Lies and Betrayal

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_For once, you wake from slumber peacefully and quietly. No cold stone floors, no kicks to your ribs, no threats from guards, no fights to survive for the thrill of others. Instead, you awaken next to the literal woman of your dreams, and savor the moment. You lean over to see her still asleep, soundly. You softly stroke her legs with your large, callused hands and bury your face in her fiery red hair, still smelling the perfume lingering from last night, rousing the other part of you from its slumber as well. Being poked in the back by your growing erection softly stirs her awake, as she slowly turns over to see you.

"Good morning" She says quietly through a yawn

"Morning" You reply with a warm smile "I think I'm still dreaming"
"Oh? Why's that"

"Because I have the one thing I've always wanted. A beautiful woman, long and shapely legs, strong birthing hips, with tits to match" Your course hands rub the parts of her that you mention "Eyes the color of spring grass, long hair that I can lose myself in, the smell of an open field. To make love to a woman like that, and for her to still be here when I wake up."

"That's incredibly sweet" as she pecks you with a kiss, stroking your face "Who'd have thought orcs could be such soft romantics?" Her free hand wraps around your huge cock and softly strokes as the mood turns jovial "You're not getting any of me this morning, but if you behave, you can have anything you want tonight" You groan in response, "Fine, have it your way" You remark with a smile "You're going to pay for it later" Your foreplay banter is cut short with a knock on the door. The Dragonkin owner, another red-skinned, allows himself in without a response, bringing in a large cart with a hearty breakfast.

"Why, Good morning mister and misses Jones. So good to see you up and moving. Congratulations on your nuptials, and best of luck on your honeymoon. I bet your trip out of the city is going to be splendid, wherever you're going! I thought you would appreciate some quiet alone time, so I brought you some breakfast."

You and Nihara look at each other, confused. Neither of you mentioned anything about being married or a honeymoon, even in a lie. Your redheaded companion speaks up, more courteous than you could have managed.

"Pardon me, sir"

"Please, just call me Dion"

"Thank you Dion, but...we're not on our honeymoon, and we're not even married." Perhaps adding more than she needed to "We just met a few days ago."

Dion spoke slightly louder, the door still ajar "Oh you two don't need to worry about keeping up pretenses for me. I understand, you just eloped and want to keep it on the down low. I get it, especially being an unusual couple. Happened to me. My husband is a black-dragon skinned, and you should have seen how my family reacted! Your secret's safe with me" Dion winked as he started to back away. Nihara wanted to protest further, but a hand on hers was all the indication needed to be quiet

"Thank you Dion. The meal looks great" The dragonkin smiled and bowed on his way out. Stunned, Nihara protested as the door was closed

"Kromdor! I cannot believe you! Taking advantage of his generosity like that! I know we're on hard times but I expected better than that, especially from you!"

Unphased by her protests, you reply quietly "He's covering for us"

The anger left quickly "He's what?"

You explain in between bites of food"Dion knows who his sister is, and probably knows who we are. He's giving us our meal in here so that nobody sees us and providing a cover story. Now eat up.." It took a few moments for Nihara to soak in what you said, but she bought in eventually and no sooner had she done so that she started gorging on breakfast; the first agreeable meal either of you had eaten in a very long time. As the two of you eat, you're surprised by a raven, perched on the ledge outside your window, tapping on the glass, cawing at you.

"What a strange bird. Hardly any wildlife out here." You idly comment. Nihara feels uncomfortable by it's presense "I don't like it, that thing creeps me out"

"Why's that? It's just a dumb bird."

"Birds carry omens Kromdor, rarely good ones. Ravens often carry the souls of the dead. Just looking at it makes me think something terrible has happened, or is about to" You harmlessly toss the peel from your fruit at the window, scaring it off. "Hey..." You kiss the side of her cheek "We're safe now, and better yet, we're free, and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that, okay?" Nihara nods silently and returns your kiss. The two of you proceed to eat in peace and get dressed for your day, each silently trying to figure out how you might leave Traxia. You spot a few wondering eyes as you walk out of the Yawning Bear, but nothing immediately concerning. You don't run, but you're both out of the main lobby too fast for anyone to get a good certain look at you.

The seeming ease of the morning leaves you as you walk into the streets. The streets are oddly quiet. The sky is gray and overcast, rare stormclouds forming overhead, bringing a nasty mugginess into the air. As you walk through the streets, you hear the call of the raven again, keeping watch from atop a market building. It seems to stare at the both of you as it swoops down, landing on the shoulder of a short figure hidden under a thick, dark gray cloak, who stops immediately in front of you.

"Mister and Misses Jones, I presume?" You hear a female, but gruff voice from underneath the cloak, most of her face hidden by shadow. You're put on the defense, ready to fight or flee at a second's notice. "Yes, that's us" you reply warily

"I need your help with something, and seeing as you're the only two can help, I cannot permit you to leave this city."

"That's not up to you, woman. We've overstayed our welcome as it is" You try to move around her, but are swiftly prevented. Vines magically grow through the sandstone ground and grapple your feet in place.

"This time, it is" The woman pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing herself to be an elf, likely a druid. She appeared possessed, her unnatural golden eyes having a mile-long stare in them, her face covered in dirt and mysterious tattoos. "You fought alongside a young half-elf in the arena, not a week ago. Her name is Izalia. You're going to help me rescue her."

Nihara interjects "Lady, nobody has seen her since that fight happened. She might not even be alive. How are we supposed to help you?"

"The evil charlatan known as The Boss keeps her to himself. We kill him, and we'll be able to set her free."

"Kill him? Are you crazy, he's always guarded, you'll never get the chance. What about everyone else he has prisoner?"

"If you want them free, so be it. I'm only concerned about Izalia. She is my daughter, and I would bring down every single brick of this cursed and diseased city to set her free. Would either of you not do the same?" You and Nihara look at each other, and recognize the truth; you would be in this druid's place if either of you were still captured. You silently nod in agreement.

"Very good. Now, what happens next will be very confusing for you, but you have to trust me." Keeping you ensnared by the vines, she turns about into the main street and shouts "Guards! Guards! Come quickly!" Two foot soldiers on patrol rush to her voice and are quickly surprised by what they see " I have found and captured the criminals Kromdor and Nihara." Stunned, they take a second to figure out the next step "Uhh, good work citizen, we'll take them from here"

"Your master promised a reward for their capture. I will see that reward, or see these two freed"

"Yes, of course miss, Follow us" handcuffed again, the vine snares are released and you are both brought back into the prison cells underneath the arena. As you're brought through the gates, you see the bodies of the three soldiers who helped set you free dangling overhead, their bodies desecrated, as a warning. You and Nihara look at each other grimly, a grim prognosis of the future ahead of you. Inside, you are led through an unfamiliar set of pathways until you arrive to the bosses office. In the far corner was the half-elf Izalia, bound to the wall, bruised and beaten, barely conscious. True to your word, three other guards were standing watch as he sat behind his desk, which he slammed with both hands seeing the two of you brought in, nearly leaping from his seat.

"Hot Damn!" He called as he came for a closer look "Fuckenah! I knew it wouldn't be long before you two were brought back. You thought a couple of mongrel savages could outsmart me! and look what happened! You're right back where you started! You've been shown who has the superior intellect." Face to face now, you see The Bosses' evil grin baring crooked teeth "I'll break you both yet." His giddiness hid his cruelty as he slapped Nihara in the face. Your blood immediately boiled in rage, letting out a bestial roar of defiance

"Oh hush, I've lost my patience for you. Now that you've shown you're weakness, I am going to make you hurt like you never thought you could be hurt. I am going to break this woman before your eyes. She'll be ravaged by every guard, prisoner, and wretch in the city, and you'll be **** to watch the entire ordeal, incapable of doing a fucking thing, and you'll be **** to watch as she dies a cold, slow, agonizing **** in front of your very eyes, and than I'll deal with you. This is what you get when you mess with the superior intellect you dumb beast."

"A small point of order, but it was my superior intellect that captured them, not yours." The elf chastised The Boss. He bristled at the defiance, but relented "Ah yes, of course! You clearly deserve credit and reward for your hard work, and I will make sure you receive both" As he goes back behind his desk "Might I ask how you found them when my men could not?"

The druid played to her audience while also engaging in metaphor "Your men sought these two out as if they were petty criminals, which is all they are used to. Your games have run so long that you've captured and killed nearly every beast outside the city of Traxia, making it even more desolate. This is why you turned to using slaves for your fights for the last several years"

"Very observant Master Druid, but if you think you'll have me apologize for killing a bunch of mindless animals, you are mistaken"

"That was not my intent, no. Only that where your men sought them like criminals, I sought them like prey, which is what they are. I have an affinity for birds, who will watch, learn, and wait for their prey to make themselves ****, and than strike in an instant. This is also why I would have these two punished in public, if I were in your stead"

Your rage starts to refocus on the Druid; what seemed like a mere act to buy the Boss' trust now feels like an outright betrayal. The boss squints his eyes as he rubs his hands together "I'm listening"

"If you kill them in private, people will think that they escaped and that you're lying in an attempt to save face. Kill them in private and display their corpses, like you did the men who betrayed you, they will doubt that it was really you who did it. Put the killing on display, make an event, turn them into an example of how you punish those who dare go against your will or question your intellect, and they will learn. They will see what happens to a mongrel beast and a woman so lost to the wilds and full of his seed that she may as well be one herself decide to conspire against you."

The boss drummed against the wooden desk as he thought on this "You're absolutely right, dear friend. We do this now!" he turns to his guards "Cancel the events for today and get the word out immediately."

"But sir, the oncoming storm..there wasn't anything planned for today"

"To hell with the storm! I want every seat in the arena filled! Fucking give them away if you have to! Drag them in if that's what it takes! And get these two out of here!" As he points to you and Nihara, the guards pull you away and in front of the starting gate. Seeing who they're dragging, a commotion quickly gathers and multiple guards follow behind. Two are holding the greataxe and tomahawks you and Nihara left here, while the others, nearly a score, surround Nihara and try to grab at her breasts, ass, and vagina from outside her clothes. She tries to fight them off as best she can, but there's too many, and they aren't afraid to fight back, slapping and punching her. You try to scare them off as well, and while the guards have more pause fighting back against you, you're not able to stop them either. The storm breaks before the event begins, turning the sandy floor of the arena into soggy mud. Horns blare soon after, and the gates open in response, with you and Nihara pushed out into the center. The crowd isn't nearly full capacity, but is filling quickly. You look around for some sign of freedom, but find none.

"Nihara! You still with me?" You ask, not being able to see her clearly

"Ya, I'm here. Had those creeps right where I wanted them Kromdor. Don't you worry..."

"I know" You respond woefully "Listen, this doesn't look good. I don't know how we're getting out of here..."

"Shut up! Just shut up Kromdor! It's over, okay!?"

"You listen! I love you Nihara! You're the best thing that happened to me!"

"I love you too" Nihara says before the last sliver of her façade falls, and she begins to cry "Gods, why did it have to wait until now for us to find each other?"

You push past the guards with one last thrust to give Nihara a final loving kiss. The audience jeered and laughed, and began throwing moldy food at you. Another horn blew, and the Boss proceeded in, heralded by fanfare. Using his magical cane again, he spoke loudly to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special event for you today. No sooner than our esteemed soldiers failed their sacred honor, do we catch the criminals they sought to unleash upon the unsuspecting populace. And now, we will dispense our righteous justice upon those who desecrate our noble ways and upright culture that we worked so hard to preserve, under the Primarch's solemn guidance. We will begin with the savage Nihara…" The guards pulled her forward to The Boss, screaming along the way "Too long has she known the wild frontier, away from the tender affections of her fellow man, that she has allowed herself to be seduced by ferocious mongrels and horrific monsters, such as our very own monster, the great Orc, Kromdor!" The crowd erupted in a frenzy

"In the name of peace and prosperity, and for the good of all, we will now convert her to our good graces..." Nihara struggled violently as another guard approached her, masked but his intentions to defile her clear. As he came within a few feet of her, a single bolt of lightning struck the ground, straight through the man, dropping immediately. The crowd screamed in terror, muffled by the great crack of thunder that preceded. Just through the thunder was an enormous shriek.

A Roc, an enormous bird of prey hailing from the mountains, known to swoop wild horses off the ground as food, tore through the low clouds and into the arena, causing all in attendance to route in fear, even the Boss.

"By the Gods, what is happening?" He shouted just before the mighty talons pegged him into the dirt. Jumping off the bird's back was the druid from earlier. Her gray cloak from earlier gone, she appeared nearly naked if not for being covered in black bird-like feathers from her neck down to her ankles.

"Retribution, for decades of cruelty perpetrated against all beings, wild and civilized. None the least of which, you killed my husband, captured my daughter and made her victim to your sick depravities."

The Boss' face arose from pain to surprise and horror "Vaida?" The druid nodded slowly "It's me Proxley. I can stomach you trying to come for me after all these years, but to attack my family? Even by your standards, that's monstrous. You have one chance to let my daughter go..."

"Vaida!" Nihara called as she picked the keys off the fallen guard and held them for him to see. Vaida smiles cruely, glorifying in her own vindictiveness "Never mind than. You had your chance"
The Boss was defiant to the last moment "You don't know what you're doing, you witch. This kingdom will fall apart inside a month without me"

"I'm counting on it..." Vaida replied with a menacing coldness as the Roc reached down and swallowed it's fat prey whole.

Nihara unshackled herself, than ran to unshackle you as well. You hold each other tightly, alone in the arena, being doused by rain. Vaida walks to you, hands on her hips, an unnerving confidence in her smile "I told you two to trust me" as a pre-emptive shock to any protests against her

"You nearly had us killed!" You roar through the storm

"You two have survived this long Kromdor, I thought you'd be used to it by now!" She said, laughingly "Besides, I never would have let that happen. Nihara would have gutted me in my sleep if I let you die. Wouldn't you Nihara?" Through a bruised face, she let out a nervous laugh and nodded.

"Oh come on now, you're free now! I can help you two get yourselves started again. You have your entire lives ahead of you. Together. How would you like to spend it?"

You look into Nihara's emerald green eyes, and she looks into yours. You both laugh, seemingly knowing what the answer is going to be.

"I think I'd like to take up farming, actually..."