Alastra against six champions

The next morning begins unusually even for you, with an incredible sensation in your lower body. You crack open your eyes to see your three soon-to-be recruits going down on your lengths, and let out a sleepy moan. Moments later, you give each of them a mouthful of spunk for their efforts, then rise to a sit, sneaking your arms out from the warlock and angel at your sides.

"Mmm, what an excellent way to wake up: thank you, pets." You stroke each on their cheek. "Now, if you'll follow me, we should get that contract signed before Alastra wonders what's keeping us." The four of you step through the portal, Annie trailing behind, and a moment later you stand in the centre of your magic circle, fiery quill in one hand and scorched parchment in the other. The three kneel in front of you once again, but you laugh and wave them back up.

"I appreciate the thought, ladies, but tempt me like that and we'll be late." You give them a wink and they blush in unison. "Now, let me see, this should be simple. I agree to summon you as underlings and promote you to attendants, subject to revision should something more appropriate become available. You'll get new classes, of course, something similar to your current ones. We'll fix your human and elf problems while we're at it. Real names, check. Aaaaand here we are!" You hold out three nearly identical contracts to them, only differing in their names. The three read carefully, nod in satisfaction, and sign in turn. "Now, Annie, if you could take them to the arena, I'll be along shortly." Annie nods and turns to lead them away. "Please let Cindy know to send in Alastra now. Oh, and fetch Rea and Sahr'rhazad too: I'm sure the djinni will want to see the whole process."

A few minutes later your dark elven maid steps through the portal, djinni in tow. "Good morning. I hope the accommodations were to your liking?"

"Mmm, I can't fault you on that one." Sahr'rhazad is immaculately put together and looks noticeably happier today than she was yesterday. "Now, what's this about?"

"I figured you'd enjoy seeing every moment of your treacherous ally's downfall. Lips sealed, though!" You give her a wink and a smirk and she settles against the wall, then another minute later Cindy leads Alastra into the room.

"About time, daemon! Some of us like to wake up on time. Well, whatever. Let's get this over with." Alastra struts up to you. "What's she doing here?"

"Oh, I figured you'd enjoy rubbing this in her face, given how she betrayed you." The djinni across the room looks puzzled, then scowls. "In any case, here's the contract, exactly as we discussed. I'll summon you to Arkus right now. You'll fight each of my champions in the order of my choosing, one at a time, with the chance to rest and recover in between. Should you defeat all of them, you're free to go and released of any obligations to me. Should you lose, you join my dungeon in a position of my choosing." You motion over to the ex-sorceress standing by Sahr'rhazad. "Rea could always use more help."

"Well, I wish her luck in finding it." The paladin takes the contract. "There had better not be any tricks here, daemon: I know your kind thinks we adventurers are all stupid, but you'll regret it if you to cross me."

"No tricks, don't worry. And I happen think many adventurers are quite intelligent." She scans the contract as you talk, then gives a satisfied nod.

"Pen?"

"Here you are." A quill materializes between your fingers with a puff of flame and she wastes no time, plucking it from your grasp without so much as a glance. Her hand traces a loopy signature across the parchment with an elegant flourish, then she hands both quill and contract to you. You burn the two up and then step out of the circle.

"Alright, daemon, no stalling: let's get this over with so that I can get out of—" Alastra yelps as the portal erupts in light, pulling her into its depths. A moment later she's flung back out, looking no different than her former self. She stands, dusts herself off, pinches her cheek, and then gives an approving nod.

"Rea, if you would? I need to speak to Cindy for a moment." The dark elf maid collects the adventurer and her former ally, then leads the two through the portal.

"What is it, master?"

"I'd like to put on a bit of a show for Alastra. May as well have some fun with her, and besides, it'd be rude not to give her a preview of her job-to-be. Could you fetch those cambions we recently recruited? You three can have some fun with them on the sidelines." The maid rubs her thighs together in anticipation. "Chop chop!" You give her a smack on the ass and she curtsies before walking off, then you follow her through the swirling portal to gather your champions for the event.

When you step into the makeshift arena that you've converted from your sparring area the hall is filled by the low buzz of numerous conversations. Ari walks at your side, chilly sword hanging from her scabbard and bow slung across her back. Three thrones have been placed by the exit: Sahr'rhazad sits in one, Selena in the other, and the middle one is empty. Alastra and her friends are chatting in the centre of the arena, the maids stand behind the thrones, and cambions line the room.

"My minions, my friends, and others besides: welcome." You take your seat. "Alastra here has requested the rare chance to roam this world as an adventurer, unbound by their normal restrictions. Should she defeat every champion in this dungeon she will get her wish. Should she not, she will join our excellent serving staff as a maid-in-training." There's a clamour from around the room: the cambions laugh, shout, hoot, and jeer their approval. "Speaking of which: Rea, Annie, and Cindy, if you would be so kind as to reward my newest underlings for their devout service thus far? Perhaps this will motivate Alastra to win—or, perhaps, to lose?" You laugh, and another round of cheers come from the cambions. The three maids spread themselves among the crowd, sinking to their knees to attend to the members already standing at attention.

"Very funny, daemon, and you can keep dreaming," she turns to address the muscular daemons. "We'll see if your minions still respect you when one adventurer defeats all of your champions. And maybe you'll want a go as well?" She lets out a confident laugh. "Speaking of which, what about Shi, Carrie, and Sun?"

"The three of them have come to... alternate arrangements with me. Ladies, if you could clear the field for our challenger?" The three other adventurers walk to your throne. Alastra watches them go, her expression unreadable through her full helmet.

"I don't know what this pathetic imp said to you to backstab me, but I suppose it's your loss." The paladin shrugs. "Enough stalling, imp. Let's get this party started."

"Very well. Ari was the first champion I met, but not the first I recruited. She's my right hand woman, closest confidant, and was once an adventurer like you."

"Bring it on, barbie!" The ring of steel from the two women unsheathing their swords cuts through the murmurs and jeers of the crowd.

"This will take a while," you nod to the three adventurers in front of you and unsheathe your members. "If you would?" The three of them blush, and Vash the alchemist looks around, her ponytail swinging from the momentum. "Don't worry, everyone here is quite comfortable with a bit of fun... except perhaps Alastra, but we'll have plenty of time to cure her of that!" You smile and they reluctantly sink to their knees, their features relaxing once they take you into their mouths. "Mmm, that's better. We'll have you used to crowds like this in no time."

The clash of steel cuts through the room as Ari swings her sword, the paladin blocking with a perfectly-timed strike. Flecks of ice fly in every direction from the impact, then Ari blasts the paladin with a green burst from her off-hand. The crowd roars and cheers, quickly switching to boos when a firm kick from Alastra causes her warlock opponent to double over in pain. Rather than advance, the paladin chants, a golden light surrounding her body and blade. Ari uses the opportunity to loose her bow, launching one, two, three streaks of sickly green light from her masterwork recurve. The first glances off the paladin's armour, then the second and third strike but shatter in golden flashes.

The paladin laughs and swings her sword in a wide arc with both hands, tailed by a golden glow which radiates out in an arc. Ari yelps and switches back to her sword, cutting the wave of light in two with an arc of green and blue. The warlock lets loose another abyssal blast, charging with a yell after it's absorbed the holy warrior's shimmering golden aura. Alastra counters the warlock's strike with a powerful swing, then thrusts with incredible speed, skewering your champion. The once-adventurer lets out a groan before she vanishes, leaving behind a small sack of coins and potions.

"I hope you sluts love daemon dick, because that was comical," Alastra jeers at her three former party members. "You talk a big game, but your whores are going to have to do better than that." The cambions jeer and roar, and Sahr'rhazad gives you a questioning glance.

"Just relax," you give her a confident grin in response, stroking the heads of the soon-to-be ex-adventurers between your legs, "there's still plenty of time for an upset." You unload into the beauties' mouths, giving them something else to think about. Moans echo across the room as each of the maids is picked up and impaled by a pair of cambions, their nearly-nude bodies pressed between the pairs of powerful daemons. "Well, are you resting or should we continue?"

Alastra simply shrugs in response to your question, a defiant look on her features. "Send in another one, daemon." A pair of footsteps come from the hallway in response to the paladin's challenge.

"Celestina is a recent addition, although I met her at the same time as Ari. She's the first adventurer from outside Arkus that I brought into the world, although far from the last." You smile and she steps into the arena, a cruel dagger in her hand.

"A literal succubus, great." Alastra's sarcasm is palpable, and you imagine she's rolling her eyes behind her steel helm. "Maybe you should send in a champion who specializes in swords, daemon, rather than staves."

Celestina slices the air with her dagger, frenzied yipping pouring from the tear. A hellhound jumps through the rift before it seals and Alastra readies herself in response, then cries out in surprise when tentacles grab her from behind. The hellhound gores her leg as the tentacles wrap around her neck, and Celestina launches two blasts of reddish energy at the trapped paladin. The holy warrior gives a grunt and rips the tentacles off of her, then slices the hellhound in two with her huge sword.

Tina gives a yell and launches herself into the air on her bat-like wings, two imps circling her and tossing firebolts at her grounded opponent. Alastra cuts away the remaining tentacles then crouches in prayer, ignoring the bolts of fire and fell blasts raining down on her. A golden light glows brighter and brighter around her, building until the radiance forces you to avert your eyes. When it fades, two feathery wings made of golden light unfurl from her back, launching their bearer into the air with a powerful beat. The paladin expertly rolls out of the way of another set of tentacles that reach out of the void, then dispatches the defenceless daemonologist in a few powerful swings before landing with a thump.

"Well, I guess she tried to put up a fight in the end. Send in the next one, daemon." Alastra uncorks a health potion and downs it, then a mana potion, then stands ready while a dragging sound approaches from behind you.

"Tlax, my first true champion and pure-blooded daemon." The four-armed marilith slides past your throne, a sword in each arm, her hair already a writhing mass of snakes. The paladin grunts in response and takes a step, looking down in surprise at her sluggish motions. Tlax bursts forwards with a hiss and swings her swords in a flurry of steel. The paladin deflects one, her plate armour stops a second, but the last two strike true, slashing into gaps in the thick plates.

Alastra cries in pain and leaps back, then calls out to the sky. "Nire, lift my burdens!" A pillar of yellow light surrounds the paladin and she speeds up as Tlax's gorgon curse leaves her limbs, then the adventurer takes her sword in both hands and slams it into the ground, cracks radiating from its tip to form a golden rune on the floor. Tlax hisses and rushes forwards, hacking at the paladin, but this time Alastra knocks away her **** with a wide sweep. The paladin's wounds knit shut as the light from the rune seeps into her body, and her furious **** forces Tlax to do everything she can just to parry her opponent's strikes. The marilith hisses, her snakes joining in a breathy chorus, then darts out of the rune, Alastra's sword catching her as she does.

Tlax whimpers, circling around the rune as she awaits the paladin's next action. Alastra just laughs, then holds up her hand, summoning the same golden hammer you saw in Fairweather Bay. Tlax braces herself for a tremor that never comes, and instead the paladin simply tosses the huge lightborne weapon at the marilith with incredible speed, knocking her off her feet and pulverizing her into a sack of loot against the wall.

"Seramiel, the first of my twin angels." The angel steps past you with a smug grin, a trail of black, deathly fog following her halo as she does.

"Nice to see you again. I look forward to seeing your face when you realize you've lost." Sera cracks her fiery whip in her left hand and brandishes her sword in her right.

"Well, at least your champions are getting into it," Alastra laughs and downs a potion before motioning for the angel to approach. Flame tongue darts forward, but the paladin's heavy sword bats the fiery whip away at a speed that belies its bulk. "I'm not sure if you think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're an angel, or if you think I care that you joined the daemons." Alastra casually steps forward, deflecting another lash from her opponent's fiery whip. "I'm just here to have a bit of fun with you and your master's other toys, babe."

Sera lets out a warcry and launches herself into flight, sailing like an arrow towards the paladin with her sword in front. Alastra waits until the last moment and then knocks the angel's black sword aside, bringing her mailed boot down on Sera's back and smashing the angel into the ground. Another lash of flame tongue finally finds its mark, wrapping around the adventurer's heel and yanking her off her feet, then Sera groans and launches herself upright, stabbing the downed adventurer through the chest with a powerful blow of her sword.

Alastra grips the blade and pulls it free with a pained grunt, then rolls to the side and jumps back upright. She lays her hand on the wound but growls in frustration as the glowing light that emerges merely melds into the oily darkness pouring forth. After a moment she gives up and instead runs her hand down the blade, the gleaming metal erupting in golden flame as her hand passes along its length. Sera darts forwards and light and darkness burst from the point where the two swords clash, but after several strikes neither side gains the advantage, then Alastra leaps back once again.

"Keep an eye on this one, imp: she'll go far some day." Alastra sounds genuinely impressed, the first time her voice isn't laced with sarcasm and bravado. "Sera, was it? Shame you're a monster: I could use allies like you, at least once you gain a few more levels." The paladin crouches down into prayer like she did against Tina earlier, and just as Sera reaches her Alastra swings her sword up, glowing wings once again wrapped around her back and light pouring from her form. The paladin's next swing knocks Sera back with its sheer ****, then before the angel can recover a flaming blade protrudes from her back. Sera just laughs a few times, nothing but satisfaction in her voice, then puffs into a cloud of darkness and a bag of treasure.

"You know, Aze, you're alright," the paladin channels light into her sickly wound as she speaks, the darkness slowly receding. "I've heard rumours a daemon around these parts can grant quests and such. Maybe I'll stop by in the future, help you out a bit. I'm not sure this is turning out how you wanted, but I can't deny it's turned out to be fun."

You simply smile and clap your hands in response before returning them to stroke the hair of Alastra's recent companions as they work your lengths. "Mariel, Seramiel's twin." The icy angel flies over your throne, circling the arena with bow drawn. The moment the paladin gives the thumbs up the carefree angel launches a freezing arrow at her grounded opponent; Alastra barely manages to step out of the way in time. She pushes her hand against the tip of her sword as if to stab herself, but the blade simply vanishes as she presses into it, retreating into a short rod. Mariel launches another arrow, then another, one of them striking the paladin's shoulder as she focuses on her task, then Alastra pulls the rod with both hands to produce a huge, gleaming war bow.

There's an audible creak that cuts through the jeers, roars, and murmur of the crowd as Alastra pulls back the shimmering string of her massive bow, over 7 feet from end to end. Mariel strikes the paladin with a second arrow, her opponent grunting but maintaining her concentration, then gives a flick of her wrist at the last moment. The frosty whip wraps around Alastra's wrist as she draws the string, tugging as she releases a lance of golden light. Mariel yelps and gives her icy wings a powerful beat, moving aside just as the spear flies past. Rocks fly everywhere as the huge projectile crashes through the ceiling above, a cloud of dust pouring out of the rent stone. The danger averted, she launches another arrow from her manasilver bow, the frosty impact leaving the paladin with a noticeable blue tint.

Alastra holds up her hand and calls down golden fire upon herself. The flames melt away the icy sheen covering her armour, then she draws her huge bow once more. This time she releases it the moment she sees Coldsnap reach towards her, and Mariel's eyes widen as the gigantic projectile strikes her square in the chest, pinning the angel into the wall briefly before it vanishes and drops her to the ground. Alastra simply casually walks over, switching her bow back to a longsword as she does, then dispatches the downed angel with an indifferent swing.

"Aethane, a fae priestess who was trapped by your old boss." Alastra cocks her head as the robed priestess steps forward, simple mace in hand.

"Oh, you're the one Akserrak was always talking about?" The paladin gives her a wave. "Glad you got out, babe. He was just a means to an end; no offence." Aethane silently nods in response and flexes her arms, ice crystallizing into armour and a shield around her.

The paladin raises her sword and the priestess begins a rhythmic battle chant, her shield held high in anticipation of an attack. Alastra doesn't take the invitation, simply circling with sword held high, so Aethane pushes forth her icy barrier. The shield of rime shatters into a hail of icy daggers which rush towards the paladin in a haphazard cloud. The holy warrior chants as the blades rush forwards, a golden bubble forming and deflecting most of them while a few strike true, and Aethane simply forms another shield as the paladin plucks the icicles out of her chest.

When the last icicle shatters on the ground, Alastra raises her sword above her shoulder and charges forwards, smashing it into the priestess' protective sheet of ice with a roar. Aethane swings her mace in response, but the paladin catches it with her free hand, sending the priestess spiralling away with a yank. The paladin forms another golden hammer in her free hand and sheathes her sword, smashing the much slower priestess with enough **** to pulverize both her shield and icy armour. The light-born weapon dispersed, Alastra unsheathes her shining sword once again, and although Aethane manages to deflect one, two, three strikes the paladin finally strikes true, bringing down her opponent with a decisive blow.

"Well, Azazel, I won't lie and tell you I didn't enjoy myself. Pleasure doing business with you, and maybe we'll see each other before this is all over. And hey, level 50 as well!" Alastra struts towards you, then looks down at her three ex-companions. "I hope you three are enjoying your mouthfuls of dick, because you certainly don't seem to understand who's on the winning team here."

Sahr'rhazad gives you a glare that says 'explain yourself,' and Selena just smiles. The cambions boo and jeer, taking their energy out on three maids almost totally hidden in piles of flesh, and Vash the alchemist pulls her head back and opens her mouth to say something, but you speak first.

"Hold on a minute. You really are doing impressively, but there's still one more champion you need to beat."

"Please, daemon, we both know Helen here doesn't count." She gestures at the smiling adventurer beside you. "Not that it matters, given I'd still wipe the floor with her, but I don't intend to play whatever stupid games you're up to. We had a deal, and last I checked your kind has to abide by those."

"We did indeed, and you're completely correct. I really do have one last champion though; she just had already died when you last raided my dungeon. Ikaria?"

Alastra just laughs at that. "Fine, I suppose you might. Well, if she couldn't even beat whatever weaklings attacked before we did then I don't really see what the point of this is, but hey, it's your dungeon..." She turns and steps back to the centre of the arena, and the crowd roars in approval. "Just give a moment to level up: I might as well show off my new toys." With that, the paladin waves her hands in the air as she accesses some hidden menu, while the clack of heels announces your final champion's approach.