At the entrance of the tavern stood a woman.
She was striking; blonde hair cut short, the golden strands brushing just above her shoulders, framing a face that was both regal and severe. Her eyes were a piercing blue, sharp and unyielding, radiating a cold authority that made the air itself feel heavier. Silver armor gleamed faintly under the lantern light, its surface unmarked by battle, while a royal blue cape cascaded down her back. Her figure was disciplined, concealed beneath steel, leaving me unable to guess at her form beyond the aura of command she carried.
"Miss Gratia!" Thornton's companions rose to their feet at once, their rowdiness gone in an instant, replaced by disciplined respect.
Her gaze swept across the room, cool and assessing. For the briefest of moments, our eyes met.
It was only a heartbeat, yet it felt like much longer, an eternity in which her cold stare seemed to peer past my skin and weigh my very soul. Then, just as quickly, she dismissed me, turning her attention back to the men.
"Where is he?" she asked, her tone clipped, her voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to command.
Before anyone could answer, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell. Thornton emerged, still carrying Serena in his arms as if she were little more than a doll.
His irritation was plain. "What is it, Gratia?"
She did not flinch at his tone. "The Baron calls for you. Malek is dead. He wants us to investigate immediately."
Thornton groaned loudly, rolling his massive shoulders. "Tch. Can't I fuck her quickly and then come?"
The words struck me like a hammer, my pulse quickening, dread and rage warring within me. I stared at the woman, desperate to see her reaction.
Her expression did not change in the slightest. "No." The single word left her lips like ice, cutting the air.
Thornton stared at her for a long moment, but even his brutish confidence faltered under her unyielding gaze. With a grunt, he dropped Serena onto her feet.
"I'll come back for you, my plaything," he muttered with a grin, before turning on his heel and stomping out of the tavern, his party following close behind.
Serena stood in silence, her hair slightly disheveled, her face empty of expression as the last of them disappeared through the door. Only when the room was quiet again did she exhale and descend the staircase with measured steps.
When she reached me, she lifted her head and offered me a smile that melted away the tension. "So, how was it?"
I gazed into her blue eyes, still shining with that hidden fire she carried even in the bleakest of moments. "Mesmerizing," I answered truthfully.
The innkeep hurried over then, wringing his hands, his face pale from nerves. He stammered apologies, thanking us repeatedly for what we had done, though all we had done was endure. Finally, he produced a pouch heavy with gold coins and pressed it into Serena's hands.
She accepted it gracefully, her smile generous, as though none of the chaos moments before had unsettled her at all.
Once back in our room, Serena began changing clothes.
"So, how do sausages feel down there?" I asked with a smug face.
She smiled, "Not as good as your sausage." Still half naked she walked towards me, and then sat on my lap.
Her clit was extremely wet right now, my pants instantly got wet from all her juices.
She began to grind on my groin, giving me the same treatment as Thornton.
"Can I spank you?" I asked, remembering how Thornton did the same.
"Uh, no, you know I don't like it when you do that." She said before she began to kiss me like a wild animal.
I couldn't say anything and soon I found myself below her, watching her hop on my penis again and again.
***
Soon enough the next day came and we continued our journey home.
The forest path was quiet at first, nothing but the steady clip-clop of hooves and the rustle of leaves above. I rode slightly ahead, my sword resting at my side, while Serena trailed close, the sunlight piercing through the canopy and catching on her auburn hair.
Her eyes never stopped scanning the trees, her posture sharp. "Too quiet," she murmured, adjusting the strap of her dress as it clung to her shoulders. "Not even the birds are singing."
That was the only warning we got.
Figures darted out from the underbrush, their faces wrapped in cloth, blades gleaming. A half-dozen of them, maybe more, circling us with the precision of wolves.
"Ambush!" I snapped, yanking my sword free as Serena's hands already lit up with fire. She vaulted from her horse with practiced grace, landing in a swirl of fabric, and hurled a ball of flame into the nearest man. His scream was brief, he was ash before he hit the dirt.
I charged forward, cutting down the first who lunged at me. The blade cleaved through his shoulder clean, warm blood spraying across my cheek.
But they kept coming.
One rushed Serena from behind, and she spun, her back arching as if it was natural, the movement tossing her hair like a whip. A river of fire burst from her palms, wrapping around him. His clothes blackened, flesh peeling as the smell of char filled the clearing.
"Stay close!" she barked, though her eyes blazed with something reckless.
I cut down another, twisting my sword free as another shadow broke through the melee, this one carrying a large, jagged rock, glowing red as though it held a molten heart.
The bastard grinned at me, slammed it to the ground.
The world shook.
A crimson shockwave blasted out, slamming into my chest like a hammer. Serena screamed as it struck her, her flames sputtering out mid-cast. The fire in her hand died instantly, leaving only smoke curling from her fingers.
I staggered back, clutching my ribs, then realized something. I tried to will energy forward, to summon even a spark of strength. Nothing. My chest felt hollow, drained, like something vital had been torn out.
"No–" Serena's voice cracked, fury turning to dread as she threw her hands out again, but only silence answered her. The air was barren, stripped of life, of mana, of everything.
The bandits grinned like hyenas.
One grabbed her by the arm, wrenching her forward. Her dress tore at the side, the fabric catching against his rough grip and peeling away to reveal pale thigh. She kicked back at him, her ass jiggling with the force of it, but her heel only grazed his armor.
"Get off me!" Serena snarled, her body twisting, but another man caught her from behind. His blade nicked the strap of her bodice, ripping it down so the curve of her chest nearly spilled free.
Something in me snapped.
The ring.
My hand shot to the pouch which hung from my belt, the cursed metal that was the reason behind this mission. The Ring of Catastrophe pulsed, hungry, almost eager. I slid it onto my finger.
The moment it settled, agony lanced through me. My veins burned, a wild storm surging under my skin, too big for any man to contain. My vision blurred violet, chaos flaring like fireflies gone rabid.
The men froze. They could feel it too.
And then I let it go.
A blast erupted from me, a wave of purple chaos that tore through the clearing like a storm given flesh. The ground buckled, trees cracked and splintered, and the men who held Serena were thrown like ragdolls. Their bodies shattered mid-air, blood spraying into the leaves like paint.
The ones farther back fared no better, skin ripped from their bones, armor crumpled inward, their screams drowned in the roar of pure destruction.
When the energy finally stilled, silence fell. The air reeked of iron and burnt ozone, the grass around me blackened into ash.
I stood in the center of it all, chest heaving, my sword trembling in my grip. The ring still glowed faintly, searing against my finger, refusing to let go until I willed it.
Serena stumbled back, clutching the tatters of her dress against her chest. Her eyes were wide, not with fear, but awe. Her lips parted, trembling as she stared at me surrounded by ruin.
The forest was a graveyard now. Only the sound of the wind remained.
And then I collapsed.
***
I am trying to setup the 'main' story with this chapter, that's why it wasn't that spicy.