Griselda’s massive draft horse thundered down on the lizards, her lance skewering them as the hissing mob parted. Her battle cry thundered over them, the cavalry behind her amplifying her shout as she swept the enemy before her. In spite of all the thunder and glory it was a desperation move, and as the lizards scattered in her wake, they quickly reformed their ranks, scurrying to restore order as Griselda led her column of horsewomen down an alley between buildings.

It had been a desperation tactic of course, scattering the lizards and allowing the Amazons to break up, becoming less of a target for spells. Griselda glanced back at Cynthia, unconscious and splayed across the back of her saddle like a deer after a hunt, it had been all she could do to grab up the smaller mage when her stance had wavered under the weight of the incoming magical attack. For her part, Isabelle had gone with the foot, and as much as Griselda had wanted to keep the mage at her side, she knew that Cora’s squad would need her more.

She sighed angrily as she brought her horse around, readying her force for an attempt at hit and run charges throughout the town as the lizards advanced, breaking off to fight the amazons piecemeal. She spared one final glance back at the fortress, every Amazon instinct told her to charge back there… but it was just what the lizards wanted. All she could do was pray that the skeleton force and the Little Sisters in the fortress could hold out.

…

“Men of Camford stop your dreaming! Can’t you see their spearpoints gleaming?” Tom’s voice bellowed as he sang, firing his pistols over the flimsy barricade as the lizards surged forward again. The silk white shirt was covered in a mix of blood from his cut and black powder stains, and the lyrics to his song were drowned out by the war cries of the four amazons around him, loosing arrows along with the rest of the militia as they struggled to hold back the tide.

There was a flash and fireballs blew apart a row of boxes and debris just to Tom’s left, causing the Little Sisters defending it to fall back, arms in front of their faces to shield from the heat as the Lizards cried out in hissing triumph.

“We’re being blown to pieces!” Cassidy snarled, letting her bowstring twang as another spear sized arrow launched into the enemy ranks. The lizards were gathering for another charge, it would no doubt come with a new wave of spells, sweeping their meager defenses away like a sandcastle before the tide.

“Hold!” Hardstone shouted, a pistol in her hand as she scurried up alongside Tom, scanning the battlements.

“Nice of you tah rejoin us,” Argus scowled, hefting his axe in his hand, “were yah using the little girl’s room!?”

“Just hold,” Hardstone muttered.

Tom glanced at the woman’s gunbelt and raised an eyebrow, “I notice you’re missing one of those fancy pepperbox guns.”

“I’m a banker, I don’t mind loaning things,” Hardstone snapped.

…

Dirk twirled the pepperbox revolver once, twice, then holstered it, pleased he had a good idea of the weight. Four shots in a single gun had seemed rather decadent for a sharpshooter, but at the same time he felt he’d make better use of them than the little woman would.

For now though, he gripped his rifle as he crept along the abandoned walls, approaching where the gate had been. Breathing out slowly he poked his head just slightly over, peering down at the gathered lizards.

No, you won’t be with them will you, he thought, setting the barrel of the gun on the stone to steady it as he peered down the sights. He looked beyond the gathered lizards to the jungle behind them, you’re probably the type who likes to come out, do your spell, and then go back out of range of the arrows… he smirked as he saw a trio of lizards slowly walk out of the shrubbery, the center one wearing an ornate feathered headdress. If there was one constant across all cultures, it was that magic users loved wearing things that made them stand out. Dirk licked his lips and slowly cocked the gun, enjoying the soft click as he readied it to fire.

…

Nyss readied the fireballs as Thoth looked on, hissing smugly as he imagined the humans roasting alive behind their pathetic barricade. The orbs appeared in air as the lizards below cheered and clacked their claws, readying for the final charge and the feast that would follow.

*CRACK*

Nyss’s head jerked backwards, exploding outward as the lizard mage toppled over. Thoth blinked, it had happened so fast it took a moment to register, he looked up, scanning for any sign of a human mage as panic welled within him, what kind of mage could be so powerful as to strike a foe dead without warning like that!?

The soldiers paused, looking up, stunned as he was, as the summoned fireballs fizzled out pathetically. A cheer went up from the human ranks, and then a rain of arrows renewed, causing hisses of pain and confusion as their ranks faltered, falling back.

…

Got you, you bastard, Dirk thought with a grin as he stood up, sprinting across the walls for the stairs. As he ran, he poured more powder down the barrel, leaping down the last few steps as he pulled the ramrod free from its housing, stuffing a new lead ball down the barrel in a smooth and practiced motion. Whippings for the man who fires less than three times a minute! he breathed out, forcing the memory of his drill sergeant away again as he focused on the task at hand.

“Now that was some shot,” Tom called, waving his white hat as Dirk ran up to the front lines, “they won’t dare try to take the fortress now!”

“I need to get to the town,” Dirk said, causing Tom’s smile to falter.

“W-What?” Tom blinked, “Dirk you can’t go through that,” he jerked his thumb at the hissing mass of lizards, even without their mage it seemed they intended to remain at the entrance.

“We’ll charge them,” Hardstone muttered, “Thomas, gather your women and tell them to be ready to sortie on my command.” She looked at Dirk, “you’ll have a few minutes at most to slip away before we retreat back in here, I will not fight these things out in the open.”

“Ah hell,” Cassidy muttered, drawing her sword, “Tom, stay behind me, Dirk…” she shrugged, “try not to do anything more foolish than you normally do, if I never taste those cinnamon rolls again, I don’t know how I’ll go on.”

Hardstone motioned with her remaining gun, “CHARGE!” the small woman climbed over the barricade, leaping down as Tom, Argus, and the four Amazon ranch hands followed, swords up and guns firing. The rest of the men and women climbed after them, spears and bows in hand as the lizards were pushed back by the unexpected assault. While they lacked the armor or the weaponry of the Amazon soldiers, the ferocity and the confusion in the serpentine foe’s ranks proved enough to gain ground in front of the fortress while the Lizards struggled for order.

Dirk saw his chance, and as the battle raged, he ran towards the town, where another side of the battle raged with mages still calling down spells. The tingling in his head seemed to call him, like the scent of a wounded animal before a trained hound.

…

Cora waded into combat with the small group of lizards, her blade flashing as it blocked their blows. With a scream she launched a ferocious strike on the biggest one, standing chest high to her. It shrieked a final time as Cora’s blade slashed across its torso, causing it to tumble over as the rest that had followed it down the alley in pursuit of Cora’s unit backed away, nervousness replacing the glee of pursuit.

“COME ON!” she shouted, baring her teeth behind her steel helm as the women behind her shouted, coming to her side as they met the foe.

…

Dirk ducked behind the tavern, watching a row of the hissing lizards scurry by, only peeking out when he was sure they were gone. With light feet he slowly entered the building, then, seeing it empty, he bounded up the stairs. He’d heard fighting maybe a street over, and if memory served, the tavern overlooked several side streets and had windows in all the upstairs rooms…

…

Cora’s blood ran cold as she saw a robed lizard walk into the alley behind its fellows, a staff in hand, “BRACE FOR MAGIC!” she shouted, causing panic to ripple through the line as the women pulled back.

The lizard snarled, a grin over its horrifying face as a snakelike tongue tasted the air. A hissing language emanated from it and Cora felt her vision began to go dark. Around her the other amazons clutched at their throats, choking on the very air as they fell to their knees. Spots appeared in Cora’s eyes as she fell to her knees. Seeing the towering women falter, the lizards ran forward, swords high for the slaughter.

*CRACK*

Cora blinked as she saw the lizard mage stagger, surprise on his face as red blossomed from his chest. A moment later he fell.

Cora felt a grin stretch across her face as she realized she recognized that sound, Dirk!? She laughed, a sense of warmth spreading in her chest as she realized her beloved had taken to the battlefield. With a roar she charged the scaled enemies that had penned them in the alley, and a moment later the rest of the amazons with her joined, their cries drowning out the fearful hissing as the warrior women swarmed forward.

…

“For it’s over the mountains and over the main,” Dirk sang softly to himself as he reloaded the rifle, “through Elven fire, and mermaid waves-“ he stopped, his blood running cold as he heard someone enter the tavern downstairs.

Throwing his rifle over his shoulder he scurried down the stairs, drawing the pepperbox pistol and his own service piece as he swept the tavern’s main room.

“Ah… you musst be the human who killed my colleague? I saw you enter this place… perhapss you would wissh to test your courage face to face, rather than from a window, sstriking ass a coward?”

The lizard was a mage by the feathered headdress, though unlike the others he’d seen so far, he had a curved sword in hand. It grinned as he fired his pistol, the air shimmering as the bullet hit a wall of condensed air inches from the mage’s face.

“I am familiar with your boomstickss human!” it laughed. Dirk’s eyes went wide and he dove behind the bar as the air where he’d been standing burst into flames. His shin burned as the rune carved into his bone blocked the spell from following him, causing the lizard to frown. “How odd, you sseem to be… unseen to my magic…” Dirk popped up from behind the bar, leveling his rifle and firing, the more powerful charge rocketing into the lizard and causing it to stagger, the blue shield nearly failing as the flattened musket ball fell to the floor. “You are not so invisible to my eyess!” it hissed angrily, and Dirk dove again as lightning lanced from the creature’s fingers, striking the bottles behind the bar and causing glass and wine to burst forth, coating him as he crawled along the floor behind the meager cover.

Elemental magic is will based, his instructor’s voice echoed, break their concentration and suddenly those fireballs won’t even light a pipe. He looked around, hoping to find anything that would flash or make a big noise. His eyes landed on a bottle of cask strength bottled rum, and he grinned, grabbing it in one hand and cocking his pistol with the other. Make them scared or make them mad, easiest way to do it… now what would piss off a scaley son of a bitch?

“That tail of yours is going to taste real damn good with red pepper flakes!” he shouted.

The lizard paused, blinking, “you feast on the flessh of the chossen?” it balked, “foul lying human, you will burn for that!”

“No lies,” Dirk called, “you come over here to eat us, it’s only natural for a fella like me to take a few bites out of you and yours… Lizardfolk taste a lot like… fish, I guess, catfish, bottom feeders.”

“I sshall devour your ssoul!” the lizard screamed. From the way the bar he was hiding behind suddenly burst into splinters he knew he was getting under the thing’s scales.

Dirk stumbled across the room, firing his pepperbox twice and grinning as he saw the thing’s shield cracking under the pistol bullets, the lizard itself staggering back as the force carried through. He kicked a table over, ducking behind it as he laughed as loudly and as madly as he could.

The room was burning now, the lizard’s spells having caught on the wood of the bar and the stairs, yellow flames licked the ceiling, and Dirk could taste the smoke on his tongue as the room began to get hazy.

“Now me, I always like my lizardfolk fried,” Dirk called, “I wonder if I ever ate anyone you knew?”

“YOU WILL BURN ABOMINATION!” the lizard howled, clawed hands trembling with rage as it struggled to summon fire.

Dirk stood up with a grin, tossing the bottle in the lizard’s direction. He fired the pistol two more times, emptying it as the shield shattered and fell. The bottle of rum burst on the lizard’s snout, causing it to stumble backwards as the potent liquid ran down the creature’s body, making contact with the small sparks it was trying to summon in its hands. A screaming hiss rang out through the tavern as flames licked up the lizard’s body, all focus gone as it flailed madly. It stumbled into the already burning remnants of the bar, the fires shooting higher as it fell, consumed by the inferno it had created.

Dirk coughed, running for the door as the rest of the tavern quickly caught, the wooden furniture and walls billowing with flame. He stopped at the door a moment, sniffing the air in confusion. He looked back at the dead lizard one last time.

I’ll be damned, Dirk thought, it does smell a little like catfish.

…

Griselda couldn’t believe it, somehow, they were routing the enemy. The lizards poured through the streets, panicked, disarrayed as her cavalry thundered over them.

Goddess, it’s a miracle, she thought, stunned.

“Cousin!” Isabelle called, marching at the front of several archers, “We’ve cleared them completely out of the north end of town.”

“Don’t speak so soon,” Griselda said, watching the lizards forming up for a new attack. One of their mages stepped out behind them, hissing to the sky as the wind picked up.

Isabelle’s teeth clenched, and the wind calmed. For a moment sparks danced in the air as the two mages battled wills, then suddenly the lizard on the far end of the battle lifted off the ground, twisting it’s neck at an unnatural angle. It fell to the ground with a thump that echoed, causing the rest of the lizards to pause in their attack.

“They’re not so tough when there’s only one,” Isabelle muttered, blue sparks dancing along her fingers as the amazons rushed into the now defenseless lizards. She spared a glance at Cynthia, still out cold and tossed over the back of Griselda’s saddle, “I don’t suppose we can find a place to dispose of her?”

“Call me superstitious,” Griselda muttered, “but if the Goddess is blessing me, I don’t wish to spit in her eye by harming a priestess, even that one.” She watched the lizards, decimated and driven back as they were cut down by her own soldiers.

“Looks like we’ve won,” Cora said, coming to her side, “what are your orders, Lady Griselda?”

“Drive them out of town, then rally everyone to relieve the fortress,” Griselda said, “I do wonder what happened to those mages… did one of our archers simply get lucky?”

Cora smirked, “you didn’t hear the rifle shots?”

“I took it for conjured thunder and lightning,” Griselda growled, “do you mean to tell me-“

“He’s here,” Cora said, “and even after everything it still looks like he wants to save us, thank the goddess.”

Isabelle frowned, then her eyes went wide, “call off the pursuit, we need to go to the fortress now!”

Griselda raised an eyebrow, “we’ve got them on the run, what could possibly-“ she stopped, sniffing the air, her nose wrinkling at the unmistakable scent of decay.

The lizards at the far end of town chattered, chanting something in their foreign tongue as lumbering shapes began to crawl out from the jungle. Razorlizards, Goldscales, even their own fallen comrades, wounds gushing, flies buzzing, eyes glassed over with death, a wall of the undead slouched and stumbled forward, fell moans echoing over the battlefield as more of the dead began to stir.

…

Dirk ran through the back alleys, cursing under his breath as he felt the wave of necromantic energy tingle across his skin. He could almost taste it, an acidic feeling like he’d swallowed a cup full of vinegar. Raising the dead was almost always an ugly thing, and he didn’t even want to think about what a sorcerer of any race would have to do to get this kind of energy together for it…

…

Ku’luc Deadspeaker lifted his hands high, thanking his demonic patrons with a hissing laugh as his army of the unliving marched upon the amazons, hungry moans echoing over the screaming and the clanging of steel as the Amazons struggled to hold back the tide of corpses. He lifted his claws with a flourish, gleefully raising each new body as soon as the life left it, soon none but the dead would walk the streets of Rain’s End.

…

Cora screamed defiantly as she hacked a staggering undead lizard to pieces, panting as she saw more crowding around her. The still living lizards were hanging back, smug looks on their faces while the walking corpses thinned the Amazon ranks for them. She growled, bashing an undead razorlizard into the dirt as a lizardfolk zombie grasped at her arm, shattering its teeth on her armor and grabbing on with an icy iron grip.

Cora staggered, and another set of clammy clawed fingers grasped at her, and for a moment she was sure she’d tumble into the dirt, where the things would pry her armor off and feast upon her flesh. Suddenly the one on her arm was sliced in half, the moaning lizard falling to the dirt as a massive spear skewered its head.

“Steady yourself Cora,” Griselda said, amused as she twirled her spear skillfully, “come, we’re pulling back, the dead are numerous but unskilled, if we just-“

A terrifying low roar interrupted their conversation, and Cora’s heart fell as the ground shook. A monstrous Goldscale, a rotten chunk missing from it’s side and exposing bone, lumbered towards them, dead eyes flashing hungrily. The creature’s toothed maw hung open, large enough to gore an Amazon in a single bite.

Griselda’s eyes went wide, “a-archers!” she shouted, turning to run for the line. Cora followed her, and as the arrows buried themselves in the thing’s flesh Cora heard it roar again, undeterred by the injuries to long dead flesh.

…

Dirk watched as the massive dinosaur thundered towards the Amazon lines, undead thrall, he thought, destroy the head or remove the brain… He hefted his rifle, then paused, his previous kill on a Goldscale had been with the thing running directly at him, across level ground. He sighed and kept his brisk walk through the alley behind the town’s main street. The best way to deal with an undead horde, is to simply kill what’s powering them, he remembered. The corpses would still walk for a few moments after that, but they’d rapidly return to their rest.

He didn’t have to look far, where the other lizards had worn feathered head dresses this one wore a scull cap more similar to Diana’s priestesses, only he didn’t stop there. Bones covered the lizard mage, and not bleached and cleaned ones, but yellowed ones that gave off a rank odor even from where Dirk was, flies buzzed around the sorcerer as a small group of about a dozen lizards stood in ranks around him.

Dirk cursed his luck, most necromancers were at least a little mad, few thought to guard themselves this well, four shots from the pepperbox, one from your service pistol, and one from the rifle… he thought grimly, then you’re down to fists and your knife.

He heard a scream, and looked down the street to see an amazon scurrying backwards, knocked over by a swipe of the undead dinosaur’s tail as the rest of the lizards chittered excitedly, moving up behind the undead wave as the amazon line faltered. His heart leapt as the woman’s helmet tumbled off, revealing Cora’s terrified face as she hefted her sword.

He breathed out slowly, steadying himself as adrenaline threatened to throw off his composure. He took one step forward, then another, picking up speed as he began a sprint. The reaction from the hungry dead and their master was instant, and the world slowed as he drew his service pistol.

Aim carefully, carve a path, the first shot sent one of the things back to the grave, and he tossed his pistol away as he brought his now free hand up to steady his other gun, *crack*crack* *crack* *CRACK!* four of the finest shots of a long career parted the rotting guards from the shocked sorcerer, clean holes in the ghoul’s foreheads appearing as they fell. Dirk looked the shocked necromancer in the eys and unslung his rifle, but his triumph was short lived. One of the walking corpses slammed into his side just as he pulled the trigger, and he cursed as he saw necromancer hiss in pain, clutching a scaled leg as blood sprouted from between the rotten bone armor. He brought his rifle up, clubbing the thing away with the brass coated butt of the long gun, but as he became surrounded he screamed in exertion and anger as it was pried from his hands.

“You have failed human!” the lizard hissed, “feasst upon him my children!”

Dirk’s knife came out, and making eye contact with the creature, he leapt, savoring the look of surprise and horror as he bowled into the lizard. They fell to the dirt together, knife and claws slashing as training and plans were forgotten and replaced by rank savagery. Dirk screamed in pain as claws raked his back, tearing his shirt as he brought the knife down. The lizard caught it, hissing furiously as they rolled in the dirt, struggling for the blade as the circling dead slowly shuffled in on them.

…

“Look!” one of the amazons called, Cora’s head turned, and she gasped as she saw Dirk fighting the final lizard mage, cheers echoed out from the amazon line, and they surged forward one final time.

…

Dirk cried out and put all of his remaining strength into one final thrust of the knife, plunging it into the lizard mage’s chest. It spasmed one more time, clawed hands slashing down dirk’s forearm and causing a wound he couldn’t even feel through the fury that had overtaken him.

As soon as his foe was dead, he collapsed, the wounds and exhaustion of the battle catching up to him all at once. He huffed, slowly rolling off the bleeding lizard. The ghoulish faces of the reanimated lizards were ringing above him now, intent on using their last few minutes of unlife to feast upon him.

“Choke on ‘em,” Dirk muttered, closing his eyes and waiting for the end.

Suddenly he heard a woman screaming, and his eyes shot open, he saw the undead horde hacked away, and a massive armored form towered over him.

“I’ve got you,” Griselda muttered, leaning down and scooping him up. He grunted as he was tossed over her shoulder, her sword hacking a path to freedom as the magic animating the undead began to dissipate. He watched, numb, as they collapsed one by one.

“To the fortress!” Griselda ordered, holding her sword high.

…

Cassidy sighed, “Looks like they’re going to make one last charge, mage or no mage,” she muttered, looking over the barricade.

Tom cocked his pistols and looked to Argus, who hefted his axe, “Well ladies, gentlemen, if this is it, it’s been fun.”

The lizards outside prepared their charge, surging forward in a mad frenzy, but they faltered, and then began crying out in fear as a new battle cry echoed over the clicking of claws and the hissing of forked tongues. The amazon soldiers charged out of Rain’s end, sweeping the lizards besieging the fortress before them, Griselda rode at their front, a lowered lance parting her foes like a knife through butter.

“I’ll be damned,” Cassidy said with a smile, “I think we’ve won…”

“Won what?” Tom asked, glancing at Hardstone, who was cheering with the others at the sight of their liege lady, thundering to the rescue, “I think we’ve got other things on our plate before we talk about dessert…”

…

Dirk wasn’t sure exactly when he’d passed out, or if it had been from blood loss, exhaustion, or something else, but as he blinked himself awake, he realized he was back in Griselda’s ornate bedroom. His wounds were dressed, his body cleaned, and his clothes most decidedly missing. For a moment he wondered who had cleaned him up, but he sighed and rolled his eyes as he lifted the blanket and saw that the hair around his manhood had been expertly shorn away.

Cynthia, he thought with a chuckle, you just couldn’t help yourself…

He looked up as the door opened, seeing Cora and Griselda enter, both similarly cleaned and unarmored. He smiled at Cora, but gazed warily at the noblewoman, and she too had a conflicted look on her face.

“How long was I out?” he groaned.

“The rest of the day and through the night,” Griselda said, her mouth a flat line.

“Everyone saw you,” Cora said softly. The bed creaked as she sat next to him, her massive form looming over him as she ran a hand through his blond hair, “you’re the talk of every Amazon in town, none of them have ever seen anything like that…”

“Nor have I,” Griselda admitted with a sigh, “you slew four enemy mages, if not for you we’d all likely be dead…”

“I don’t suppose you’re grateful enough to break off our engagement?” Dirk asked, glaring at her.

Griselda refused to meet his gaze, “T-This is proof of everything I’ve been saying,” she said, her voice wavering. “We need to modernize; we need to be more organized.” She sighed, “I… I wish things had happened differently, that I’d made different decisions, but I have come too far to simply turn back. I will have the gold and I will have you.” Griselda gave what she probably believed to be a kind smile, “we can all work together, shape this region, this nation!”

“You could have come to my aunt and uncle with that offer,” Dirk said darkly, “instead they’re dead and here I am.”

Griselda was quiet a moment, then nodded, “I see… the mood is rather… celebratory, our wedding will occur tonight. With their victorious lady and the legendary mage killing boy being betrothed, I imagine the party will be the greatest one this town has ever seen… if nothing else, you’ve certainly become a legend here in your own right. I am certain that in time you will agree with me that this was in everyone’s best interest.”

Dirk resisted the urge to tell her to go to hell, wincing slightly at the soreness of his body as he forced himself to sit up. Cora didn’t look at Griselda either, simply smiling down at Dirk and sighing sadly.

“Take this time together as a gift from me,” Griselda muttered, “I will… see you both in the evening.”

She turned to go, shutting the door behind her and leaving them alone.

“That’s a hell of a thanks for saving her ass,” Dirk said angrily. He sighed and leaned back, “did Cassidy make it? Argus?”

“They’re fine,” Cora said with a smile, “Tom too.” She giggled a moment, “I uh… I had nothing to do with what Cynthia did while you were asleep, by the time I saw she’d… groomed you down there, it was already too late. I scolded her as best I could under the circumstances.”

“It’s all right,” he sighed, rolling his eyes and fighting a laugh, “I don’t know why she’s so insistent that I look better bare down there though…”

Cora bit her lip, sliding her hand under the covers and causing him to start as she wrapped a hand around him, letting one finger and extend over the now shaved skin around his manhood. He groaned and leaned back again as she slowly ran a hand up and down.

“I kind of like it,” Cora teased, “it makes a man look clean, you know?”

“Do you want one more ride before they march me down the aisle at spearpoint?” he asked with a grin.

“My thoughts exactly,” she said, throwing back the blanket and admiring his naked body, the new scars pale white across flesh that had been healed by magic. She bit her lip, admiring them as she stood up, undressing slowly so he could view her in turn. She’d never have expected she’d be attracted to such things in a man, but with Dirk it was different… she liked knowing he was dangerous, formidable… it gave her a rush to be with a man like this, and as she dropped the last of her clothing away and climbed on top of him, she couldn’t help but trace a finger over one, remembering the way he’d looked as he’d charged their foe.

“Go easy,” he winced with a grin as the amazon mounted him, “I’m still healing up!”

“Cynthia says nothing’s broken, and they healed your wounds as soon as my father finished stitching them,” Cora said smugly, “you might feel a little tired but you’re no more fragile than usual.”

“That’s still pretty fragile to a woman like you,” he grunted as Cora thrust her hips down on him, driving him into the bed.

“You haven’t broken yet!” she said, sighing blissfully as her hips bucked against his in a forceful motion that caused him to hiss in a mix of pleasure and pain.

He reached up, trying to wrap his hands around her, but she just laughed and almost casually pinned his hands, the motion of her hips against his like a steady hammer on an anvil, each strike causing him to gasp as Cora’s thighs tightened around him like an unruly horse. He bucked like one in response, and like an animal she meant to break she just tightened her grip, forcing his wrists together and holding them in place with a single one of her hands while she grunted and groaned, riding him and shattering his resistance.

“Yes!” she cried, her eyes going wide as she smiled, gushing over him and impaling herself upon his manhood again and again as he began to spasm out of control, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head before the unstoppable onslaught of the amazon’s lovemaking.

He blinked a few times, panting as his climax subsided, enjoying the feeling of the amazon on top of him, pinning him, even after they’d finished. Breathing out slowly Cora climbed off of him, curling up in the bed next to him and simply holding him a moment, surrounding him with herself as her powerful arms pulled him into her chest.

“I love you,” she whispered quietly, letting her hands run through his hair again.

“You’re not going to let this happen, are you?” he asked, more of a realization than a question.

“I will be objecting, and I’ll be bringing my sword,” she replied quietly, “she may kill me, she may order her guards to strike me down right there in front of everyone, but I don’t care.”

“Cora…” he said slowly, “you don’t need to-“

“You didn’t need to charge out of that fortress and shoot your way through those monsters, but you did anyway,” Cora replied, “I’ll bring two swords, one for myself and one for her, and we’ll see who the goddess really favors.”

Dirk nodded, sighing as he realized nothing he could say would deter her, and in truth he wasn’t sure he wanted to. This had to end, one way or another…

“Just hold me for a little while then,” he said in a low voice, and he allowed himself a smile as her grip on him tightened.