed her mercy and rewarded her with pleasure. If she was a good girl, she wouldn’t be punished.

After a night of violation, the sky was beginning to brighten.

Duska was lying on her stomach, with Noah holding up her head.

The strap and metal ring had been removed, leaving a clear mark on her cheeks. Beneath her face was a cup, slowly filling with venom dripping from her fangs. Her eyes were bleak and lifeless, her mind too traumatized to even register the theft. He had already taken everything else from her.

He had hoped to do some interrogation, but it seemed he had broken her, and soon the sun would rise. His questions would have to wait until another time. As the cup filled, Noah scraped her wings with a knife to collect her dust. Such a potent knock-out agent would surely come in handy.

Once he had finished milking her like a snake, Noah added some of his blood to the venom, as well as a few other ingredients.

Through repeated experimentation in Welindar, he had learned that Profane venom, even the less stable version provided by parasites, was a potent yet dangerous ingredient for making ink. However, he knew how to use it safely without being susceptible to its effects.

29

Noah then rolled her onto her back and began painting runes on her belly. The mixture burned itself into her skin, making her wince, but after what Noah had subjected her to, this level of pain was nothing. Noah finished by inscribing a magic circle below her stomach, and the seal was complete.

“That looks really good on you. I could have put it anywhere, but I thought this was a fitting spot. This tattoo can’t be removed, and any attempts will end badly. It forever binds you to me as my slave, and if I die, you die as well. From now on, I own you, and you will obey me. When I have need of you, the mark will react and you WILL answer my summons. Am I understood?”

“Yes,” she whispered, drained of any willpower to resist or refuse him.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Now, do you serve the Profane or do you serve me?”

“I serve you, Master. I am your slave.”

“Excellent, I’m glad you understand. Find me tonight; the mark will let you know where.” He retrieved his knife and cut the ropes binding her wings and tail, then unfastened the shackles on her wrists. “You’ve been a good girl for me, and you’re going to keep being a good girl. Now get out of here. I don’t want my property to burn up in the sunlight.”

Duska slowly got to her feet and hobbled off, her naked body covered in welts and dried semen. Was this it? Was he genuinely letting her go this time? She kept expecting to feel him grab her and throw her back down to the ground for another round of rough fucking, using his cock like a hammer to shatter her hope. The seizing hand never came, and she limped into the woods, looking for shelter from the sun.

Once she was gone, Noah got up and stretched. It had been a while since he cut loose like that and indulged in his old habits, but it was going to be hard staying awake for the rest of the day. He went to work cleaning up the scene as well as himself, not wanting Shannon to know what happened. As the sun began to rise, she finally stirred, awoken by the smell of breakfast.

“Good morning,” Noah said, sitting by the fire.

“Good morning,” Shannon replied sleepily.

She yawned and stretched, but then paused. As Noah and Valia’s companion, she was used to certain things, and could pick up 30

on them. Why did the campsite smell like sex? But then her growling stomach made her forget all about it, directing her nose to the morning feast Noah was preparing.

After breakfast, they continued their journey, riding ever closer to Colbrand. That night, Noah made love to Shannon by the fire, and left her sound asleep and satisfied. Once her breathing slowed, Noah sprinkled some succubus dust on her face to keep her from waking up.

Now free to act without being noticed, he pulled out several tools and materials and began crafting a magic device. It was made using Carthace’s sternum, one of many pieces he had harvested from her corpse for just such an occasion, as well as the venom-blood mixture he used on Duska, and a couple other components, followed by a sequence of runes.

The resulting device looked like a combination of a magic wand and a bomb detonator. Noah pressed down on an encrusted gem with his thumb like it was a button, activating the tool, then waited by the fire. It was close to midnight when Duska finally arrived, flying ungracefully and crashing with even less elegance, not that he could blame her.

The seal on her stomach was glowing, and there was a look of anguish on her face. However, rather than pain, she was experiencing the same thing Noah gave her the night before: unwelcome pleasure. The mark was subjecting her to continuous clitoral stimulation, as if she was straddling a vibrator on its highest setting. It left her barely able to walk, and just flying straight had been an ordeal.

She was filthy with dried semen and dirt, having buried herself to escape the light of the sun. She glared at him, her eyes filled with misery, hatred, and, as much as she tried to fight it, lust.

“Make it stop. I can’t bear it anymore!”

“Nice, huh? It would have been so easy to simply have the mark give you an electric shock or burning pain when it activates, but where’s the fun in that? I thought a succubus like you deserved something… fitting.”

“Enough! How much longer are you going to humiliate me?!” “Be thankful that I’m only giving you pleasure. What currently feels like a tongue can feel like a scorpion’s stinger if I so 31

wish it. However, if you show me the proper respect as a slave should, I will grant you mercy.”

Trying to keep her bitter tears hidden, Duska prostrated before him. “Please, Master, have mercy on your loyal slave.”

“That’s a good girl.” Noah pressed on the jewel with his thumb again and the tool deactivated, prompting a sigh of relief from Duska.

“Now, what do you want from me?” she hissed, shooting daggers from her eyes.

Noah reactivated the tool, this time at a higher setting. Duska cried out in pain, writhing on the ground as she felt like Noah had reached out and was pinching her clit. He stood over her, watching her squirm. “Ah, ah, ah, I’m not hearing the respect you owe me.

You want to try that again?” He released her from her anguish, and she gasped for breath, then once more bowed.

“How might I serve you, Master?”

“The Profane are planning world domination. I want to know how.” “I don’t know; I’m not privy to those details.”

Noah again reactivated the tool, once more making Duska scream. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“I swear, I don’t know! I don’t know what their plans are!

I’m not part of the inner circle!”

Noah released her. “Very well, I believe you. Tell me what you know about the other Profane, and I suggest you give me something useful.”

“I know very little about them,” she reluctantly muttered, unable to meet his gaze. “Until recently, we were scattered, leaderless. That was until Lord Curcio discovered how to start making parasites. Then Lord Scyler brought us together and took command.”

“And who is Scyler?”

“The oldest and strongest of us, most closely related to Somerset and Zyrga.”

“Is that how your hierarchy works?”

“Whoever is closest to Zyrga holds command. Without a unified leader, every Profane serves the one who turned them—their predecessor, as well as whoever turned their predecessor. I serve Mistress Helena, the succubus who made me what I am… as she did Leanne.”

32

“And I take it this Helena is in the inner circle?”

“Yes.”

“Then if I were to have you bring her to me, perhaps she could give me the answers I seek.”

Duska’s unholy blood ran cold. Under no circumstances could she let Noah sink his claws into Helena. She and Helena were wicked beings, feeding on the minds of mortal men and leaving death and tragedy in their wake, but all of Duska’s experience and instincts told her that Noah was something far worse, something even demons should be afraid of.

“That wouldn’t work. I can’t bring her.”

“Oh really? Can’t or won’t?”

Duska finally dared to look up at Noah and shivered at the coldness of his eyes. “I can’t.” Upon her words, the seal began to glow on its own, and Duska once more cried out in agony.

“A slave shouldn’t lie to her master, and that mark is going to make sure you don’t,” Noah said.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” she whined, prompting the pain to fade.

“You no longer serve her; you serve me. If you return to her side, it is only because I have deemed that the place where you are most useful. Understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. Unfortunately, if you can’t tell me about the Profane’s plans or the abilities of their members, I’m not sure I should keep you alive. I’m wondering if I should just harvest you for parts.”

“No, wait, please!”

“Why? Give me a reason to spare your life.”

Duska paused. “Prince Lupin is still alive.”

Noah’s brow furrowed. “You mean he wasn’t killed in the battle or the explosion? Or turned into one of those fiends under Kaisen’s control?”

“There were more Profane in Welindar than just Kaisen and Tysinger that night. After Kaisen was slain, we kidnapped Lupin and the woman with him. A bargaining chip, a source of intel, an unwilling spectator to Colbrand’s demise; I don’t know why they wanted him, but he’s now in our possession.”

“And do you know where?”

“I swear I don’t.”

33

Noah then sat down on the ground. “Come over here.” Duska was hesitant. “I’m not going to ask again. Come over here.” She slowly crawled to him. “Now lie down and with your head in my lap.”

She flashed him a look of wary confusion, but Noah’s expression was a warning not to make him repeat himself. She lied down on the ground, resting his head in her lap. She hated it, curling up with this man who had violated her, tormented her, stolen her freedom, and now was continuing to humiliate her. Then, to her surprise, Noah started stroking her hair.

“You’re such a good girl for me, and good girls get rewarded. Now, if the Profane continue to be a thorn in my side and make such a ruckus, I’m afraid I’ll have to kill them all. That said, as my obedient slave, you will, of course, be exempt from this eradication. A proper master takes care of his slaves, after all, and I’m going to take care of you.

However, that’s only if you continue to serve me faithfully.

Should you fail me, or I get the sense that you’ve betrayed me, I’ll have to adequately punish you. I’d rather not punish you. I don’t want to have to hurt my sweet little Duska, understand?”

“Yes, Master,” she murmured, feeling like there was a noose around her neck.

Kindness and cruelty; the way Noah switched back and forth between them so easily terrified her. One might think it was a sign of madness, as though surfing a wave of manic highs and depressive lows, but Noah was in full control, his emotions never slipping.

Everything he did was a calculated move to keep her on her toes, to groom her to submit to him.

“Good. Now, here is my first order: find where they’re keeping Prince Lupin. I want to know the location and how they’re guarding him. When next I summon you, I expect you to have answers. Got it?”

“Yes, Master.”

She was about to get up, but Noah stopped her. “I realize I was a bit rough with you last night, so now, let’s spend some quality time together. Tell me something, do you need to feed?”

“N… no,” she murmured. Once again, the seal activated on its own, making her whimper in pain.

“Why must you keep lying to me? I’m trying to take care of you. So answer me again: do you need to feed?”

34

“Yes,” she gasped.

“Good. Now, you subsist on mana, correct? How do you collect it?”

“With my horns.”

“Then let me feed you.”

He gently grasped her horns and began channeling his mana into her. This was not how succubi typically nourished themselves, and she could only lie there as Noah force-fed her mana. Duska could feel it swirling within her, much like the semen he had filled her with the night before, and it left her with the same feeling of shame and violation. She didn’t dare move or speak. She continued to lie there, letting Noah stuff her with his essence. In time, her tension eased, and despite her hatred and fear, it began to feel good.

35

Swift Wings

Noah and Shannon traveled ever deeper into the heart of Uther, following the tracks of the fiend army. However, the distance between them was growing with each passing day, and Noah was doing the math. “I have an idea,” he said, sitting with Shannon beside the campfire as they ate dinner, “an idea of how we can get to Colbrand faster.”

“I’m listening.”

Noah unrolled a map and pointed to a mountain near their location. “They say there is a dragon that lives in this mountain.

Though feared for their strength, dragons are known to be very intelligent, far more so than their wyvern descendants. We might be able to convince him to join our cause, at least temporarily.”

“You want to enlist the help of a dragon?” Shannon gawked.

“He may be able to get us to Colbrand before the fiend army arrives, and I can’t think of a more powerful ally. Besides, if it doesn’t work, at most, we’ve added a few more days to our journey.

What do you say?”

Shannon took a deep breath. “If anyone else were to propose such an idea, I would have called them mad. But if you tell me it’ll work, I’ll believe you.”

“Not quite the response I was looking for, but I appreciate your support.”

36

Thus, they took a detour, moving off the fiend’s path of destruction and heading for the mountain. They expected to find a gothic and foreboding stone spire in the wilderness, untouched by man, minus the scores of charred skeletons and signs warning travelers to stay away. Instead, at the foot of the mountain, they found a healthy village with fields of crops, including vast vineyards and farms devoted to hops and barley.

“Huh, ‘Dragonpint.’ I wasn’t expecting this,” said Noah, reading the village entrance sign. The sign was carved with the effigy of a dragon blowing a stream of fire over a beer stein.

“I’m certainly not complaining,” said Shannon.

They entered the village, robust and thriving in the spring warmth. As they walked down the main street, Noah spotted a young man wearing armor and a bronze knight emblem.

“Excuse me,” Noah said, waving to him.

“Can I help you, travelers?” he asked.

Noah flashed him his gold emblem. “I need to speak to the leader of this town. It’s an emergency.”

“R-r-right this way,” he stuttered.

“I must say, I never expect to find a village next to a dragon’s den,” said Noah as he and Shannon followed him through the village. “It’s actually because of the dragon that this village is still around.”

“What do you mean?” Shannon asked.

“The dragon and the village have an agreement. Should an army of bandits or monsters attack, the dragon will awake from his slumber and deal with the threat. The agreement is one hundred barrels of wine and spirits a year, plus another hundred every time they call on him, but they haven’t had to awaken him in a long time.

They say he’ll go out and hunt every few years, but he just sleeps the rest of the time. There are only a couple of other knights here and some soldiers, and really, our only job is maintaining the peace and dealing with problems too small to bother waking the dragon.”

The knight’s words gave Noah hope. If the dragon’s services could be bought with liquor, then his plan had a good chance of working. They were brought to one of the vineyards, where a well-dressed man could be seen speaking with a farmer.

“Mr. Mayor, there is someone who needs to speak to you!”

37

Noah, Shannon, and the knight met the mayor halfway through the field. “Welcome to Dragonpint. I am Haven, the mayor.

I must say, we rarely get a gold-ranked knight out here.”

Noah reached out and shook his hand. “I’m Sir Noah. This is my companion, Shannon. I’m afraid there is a dire situation.”

“What’s going on?”

“A colossal army from the beastman city of Welindar is marching on Colbrand, ready to wipe out every last man, woman, and child. They’ve already carved a path of destruction across the countryside and are moving fast. We hope to speak with the dragon and see if he’ll consider helping us save Colbrand. It may already be too late, but we have to try.”

The mayor rubbed his balding head and turned away. “If Colbrand is destroyed, the entire country will fall apart. I doubt he’ll go for it, but it’s certainly worth a shot. Come with me. We’ll prepare a tribute.”

The mayor hurried back to town, and Noah and Shannon followed.

“How did your town form this pact with the dragon?”

Shannon asked.

“Believe it or not, it was his idea. Long, long ago, before my time, this village was being attacked by an ogre tribe, and then, out of nowhere, the dragon appeared and obliterated them. ‘Grow wheat and grapes,’ he said. ‘Brew me enough liquor to sleep until the end of time, and I will defend you.’ Then he spat out a big lump of gold and told our ancestors to use it to get started.”

Haven brought them to a large building near the vineyards, where men were hard at work making booze of all kinds in massive barrels. The smell of wine and beer was heavy, almost bringing tears to Shannon’s eyes, as though huffing a bar rag.

“I had heard about a company called Dragon’s Brewery that produced some of the country’s best wine, beer, and spirits, but their drinks were expensive, scarce, and kept secret. Is this the headquarters?” Noah asked.

“That is correct. We keep a large reservoir in case of emergencies, and whatever remains that we don’t drink ourselves is sold to a select few distributors.”

“Huh, I always assumed the name was just picked to sound interesting. You can find a thousand pubs, brothels, apothecaries, and other businesses with ‘dragon’ in their name.”

38

“‘Fit for a dragon’ is our motto. After all, he might not choose to help us if we provide subpar product.” Haven turned to a nearby barrel and filled two cups from the spigot. “Here, give it a taste. This is our prized ale.”

Noah and Shannon accepted and emptied their cups. “Oh, that is good.”

“I’ve never been one for these kinds of drinks, but that is nice,” said Shannon.

Haven then stepped away. “Men, we need to prepare a tribute for Roroaka!” The announcement sent a rush of fear through the workers. None of them had ever delivered to the dragon’s lair outside of the yearly offering.

“Is the town under attack?” one man asked, standing atop a series of scaffolding around several massive fermentation vats.

“Not our town, someone else’s! Colbrand! An army is marching on the capital! Hop to!”

The men rushed to fulfill the order, but it was a process. This was a society without forklifts, so moving the hundred barrels just around the brewery was a feat of monumental engineering, requiring pullies, rollers, and even monk magic. They were loaded onto huge wagons, each pulled by a team of oxen. Noah, Shannon, and Haven stood back, watching the herculean effort unfold.

“Each one of those barrels costs a fortune. I don’t suppose we could expect to be reimbursed by the kingdom?”

“I can’t speak on their behalf, especially if they’ve already been wiped out. It’ll be easier to just pay for it myself. Would you accept gems as payment?”

“You have them?”

“By the time the barrels are done loading, I will. Shannon, my stationary if you would, please.”

She smiled. “Hanger vellum and No. 3 ink?”

“Precisely, dear.”

They stepped outside, and Shannon assumed her centaur form. She then conjured a roll of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill from her ring. She carried much of his materials and tools in her ring, acting as a magical caddy. She also conjured a plastic slate for use as a makeshift writing surface. It could be set on anything, but for some reason, she liked it when Noah hung it off her back and used her as an easel. Noah wrote a long alchemic formula, and Shannon performed the magic, preparing a king’s ransom in 39

diamonds using nothing but locally sourced carbon. Her magical capacity had grown by leaps and bounds while working as Noah’s assistant, simply from how often she cast these spells. As per his words, the last barrel was being strapped down in its wagon by the time he was finished.

“Prepare yourselves; you’re about to meet a dragon,” said Haven, climbing into one of the wagons.

Noah and Shannon did the same, and the caravan began its journey up the mountain slopes. A road had been built for tribute and was painstakingly maintained, but still, the slightest bump and jostle made everyone nervous. The oxen groaned as they pulled the wagons, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. Finally, they arrived at a massive cave, large enough for a 747 to pass through, and extending deep into the heart of the mountain.

In front of the cave was a large basin, the size of a backyard pool, and a church bell. Examining the basin and the surrounding rock, Noah realized that all the stone had been warped into shape.

Even the cave was too smooth and uniform to have naturally occurred. The barrels were emptied into the basin, and once it was full, Haven retrieved a hammer and approached the bell. All the workers covered their ears, so Noah and Shannon did the same.

That was a preview of Across Eternity Book 6. To read the rest purchase the book.

Add «Across Eternity Book 6» to Cart