A Tower

Everybody had a hard time going back to sleep, after that close encounter - Jutaana was the one who spent much of the rest of the night on watch, her ears swiveling, but I pretty much didn't fall asleep for the whole rest of the night.

Azanaga was out like a light, though. She didn't even bother asking about who the hell Whips was, before dawn broke the next morning. Once she was up and ready to ask those questions, I explained, as best I could remember, the contents of the conversation. Voasary vouched for my words even as she looked like she was about to pass out on her feet from not sleeping properly.

"So... she thinks I'm a relative of hers?" Azanaga frowned at that. "These ythraul and ynshuen, what are they, exactly?" She asked Voasary.

"When you die-"

"I didn't ask for a religious lecture," Azanaga said. "I mean what are they? The actual ones that I will actually interact with here on Kersh."

"Hell is inside Kersh," Voasary said, making Azanaga wear an annoyed-yet-arrogant look. "They're powerful, magical beings. Their impulses towards vice express themselves differently outside Hell. I've never met one, and what stories I have heard are almost universally regarding Hell."

"Wonders of a religious education..." Azanaga muttered darkly.

"I do think she understood something about you- us," I told her. "I mean, what she said about sex... it sounded right-ish."

"I guess her magical powers helped her out with that," Azanaga said.

I definitely didn't feel like it was quite that simple, but I nodded in reply. "Now it's time to get started packing up the camp," I told her, giving her ass a quick and pointed smack. She just quietly twitched at the ass-smack, more annoyed than anything else, but got to work anyway.

Pichi spoke up then. "Sometimes spirits interbreed with humans. Maybe one of Azanaga's ancestors got knocked up by an ythraul?"

"There hasn't been any contact between the northern and southern hemispheres since the torrid zone formed, two hundred sixty thousand years ago," I told her. "The airship we took in is the only thing dragging anything north south, or vice versa. If her ancestor got knocked up by an ythraul, it'd have to be before that." I paused. "Unless spirits can go north-south? Akamarina?" I prompted.

Pichi made some small movements with her hands, and Akamarina formed, a sudden dryness tangible in the air as she sucked in necessary water from the local humidity. "No spirit could go from north to south," Akamarina said. "Only by mortal assistance could cover such a great distance, and mortals cannot pass those lands."

"Ythraul and ynshuen can be summoned by a sorcerer," Voasary offered. "I've heard they'recalled from the ground, and that they can be summoned anywhere."

"There definitely aren't any rituals to summon them back north," Pichi said. She paused for a moment, looking at Eshenesra. "Are there?"

"Eh? Ahm, no... not that I am aware of, and I imagine I would be aware of such things," Eshenesra said.

"Huh." That was definitely strange. There were five known previous civilizations in the northern hemisphere, though. Each collapsed in turn, leaving the world descending back into a state of barbarism. Probably one of them figured out such a spell, and that's where Azanaga got her ythraul and/or ynshuen great-grandma. That would have been thousands of years ago - if not tens of thousands of years ago - but I guess Whips could have had a good nose for it.

* * *

The trip through the forest transformed once more into following the long and winding road through the place, seeing weird animals that looked like they were made of plastic, and keeping an eye out for any sign of witch-cults or interesting structures. From time to time, I'd have Jutaana climb a tree to see if she could see anything of interest from on high.

Around noon, she shouted in excitement. "Ah! Master! I am seeing a building!" She declared.

"What's it look like?" I asked her.

"Hmm..." She hummed. "If I am describing it to you, can I be getting bred, please and thank you?" She asked. Her voice had a tiny teasing note to it, but at the same time, if I'd said, yes, she would have clambered down out of the tree to glom onto me and just start making out.

"Just describe the building," I ordered her, and she let out a small sigh before speaking.

"It is being a tall tower," she explained, "it is made of stone. It is cylinder shape. It is tipped with big pointy thingy. It is not having windows. Mm. Ah! Master! The tower is speaking to me! It is saying, you must be getting bred by your Master soon!"

I let out a small laugh at her antics. "Alright, come on down," I told her, smiling as she just hopped down to the ground, landing on both feet on the soft dirt without any apparent issue. "Come here," I told her, and she looked guilty for just a second - then I gently started to massage her ear, making her wear a big, happy, dopey smile. "Tell you what. I promise I'll breed you when we head back to the northern hemisphere, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you very much, Master!" She said. She was bouncing in place with excitement at those words, which certainly did some interesting (and pleasant) things to her tits. "Um. When will we being back to North?"

"I don't know. A while," I told her. She pouted, but nodded.

We started in the direction of the tower. "I am going to be getting bred," Jutaana bragged, obviously expecting the other four girls to feel jealous. Equally obviously, none of them did.

"Good for you," was Azanaga's somewhat-sarcastic reply.

"Mhm!" Jutaana declared.

"I've had a few kids, they're not as much fun as you think," Pichi added.

"Ah, that is because you are being pekina. For a leporagi, it is being very different."

"Oh, is it?" Eshenesra asked, sounding curious.

"Yes! Leporagi are meant to be having lots and lots of babies so it is easy and happy and our babies are very extra-super cute!"

"Most babies are cute, the problem is that they cry constantly," Pichi said.

"Are the babies extra dumb, too?" Azanaga asked.

"No, they are being regular dumb for babies," Jutaana said, oblivious to Azanaga's insult.

* * *

The tower turned out to be quite a ways - Jutaana had to climb the trees to re-orient us twice - and was much taller than I had expected. I had assumed something like one of the towers in Kitran, eight stories tall and reasonably thick. This one was spindly and tall, stretching up to a height that made it look like a skyscraper. I didn't have a great estimate for its height from looking, but it was definitely more than twenty stories. Maybe more like fifty.

"Damn, that's tall," Azanaga said, just staring at the thing. "I didn't think these barbarians could build something like this. It looks to be a bit shorter than the Great Counting Tower in Nuruk." That was the tallest building in the whole Nyzhraga Empire. A few countries had managed to beat its height in the years since, just to prove they could.

"I think it's taller than that," Eshenesra said. "I've seen the Great Counting Tower. It's... not as tall as this, I don't think." Azanaga had a sour look, her pride obviously getting stepped on by Eshenesra's comment. "Ah. It's much bigger, though. This tower is so slender by comparison."

It was, indeed, slender. It was cylindrical, and probably about twenty-five feet across. Big enough for one or two rooms per story, but not the huge industrial administrative structure of the Great Counting Tower, by any means.

As we got closer, we finally saw what surrounded the building: a camp of people. A camp of people who, on seeing our approach, quickly armed themselves and pointed spears at our number. We rearranged itself as well, getting ready for a fight. "Who are you?!" One of the men shouted.

"I ha' seen him in the city," another said. "He's some Northman merchant. Them's his wives."

"Pretty rich boy. Ye got nice-lookin' wives." That one sounded like every cliche of bandits you've ever heard - lecherous, sleezy, violent, threatening with every sentence, but without an ounce of higher intelligence. I suppose the cliches have to come from somewhere.

"I've got nice-looking weapons, too," I said, the blade sliding out of one arm, my other hand transmuting into its cannon form. "Would you like to see them?"

"I can see 'em plenty good from over here," one of the men said, apparently having a bit more sense than his sleezier compatriot.

"Master, should we be killing these people?" Jutaana asked. "It is sounding like they are threatening us, and I am not liking that as I am going to be a mother soon."

"Fuckin' obsessed," Azanaga muttered.

"I can slay these fools if you so wish," Akamarina said. "They cannot harm me with mere sticks, and I can recognize their sort even if I do not know their tongue."

"I want to see what's in the tower," I told them.

"Too bad. You can't," the apparent leader said. "Now begone, before we have to kill you."

There were only about twenty or so of them - and a few were women. The women certainly didn't seem to be coerced into being there, some kidnapped brides or sex slaves, but instead willing participants in whatever crime ring the group represented.

"Mm. When you say, 'I can't,' do you mean that the door is locked?"

"No, I mean I'm not going to fuckin' let you in, and there's twenty of us, and five of you."

"Seven," I corrected.

"Oh, seven," he sneered.

And at that point, Whips landed between our two groups, idly flicking her purple-red hair as she hit the dirt. "Mm." She hummed quietly, gaze going from me, to the men, and back again.

"Whips," the man said. "These foreigners want to transgress on Yaj's tower."

"Oh my," Whips said, looking back at the group of us. "Oh dearie me. You do know what's in that tower, don't you?" She paused, her brow narrowing. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Hob Arkwright."

"Hob Arkwright." She popped the name on her tongue, licking her lips. "Hob, this is the Tower of Yaj. It is full of all sorts of dastardly traps and magics and ancient monsters and so on and so forth. It would definitely kill you if you entered it." There was a certain eager note to her voice as she spoke. "Plus, it's sacred to this lot," she said, with a gesture behind her. "Surely you should just go home and fuck my niece silly instead?" Her tail lashed back and forth, this eager beating as her smile grew ever wider. "Ohh... mm..." She breathed in deeply through her nose. "You'd rather fight monsters than fuck my niece... poor Azanaga," she said.

"If I just wanted to fuck Azanaga, then I wouldn't have needed to come south."

"Why are you talking about me?" Azanaga demanded.

"Ah, guess it's not as fun not to get things when it's you," Pichi said with a little snigger. Azanaga made an idly kick with her leg, and Pichi just danced to one side.

"Your wives are fighting," Whips said. "Oh! Even that isn't exciting for you? Well, I suppose that could make sense... normally men like women fighting over them."

"They aren't fighting over me, just fighting," I explained. "Azanaga doesn't get on well with other people."

Whips giggled. "Aha. Well, some of us have such problems too."

"Whips," one of the men said, clearly wanting her to just attack and kill me.

"Shut up, mortal," she snapped at him, her voice sharp and angry, her diction suddenly switching to another register. "Did you not hear my words? This man has wed my niece, and is now bound by honor and oath to my blood." She paused. "Apologies! You know how mortals can be," she said, a smile curling across her lips. "Mm. I don't really see any reason that they shouldn't let you inside. Well, I don't think Azanaga should go in. It would be one thing if you died, but my first relative in so long! I'll learn whatever silly northern language she speaks if you die, I promise," she said, raising one hand in some faux-oath.

"If Azanaga doesn't go in, how can I be sure of her safety?"

"That one was suggesting raping his wives," Voasary said, pointing to one of the men. The one who'd pointed out how pretty my wives were.

"Oh, did he?" She turned round on the man in question.

"I was only sayin' they were pretty," the man said, seeming just about ready to soil himself.

"They are pretty," Whips agreed. She tilted her head to one of the other men. "Do you think he was merely paying them a compliment, or was he imagining forcing himself on them after killing Hob and the female fighters among them being rendered unable to fight back?"

The next man hesitated for a second or so, which was long enough for Whips to reach a decision. She showed off where she got her name, her tail slicing out towards the man in question, neatly cutting off his head in a single swift movement, his body collapsing to the ground a second later, the head rolling off.

The men now seemed afraid of her, twisting their spears around to face her. She just giggled. "Come now! I'm not threatening you, now am I? The man suggested raping my niece. It would have been a crime if I didn't do it." Her tail still absently swished around her, and the men backed away. "Ahh... well!" She hummed and glanced back over towards the group of us, stepping away from the bandits. "You know, dears, I am curious what you'd do in that tower! You can go in, and Azanaga can stay here with me, and perhaps we can puzzle out a few words of one another's language?" She smiled warmly as she spoke.

One of the men guarding the tower spoke up."We didn't say-"

"Did I ask?" She snapped at the man, who immediately fell back. "Now! Have I shown my good intentions, Hob? Or will you continue to distrust me?" She almost... pouted, as she spoke. "I just want to talk to my niece..."

I contemplated my options. I could try to kill her and the men. I could leave. Or I could take her offer. Those seemed to be the only three realistic possibilities, and given how swiftly she'd decapitated that guy, I really wasn't sure I could win a fight against her. Akamarina and Eshenesra and Jutaana would help, but...

"Akamarina," I said, switching to Almerese. "Go into the tower. See what's going on. You can't be killed as long as Pichi is alive, correct?"

"I can't be killed so long as Lake Nadi is still around," Akamarina said with a sniff. "But yes. If this body is destroyed, I can form a new one, using Pichi's own magical capacity." She headed into the tower alone.

Whips quirked one eyebrow, looking my way as Akamarina entered. "Oho. I see. Mhm." Whips said, nodding to herself. "I suppose I can't blame you for wanting to protect your wife, rather than leave her in my clutches. If anything, I should be glad! My niece has a caring, protective husband - how romantic!"

Basically nobody shared Whips's view of the whole situation. The people who had made camp around the tower seemed to be contemplating just running for it, now that Whips had killed one of them and seemed more aligned with us. The people in our party who didn't speak Kitran - that was most of us, by the way - didn't see any particular reason to trust her. And the only other person in our party who could speak Kitran had a religious fear of ythraul.

Whips apparently picked up on her lack of popularity. "Could you please be dears and leave?" She asked the surviving men. "You're scaring my niece."

The men didn't need more than that, hurriedly grabbing what they could carry, leaving much of their camp behind.

"Is she being our friend?" Jutaana asked me.

"I'm really not sure," I admitted back in Almerese, Whips unable to understand. "I think she wants to be, though."

"She's a demon," Voasary warned me, also in Almerese, avoiding even saying ythraul. "Her job is sin and vice."

"Yeah, but not lying." Voasary fidgeted at that. "What are your intentions, exactly?"

"Ideally, I would have coitus with you, and that sweet feeling of semen futilely filling me up would be accompanied by me becoming able to speak to my niece," she explained. "But I think you don't trust me well enough for that."

"She'll probably rip your dick off with her cunt," Voasary said, in Almerese.

I thought about it, long and hard. Everything that Whips had done, up until this point, was consistent with her being a weirdo, but also one who genuinely wanted to get to know her 'niece' - that is, Azanaga. She'd never pushed past any boundaries I had put up, unless you counted showing up when I was being threatened by twenty armed men and then killing one of them as somehow violating my request for her to leave. Still, with how... dangerous she was, I didn't feel quite able to trust her, unless...

"Ooo," Whips said, a certain shuddering note to her voice. "I thought you were a dead fish, but I do feel something, now. Tell me what it is, and I'll make it come true."

"Could I bind you, before the sex?"

"Oh my! Bondage? Is that all? Mm... do you want proper bondage? I am rather stronger than a mortal, if I'm being honest."

"You can't seriously be considering..." Voasary started, in Almerese.

"Can't be considering what?" Azanaga demanded.

"He's thinking of fucking her."

"Ah?! Master! If she is killing you, that would be being bad! Please knock me up before you fuck her, that way we can be being sure that I can have your baby!"

"Here I am, offering myself in bondage, and you still don't trust me," she said, pouting softly as her gaze fell on Voasary. "All those nasty rumors about us ythraul... we're just like you, you know? I just enjoy sex. That's all. If I was a glutton ythraul, I would like eating, it wouldn't make me a cannibal."

"Obviously you'd say something like that. Ythraul that get summoned aren't just doing their job any more."

"True, but if you'd been doing the same job for the past few thousand years, you'd probably want some time off too." Whips hummed softly. "Come on. In those packs, you have to have some nice shackles? Hogtie me if you like, wrap up my tail too, then fuck me. Don't worry about my pleasure one whit, just take it however you like," she said, her voice husky and tempting.

"I don't have shackles prepared."

"Agh." She hummed. "There's probably some in this camp, actually," she noted. "They do sometimes need to take prisoners, after all."

* * *

Whips actually trussed herself up, locking her ankles together, then looping her tail around and around until it was tight enough that the shackle there would keep it pretty much stuck, and finally placing shackles on her wrists and manually tightening the bolt with her teeth, slowly working it into position.

It was then that Akamarina reformed, the air getting sucked dry again, Pichi sagging for a moment. "That..." Akamarina began, then saw Whips, who had the bolt in her mouth. "Well. I suppose that is one way to handle a demon." She shook her head. "That tower is full of ludicrous creatures. The walls are far stronger and more solid than they appear, as well. After one beast nearly swallowed me whole, I simply followed the staircase without stopping to fight any of them. I got to the tenth floor or so, before being destroyed."

"Oh, Ho~ob," Whips said. "This little demoness is completely and utterly at your mercy now, see?" She struggled against the shackles on her hands, hopping up and down in place. "To get free, I'd have to slowly undo the bolt here, and in that time, why, you could do anything you wanted to me." She hummed softly at that. "Oh yes. Power. You love power, don't you? Power over women? Over defenseless women? No, over strong women. That's why you married the tall, muscular rabbit-girl, the magically puissant knife-ear and short stack... why, I must wonder what the tattooed one and my niece are capable of... but right now, all I'm capable of, is yielding to whatever it is that you want. It's a show of good faith, you know? Can you show me good faith back?"

"If anything goes wrong, they'll kill you."

"Yes! I mean, yes, of course," she agreed, smiling beatifically. "Now have a bit of fun with your dear wife's aunt."

"I can't believe you're seriously doing this," Voasary said, in Almerese. "If he dies or something, blow her away with one of your fireballs, Eshie."

"Ah?! Yes, yes, okay," Eshenesra agreed, swallowing.

"This is... an unusual decision," Akamarina said.

"I want to know if I can trust her. Can't think of a much better way than this."

I got within melee range, my blade arm still out, though my cannon arm shifted back into a hand. I gingerly reached out for her face, softly stroking it, and she just smiled placidly, not seeming too concerned at all. I raised the knife up to her throat, and she just inclined her head curiously, exposing her neck to me. "I would feel very silly if you actually killed me," she admitted, a pleasant note to her voice. "Here I thought you were afraid of me. If it was all a trick, my compliments," she said.

"You're not worried about dying?"

"Mm. I'll just go back to Hell, you know?"

"This blade is part of a dead god, it might actually kill you," I pointed out to her.

"My." She swallowed, glancing at it again. "My." She tilted her head towards it, running her tongue along the blade like that. "Mm... it does taste... so fascinating," she breathed out, before turning her gaze back to me. "I am at your mercy, dear. Please, fuck me, rather than killing me. I think we will both enjoy it more."

I took a grip on her horn at that, and she let out a small breath, her eyes closing - and then I dragged her down to her knees in front of me, rubbing her face into my pelvis. She let out a soft gasp at the manhandling, rubbing her cheek into my pelvis. "Oh, yes," she breathed out, all husky and aroused. "Oh... mm... making me kneel before you, yes, quite. Pride isn't my flavor, but as an addenda to lust, it's always beautiful," she said, looking up at me with smoldering purple eyes. "Are you going to put me in my place? Make me fuck my mouth on your cock?" She kissed at my dick through my pants. "For all my power, I am utterly at your mercy. Show me how you treat my darling niece. Spiritually connect your cock with my throat."

My length throbbed inside my pants, and I had, right there, one last chance to pull back - and I actually decided to do so, stepping back. "Alright. I trust you."

"Ahm?" She gasped, as I left her staring up at me, blinking in confusion. "That... you tease! You can't work a girl up like that and just withdraw! What a terrible husband you must be!"

"You aren't my wife." Voasary let out a small laugh at that.

"I... nngod," she whined, just falling limp as she knelt there. "Oh I hate teases. I thought you were going to fuck me, Hob. I really did. I thought I was going to feel your thick, throbbing rod, forcing its way down my throat, and-"

"I said, I trust you. So, you can get yourself out of those shackles now."

"Oh, yes, quite, I'll just slowly grind my teeth along the bolt," she said. "Can't you please release me, dearie? If you're going to be such a tease, you might as well help me out," she added, offering up the shackles.

"No. I want to watch your teeth slowly work the bolt free again."

She let out the sweetest little whimper. "I can feel your sadistic glee... well, at least it's fitting for Azanaga's supposed tastes," she said, reaching down to bite into the bolt, working hard to swiftly loosen it, flicking her head back and forth across it in an exhaustingly slow movement.

Once her hands were free, I spoke. I felt satisfied - or at least, as satisfied as I could ever reasonably be - that she really had shackled herself up despite being unable to break the shackles under her own power. That she really was showing her submission and trusting me. "If you want, you can still suck my cock," I told her.

"Oh, yes, please!" She sounded positively ecstatic at that, hands reaching up to just pull down my pants, my hard cock popping free right in front of her face. She moaned softly as she saw it, rubbing and nuzzling it, smearing it all over her features. "This cock utterly dominates me... I'm a slave to it," she said, kissing at the underside as it rested across her features. "I'm so powerful, yet I'll bind myself up just to be given the chance to service it."

She moved forward, wrapping her lips around the tip of my cock, softly suckling it, purple lips pursed against it. She stared up into my eyes, twisting her head gingerly, side to side, just keeping my cock in her mouth like that. "Mmf," she hummed around it, then popped back. "It'd be better for both of us if those strong, godly hands of yours, grabbed my horns and just forced me into doing whatever you pleased. If you used me as a mere tool for your pleasure. If you established your dominance so completely and utterly even an ythraul couldn't deny you had put her in her place."

"You definitely have a way with words," I told her, one hand going to either horn, gripping them tightly, and then starting to fuck her face. She bobbed on my cock, smoothly taking my length to the base, her breasts bouncing in their confinement, her wings absently beating behind her. Saliva spilled out of her mouth, drip-dripping onto her tits and the floor, spittle occasionally flying out of her mouth as I worked her over like that. Her tongue danced around, tasting me, slithering this way and that, her eyes looking up at me, quietly drinking in my own lusts and desires.

"Ah! Master is so amazing!" Jutaana clapped rapidly. Whips let out an intoxicated moan at those words, her eyelashes fluttering.

"I wish that was me," Pichi muttered. "Why even make other girls suck his cock? It's not like I'm not good at it." Whips let out another soft whimper, shuddering around my cock as I kept fucking her face. Her eyes stared up at me, smoldering with lust, and I peeled her up and off my cock, my length throbbing in front of her face.

"Put your arms behind your back. Clasp them together," I ordered, and she promptly did exactly that. "You're right. This is much better," I told her.

"So much better. Your dominance is just the way it ought to be. I'm the one kneeling, which is right where I belong. Imagine if you summoned me. Bound me. Made me your bride, just like my niece, just like the rabbit-girl, the knife-ear, the shortstack... is the tattooed girl your wife?" I shook my head. "You should make her your wife too. Where you come from, the husband has dominion over the wives, doesn't he?"

"Something like that," I told her, before stuffing my cock right down her throat again. She was probably picking up some dynamic relating to the fact that Pichi, Jutaana, Azanaga and Eshenesra were all my slaves, and I ground her face down, holding her on my cock. I spoke up again, this time in Almerese. "Going forward, you four must always act and speak as if you were my wives," I told them.

"Yes, Mmmy husband!" Jutaana said, seeming delighted to hear those words escape her lips. "Husband, husband, ooo, my husband is so sexy," she declared. "My husband has a big cock, he's going to breed me with his bi~ig cock when we go back north."

"My husband sure does have eclectic tastes," Azanaga said, her voice a complete deadpan - and I started to fuck Whips's face roughly, just pounding away again, her whole body bouncing on my dick as I enjoyed her mouth like that. She glugged wetly, each penetration of her throat producing a delicious wet noise that seemed to echo in the air. My balls slapped against her chin, and she submitted to me without the tiniest hesitation or resistance, letting me lay claim to her body like that. When I felt myself drawing close to the edge, I simply slammed my cock balls deep down Whips's throat.

"Here comes," I told her, and she moaned in delight around my cock, closing her eyes, drinking in a deep breath through her nose. I erupted, hot spunk spraying all over the inside of her throat, and she just shuddered softly in response, her whole body jiggling pleasantly beneath me. When I was spent, I peeled back and off, sighing. "Can you speak Almerese now?" I asked her, in Almerese.

"Mm, I can!" She smiled warmly, rising to her feet. "Oh, my. Quite the horny wives you have, too! I think all four of them got a tad jealous of that. Even the local girl," she added, with a flick of her gaze over to Voasary. "Her fear was swamped out by her jealousy. Good wives!" She told me, with a brilliant smile on her lips. "Such a good collection of women you've picked out." She clapped her hands in delight. "Oh! Yes. Azanaga," she said, playing with the name for a moment, before stepping forward- and promptly falling because her ankles were still shackled together. She let out a laugh at that. "Oh, how very silly of me," she said. "I'm at your mercy, Hob," she added, with a glance up at me, daring me to fuck her - but when I didn't, she just moved to get herself out of the shackles.

I glanced back at the tower. I now felt quite a bit more confident about the possibility of leaving Azanaga alone out here.