Doom River
Doom River
A fortified paddle boat makes its lazy way down through the clear blue waters of a mighty river. Watching the scenery go by as great rocky plains mixed with farmlands slowly give way to the muddy beginnings of swamplands are a pair of cougars in the finery of nobility. Badgers with muskets accompany them as well as armored knight horses ready with mace and shield at a moment's notice.
"We're getting closer, big brother," the lady cougar says with much mirth to her male companion, "Shadow Water Swamp, I've heard so much about it an now I'm going to be exploring it."
"Do try to curb your enthusiasm, sister," the cougar lord grows to his sibling, "I have been sent to the god forsaken backwater bayou to secure it for the Kingdom of Priviligia and out Sacred Sovereign Emperor-Pope Patronus the Thirteenth. At least until my prowess of governance will allow me to move somewhere more civilized."
"Lord Boris is quite correct, Lady Elena," One of the three horses says, resplendent in his armor displaying the golden diamond box on his chest and shield as a symbol of some significance. "Out divinely appointed savior, the One True God, Allah-Yaweh, through his mortal emissary has tasked a humbly exalted noble who serves by the Divine Right of Kings with bringing the Light of our Divine and Holy Law to this unholy place of sin and vice and darkness as a test of our worthiness. A test I'm sure Boris du Pomp will pass."
"Your confidence is inspiring, Sir Tomas de Torquemada," Lord do Pomp days with a light bow to the paladin. "I hope to do your words justice."
"What if we find that the Druid Council has set themselves up as rulers?" Elena asks in a serious tone of voice of speculation, "It's been nearly ten years..."
"There shall be NO talk of such heresy!" Tomas thunders. "I stand before the proper ruler as appointed by the True Divine Authority of God."
Elena sighs and shakes her head as they continue to pass in silence but she watches the water turn from crystal blue to bloody red. One of the badgers shudders involuntarily as they enter the territory they are to conquer. The crimson water gives the region its other appellation that Elena notes silently: Blood Bayou.
A phantom calliope begins to play circus music which unnerves Sit Tomas greatly as he looks around to try and find even a glimpse of the Shadow Circus and its sinister master: the Red Clown. Tomas has often dreamt of this entity in his nightmares and even now makes plans to put this sinister sorcerer to the Inquisition pyre. Cold laughter soon joins the music as dark archaeopteryxes gather in the branches of the cypress trees to witness their passing.
These proto-birds take on an evil gleam as if they were in league with dark forces as the sense of dread becomes palatable under their collective gaze. One of the badges takes aim and fires his musket, felling an archaeopteryx with a single bullet as its thunderous report announces their presence after a fashion. The other dark wings take flight as even the calliope stops playing.
One of the otters who provide entertainment when the riverboat gets used as a showboat starts to idly strum his banjo below the cougars. Dressed in coveralls he isn't doing much more than practicing but the music is appreciated by Elena at the very least. Everyone of the nobles' party starts to relax until an ocarina answers the banjo.
The banjo player and the ocarina player don't compete but harmonize as Elena goes into the riverboat to make her way to the lower deck and idly take to the otter. As soon as she moves into the parlor room she sees a lady lynx attired as a can-can dancer and doing some practice moves. Miss Lilly looks over and waves to Elena who moves to interview her fellow female feline.
"Greetings, Miss Lilly," Elena says warmly, "I was going to ask Ollie but do you know who's playing the ocarina our there?"
"Not a member of the house bade to be sure, Lady Elena," Miss Lilly replies with a Southern Belle drawl, "I think I recognize the styling at that! If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say Sheriff Kodyax is playing to amuse his self."
"Sheriff?" Elena asks incredulously to which Lilly just smiles and nods, "I see, and what manner of person is he? And where might his loyalties lie?"
"Kody is a ranger, a black furred grizzly with the full power of the Green behind him," Lilly replies with full confidence. "The folk of these marshes look to him for protection from that which goes bump in the night. Believe me when I tell you that people sleep well at night knowing that he is protecting them. As far as they are concerned Kodyax is their Lord and the Council is Law."
"Which doesn't bode well for my brother," Elena says with a sigh. "I just want to gather knowledge, damn it! The ocarina's stopped now." She looks out the window to see a bear board wearing green and black armor made of chain and leather. "Is that the Sheriff?"
"Yup, that's him, prolly jus giving us an inspection like he should," Lilly says as Lord du Pomp glares at the bear. "Looks like your brudder is annoyed."
"He's going to be more than that, Miss Lilly," Elena starts and then she sees the bear coming up, the Tree of Life proudly displayed on his sleeves. "Greetings, Sheriff, I am Lady Elena du Pomp."
"Ah, the herbalist," Kodyax beams with a great smile, "I can't say much about your traveling companions but you I am pleased to meet."
"Thank you, Sheriff," Elena says with a respectful bow, "Despite what brother is going to try to accomplish I..."
"I have more of a bone to pick with your brother than you, Lady Elena," Kodyax states rather firmly. "The Council wants me to welcome you and give you a tour. You are here to gather information and perhaps act as a cartographer are you not?"
"That is correct, I am mainly here as a researcher for the Seeker Society though I keep that from my brother..."
"I will try to be discreet about that, my lady," Kodyax promises. "I know the council in concordance with the Seekers. Knowledge shared is knowledge increased. I too am a Seeker though my duties as Sheriff limit my time."
"I have read many of your reports, Kody, please, while we are not in circumstances that demand formality, call me, Elena," Elena requests.
"Yes, Elena," Kodyax says with a smile, "I will expect you to follow my instructions in the field."
"You're a ranger, Kody," Elena says with a smirk, "If you tell me to duck and cover, I'm not coming out till you give me the all clear signal."
"Keep away from your better, peasant!" Torquemada screams as he comes into the room with mace at the ready. "I will smite your unworthy hide..."
"Spare me, parson!" Kodyax growls in a dismissive tone as he traps the mace in between the tines of an unusually short pole arm featuring twin razor sharp sword blades affixed to one end of a staff that he uses to forcibly disarm the paladin. "You're in the territory of the Druid Council now, not Priviligia, you no authority as far as I'm concerned."
"Priviligia has authority wherever her nobility stands by Divine Right!" Tomas yells vehemently "The Church supports this fight to..."
"Inquisitor Torquemada!" Boris yells frantically as the badgers start firing at something near the boat. "We're under attack!"
"What manner of demon did you summon, druid?" Torquemada demands to know of Kodyax. "Dispel it now..."
"I summoned nothing, parson brown," Kodyax quips. "But there are plenty of monsters still running around loose. Let me see what they're firing at..." He goes to the window and sees a chintinous monster whose body seems to be like a lobster almost equal in size to the boat itself with huge claws that could crush anything in its cruel grip, tentacles dangling from what one would assume to be the thing's head and a squadron of what must be a dozen eyeballs floating around it as if in orbit with one or two flying off like balloons caught in the wind to take a look at something more closely. "A tank-wyrd," Kodyax observes. "I've been looking to track one of those things down for months."
"We will take care of this Unholy Abomination!" Torquemada announces. "We shall accomplish what the rangers of the godless Druid Council cannot."
"Taking down one tank-wyrd ain't that much of an achievement," Miss Lilly scoffs openly to mock the paladin. "Sheriff Kody already done kilt five previous."
"But as huge?" Torquemada challenges.
"Actually," Kodyax says as he looks out of the window, "Yes, that's only a young adult. I give it two months since its last molting."
"Yer feelin' generous, Sheriff," Ollie pipes up from down below. "You took down a much larger one just last week all by yer lonesome."
"Not exactly by me self, Ollie," Kody admits. "De brudders Stooge wore it down for me."
"Those four can hardly shoot straight!" Lilly protests, "I know the Council has them working for ye as deputies, Sheriff, but really?"
"Hey, Boss!" A ferret scout with a bowl haircut shouts as he and is brothers walk in, much to Miss Lilly's amusement.
"Hello!" A ferret with exaggerated wingtips in his hair style says loudly as he walks in just behind the first ferret.
"Hi Boss, Miss Lilly," A ferret with his hair parted down the middle says to Kodyax and Lilly.
"Soitenly is a great day, ain't it?" A bald ferret asks of nobody in particular.
"Lady Elena, please allow me to introduce my deputies." Kody asks to which Elena just smirks and nods as she has read Kodyax's reports mentioning the quartet. "First one to enter, as is his custom among his brothers is Moses Zacheriah Stooge."
"Moe Z?" Elena asks.
"Indubitably, my lady!" Moe says with pride.
"Next was Lawrence Albert Stooge," Kodyax states.
"Larry A," Elena coos with a smile.
"I'm honored, Miss," Larry says before Moe smacks him upside the head.
"Remember your manners! This is a Lady, Larry!" Moe growls.
"Oh, sorry, my Lady," Larry says to correct himself as Elena and Lilly share an amused look between them.
"Then after Larry is Shempatrig Duncan," Kodyax states with a smirk.
"Shemp D!" Elena announces.
"I'm honored, Ma'am," Shemp says as he bows to Elena.
"Finally, but certainly not the least is Karl Edwards Stooge," Kodyax says emphatically.
"Karl E!" Elena announces with delight. "The Stooge Brothers!"
"Oim flabberghasted!" Karl shouts before Moe smacks him too.
"Then be quiet, numbskull!" Moe growls as Karl fumes.
"I think I've read some of your collective adventures in the Seeker Chronicles we get from time to time," Boris says with much amusement. "And you must be that same Kodyax! It is an honor to meet you, sir!"
"You're the same Kodyax whose exploits in these very swamps were detailed in the Chronicle?" Tomas asks with a tone of astonishment to which he gets a confirming nod. "You are an accomplished adventurer!" The light in the horse's eyes indicates his assessment of the bear has improved somewhat. "I see much hard work will be needed to displace you so that a proper government can accede its proper place here."
Elena face palms as Boris rolls his eyes.
"Oh, a wise guy, eh?" Karl half inquires.
"This guy looks like one of them pallydins we've herd so much about." Moe assesses.
"I am a Paladin, peasant!" Tomas growls which causes all four to draw heavy crossbows and aim them at him. "Stand down, cretins, I am one of your betters!"
"Sure we will," Moe says with a feral grin.
"Just as soon as we get rid of a threat," Larry continues with the same grin.
"To the proper way of doing things," Shemp finishes while sharing his brothers' expression.
"Soytenly!" Karl punctuates with the same feral grin as his brothers.
"I suggest you stand down, Tomas," Boris says which shocks the paladin.
"But, my lord!" Tomas protests.
"I want a peace garnering of power, dammit!" Boris yells back. "When the peasantry is relatively happy revolt is unlikely."
"Oh, we intend to pacify the peasantry alright," Tomas says as he begins to glow.
"Not today," Kodyax says and lays out the paladin with a powerful blow using the blunt end of his pole arm and then he turns to his deputies and orders: "Stow this trash below."
"YES, BOSS! All four yell as one; saluting their superior and gleefully get to work.
Kodyax then leaves and readies his forked sword-spear as he looks over to the monster he is about to face with grim determination. He dives into the dark water without hesitation as Elena and her brother watch. He comes up underneath the monster; stabbing it as he rises.
The tank-wyrd ends up stock on his weapon as Kodyax makes a swinging whilst whispering a prayer of power that he and his prey can hear. The monster writhes in pain and cries out in its strange vocalizations. This presses a sense of desperation in Kodyax as he knows what it's doing and that's crying out for help.
Kodyax hurls it against the boat where his deputies wait with machetes. It's true the brothers are rarely though of as capable combatants but working together they finish off the tank-wyrd. Ollie gives the quartet the thumbs up of approval when they climb back into the boat covered in ichors but grinning like fiends.
Up above, Elena writes some notes in her journal to be used later to chronicle the event. Boris is amazed by the show and a little intimidated as the badger converse with the ferrets. It is intimated that ranged weapons are next to useless against a tank-wyrd unless they are enchanted advice they write down so they don't forget: hand weapons when dealing with a tank-wyrd, a rifle is only good if it has a bayonet attached and even then use the bayonet and conserve powder.
The mare paladin on board is less than enthused with fraternizing with the enemy but after what happened to Tomas, she keeps her muzzle shut. She is introduced as Sister Joanna Julican, an attendant of Brother Tomas. Elena warns the Sheriff privately that she is very close to Tomas and takes his lead in almost everything.
When he wakes up later with a splitting headache Tomas talks to Joanna:
"Where is he?" Tomas growls.
"The bear and the ferrets have left, my Lord," Joanna reports. "When we reached a God forsaken town they call Mudville, all five of them went ashore. I understood the fortress I saw is their Palace of Justice where this Sheriff resides and can be reached in times of trouble."
"Our blessed superiors told me about Mudville," Tomas says, "It is a haven of the worst sort of sinners imaginable. We have orders to burn it to the ground."
"From what I saw," Joanna jokes with dark mirth, "A good cleansing by fire can only help the place. Although firebombing the fort might be difficult. A wizard whose piety transcends his blasphemous studies would have been useful on this trip."
I did solicit one," Tomas reveals, "But in their wisdom my request was denied. Next opportunity I shall update my solicitation and try again." He rights himself and looks out a window. "Where are we now?"
"On our way to what remains of Beacon Castle," Joanna reports. "It lies near the ocean so there is a light tower to warn ships not to approach as the shoals and reefs would wreck them. There is also a small ship's graveyard of vessels who did not heed the warning. It is held by the Council now."
"We will need to liberate it from the Godless then," Tomas assesses grimly. "Doing so with our limited force could be difficult. Where are those spineless nobles we are escorting?"
"Elena left with the bear back in Mudville to chat with him about some pressing business," Joanna reports, "Boris is enjoying the immorality this boat perpetuates."
"The girl will have to wait; tonight we need to make way for True faith to arrive in this godless Hell hole," Tomas states.
"For the Glory of our Lord and Savior," Joanna says in religious rapture, "We shall bring the Light of True Religion and Spirituality to these godless heathens!"
"I think we have a heretical spy in our midst," Tomas states and fires a heavy crossbow that kills a mouse listening at the door who squeaks in pain before dropping to the floor. "That's better, we wouldn't want our enemies to be forewarned of their impending doom at our righteous hands."
Joanna just smiles and kisses him before they hatch their scheme in earnest. In an earlier age diabolists practiced their craft here and castle beacon was used to lure the unfortunate into their clutches so that their souls could be traded for favors and trinkets from the lower planes. The Church of the Illuminated Order to which Tomas and Joanna both serve came sown hard on these persons and secured the Castle for themselves and only within the hundred tears have they been ousted by the Horde of the Hobgoblin Empire who were then themselves ousted by the druids.
The very presence of the Templars sours the initial meeting between the Stewards, a group of druids and witches maintaining the beacon itself, and Boris du Pomp. Boris may want peaceful co-habitation but the Church does not and the Stewards know it no matter how much senior paladin templar Tomas de Torquemada says or doesn't say to the contrary. For his part Tomas keeps his muzzle shut unless absolutely necessary to speak.
Boris guesses rightly that the Holy Knight is up to something but exactly what he can't say. A frilled lizard commands the horses' attention when they notice him and they sequester themselves with him soon after. The druids are even more suspicious of the Knights because the lizard, James Saint George, has been caught in sensitive areas nobody but the Stewards themselves and those that are associated with them, Kodyax for example, needs to be in.
"Master Saint George, this is a pleasant surprise," Tomas says with a tone that indicates that he is delighted to see the Jesus Lizard, "Tell me, my good spy, what have you been able to uncover?"
"Plenty, your worship," James says reverently, "I found one of the dark clan's leaders merely imprisoned and not killed as was originally recorded."
"A number of Hags continued to elude justice, despite our best efforts to eradicate them," Tomas fumes, "Including the Slug Queen who aided the Horde in loosening our rightful grip on this region."
"Funny you should mention that one in particular," James says with a smirk to which Tomas raises an eye ridge indicating he wants to hear more. "I found her, boss, the major Hag is here in the dungeons."
"Do tell," Tomas says in a pleasantly surprised voice, "this just gets better and better." Both James and Joanna look at him expectantly. "I think I have a plane that will serve our purposes quite nicely."
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking," James starts to say to which Tomas simply signs that he should continue. "Just to make sure we're on the same script, we free this Hag Queen of Slugs and let her wreak havoc for a while and kill off a bunch of folks and exhaust herself," Tomas just smiles and nods in agreement, "Then we swoop in, kill the Queen and take the castle for ourselves."
"What did I tell you, Joanna," Tomas coos, "Great minds think alike."
"But how are we going to free this Hag?" Joanna asks even though she sort of knows Tomas has something in his bag of wonders.
"Oh, I have few ideas," Tomas relates coyly. "In lieu of a proper wizard, James and others like him in skills and temperament were released to spy and wreak havoc as they could."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, boss," James starts sheepishly, "But of the twelve of us that started out, one was a traitor and ratted us out. She's been taken care of but there's only five of us left. The druids have a great spy catches in this Sheriff Kodyax and his four deputies."
"Kodyax is quickly approaching legendary status as a ranger," Tomas growls. "So I can't say I'm completely surprised. But we will need to kill him and soon."
"Easier said than done," James relates, "We've tried, believe me, but he either sees through the ruse or one of his deputies trips over one of our plots."
"He has such loyal subordinates," Joanna observes, "Too bad their loyally is misplaced in the wrong faith and its champion."
"They aren't that smart," James says, "But their boss is. Half the time they have no idea what they've come across and bring it to the bear and he figures it out. One of our agents is a coon whore at the one casino in Mudville. She's been laying the groundwork for its raising."
"I do hope she's being careful," Joanna says, "Kodyax apparently has a fort base there."
"Yeah, it's his castle but he's hardly ever at home," James reports, "she still hs to be careful but the bear likes meandering too much. Which is another reason we haven't been able to get him. A stationary target is easier to hit then a moving one."
"Understood," Tomas says with a smile, "How is the Slug Queen secured?"
"In a wooden cage enchanted for strength," James answers, "These timbers are as hard as iron. And they keep her sedated to boot."
"You know the effects of a sleep spell?" Tomas intimates.
"Nope, just drugs," James reports, "You got some noise makers that will rouse her?"
"Will these do?" Tomas returns with a smile while handing him a set of black discs known to be able to blast stone bridges apart when well positioned."
"They just might at that," James says with a conspiratorial smile.
The plan is hatched between conspirators presently in Tomas's vicinity and elsewhere as James has a fairly reliable relay between his fellow rogues. Joanna and Tomas will engage the Stewards and keep them busy while James and a few others sabotage the Slug Queen's cell. Syndy at the casino will keep Kodyax busy with the hope of delaying him in responding long enough for the damage to be done.
"Back in Mudville Kodyax is giving Elena the grand tour of the area at large when an archaeopteryx with fleur de lances worked into its plumage flies by. Elena thinks little of it but Kodyax knows better as the spies of Priviligia use such beasts to ferry messages between agents. This one fact was among the information the Council's own spy found out before she was murdered.
Kodyax takes not that it roosts on the roof of the Devil's Own casino and brothel. It drops something out of sight that briefly looks like a scroll. Karl scurries around to retrieve it but it was already take by whoever it was meant for.
Moe informs his boss that there have been a number of new hires lately at the Devil's Own. Larry tells him about the raccoon girl that does strip poker to earn her keep. Shemp just grins as he relates how good she can be.
The Devil's Own is laid out in the shape of an asterisk with each of the six spokes dedicated to one of the supposedly seven deadly sins with a grand observation chamber in the middle for the envious to watch the sins of the other halls. At opposite ends from one another is a podium and runway where furs in all sorts of finery strut their stuff, make boasts about their prowess in all things; contrasted with a flophouse from whose halls the sounds of snoring is perpetual. One hall is set up much like an arena or fighting pit where any one can enter a never ending where the unconscious are dragged into the flophouse to rest and recuperate and some of the winners go to the halls of Pride to boast.
A seemingly never ending buffet comprises another wing of the Devil's Own where diners wear blinders and enjoy food by smell and taste alone. Huge sums of coinage are won and last to be fairy gold. Finally there is the brothel where the pleasures of the flesh are available in abundance at all times.
Kodyax, Elena and the Stooge brothers enter the Devil's Own at the hub of envy and everything stops in the place. All eyes go to the Sheriff to see what he is here for. The bear smirks and lets his deputies lead him to the hall of lust to meet with Miss Syndy Morales does activity resumes.
Syndy see Kodyax coming towards and gets a guilty grin on her face. Around her neck is a simple copper cross that she fingers as the con woman watches the bear warrior get closer. The Stooge brothers have dark grins on their muzzles which serve to further unnerve Syndy.
"May I make the assumption that the famous Sheriff Kodyax is patronizing little old me?" Syndy coos innocently enough.
"Why, Soytenly!" Karl beams darkly.
"This is our boss, alright," Moe confirms.
"The game is usually played one on one," Syndy politely protests in a white blouse with black sleeves and a checkerboard skirt.
"only one will be playing," Kodyax states, "And that will be me. My deputies will watch. Have you been in Shadow Water County long?"
"Not very long, sir," Syndy answers honetly. "I've been making a new life so to speak here in Mudville." Her cross momentarily transmutes to gold and then back to copper.
"My, how interesting, an enchanted trinket," Kody says off handedly, "I do believe it became golden for a moment."
"Did it?" Syndy asks in an innocent fashion. "It's just an heirloom, it could be enchanted. One of my ancestors was a gypsy."
"Ah yes, gypsies, what good and proper faith they have," Kody states in an attempt to provoke her.
"I wouldn't properly know," Syndy is annoyed but still playing innocent, "My family settled in Priviligia long ago." The she tries to change the subject with: "Shall we begin?"
"Certainly," Kodyax says with a smirk as the annoyance reveals more about her loyalties than she might have wanted to reveal. "What are the details?"
The game is recognizable to us a five card stud poker with one exception in that the deck is the minor arcana of a tarot deck rather than the type of deck that is used in the modern incarnation. Swords, Cups, Wands and Stars are the suits and an ace is the lowest card in a given suit with knight and knave instead of a jack of any given suit. But the goal of the game remains the same.
Kodyax's first hand includes the King of Wands, Knight of Swords, the Queen of cups and the Four and Ace of Stars. He throws away the Stars and hopes to get a full court with a Knave of any suite. The Knave of Stars and the Five of Cups comes into his possession which makes smile as Syndy keeps the discarded ace as is her prerogative as dealer.
Hands are revealed and Kodyax's four face cards trumps the coon who lays down four aces. She smiles and removes her skirt to reveal white panties. In the back of her mind Syndy is nervous as the first hand goes against her as she perceives the specters of own gypsy ancestors leering at her.
The second hand for the bear is not as good with an Ace of Stars, Two of Swords, Six of Wands, Three of Wands and Nine of Stars. He toss the six and the nine which Syndy puts into the discard pile and deals him a Four of Cups and a Five of Stars. This time Syndy has a pair of Tens in Cups and Stars but is visibly shocked when she sees the bears straight.
Laughter audible only to the coon whore sounds as she takes off her blouse to reveal a black bra. After a quick shuffle she deals herself the King and Queen of Cups, the Ace and Deuce of Cups and the Five of Stars. Kodyax hands her the Six of Cups but when she is sure of herself she sees that he has a Royal Court with Arsenal: King, Queen, Knight and Knave of Swords with the Ten of Swords as well.
Syndy's eyes threaten to bug out of their sockets as a crowd starts to gather around the coon to witness her taking off her bra. She can hear more laughter and in the back of her mind an image forms of a withered crone of a gypsy coon reading the tarot. The gypsy woman whom Syndy recognizes as her own great grandmother who cursed her on the pyre for betraying her to the Inquisition holds up the Death and Tower cards from the Major Arcana and grins like a fiend as if taunting her from beyond the grave.
Angry at the cares and fate itself, Syndy changes the format to a Texas Hold 'Em style of play. She deals herself and Kodyax and puts her panties on the table and indicates that Kody should strip as well to which the Sheriff just smirks and strips nude as a measure of telling her he isn't backing down. The Knight and Knave of Stars goes to Kodyax while the Ace and Three of Cups go to Syndny.
The first three cards are the King and Queen of Stars with the Two of Cups that causes both to smile. Next comes the Four of Cups which favors Syndy and so does the Five of Cups which turns up next as the coon is sure of victory until the final card is revealed. At first the Ten of Stars means little to Syndy as it's useless unless the bear has the Knight and the Knave and when Kodyax reveals his hand; Syndy is ready to die right then and there as she is undone as it's only a matter of time before the Sheriff finds out her true colors.
A resounding defeat like how Syndy lost so many hands in a row demands a public display. Whether she likes it or not, Syndy kneels before Kodyax and licks his scrotum and sheath. It does not take much to get the bear hard and fully extended as the raccoon continues to perform fellatio.
Elena is discreetly fingering herself as Syndy sucks on Kody's cock. When his phallus is firm enough he inserts himself inside of Syndy who reluctantly spreads herself to accommodate him. The fact that they have a readily randy audience doesn't help her misgivings as she was contemplating joining a convert after this assignment as doing this makes her feel dirty, cheap and only confirms her hatred of males as justified.
Syndy is no virgin by any means; seduction has long been a tool of hers to getting what she wants from a given male. Even putting out as she's doing now gives her no pleasure as secretly he must have cheated some how or fate and luck conspired against her to put her in her current predicament. Fate and luck have something to do with it but it's also a part of a gypsy curse that was put on her; a curse that will only end if she betrays her masters and returns to the gypsy ways.
Once the "Show" is over, Syndy invites Kodyax to her private chambers intending to make an assassination attempt in the dark. This proves to be a major error when he accepts but has his deputies keep close by as a precautionary measure. Elena further complicates matters by way of a crystal ball she keeps on her person at all times that she uses to scry on the room in question and finds a note encoded with a church cipher she knows all too well.
Syndy casts a spell to make herself invisible when she and the Sheriff get to her room but before she can draw the poisoned dagger that will kill the bear his deputies rush in with crossbows at the ready. The fact that she is undone is only too plain to her as the would-be assassin takes a special satchel she keeps for just such emergencies and flees. The brothers are disappointed that the spy had gone but Kodyax just shakes his head.
Our raccoon killer flees into the swamp for a bolt hole that has already been established for just this sort of events. Unfortunately for the spies, Syndy thinks her invisibility makes her impossible to trace and so makes a bee line for the base. Sheriff Kodyax is a ranger and a master of the art and skill of tracking; following Syndy to the hide out is a simple enough matter as the mud and plants betray her path to his trained and experienced senses.
Many residents of Shadow Water County live in and around huge cypress trees that dominate the region. A ferryman otter remembers transporting a fetching coon girl to one such place deep in the Tiki Bayou. Tiki Bayou gets its name from the abundant tiki totem poles in the area that smile and leer at everyone, with some even having eyes that light up with faerie fire at random intervals.
Almost as if the wooden statues knew who Kodyax is seeking and is offender by their presence, the tikis sort of guide the ranger to the hidey hole of the church agents. Agents hiding in an old cypress tree house get creeped out as tiki start to surround the place and terrified when they see the ferry carrying Kodyax and his deputies approaching. The tikis maintain a perimeter as Kodyax his deputies and Elena lob glass spheres of Alchemist's fire, also known as liquid fire, at the tree house and set it ablaze.
Screams erupt from the bowels of tree house the screams of he dying and the burning can be heard as far away as Beacon Castle. A druid scries what causes the screams as James Saint George discreetly should surfs the scene. He almost loses his composure when he recognizes what is being torched and is significantly paler when he reports back to Torquemada what he saw.
"I don't know how he did it," James growls in a mixture of fear, alarm and anger, "But Sheriff Kodyax just cost me a staging area and safe house that took months and more money I like to rightly think about setting up."
"How soon till we know the full damage?" Tomas asks. "And are we talking about the Illuminator's Haven I authorized so much in the way of secret church funds to build?"
"Unfortunately, yes," James admits to which causes the paladin to get VERY hot under the collar, "I didn't..."
"You're not the one I am angry at," Tomas admits. "I am personally going to kill that bear. Mark my words."
"Aye, your grace!" James and Joanna state together as loudly as they dare.
Tomas decides to up his time table after Kodyax torches the safe house. He has James murder Boris in the middle of the night with a sickle, a weapon the druids hold sacred unto themselves and thus implementing them as the killers. Accusations fly as Kodyax is called to Beacon Castle to act as the champion of the druids in a trial by combat to address the situation.
For Tomas this is an added bonus as he did this as a distraction so James and Joanna could set the charges but the opportunity to kill Kodyax legally in the eyes of these godless heathens is a boon he thinks he's going to relish. Then he is informed of rules of combat for the trial and he is not a happy camper. Using a sword and shield is considered cowardly but allowed but that shield is to be his only armor as has to walk into the arena completely naked otherwise.
Elena strongly suspects that Tomas had her brother in order to further his own agenda which naturally does not sit well with her. In this matter Kodyax will be her proxy as well as the druids. She makes the proclamation before the fight which allows Kodyax to wear a shirt of mail in addition to leather breeches.
Naturally Tomas protests but the rules are crystal clear on this matter, by Elena making Kodyax her champion on a counter charge that Tomas had Boris killed to set this up, Kody gets the metal shirt. Tomas has words for Elena who will have none of it. Because Tomas is using a sword and shield Kodyax can't use his favorite weapon, opting for twin axes instead.
The idea that Tomas will be able to kill Kodyax is fairly unlikely now which makes him regret insisting the match to be to the death. It especially occurs to him how foolhardy the stipulation was when the first thing Kody does when combat commences is strip him of his shield.
Elena sits with the druids and smiles as she watches the spectacle; cheering when Kodyax destroys Tomas's shield. In the paladin's mind this is high heresy but fortunately for him his sword can be used two handed just as easily as he attempts to pierce the ranger's mail with a mighty stab. Unfortunately this move is easily read and countered which the ranger does by side stepping the charge and then hamstringing Tomas with twin swings of his axes.
Kodyax throws one of his axes at Tomas hitting him in the back as the prideful paladin has to drop to his hands and knees. While taking in what just transpired Kodyax executes him in a decapitation strike. A great cheer goes out from the gathered as Kodyax picks up the head of his foe triumphantly.
The celebrations are short lived explosions rock the area as the church agents free the Slug Queen. An angry wail reverberates throughout the castle indicating her awakening. Greatly annoyed Kodyax hold Tomas's head over his body and pisses into his mouth to let the urine drip onto the body to disrespect the corpse and add further insult to the paladin's spirit.
Joanna and James are rewarded by the Slug Queen for her freedom by becoming her first victims. After devouring her liberators the Slug Queen moves out for more furs to slake her great hunger. Fortunately for the current administration she is still groggy from her long slumber and maneuvers even more ponderously than usual.
Kodyax grabs his sword-spear and races for the Slug Queen's chamber, knowing that their best bet is to put her back to sleep and if possible, back in her cage. Elena takes out a notebook and goes over shells to put monsters to sleep and quickly memorizes the finer points of the spells she placed in a mental storage space in her mind reserved for useful enchantments she might use on any given day. The bear hears the cougar vocalizing bits she wants to commit to memory to prime the spells she actually intends to use and gives her a thumbs up as they rush to the chamber.
Elena is not alone in her choice of spells which she knows are what is needed as she read up on her opponent before boarding the riverboat back in Priviligia. She wanted to gawk at the monster but in what she thought was the off chance to actually fight the Slug Queen Elena read up on how she was defeated to begin with. As she sees the disgusting form of the hag, a gray skinned naked woman with greasy black hair whose lower extremities is that of a titanic slug, and marvels at her power casting battle spell after battle spell Elena prays her mediocre spellcasting will even help turn the tide.
Before entering combat with the ancient hag Kodyax takes out a salt crystal whetstone and uses it to hone the blades of his weapon, At first Elena thinks this odd but when a mighty swing by him scores a major hit on the Slug Queen who recoils from the ranger it then dawns on Elena that certain mystic mineral crystals can temporarily imbue other items with their properties with the proper application. It also occurs to her that similar spells may have a greater effect on the Slug Queen as well.
The slug Queen spits a sickly green glob of mucus at Kodyax that he has to dive under to avoid. The gob proves to acidic as it hits the wall and hisses as it slides down. Elena sows salt in front of the Slug Queen which becomes a wall of coarse salt that the Slug Queen recoils from.
A surprisingly beautiful voice issues forth from the Slug Queen's mouth as she sings a song of praise to refuse in all its forms. As a result of this she sinks into the muck and the mire. Elena blinks as she recognizes what just happened but is amazed that anyone would actually use a teleport through trash spell.
Kodyax is standing in front of a map of the region showing trash dumps as he and his deputies try to figure out where the Slug Queen could have escaped to and where she could me now. Elena is consulting her crystal ball as a way of looking for the Slug Queen. She is shocked out of her chair when the Red Clown himself projects his image into the chamber.
The entity known only as the Red Clown is a male goat of indeterminable age red furred with black horns twisting around his head like a wreath. His face is bone white like a skull and solid black eyes. His attire is that of the dark harlequin with black and red diamond jumpsuit, black ruffs on his neck, ankles and wrists through which project bloody red gloves and ballet slippers lending him the aura of the danse-macabre that radiates from his very being to unnerve all as his rictus grin never seems to completely fade from his ghostly muzzle.
"Greetings," The Red Clown titters with an icy tone through his eternal mask of dark mirth. "I see you are consulting a map, Lord Sheriff. Might I be of assistance?"
"What do you want, Clown?" Kodyax growls: "I'm trying to figure out where the Slug Queen went."
"Oh?" The Red Clown asks in a knowing tone. "I can provide the answer to that, and I will do so plainly as it is the reason for this 'visit'," He allows himself a dark chuckle. "Truth be told, she is in my Circus grounds. I ask that you come and remover her; it's bad for business."
"Don't like the competition, do you?" Kodyax asks with a chuckle. "Alright, I'm headed over there now."
"Thank you," Red Clown says in a congenial manner. "I'll have Goldilocks ready to reward you in earnest."
"Goldilocks?" Elena inquires as rides with Kodyax on a gator drawn water carriage made to ferry large numbers of people and can do so due to the fact the alligators they use are prehistoric monsters of tremendous size. "Who is that?"
"She's an elf sorceress with a version of a kind of accursed immortality." Kodyax explains with a dark expression. "Before the Purge she used her charms to manipulate others. At some point she was broken and enslaved, adopting the mindset of a living doll to survive. Seeing herself as a plaything kept her alive for quite some time before one of her masters cursed her with his dying words during the Purge Wars. Now she is only known as Goldilocks, the Living Doll. When not used as a plaything sexually she is a life sized rag doll version of herself. It's only when serving another as a mage or a whore that she gets to regain her natural born form instead of a kind of golem."
Kodyax gets a feeling of tension from Elena as the ferrets pilot the water taxi they are traveling on which is owned by the Council and which he is authorized to use from time to time. He takes her into a back room that happens to be a bedroom which actually relaxes Elena as she leans against Kody and kisses him. The heats of the moment is upon them and whether or not it was intended their gender preference for sexual encounters coincides enough that the desperation takes over; Elena has always wanted to sleep with the bear and to her with the current situation it's potentially now or never.
The cougar and the bear have sent some steamy private correspondents back and forth between themselves prior to this, but when Elena goes down on Kodyax he's quite surprised to say the least. His deputies are vaguely aware of what Elena is getting started on doing but Moe makes sure he and his brothers keep to their appointed tasks. Elena is no virgin despite how cloistered she has been for a number of years even if she has no practical knowledge of sex she is surprisingly well read on the subject.
Elena licks at Kody's scrotum in order to get him hard enough to penetrate her folds. She succeeds while kneeling before him which is in and of itself unusual to Kodyax's way of thinking as it is rare that her hears of any noble lowering themselves save to another noble of higher standing. What Kodyax is not aware of is that Elena was reading the Karma Sutra on the way up and has a few positions she wants to try.
Kody's cock rises to the occasion under Elena's care and when it gets strong and hard enough to suit her she rubs it against her slit to guide it where it needs to go and sits down in his lap in order to welcome the invader inside of her. Kodyax moans as Elena grabs his shoulders for stability as she bounces up and down his shaft.
Elena goes up and down on Kodyax's phallus much to both of their delights as Kody licks at Elena's tits as best he can. The oasis of pleasure in a wasteland of pain is this moment in Elena's life up too now; so much so she just does not want it to end. As the carriage arrives at the dock at Carnival Island, Kodyax climaxes inside of Elena.
Moe, Larry, Shemp and Karl are all smiles as they disembark; a fact hat unnerves Elena as she realizes she wasn't being as discreet as she might have wanted. The only sign of the Slug Queen is her handiwork as zombies of random types of furs shuffle to and fro looking for victims to kill and eat. Elena takes out a glass sphere with gold bands around inscribed with Holy runes and a gold cross on top.
Elena twists the cross and then proceeds to throw the Holy Hand Grenade only to get an entirely different result than she was expecting. At the spot where the glass sphere shatters a brilliant beam of white lights shines down only to have it spotlight a chimpanzee zombie coming out of the ground in a red and black leather ensemble. The new zombie lord moon walks over to Elena and attacks her.
The zombie lord issues a quick bite to the neck opens up Elena's jugular vein; causing her to scream in pain. Kodyax comes to her rescue immediately but in attacking the zombie lord he loses sight of Elena who quickly bleeds out from her wound. He almost relaxes for a moment as she gets back to her feet, fueled by foul necromantic energies.
Instinct is what saves Kodyax from joining the ranks of the undead; the instincts he learned to hone as a ranger fighting hordes of monsters and surviving to tell the tale. A brief sound alerts Kodyax to the danger behind him. Kodyax whirls around, swinging his favored weapon at the same time and decapitates the zombified corpse of Elena.
Kodyax gets down on one knee with a grim expression on his muzzle as the ranger scans the area for tracks. The footprints of zombies are obscure but the bear can puzzle out through years of experience what is what. He follows the path back to an unmarked mass grave where the Red Clown hides at least some of his victims.
Retching in all putrescent glory, the Slug Queen holds a murdered bunny girl as if she is going to re-animate her as a zombie but she is convulsing too much to properly channel the evil energy necessary to dot so. It looks as if she were choking on a meal and since she eats souls somebody isn't going down with a fight. Kodyax is not about to waste such a golden opportunity and throws a weapon that looks like a miniature halberd called a hurlbat made of glass that shatters upon impact and releases a purplish mist that surrounds the Slug Queen.
The Slug Queen waivers and continues to choke before collapsing in a heap of her offal. A pink orb extricates itself from the Slug Queen's mouth and floats above her slumbering body. When the ferrets roll a wagon to haul away the comatose Slug Queen the pink orb pulsates as glowing runes Kodyax recognizes as arcane symbolism appears and orbits the orb.
Like magic the body of the Slug Queen levitates and floats into the wagon itself. The wagon then itself transforms into a wheeled cage with arcane runes becoming burned into the wood itself. As the ferrets push and pull the wagon towards the carriage, which is where they got the wagon in the first place, the pink orb floats off and eventually stops over Elena's corpse.
Again the orb casts magic on the cougar's corpse and repairs the damage done to it. Once the damage has been undone the orb enters the body and Elena returns to the land of the living. Elena is physically drained and must rely on Kodyax to carry her back to the vessel that brought her here, a task he is well inclined to acquiesce to consider all she's done.
Elena is rewarded for her services by being allowed to remain instead of being driven out like they were planning to do with her brother. Since her reason for being in Shadow Water in the first place was gathering knowledge her purpose easily finds favor with the Council. Officially she is made Kodyax's secretary and chronicler which suits her just fine.