Lay the Dragon v2 (18+ NSFW)

Alryc dropped low and spun, kicking out his foot and swiping his opponent's feet out from under him. He followed through, driving his dagger tip into the soft flesh under the man's chin. He withdrew it, stood, and threw the dagger point over the hilt, burying it into the chest of another bandit.

He glanced over to see Lyn land a solid three strikes against another bandit while her imprinted goblins surrounded her, fending off attacks from others.

The final two bandits turned tail and fled.

Lyn looked around, "I guess that's all of them?"

Alryc nodded and walked over to retrieve his dagger, "Yeah. Let's check the wagons and get moving."

They moved around the wagon train, checking the contents. Lyn called out, "This one has weapons and armor! Some are even enchanted!"

Alryc walked over, "That one has food, and the third looks to have some slaves."

Lyn met his gaze, "Arland's going to love us if we turn up with a find like this."

"Shouldn't we free the slaves?" Kamen asked, looking between the pair.

Alryc walked over to the cart, "Aye. I meant for the arms and the supplies, not the slaves."

Kamen nodded, "My apologies, still getting used to speaking in the common tongue again. It's been a while."

Alryc unlocked the wagon and dropped the back, "I'm happy to learn Vardorian if you'd be more comfortable with that."

Kamen sighed, "And I'd love to teach you. Eventually. War isn't the time to spread your focus." He helped Alryc get the slaves out of the wagon.

One of the healthier-looking slaves at the front began helping the weaker ones out, "Sind sie hier um zu helfen?"

Alryc paused and looked at her. After a moment, he replied slowly, "Ja. Ich bin, ah... helfen...?"

"You're not one of my tongue. Should I speak in plain common?" She reached up and lowered her hood, revealing a pretty, fair-skinned face, short but pointed ears, and silver hair cut to shoulder length. She had bright green eyes and a light smattering of freckles across her nose.

Alryc nodded, "Aye, that'd be easier. I'm here to help."

Kamen watched the exchange, "What... the hell was that?"

Alry glanced over, "It's Aetherian - The language of the fairies. It was adopted by a community of half-elves that lives at the southern end of the free stretches. I started learning it as a knight, but when I was cast out, I kinda fell out of practice with it."

The vardor looked up at the woman, "So then... are you a fairy or a half-elf?"

She giggled as she continued helping the other slaves out, "Half-elf. My name is Aria. I'm a swordsinger. If either of you has a rapier, I'd be happy to join you. As thanks for saving the lives of my fellow slaves here."

"Lyn? Can you see if any of these wagons have rapiers in them? We could use a few more fighters."

Aria's eyes lit up, "You mean it?"

Alryc nods, "Yes. It would be helpful to have someone who knows how to use them. Especially since you're a swordswoman, right?"

"Swordsinger," She corrected.

"What's the difference?"

"I use song magic while fighting. I can enhance my friend's abilities, weaken my enemies, or even cast offensive magic, like fire, ice, and wind."

Kamen met her gaze, "Can you heal? That's what we really need right now."

Lyn shook her head, "No, but I can enhance one's natural healing ability. What might take a week to heal can be done in an hour. Hardly useful mid-battle. And my offensive magic isn't really practical either, since each spell is its own full verse. But still-"

Alryc smiled as he interrupted, "Support and saboteur are infinitely useful mid-combat. Especially a magical support like you can be. We'll be glad to have you. You'll have to train a bit, but I think you'll fit in perfectly."

Lyn returned, holding two rapiers, one in each hand, "Found these. Are these hers?"

Alryc turned and held one out, "This one's a little lighter than the other. Is this one yours?"

Aria's eyes lit up and she smirked. She walked over and lifted both, "They're both mine. I dual wield."

"Rapiers? That's... odd..." Lyn remarked.

"So is a goblina punching instead of allowing her subjects to do the fighting for her."

Lyn grunted, "Perhaps. Al, love, I like this one. She's quick."

Alryc chuckled, "That's good, then. Aria, why don't you help us get everyone situated? We can figure out the rest when we return to Arland."

"Of course. I can also start working with those of the slaves who can fight. You'll have a handful of archers within a week."

Kamen looked to Alryc who held his hand up, "Nah. It's appreciated, but we're set on archers. We've gotten every vardor settlement to join in. They're only leaving behind a small reproductive group, so we've got nearly five hundred archers already."

Aria shrugged, "Alright. So, who are you fighting?"

"Agdron."

Aria's eyes darkened, "You mean the fuck that's holding the elves slaves?"

"That's the one... You know him?"

She shook her head, "No, but as a half-elf, specifically of the Lumier line, I do hold a personal stake in their fate. My girlfriend is one of the few that's escaped as well..."

Alryc nodded, "Good. We're happy to have your help. I hope you find her."

Kamen pulled the driver's corpse from inside one of the carts and climbed into the seat. The others took the other carts while Aria sat next to Alryc for the journey.

The half-elf smiled up at him, "She's actually the guild manager in a small town not far from here. She'll likely be joining the assault since your general has been recruiting from the guild for the war."

Alryc kept his eyes forward, "So you knew about us?"

"I knew about your war. But your preparations don't stop life for others, so I wasn't sure who you were with, but yeah, I've heard about Arland. I was planning on joining the war through the guild, but I suppose I can join with you instead."

"Well, glad to have you. We've already gathered a lot of warriors, but magic is a bit of a rarity, so your song magic is appreciated."

Aria patted her rapier hanging easily at her hip, "And I've got a bit of both. No need to worry."

Alryc sighed, "That's good. I was afraid I'd have to train more people."

Aria grinned, "And that would've been a problem?"

Alryc returned the grin, "Nah, not a big one. Just an added complication. I was a knight. I can handle training."

"How'd you go from a knight to... whatever you are now?"

Alryc looked over as the cart rolled down the road, "I was born to a noble family. I allowed a dragon to go free which cost me my rank. I turned to banditry, and then the dragon found me as a dragoness. She confirmed to Arland that I was good, so I joined them. I've been working with them since."

Aria laughed, "A noble and a bandit, huh? So, did you really let a dragon go?"

"Yup. You'll meet her. Her name is Nury. She's Arland's girlfriend."

"Wow. Small world, huh? You find the dragon that got you stripped of rank and title as the girlfriend of the man hiring you as his second in command."

Alryc chuckled, "Funny, that. How'd you meet your girlfriend?"

"Ah, well, she escaped the demons, ran back here, and worked her way up through the ranks in the guild. She's taken a post near the border with the demon's lands to keep an eye on things."

Alryc looked over at her, "So she could potentially have insider information? That's certainly useful."

"Well, maybe. She escaped about fifty years ago. She told me that she was only able to escape due to a revolution among the demons. Apparently, the current king overthrew and killed the previous king."

"Interesting. I guess we'll see when we get back, huh? We'll be back at the camp in a day or so."

Aria nodded and remained silent for a moment before speaking up again, "So I've been meaning to ask, what's up with you and the goblina?"

Alryc smiled, "She's my girlfriend."

"Really? Wow. I wouldn't have expected a human to stoop to the level of dating one of those creatures..."

"Aria," Alryc began, his smile vanishing, replaced by a glare, "I'll let that one pass because I know most people are ignorant of this, but... The goblins are actually not so bad. Lyn, as a goblina, is far more intelligent than even most humans and elves. She's physically stronger and faster than me too, now. Additionally, she's very clean."

Aria held up her hands, "Okay, okay, fine. I get it. Goblins are just like anyone else, right?"

Alryc smirked and turned back to the road, "Nope. They're better."

"Better?"

Alryc winked at her, "You're with a girl. I'm sure you're familiar with certain... 'flavors'?"

Aria blushed before nodding slightly, "Y-Yeah..."

"Well, Goblin's taste sweet. Like fruit. Not any one fruit specifically, just in general."

Aria stared, mouth agape, "Seriously?"

"Mhm."

"But... How is that possible?"

Alryc laughed, "No clue. That's something I've never asked, nor do I want to. The how or why doesn't matter. All that matters is that it is and that I can have a tasty snack whenever I want."

Aria's blush deepened, "So you mean that you've..."

Alryc glanced at her, "Kind of. We're physically intimate but we haven't gone all the way yet. The mood strikes but the situation just hasn't been quite right."

Aria opens her mouth to reply when Alryc hauls on the reins and holds a hand up. The carts behind stop.

The warrior climbs down from the cart as Lyn rushes up, "Al? What's wrong, babe?"

He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip, "We've got people up ahead."

"Bandits?" Aria asked, her hands falling to her rapiers.

He shook his head, "Smaller."

"How can you tell?"

Lyn looked up at her, "He's a reformed bandit. He may not have done it for long, but he learned a few tricks."

"The road is almost too clean. Look at the sides, there's brush and sticks preventing us from going off the road, but the road itself is spotless."

"Maybe the kingdom has been cleaning them?" Aria offered.

Alryc shook his head, "No other road we've been on has been this clean. It's recent, too. There's not a single leaf. Amateurs. No human bandit is so careless."

Lyn looked behind her at the small contingent of goblins with her, "Maybe more of my babies?"

Alryc nodded, "That's my thought. You can imprint goblins that are already claimed, right? If they have someone in charge of them already..."

"Aye, I can. Either we kill the leader and then imprint the smaller, or I imprint the leader. But that has risks. If the leader proves stronger, I'll be the one imprinted."

Alryc looked down at her, "How confident are you in your abilities?"

Lyn shrugged, "I've got a large following, which helps. Plus I've got you, so my mind is less likely to be overwhelmed."

"How does that work? Your imprint, I mean," Aria asked.

"If I'm near them," Lyn began with a sigh, "My pheromones open them up to being imprinted. If they're already imprinted, I just have to overpower their leader in physical combat."

"And that connects to you having a large following and a clear mind... how exactly?" Aria followed up.

"Hobgoblins are smarter with more goblins. Goblinas, such as myself, get more physically powerful. We call it networking. Now, if you're quite finished, I've got some goblins to fuck up and imprint."

Lyn strode forward, leaving the others behind. She rounded the corner and came face to face with a Hobgoblin.

She squared up as he lifted his axe. She met his gaze, "What's your number?"

"I am ten strong!"

She sighed, "Alright, so likely five, dumbass... Let's do this..."

He roared and rushed in, swinging his massive axe. She ducked under the swing, slipping her hands into her pockets and pulling them out, now with solid steel knuckles. She darted in, and landed three quick jabs to the side of his knee, before leaping up, driving an uppercut into his jawline. She kicked off his shoulder, landed on her feet, and rushed back in, slamming into his stomach.

He doubled over as he fell back. She walked around to his head, "You're mine now. Swear your fealty!"

He looked up at her, "Me serve, me serve!"

She held her fist out, "Swear it."

He grasped her fist, "Me swear! Me serve! Me serve forever!"

"Good," She nodded, feeling the mental link snap into place, followed quickly by the six others he'd already claimed. She nodded, "Good boy. Gather your goblins. Join us. You'll be serving me sooner than you may have thought."

She turned away and made her way back to the group, "That's another six gobs and a hob."

Alryc grinned, "Nice! Not the biggest haul, but still, I'm proud of you."

She smiled up at him, grabbed his collar and pulled him in, "You can show me your pride later, big boy... Once we have a chance to shower, you'll put that tongue to use, yes?"

He wrapped his arms around her and nibbled her elongated green ear, "Hmmm... You know I will. You've more than earned it."

Aria stepped past, "Alright, that's enough. Let's go, lovebirds."

She whipped the horses hauling the lead cart, as the others started. Lyn and Alryc split and went back to their respective carts.