Witchhunt [IC]

[HeroicSpirit]

"I see..." she says, as he thrusts his cock between her breasts. As she does so, she strokes herself in a circular motion with her thumb, pulling back the hood of her clit and rubbing it. She moans, now, speaking less as pleasure and warmth washes over her. "...Ah...keep going..."

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Lucia moans, feeling Flint make use of her tits as she pleasured herself, her eyes rolling up as she drew closer, her moaning loudly. "AH! YES! YES! YES! I CAN FEEL IT! FUCK MY TITS, THIS IS WONDERFUL!"

 

[OmegaUmbra]

Though she appreciated his eagerness, Alex was getting a bit too far ahead of himself. "New enough to forget the foreplay, it seems." Sashaying over to the side of the head of the bed, but not sitting down, she thrust her tapered tip as close to his mouth as she could get. "It'll be a lot better for both of us if I don't go in dry - so, you wanna suck me off, or should I send my tongue in first?"

Alexander gasped staring down her cock so up close and personal. He hadn't thought about it before, but the prospect was quite enticing, making his already stiff cock rock hard at the idea. It looked positively delicious, hanging as closely to his lips as it was. Perhaps he did get a bit carried away, but maybe that had been a reward in of itself. It was a rather silly mistake, but one he was eager to rectify.

"Ah, my apologies. I may have gotten a little too excited. But I do know what I'd like to do first..."

Pulling himself forward, he gently began to lick the tip of her cock, shyly taking the tapered point into his warm, waiting mouth as he took his time savoring it's warmth and thickness. He didn't have a single ounce of experience sucking cock, but like every part of the night thus far, the cleric would be happy to learn. Swirling his tongue across her length, slowly sucking and enjoying every inch he could get down his throat. Alexander was disappointed that he couldn't quite make it to her knot just yet, but maybe with a bit of practice in due time, he thought. Not once did the cleric break eye contact, looking up at Astra with both lust, and hopeful fervor, earnest to please and hoping he was doing a decent job for his first time.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Body wracked with pleasure as she plunged her finger into her now-wet folds, sweat dripping down her skin as her face flushed with passion, Lucia moaned lustfully and low. She felt herself nearing the edge of the plateau, ready to fall into ecstasy as Flint's cock thrust into her cleavage, its tip hitting against her chin. At this point, she did not care that she would catch some of this man's seed in her mouth, as no man had done enough to earn that right. However, this time, it would be different-clearly, he had earned that right.

"AAAAH! PAINT MY FACE WITH YOUR SEED!" she shouted, ready to feel his cum drip down her face.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Semen dripping down her face and breasts, Lucia sighed softly, feeling herself begin to calm down, even though pleasure still rushed through her body. Panting, she rubbed his seed over her skin, spreading it over her face and breasts like a lotion, until it was no longer visible. Then, standing up, she put her dress back on and went to the door. "Sleep well," she said, giving him a wink. "I hope that you can give me a next time."

Then, she left the room, allowing him to rest.

 

[TheShepard256]

earnest to please and hoping he was doing a decent job for his first time.

He was, indeed, doing a decent job for his first time - it was far from the best she'd received, but also far from the worst, and there was something she could do to make it better. Waiting until he'd gotten as far as he seemed to be capable of under his own power, she gently grabbed the hair at the back of his head, and pushed further - using her other-TF'ing magic to make his throat more pliable and suppress his gag reflex, allowing him to take it without issue.

Whenever he'd go back up again, she'd repeat this process, getting a little more into him each time, until finally, his lips crested the swell of her knot, smooshing his nose against her crotch, where her pheromones were the strongest. (They wouldn't have been very noticeable prior to the blowjob, as she was trying to limit their range to avoid detection.) "Good boy!" By this time, precum was beginning to leak from her tip, at a rate that might be more appropriate for a normal man's full orgasm.

 

[OmegaUmbra]

He was, indeed, doing a decent job for his first time - it was far from the best she'd received, but also far from the worst, and there was something she could do to make it better. Waiting until he'd gotten as far as he seemed to be capable of under his own power, she gently grabbed the hair at the back of his head, and pushed further - using her other-TF'ing magic to make his throat more pliable and suppress his gag reflex, allowing him to take it without issue.

Whenever he'd go back up again, she'd repeat this process, getting a little more into him each time, until finally, his lips crested the swell of her knot, smooshing his nose against her crotch, where her pheromones were the strongest. (They wouldn't have been very noticeable prior to the blowjob, as she was trying to limit their range to avoid detection.) "Good boy!" By this time, precum was beginning to leak from her tip, at a rate that might be more appropriate for a normal man's full orgasm.

Alexander would gasp, if his mouth hadn't been so full. Feeling a strange, albeit pleasant tingling sensation taking place in his throat. As far as her cock had gotten he was shocked to notice he could now take her without effort. The motion of bobbing his head back and forth turning into a steady rhythm, too focused on pleasure to worry about the sudden change, after all, improvements weren't a bad thing, not like it was anything noticeable. Though he made a mental note to question it later (if his thoughts were still intact by the nights end). When his plush lips finally met her knot he took in a deep breath, getting a heavenly dose of her pheromones in the process. His eyes fluttered, dizzied by her scent. Pleasantly rolling off in waves, only further encouraging him to reach her knot again...and again. Especially with the praise he received. Sucking her cock further and further into the vice-like tightness of his throat.

For a moment he had thought Astra had reached her peak, swallowing the river of sticky pre with awe. Demons really were something else...or maybe she was just special. He couldn't dream of outputting so much, and if this was just the appetizer...he could only guess when she finally came he was going to receive quite the meal.

 

[TheShepard256]

Now that his throat could take her full length, Astra was content to let Alex dictate the pace of the blowjob. She could simply cum right now, but where's the fun in that? She can drag this out as long as she wants to. So, she waited, and rode the pleasure, and gave the occasional bit of praise, until she felt just the slightest slackening of his mouth to indicate that his jaws were getting tired - then, with one last thrust, she buried herself in his throat, unleashing a torrent of cum directly into his stomach until it was almost full (she could produce much more, but limited herself both for his sake, and because if she did cumflate him, people might get suspicious).

When that was done, she pulled out, firing a final handful of blasts onto his tongue - it'd be cruel not to let him have a taste. "Okay, get back in position - it's time for the main event." As a sex demon, her refractory period was effectively 0, allowing her to go again straight away. Since she couldn't output as much as she'd like with one shot, she'd just make up for it by going again at the other end. Besides, she was pretty sure he hadn't cum yet - it took a very special kind of person and quite a bit of body modification for someone to cum just by deep-throating a cock.

 

[OmegaUmbra]

Alexander wasn't exactly surprised by the amount of cum considering the flow of pre that splattered into his mouth earlier, but was none the less taken back by the sudden fullness and heat settling inside of him. Drinking down every thick torrent of semen until the well had ran dry, savoring the few drops that landed on his tongue, desperate to memorize it's intoxicating taste. Taking a gulp of well-needed air he nodded, rubbing his slightly sore jaw before making his way onto the bed and getting back into his earlier position, face-down, ass-up. If only to provide the best view.

Alexander's heart jumped in his chest, excited, yet a tad nervous now that the main event was about to occur. It was impressive how such a powerful orgasm didn't seem to slow her down in the slightest. Precum had already began to leak from his tip just from having a little taste, and now that it was really getting down to business...the cleric's face was red as a tomato at the realization that he probably wasn't going to last two thrusts in. But it wasn't her first time taking a 'first', so he was comforted by that fact.

Instead of worrying he relaxed. Alexander had been waiting for something like this for too long, and it'd be a cold day in hell when he'd regret it.

His eyes hung low and gazed at her with unparalleled desire, laying his head comfortably onto the pillow and wiggling his ass as a silent invite.

 

[TheShepard256]

With one hand, Astra grabbed Alex's hip - with the other, she guided the tip of her spit-shined cock into the ring of his virginal ass. Working the same magic she did on his throat, "Do try not to be too loud." was the only warning he received before she thrust, burying the first few inches into his behind. It wasn't going to end there, of course. Now that she had some purchase, she let go of her cock to grab his ample hips with both hands, and begin thrusting in earnest - like with the blowjob, getting a bit deeper each time until her knot kissed his pucker. {If Alex cums during this: "Aww, cumming so soon? Well, don't worry - there's plenty more where that came from!"}

Astra drew it out with long, slow, tip-to-knot thrusts, taking the time to properly enjoy the tightness of his hole. But this couldn't last forever - when she thought he was ready, she bent over him, pressing her boobs against his shoulders, gently grabbing his hands with her own, and whispering in his ear "Ready for me to pound the fuck out of you?"

 

[OmegaUmbra]

[Sorry for taking so long! Health is a little wonky right now]

Alexander was grateful for the little warning he did get, considering the first thrust of her hot cock burying itself inside of him made the cleric screech out in pleasure like a banshee. Luckily deafened by the pillow he now hung onto for dear life. The penetration was much different than he imagined. Somehow far better. The few inches he took were enough to make him grip the sheets, white-knuckled in heavenly bliss, the unbearably good friction of her cock deeply gliding across his prostate was more than sufficient to push the cleric over the edge, clenching tightly across her length as all the tension in his belly released. A mind-shattering orgasm rocked through his body, alighting his senses from toe-to-tip. The cleric's meager load spent even faster than he had first anticipated. Why did he deprive himself of this for so long? He'd have to thank Astra properly one day for showing him what he was missing.

"P-Plenty more?"

He was exhilarated by the thought, yet wondered how he could ever hope to keep up with her seemingly endless stamina. With each moment he grew closer to her knot his cries of ecstasy became more and more audible, trying his damndest to remain quiet but failing miserably. Hopefully the walls of the inn were thick...

Astra's warm body pressing against his only further amplified Alexander's contentment. Flooded by a myriad of euphoric sensations, the cleric was giddy. Yet her question did give him pause, for all of a few seconds. Gripping her hands in kind Alexander tilted his head to meet her gaze. If the first bit was enough to make him feel like that...

"I thought you'd never ask."

Alexander playing at a bit of bravado with his bold statement, clearly meant to goad Astra on.

 

[TheShepard256]

I thought you'd never ask.

That's what Astra liked to hear. She pulled back her hips as far as she could, then began fucking in earnest. Not the slow, deliberate motions of before - those were more of a warm-up - but hard, fast, furious rutting, dragging the ridges of her cock back and forth across his prostate and rhythmically clapping her balls against his smaller ones. If it weren't for her magic, he'd be incapable of walking straight in the morning (ignoring any potential hangover, of course).

It wasn't too long until Alex was brought to his second orgasm for the night, but the clenching of his ass did little to slow Astra's pace. Rather, she continued unabated, waiting until the brink of his third to shove her knot in, tying them together as she released a second torrent of cum, in turn pushing him over the edge one final time. Now fully sated, she slumped over to the side for mandatory post-coital cuddles, and to get some sleep. "You did great, for your first time."

 

[OmegaUmbra]

After his third orgasm, Alexander was entirely spent. Accepting Astra's knot and her hot tide of cum with a soft groan of overstimulated bliss. Walking precisely again was going to prove a daunting task, numb as his legs pleasantly were. Hopefully, the innkeeper wouldn't question the state of the cum-soaked sheets in the morning, or else the cleric would need to make up a rather profound excuse. But that could always come later. Dizzy as his mind was it took him a moment to register what Astra had said, a delicate smile on his lips at her last praises before the night's end.

"Thank you...I'm glad you were the first." His voice soft, hoarse after his earlier howls of delight.

The look Alex gave her spoke of nothing but honesty. Such an experience was something he would be fond to remember for a long time, earlier reservations and reluctance now absent. Hesol only knows what it would have been like with someone uncaring or inexperienced as himself. Plus not to speak of the little modifications he felt.

Pressing himself into her arms, Alexander didn't waste a second before nestling deeply into Astra's neck, hands wrapping tightly around her waist. Within seconds exhaustion took the cleric, and he was asleep with a soft snore.

 

[TheShepard256]

Just because Astra was asleep doesn't mean she'd be sitting idle. As a demon, she had the ability to peer into, and somewhat influence, the dreams of humans and other races in a significant radius - enough to cover most of a small town from its outskirts - without them realising she was even there. That came at the cost of not being able to immediately identify who the dream came from unless she knew them personally, but that was not insurmountable - she could tell the general location of the dreamer (to within about the size of a household), and other clues such as the appearances of people within the dream could be used to narrow them down even further. This made her an excellent scout, provided that time-sensitivity wasn't too much of an issue.

Naturally, she was attracted to more sexual dreams, but she didn't even know if the demon they were looking for was sexual like her. She might also not be able to tell if another demon was influencing their dreams without actually observing the changes due to that influence. Still, it was better than nothing, and it was comforting - familiar - to do things outside her body. So, she spent the night wandering the dreams of the locals, keeping an eye out for anything interesting (both related to her current investigation and not).

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Dream of Alexander

Entering into their dream, Alexander sees a field of gigantic flowers, underneath a pink sky, with the sun blazing above. The field stretches far and wide, with no end in sight. Then, without warning, the sun falls from the sky and slams into the ground with terrific fury, sending a burning wave through the flowers, scorching them. Fire spreads, the leaves turning black and crumpling, crawling closer to Alexander. He cannot do anything but run, but as he does so, he feels his legs turn to water before suddenly he becomes entirely liquid. He seeped through the ground, escaping from the wrathful flames into a dark, calming place, safe from the fire.

"Sweet darling," he heard a deep, musical voice say, as he felt himself be hugged from behind. He could not see the speaker, too dark to see, but he felt her strong arms embrace him, holding him tightly against her. He could feel his head pressed against her voluminous breasts, as she softly hummed a lullaby to him. As she sang, his body became sluggish and drowsy as she rocked back and force.

Dream of Flint

Sitting by a campfire, Flint feels the chilly winds against him as he sits within a forest. From the dark, he could hear howls and see glowing eyes from within the shadows between the trees. However, what was most concerning were the figures about the campfire-wooden statues that had the appearance of his compatriots within the Putrid Blades. Laughing and drinking, posed in their happiest of moments.

The winds suddenly felt colder, blowing harder, and as they did, the trees froze, ice crawling up them. The fire sputters and spitters out embers, hungry for wood.

And in his hands, he had an axe.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Flint shivered in the icy winds as his fire went out, leaving only embers. He looked at his old friends and rivals from the Putrid Blades, or at least the wooden edifices of them. While the world around him felt cold, his heart felt even colder as he stared at their lacquered faces and bodies. He could see Johnny, the fucker that still owed him three gold that would never be given to him. And there was Gregor, a real young buck full of talent that was set on fighting as many monsters with that glaive of his as he could. And who could forget Roy, bastard son of a noble and one of the few folks from upper society that Flint could stand to be around.

Another gust of wind blew and Flint could feel the heat leaving his body and making the embers grow dimmer. And as it did, he saw the one face he'd hoped he wouldn't. His old boss, and a man who Flint considered a second father. The weight of the ax in his grip grew heavier as he looked at it. The fire was dim and he was cold. He knew what he needed to do in order to live through the night, but for the second time in his life, he questioned if he had the strength to pull through a near death experience. Slowly, he bent his body over the fire, trying to shield it as best he could from the icy chill while still clinging to the ax. In a soft, shaky voice, he spoke.

"It should have been me..."

As he bent near the flame, however, it grew dimmer. He heard a whisper on the wind. “Fuel the flame…” it rasped into his ear, “or surrender to the frost…”

The wooden statues shifted closer, surrounding him in a tight circle, as motes of ash drifted into his beard. The cold intensified, swirling about him, hearing again and again, “fuel the flame!”

He saw within the winds a figure of wind and ice, one which resembled the appearance of a fiend he had slain. Fingers, nose, ears, toes; all in intense pain as they started to turn black. Yet, he could not let go of the axe as it froze to his hands, locking them to it in icy casings.

“There is only one option…”

 

[OmegaUmbra]

The sky was bright and beautiful as ever. The warmth felt just right caressing his skin. A relaxing shade of pink hung in the distant clouds, unnatural and yet not unpleasant. But...just where was he? The comforting heat of the sun and the vibrant field of endless flora made it feel like an gorgeous paradise. Pleasant dreams weren't rare for the cleric, at least when he was once housed in the church's safe embrace. But it had been a long time since a dream felt so real. With one leg stepping forward he felt...utterly lost. The plane felt endless, too big and too vast for just him and him alone. Beautiful as it was, something without end gave way to a certain disquietude deep in his gut.

Something was not right.

As Alexander walked along the once comforting glow of Hesol's great sun, it started to feel like a hateful glare, burning in furious ire. Too hot to take.

That's when it crashed to the ground, eyes wide in stunned terror watching the sky fall with righteous, untold destruction. Flames creeping across the field and reducing the once magnificent land to a desolate hellscape, slowly making it's way to him. He had to run! Yet no matter how fast his legs carried him the searing burn only came closer, no one in sight to help, no respite or place to escape to. His body just felt too slow, or...too light?

Falling to nothing before his eyes as he seeped into another unfamiliar place, away from the vengeful flames that sought to cull everything in it's path. Regardless of the darkness anything felt better than before. It was cool. Gentle. An unknown figure holding him. A woman? Judging by the softness enveloping his head. Strong hands holding him tenderly, close and safe. The soothing hum of her voice not too unlike the lullaby's his mother used to sing. Yes...

But that brought him no comfort. Not anymore.

Before being lulled completely into the deep trance he pushed away, mortified by the memory, and turned to face the mysterious figure as his heart pounded in his chest, unable to see and more unsettled as the seconds passed.

"W-Where am I? What is this?"

 

[HeroicSpirit]

However, as he swung the axe, it moved out of the way, guiding the blade into the wooden statue of Roy's neck. As his axe hit, blood spurts from the statue as he heard the young man's scream. Warm ichor splattered across Flint's face as the statue continued to bleed. He could hear the fiend's laugh, it was mockingly childish, as it moved with the wind about the camp.

"FUEL THE FLAME! FUEL THE FLAME!"

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Flint recoiled as he struck Roy, memories of that night flooding forth as he heard the man's scream and felt the warm blood splash against his face. The warmth of the wooden state's lifeblood loosening his mouth just enough for him to open it, only to let out a terrified and angry scream. He was panicking now, and cradled the statue of Roy as it crumpled to the ground.

"Roy! No, gods damn it, don't leave me again!" Flint shrieked in desperation as the growing volume and tempo of the demonic creatures terrorizing his dreams droned all around him. With rage permeating through his entire body, he looked to where the the demon was, and shouted to it too. "I will not! I will fight and kill until every last one of you is purged or die trying! And when I die, I'll pay you all a visit in hell to relive the glory days of wiping you out!" He declared, finally finding his voice.

However, which each swing of his axe, it struck into his former allies-first, he struck Gregor, cutting off one of his arms. Then, his axe fell upon Johnny's leg, causing the statue to fall on the ground. His subsequent swings struck Johnny again, hacking him over and over, spraying blood across the snowfields, until what remained was a hacked up torso, lacking head or limbs. Then, his axe swung against Gregor again, this time taking out his other arm, leaving him unable to swing his glaive. However, such thoughts did not last long as with his final strike, he severed Gregor's head. Then, in a final moment, his axe cut into his old boss's stomach, striking deep.

All while he did this, he heard the taunting laughter of the fiend in the wind, unable to see the monster.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Flint was so lost in his rage that he did not even register his strikes. Until he hit his old boss, right in the stomach. Right where that demon struck him on that terrible night, long long ago, before finishing the job with a beheading. He blinked, a great sorrow filling him. He was losing his cool, which was rather impressive given how cold the winds blew around him. There were still wooden statues of his former friends around him, though they were far too brutalized not to be recognized. His breathing turned ragged, the exertion of swinging the ax like a madman getting to him now. And in a moment of desperation, he turned to the tree line.

Flint couldn't hit the fiend, and despite how brutalized they were, he refused to burn his friends wooden counterparts. But the voice never told him it needed to be them that burned. He swung his ax at one of the smaller trees, not much older than a sapling. Chopping it down, he kicked it into the fire. Either it would fuel it and he would be warm, or it would douse what little flame was left and he could join his friends once more.

As if it gave him an ounce of mercy, the sapling burned, but only just enough to feel the tinges of warmth. In the air, he heard a mocking voice whisper in his ear, "coward..." before drifting away.

The cold winds died down, and the wooden remains slowly disintegrated before him as the snow melt, leaving him alone by the fire under a night sky. He no longer could feel the weight of the axe, as it too was gone. As he watched the flames die down, he heard a voice behind him.

"So, do you dream of this often?"

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Turning to look, he saw the figure of a beautiful purple skinned demon woman with short red hair, golden eyes, and a hawkish nose. Her golden horns were curled back, like a rams, her golden lips plump and full. She wore steel plate armor on her upper half, and a sword sheathed in her belt, although she wore just tall black leather boots below her waist. He could see her equine equipment, inhumane and yet familiar, as well as her long tail, tipped with a spike.

Hearing his response, she shook her head. “Not intentionally—while it could be a side effect of my presence, I don’t really do that stuff. I’m guessing it was your guilt acting on its own within your mind, which I suppose you could blame on me being here.” She shrugged before approaching, sitting down next to him. “So, I suppose this is the part where you try to fight me, right?”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“Same as you,” she said, as she spread her legs apart to show her most vulnerable areas. Looking at it, he could see her pear-sized balls were smooth and coated with short red fuzz, while her length’s sheath suggest she had double his width. “So, see any weak points?” she asked, a wry smile on her face. As she said this, she lowered her hand down to the base of her sheath, rubbing her finger against it.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

She grinned, looking to Flint, showing off her sharp teeth. “Maybe, although I doubt it would matter as much in an actual fight.”

“Besides, it is far from all I have,” she said, as she shifted her balls to show the golden cunt beneath them. “Although I doubt that was much of a surprise, given your experience.”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“Well, besides polishing my sword and watering the plants, I enjoy a good wrestle,” she said. “I also do enjoy engaging in games, although they may be a bit too risky for you,” she continued, raising one of her eyebrows knowingly. “After all, it is an excellent use of your time to search the entire valley for me.”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

The demon smiled. “Very good,” she said, as she showed him a rose crest on her armor. “Although I admit it was fairly obvious. Still, that doesn’t really help you too much, and ultimately I think you are going to try your hand at the game anyway.”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"Hah! Well, I don't think I've played hide and seek since I was a kid, so sorry if I'm a bit rusty." Flint smiled back, somewhat enjoying the back and forth. "Though I have to ask, what's the prize for winning? Other than preventing the town from getting corrupted any more than it already is. And yeah, I'm pretty damn certain it's at least a little corrupted. No way in hell does Hesol bless harvests enough for that much food."

The fallen Paladin laughed. “Well, you have me there; the plants are rather nice, and Hesol isn’t exactly the most attentive of beings to the needs of people.”
She then stood up to her full height of 7 feet. “Though, I must admit that the game isn’t what your thinking of; it’s a bit more thoughtful,” she said, looking down at him. “See, it’s a card game,” she explained, “where each of us take the role of a commander and play against each other. Each of us has our own decks based upon our memories, personalities, and current state of being. It can be complicated at times and I’m not familiar with every rule, but I’ve been learned a fair amount over time, and don’t doubt I can beat you, unless you somehow get lucky.”

“As for what’s at stake, that depends on what you’re willing to put on the line. I’d suggest you start with something small, like your affinity for awful beards or your insistence on wearing pants all the time. If you manage to win, I’ll give you something of equivalent worth, including information but also not limited to it. However, if you lose, I get to take that aspect you put up for the gamble and destroy it.”

Flint watched as, appearing before them, was a polished mahogany table with seats for each of them-the fallen Paladin’s was an elegant throne entwined with roses, while his was a simple stool. At each end was a tome and a deck of cards, presumably for each player. The demon was sat down in her chair before shuffling her cards. “So, are you ready to duel or not?”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

The sky was bright and beautiful as ever. The warmth felt just right caressing his skin. A relaxing shade of pink hung in the distant clouds, unnatural and yet not unpleasant. But...just where was he? The comforting heat of the sun and the vibrant field of endless flora made it feel like an gorgeous paradise. Pleasant dreams weren't rare for the cleric, at least when he was once housed in the church's safe embrace. But it had been a long time since a dream felt so real. With one leg stepping forward he felt...utterly lost. The plane felt endless, too big and too vast for just him and him alone. Beautiful as it was, something without end gave way to a certain disquietude deep in his gut.

Something was not right.

As Alexander walked along the once comforting glow of Hesol's great sun, it started to feel like a hateful glare, burning in furious ire. Too hot to take.

That's when it crashed to the ground, eyes wide in stunned terror watching the sky fall with righteous, untold destruction. Flames creeping across the field and reducing the once magnificent land to a desolate hellscape, slowly making it's way to him. He had to run! Yet no matter how fast his legs carried him the searing burn only came closer, no one in sight to help, no respite or place to escape to. His body just felt too slow, or...too light?

Falling to nothing before his eyes as he seeped into another unfamiliar place, away from the vengeful flames that sought to cull everything in it's path. Regardless of the darkness anything felt better than before. It was cool. Gentle. An unknown figure holding him. A woman? Judging by the softness enveloping his head. Strong hands holding him tenderly, close and safe. The soothing hum of her voice not too unlike the lullaby's his mother used to sing. Yes...

But that brought him no comfort. Not anymore.

Before being lulled completely into the deep trance he pushed away, mortified by the memory, and turned to face the mysterious figure as his heart pounded in his chest, unable to see and more unsettled as the seconds passed.

"W-Where am I? What is this?"

Alex found himself sitting in the lap of an enormous woman with dark-blue skin speckled with luminescence, with long silver hair and antlers with bells hanging from them. Her eyes were hidden underneath long bangs, and her lips were plump and black. His face was currently between her voluptuous breasts.

“You are safe, child; you should not stay out too long in the brightness of the sun, for it shall burn you if you are not careful,” she said, as she held him closer, pressing his face in between her cleavage. “Tell me, why does it hurt you so?”

 

[TheShepard256]

As Astra explored the dreams around her, she was rather surprised to find that it was her companions' dreams that turned out to be the most interesting.

Flint's Dream

Flint is clearly still harbouring some feelings of guilt over the deaths of his former company. But this demon... showing herself like this is a bold move. She's clearly not afraid of getting caught, for some reason - we should be extra careful from now on. Judging by his actions, Flint seems to think so, too. And she's that paladin who came here before, like five years ago or something? That means she can't be much more experienced than I - if it came to a fight, I could probably take her down myself, but here... it might be best if I bolster Flint without revealing myself to her, maintain the element of surprise.

But a paladin would never fall prey to possession by herself, which means she was corrupted - we're dealing with at least one other, more powerful, demon. And if she's been in the area for five years, either she or whoever corrupted her will likely have other followers, as well. That's a good reason not to fear getting caught. Given how she's acting, they're likely sexual rather than violent.

But as soon as the terms of the game were laid out... how can she be so powerful as to change such a seemingly uncorrupted individual as Flint? Maybe she's more powerful than I thought.... Remaining incorporeal, she decided to make herself known to Flint but not the demon, whispering in his ear: "Flint, it's me, Astra. Don't let her know I'm here, but I can help you. I can bolster your state of mind - just think of something, and I can throw my power behind it. I've never played this game before, either, but I can try to give advice."

Alexander's Dream

Is Alex... afraid he's losing favour with his god? Did I do that, or is this a recurring dream for him? And who is that woman? Me? His mother? Oh, it's another demon. Again remaining incorporeal and making herself known to Alex but not the demon, whispering in his ear: "Alex, it's me, Astra. Don't let her know I'm here, and be careful what you say to her - if she doesn't use it against you, she's got friends who will. If you feel like you need to say something, you can think it to me." She decided not to let Flint know about there being multiple demons, for now - it's probably best he doesn't have that kind of pressure on him.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"I see. A far more interesting game than what I had thought." Flint responded, watching as the demon made the table and chairs for them to play on. He wondered how exactly it would work. He'd played cards before, though it was limited to conventional playing cards. He was still confident in his ability though. He may be a bit of a meathead, but he wouldn't be alive if he didn't know at least a bit about formulating strategies.

Flint stood up and walked to the table, eying up his stool in comparison to her far more ornate throne. He rolled his eyes, the hedonism of demons was truly something to behold at times, but sat down in the stool. "Very well. Let's duel. I'll wager my beard like you suggested." He said, looking at his deck and then back to her. "So uh, how many cards do I draw for my hand?"

“Eight on the first turn, one each turn after, although certain cards may allow you to draw more than that if you play them,” she said she drew her cards. “As for how many we play a turn, that is dependent on your supply and your favor, which you receive each turn and are used for different cards. You can increase this by playing site cards, although they can be occupied by enemy units and taken hold of.”

She then raised her deck to her face, holding her cards beneath her eyes. “Also, I should note it will be less that your beard will disappear, and more that you will find the fact you have a beard fundamentally wrong,” she clarified. “After all, I can’t physically change you with this game.”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"Hmm. Makes sense then. This's a bit more complicated than blackjack, but I get the basic rules." Flint said, drawing his eight cards. The voice of Astra resonated in his mind, and he gave a simple "Okay." to her. He wouldn't use that mental bolstering of hers yet. All he was betting right now was his beard, and this was only the first game. He needed to be smart about this. She was his ace in the hole right now, and blowing that at an inopportune time would be disastrous. And he doubted that the corrupted paladin would appreciate him cheating like that, if it was even considered cheating.

"Well, if I'm understanding this properly, then I'll go first. If that's alright with you of course." Flint said, looking over his cards. The river from his home village he used to fish in, Roy, the church, his spear, Gregor, Johnny, some weird pot with a face on it, and an ax. Thinking over his options, he placed down the river and Johnny.

As he finished up his turn, the corrupted Paladin played down a temple, as well as a pair of acolytes, with one on top of the shrine and one on the field. Looking at it, Flint noticed the acolyte costed less supplies than Johnny and was appropriately weaker, but the one on the temple had a higher defense.

“As you might tell,” she said, “cards can interact together in certain ways, allowing for even weak cards to be potentially more useful than stronger cards.”