Shadow of Snow in Summer

“Is this going to take long?” John asked, hesitantly joining the group of gods at their table. It was an understatement to say he felt out of place among the group, and he wanted this meeting to be over as fast as possible. “I’m technically supposed to be meeting someone else right now, so I don’t have much time.”

“Ah, right, I forget how important time is to humans, with your short lifespans. Feri sure is lucky to have such a powerful source of power,” Nancy sighed, the unmistakable hint of jealousy in his voice. “But don’t worry, John, my library doesn’t follow the same rules as the mundane world, you won’t miss that meeting. So relax and watch the game for a bit, we’ll talk about your problem soon.”

The skaven named Richard cut in with a question. “Is there a reason why Feri skipped out on us, this week?”

Nancy shrugged. “Working on something with Grandma, apparently.”

Smack Nancy for me, will you?

Gaia evidently took issue with that statement, but John wasn’t in the mood for playing the role of her champion. ‘I’d rather not antagonise the creepy man, thanks,’ he shot back.

Well look at you: denying a request from God. Most would fall to their knees and ‘humbly’ proclaim their undying loyalty to me before completing the task with zeal. I might just have to strip you of your power and label you a heretic.

‘But you won’t because you love me as I am,’ John replied, because being cocksure towards an omnipotent goddess was clearly the best way to act; fight snark with snark.

He didn’t have time to pursue the conversation with a cheeky comment, however, as his thoughts were interrupted when Aurora straddled his lap. John shrunk back into his chair, taken aback by her bold actions, but she certainly got the little guy to stand to attention.

“Mmm, so you’re Gaia’s chosen? Aren’t you just delicious,” she cooed while her fingers danced along his chest. It was one thing to judge the girl from a distance, it was another to feel her up close.

“Here we fockin’ go,” Hemet sighed and shook his head. The others at the table expressed similar sentiment.

‘I was wrong about Aurora,’ John thought idly, without paying the other gods much mind, unable to resist the chance to map the contours of her waist and ass. She was much warmer than her cold demeanour had suggested, and much prettier. Her flirtatious smile took his breath away, and every slight touch or shift in her weight sent shivers through John’s body, causing heat to build down low.

“Can I kill this ‘taur yet?” Hemet interrupted.

Aurora waved her hand in response, signalling she no longer cared; her eyes were locked onto John’s. Then she frowned, and it felt like the sun had momentarily frozen over. “I sense a faint trace of Summer on you,” she said unhappily. “You don’t want to be contaminated by something so… sickeningly sweet, do you?”

John furrowed his brow. “You’re right,” he sighed. He didn’t quite understand what she was talking about, but it felt like agreeing with her was the right thing to do.

Aurora’s eyes radiated happiness, and a flush of pleasure rushed through John’s body. “Perhaps we can strike a bargain?” she suggested, running a hand along his cheek and heating his face with all the warmth of winter.

‘God damn, how can a touch feel so good?’ John wondered blissfully.

“That problem of yours--whatever it is--won’t be one if I help you,” Aurora hummed and leant in close, to whisper in his ear. “All I’d want in return is your time. We could go clubbing, drink and dance the night away… think of how many we could get in bed in a single night if we work together,” she pulled back and smiled flirtatiously. “Doesn’t that sound lovely?”

It did.

“Oh, I wouldn’t,” the skull faced skaven warned, voice dripping with amusement.

“There’s a saying in the Abyss,” Odin smiled, “you can deal with the devil, but don’t ever deal with a fae.”

“‘Cause a devil ain’t gonna fock you nearly as hard as a fae,” Hemet snorted.

“And Aurora is the worst of them,” Ina sighed. “Don’t let some petty charms trick you into thinking otherwise.”

“Oh, you say such hurtful things!” Aurora replied with mock woe before turning back to John. “Don’t believe their slanderous words, you and I will have a great time.”

“That’s enough, Rora,” Nancy said sternly. “Leave him alone, there’s another 10 billion people in the world for you to manipulate.”

Aurora glared coldly at Nancy for a long moment, as if to gauge how serious he was being. Eventually she let out an annoyed click of the tongue and turned back to John. “I have a feeling the opportunity to ‘talk’ will come by again, darling,” she said before getting up and moving back to her original seat.

John’s body began to ache, as the fuzzy feeling that had consumed his senses dissipated, leaving him feeling rather empty inside and the painful need to cum.

“Now, with that matter settled, let’s play!” Nancy exclaimed.

John tried to shift to a comfortable position as he watched the gods resume their game of DnD. Nancy’s board was amazing. The map updated in real time, showing a changing environment and enemies. As the in-game time changed, the small sun would shift and adjust the way light shone on the map. At one point, an enemy druid caused a blanket of fog to fall over the ruins, and at another, it began to rain. The board adapted each time, from changing moisture in the air to creating the smell of wet grass.

The party was odd to say the least, and at times John wondered how they even functioned as a unit. They had ultimately left Aurora’s elven bard to her own devices, who managed to survive the romp with the minotaur, much to Richard’s chagrin. For the next fifty turns, the poor girl was walking with an uncomfortable gait, but that didn’t stop Aurora from forcing her to seduce and fuck several more enemies.

John learned, as he watched them play, that they were destined for the Ashen Tower, where a powerful fire mage named Vulcanum held a princess captive. “Sounds a bit cliché,” he pointed out.

“What can I say?” Nancy said in his own defence. “I’m a sucker for fairy tales… something you and I seem to have in common.”

John had to admit, despite the simple premise, Nancy did a pretty damn good job as DM. His smooth talking and ability to improvise kept the dysfunctional group in check. He made the game great fun to watch, and it never felt like it was dragging on, despite going for hours.

After jumping several hurdles, side quests, and general shenanigans, the rag tag party finally climbed to the top floor of the tower. Hemet, playing a dwarven barbarian, led the charge into the room but stopped just past the door. On the far side of the room, Vulcanum sat lazily on a throne. At his feet, naked, collared and chained like a dog on a leash, was the princess.

“Take a single step closer and I’ll blast this bitch with hellfire,” the mage warned. Rather than Nancy having to recount what NPCs would say, he could speak through them instead.

“Great, a hostage situation,” Richard said sarcastically as his tiefling warlock stepped into the room, going no further than where Hemet stood. “I ask the mage what his demands are.”

“Throw down your weapons and submit to me,” the fire mage ordered.

“What a load of arse,” Hemet snorted. “I ain’t suffered through the last half year with you lot just to surrender to the final fockin’ boss.”

“Who cares about some spoiled tart?” Aurora added, her tone dripping with boredom. “She’s expendable, so let’s just kill him already.”

“We do?” Ina blinked. “The entire point of this campaign is to rescue her.”

“Oh? Was it?” Aurora shrugged. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Evidently,” Ina sighed.

“He’s already resorted to using the hostage,” Odin observed. “Perhaps he’s weak? Then again, perhaps he’s not?”

“Gah!” the dwarf exclaimed. “You’re the one with bloody future sight, you tell us!”

Odin just shrugged and exchanged a sideways glance with Richard, grinning as he did. Evidently, those two were in on something that the rest of the table wasn’t privy to.”

“Fockin’ seers,” Hemet grumbled. “I need to get that on a shirt.”

The party argued--loudly--as had been the case all game, until finally Richard turned to John. “What do you think we should do?” he asked, as if anything John had to say held weight.

“Well…” John paused. “Why not pretend to meet his demands? And while he’s confident he’s got the upper hand have Aurora seduce him, she clearly doesn’t mind fucking people.”

“Deception? I approve,” Richard laughed.

“Gah, course ya would, ya fockin’ wanker,” the dwarf snorted.

The voices at the table all chimed in with agreement, save one. Aurora looked up from the game board to stare directly at John, then said, “No. I don’t think so.”

“Why the fock not?! You’ve been whoring yourself out to anything and everything! Besides, we win the bloody game if ya do!”

“It’s too easy; for you all, I mean. Besides, isn’t it rather convenient? Where’s all the bluster about heroism and party dynamics when you need my little slut to fuck your way to victory?” the fae leaned in and smiled her unsettling little smirk. “Of course, if you were to make it worth my while… I might consider helping you.” Her eyes hadn’t once left John.

He shuddered. The temperature in the room had dropped several degrees, and he could swear that his breath was visible in the air.

“Nope.” “No thank you.” “Fock no.” “I’ll pass, thank you,” the group said almost simultaneously.

“Well, that casts John’s suggestion into the dumpster,” Richard shrugged, before the group relaunched into their argument.