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Unexpected Detour (Razgriz x Wingshadow)

The Minotaurus slammed into the ring of spikes, the pointed tips snapping against her rock-hard hide but the mere force of the impact forced her backward, her hooves sliding as she somehow managed to maintain her composure despite taking the attack directly. She shook her head from side to side and huffed, her ears wagging slightly as she raised her axe and sliced at the barrier of rock. While she was thus occupied, Gnome began to think quickly.

"Follow your attack with another, throw some rock javelins toward her to keep her distracted while you draw her further away form the city. Concentrate on keeping her on the defensive, so she doesn't have time to break through your defenses. If she gets too close, I will distract her," Gnome tried her best to guide him through this so he wouldn't have to both formulate a strategy and concentrate on conducting his attacks.

The Minotaurus, meanwhile, was enthusiastically hacking away at the rock barriers, slamming fists into the hard earth in an attempt to shatter it. If anything, she found his resistance exciting and not an inconvenience in the least... It had been quite some time since she had last encountered someone who could actually put up much of a fight against her.
 
Sam felt a bit proud of himself for being able to at least slow her down and make her back off a bit, but lo and behold she was soon at it again. That damned ax and those fists of hers were making short work of his barrier; he then hear Gnome's advice. That made sense; the Minotaurus probably charged foes headlong, using superior offensive power and natural durability to whittle away at her opponent's defenses. So the answer seemed to be fighting fire with fire, so to speak. "Right" Sam replied, the green fire flaring up around him as his Earth powers surged once more. The sigil on his right hand glowed as it was raised up, forcing about a dozen spikes to sever from the barrier and raise up high into the air.

They hovered for a moment, turning over so that the sharpened tips, having freshly reformed themselves from the Minotaurus' blows, and aimed directly at the female beast. "This will make her back off" Sam thought to himself, his mind now fully determined to defeat this monster. "Take this!" Sam yelled out as he swung his hand down; the pointed projectiles shot towards the Minotaurus. He then slammed his fist into the spike wall itself, causing several more spikes to shoot straight out in front of him, now forcing her to deal with an attack from two directions instead of just one.
 
Thwack!

The spikes from the wall jutted forward and struck her in the chest, knocking her back. The Minotaurus staggered slightly as she had before, but managed to maintain her footing just until the spikes from behind struck her. The combined series of attacks was sufficient to bring her to her knees, even if it was just for a time.

Thunk!

The Minotaurus groaned, her right knee pressing against the ground as she took a few moments to attempt to collect herself, the repeated assault on her starting to have an effect. She snorted and huffed, both her hands gripping the axe with slowly building aggressiveness.

"She's not done yet, we have just managed to get her serious," Gnome warned him firmly, "She will likely charge you with her axe next, so aim carefully and use her momentum against her and launch a direct attack at her head. If we can hit her hard enough, we might be able to take her down that that attack alone. If it doesn't work, I doubt it will work if we try it again. Minotaurus might not be very smart, but they aren't stupid... I know you can do it, Sam!"

Sure enough, the Minotaurus raised her axe up into the air and brought it down with terrible force, cracking and hacking away at the stone barrier and clearing it away with relative ease. Her eyes shone with near fury, clearly enticed to a rage and desire from the strength of his attacks. She pulled her axe back once again, aiming a strike directly at his chest... The precise timing of his attack would require him to strike exactly when she drove her attack forward, when her momentum was at its peak.
 
Sam was huffing himself; he had a feeling this wasn't the end yet, but this woman was tougher than nails. Sam could see that his attacks were pissing her off, her breaths heavy and somewhat labored. Gnome's words confirmed his suspicions, making him ready himself once more. Luckily, their assaults against each other pushed the battle farther away from the village, so now there was almost no risk of collateral damage to the Lamia's home. As he tried to think of what to do, Gnome once again came through with a plan to help get this fight over with. It was very likely this beast had a higher endurance than Sam, so dragging it out was not an option.

"Right!" Sam replied, focusing the energy into his right hand, the sigil on his palm glowing brighter than it ever had before; he was going to pour every last ounce of energy he could into this strike. The fire around his body shifted to coat only the right arm; he could feel the immense power building up inside him. He could only watch and wait as his buffer was smashed to rubble; he was thankful, though, that this Minotaurus seemed rather single-minded, more than willing to tear through any obstacle to get at her target. It would work to his advantage.

"Gnome, give me strength" he said, pulling his hand back as the last of the Earth Spike Wall was demolished, the Minotaurus swinging her axe straight down on top of him. The adrenaline made everything move so slowly, it was like someone turned the speed of time flow down around him. He managed to side-step the heavy attack, feeling the wind rush past his face as her blade narrowly missed him. He then yelled in a rather drawn-out fashion, a massive fist-shaped extension rising rapidly from the earth, following his fist as the bull-woman's head was coming down.

The impact turned out to have a lot more force behind than Sam anticipated; it was so great in fact, that even her heavy form was lifted off the ground and went a tad airborne. Even if it didn't knock her out, she would surely feel that one.
 
"My strength is yours!" Gnome shouted and thrust her fist forward with him as he launched his attack.

The Minotaurus grunted as the large earthen fist slammed right into her face, the mere force of the strike sending out shock-waves through the air as the mass of her body impacted the ground after flying backward a short distance. She landed heavily, her axe falling from her grasp and clanging against the ground as she lay sprawled out and senseless. She didn't even make an effort to move, for she was clearly knocked senseless from that single attack. The villagers began to rejoice and hug each other with joy, some throwing brightly-colored rags into the air while others started to dance. This Minotaurus wouldn't be bothering this village ever again... at least not when she came to recognize her humiliating defeat.

Gnome appeared beside Sam and hugged him, eyes beaming with joy and pride as she showered him with praises. She wasn't alone in this, as the Lamia from the village began to file out and beckon him to return and take part in the impromptu festivities.
 
Sam felt the blastback from his blow as his Earth Rising Fist connected with the Minotaurus; all he could do was stare at his hand, the sigil pulsing visibly as the energy was expended. His breathing was fairly short, his chest rising and falling rather noticeably as the fatigue from using that power made itself. It wasn't enough to render him unable to walk, but it made him feel winded; if he hadn't had Gnome assisting him, it was likely he would have been defeated. His eyes wandered up to his defeated adversary; she was so still for a short while Sam wondered if he'd killed her. But small twitches in her ears, fingers and head made it clear she was only knocked silly.

However, he didn't get to ponder it long; soon he found himself being hugged in all directions, from Gnome especially. Her constant praises made him feel embarrassed; OK, he may have saved a village, but it wasn't like he did it all by himself. He made sure to mention that Gnome helped him out greatly, she was his source of strength and inspiration after all. Regardless, the fight had dragged on for some time, but the sun was still fairly low in the sky. The festivities were soon in full swing; Sam had to admit, he actually felt like a storybook hero. He remembered when his father used to read him stories like that when he was a kid; a knight saving the Princess after slaying the dragon. Only, this was but one obstacle; he knew that his journey was far from over, but for now enjoyed himself and basked in the afterglow of a well-earned, hard-fought-for victory.
 
Sasha looked over Sam's triumphal reception, a pleased smirk curving her lips as she watched him re-enter the village goaded on by the villager's praises and embraces. She motioned to her attendants to bring out refreshments for the crowds who were filing out in force by that time, Flo, Mist, and their children among them. Gnome was feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all, not used to being around so many people at one time, but tried her best to put up with it. After all, they were merely trying to express their thankfulness, and she didn't want to trample on their goodwill. Before long, however, Sasha made her way through the crowd toward the two heroes.

"I would like to offically thank you for your assistance, and according to my promises that I gave to you, Flo and Mist as well as their children will be allowed to reside in this village for as long as they desire," she nodded to the confused glances of her subjects and continued, "Also, I will provide you with the current location of Undie, whom you seek to contract for yet greater power than what you have shown to us today. You see, Undie is a wandering spirit and could reside in any of three mountain springs, which is why King Poseidon did not give you her exact location. However, do not let such matters put a damper on your hearts, for today is a day for rejoicing. Sam, our noble hero, has not only saved us from this great threat to our survival but also promised to give me an heir, so that our people will not lack a leader in the coming years."

The crowd cheered and Sasha withdrew back to her hut, giving Sam a playful glance before turning her back to him and making her way back through the joyful villagers.
 
Sam was sheepishly accepting praises, some of the girls giving him appreciative pecks on the cheek, but it was mostly just hugging. Very tight, emotional hugging; it was clear the Minotaurus was a larger threat to the village's safety than Sam initially understood. He was glad he could have helped, but all this attention was making it a bit uncomfortable; when Sasha approached him, however, everyone stopped their current actions and paid close attention to her words. The looks of confusion were no surprise when it came to Flo and Mist; some he imagined were questioning her sanity given the pair's past, while others he imagined were confused because they were unaware of the residency issue in general and the deal Sam struck to have the pair reside in the village permanently.

However, as soon as she mentioned Undine and how Poseidon did not give her the exact location, Sam's look of confusion joined the rest. What did she mean Poseidon didn't give him the exact location? Wasn't she at the Cleansing Embrace, wherever that was? He flushed a little as she outright told everyone about the heir issue, a look of exasperation crossing his features; why the hell did she just say that? Wouldn't her cousin try and do something about that? Needless to say, Sam was quickly thrown back into the festivities as Sasha made her exit; he caught her glance, knowing that he would have to go fulfill his other end of the deal. But that could wait; he wanted to go see his family.

He crossed through the crowds of Lamia girls until he found Flo and Mist, enjoying themselves while keeping an eye on their daughters. "So, looks like you two have a home to call your own forever now.....Hopefully this helps make up for the fact that I wasn't there to help raise the kids" he then said; he just wanted them to know that he cared about them and he was truly sorry.
 
"There is really nothing for us to forgive, love," Flo smiled at Sam as she bent forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, "We were the ones who decided to mate with you, so the children are primarily our responsibility. Just come back and visit us from time to time after you return from your adventure. I'm sure your daughters would be delighted to spend some more time with you."

Mist nodded as well, apparently a bit overwhelmed by the crowds as well as she gathered her daughters up next to her lest they be swept away by the cheering, dancing, rejoicing multitude which had practically taken the village by storm. When loaves of bread, and cups filled with various juices began to be passed around, the villagers began to calm down and fall to chatting among each other in a friendly manner. They discussed their excitement and expressed their thankfulness to Sam one by one, some shaking his hands while others giving him warm, albeit brief, hugs before departing. Eventually, Gnome found her way up to Sam's shoulders, using him like a perch to overlook the crowds and stay out of possible danger of being crushed by the enthusiastic Lamia. She still gave them polite nods in return to their words of thanks for her part, but she seemed eager to return to Mist and Flo's house to get away from the seemingly endless supply of Lamia.
 
"I most certainly will" Sam replied, gracefully accepting the kiss on the cheek. He then looked around and saw that the joy of driving off the Minotaurus - he hoped, anyway - was creating quite the infectious stir amongst the populace. For what felt like hours, Sam found himself having his hand shaken or being squeezed in a brief but meaningful hug. Some even leaked tears of gratitude; the evidence seemed to just stack up to the fact that this Minotaurus had terrified the village for quite some time. He helped Gnome up onto his shoulders, even though she could have merely returned to spirit form; he figured she wanted to see everyone herself, not through his eyes and partake in the festivities.

After a while, Sam realized that this would be a good time to go fulfill his other bargain; if there was one quality that he was proud of (in most instances), it was the ability to keep a promise no matter what. Though how he felt about this promise in particular, he wasn't sure; he thought about this the whole way as he led Gnome back to Mist and Flo's residence. Soon, he helped her down and explained what he needed to, then left; he figured she wouldn't want to be around when he was intimate with the leader. It was here he moved through the throngs of Lamia, receiving more hugs and words of thanks as he traversed the crowd towards the Lamia leader's tent.
 
Gnome nodded and accepted his decision to leave her there with Flo and Mist, not really having much of a desire to see him give himself to another woman but understanding that it was necessary since he had made a promise to her. She sat down and the little lamia surrounded her, curling up beside her in a friendly manner as she reluctantly gave in to their demands to amuse them with simple earth manipulation tricks. It served as a good distraction, plus the pleased faces they would make was more than enough compensation for her trouble.

Sasha was relaxing in her tent as before when Sam entered, her eyes quickly meeting his as he stepped inside. She once again invited him to sit beside her, but it came across as more of a polite command than a simple request, "I presume you are here to fulfill your part of the bargain? I publicly announced my decision to let the two of them stay here, and I wouldn't want to suffer such a loss to my credibility if I went back on my word... I believe we both highly prize our honesty in this case."

She motioned to her attendants to leave them as she did not wish to have voyeuristic onlookers, which they promptly obeyed. The leader Lamia reclined on her cushions, practically laying herself open to his gaze as she beckoned to him to come closer.
 
Sam followed her suggestion, laying himself on the rather plush set of cushions; while he figured it was no surprise for her to possess such comfortable furniture, it surprised him that she had them, given the rather desolate nature of their home. He watched as the guards left and a rather thick veil rolled down from the top of the doorway, completely obscuring them from any onlookers; he was silently grateful for that as this was rather awkward to him already. It also surprised him that her home wasn't underground like Mist and Flo's; then again, it was probably an accessibility issue since she was the leader. He imagined it would be quite the pain for her and her subjects to constantly be traveling up and down a passage like that.

"Yes, I'm here to fulfill my end of the deal; and you're right, honesty in this case is a highly prized virtue" he then replied, his eyes roaming her figure. Despite the rather intimidating skull-marks on her serpent lower body, she really was quite beautiful to look at. Her human upper-body was largely shrouded by her long, flowing hair, obscuring her very sizable chest partially from his view. "I have to admit, Sasha, if I may call you such, you are a very attractive woman. But I have to ask....None of the other Lamia I've seen possessed such intricate markings on their bodies. Did either of your parents have them?"
 
"Oh, you mean this?" she ran her left hand over one of the many skull-marks on her serpentine lower half, "I inherited this pattern from my father, who was one of the very last of our pure-blood Lamia males. As you doubtless noticed, we have no young other than Mist and Flo's children, as my beloved father passed away nearly thirty years ago, passing the leadership of the village down to myself."

She did not seem the least bit put off by his question, as she probably expected him to ask her about it at one point or another. After all, her black and yellow coloration alone made her stand out quite clearly from the others. Yet, although she patiently would answer every one he asked, she clearly had other desires on her mind than answering his questions. She pushed her hair back, allowing him to directly gaze upon her sizable breasts, each tipped with hardened peaks which desired his attentions. However, she made no motion to take him and foist herself upon him, rather settling on drawing him in and practically toying with him until he gave into her desires willingly.
 
"I see" was all Sam could say; that couldn't have been easy for her or the village, but especially her. "Well, it seems like you've adapted to the role of leader quite well, if I do say so myself" he then added, feeling the blood rush to his groin as she exposed her large chest to him. He kept his robes - surprisingly intact from his combat with the Minotaurus, save for a few tears - on as he crawled across the cushions to Sasha, putting his face only inches from hers. "I also hope this encounter will show my gratitude for giving my family a safe place to call home" he then said before pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss.

Sam pressed himself into her further, pushing Sasha onto her back and laying on top of her as his strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close to him. Her large mounds flattened against his chest, her erect nipples grinding slightly against the fabric of her robes as he continued the heated liplock, their tongues intertwining much like snakes themselves. He intended to make her feel good; after all, she did do him a very important favor. A hand liberated then itself from on her back and came up to massage one of her heavy globes, his fingers lightly trapping the erect bud at the tip as he massaged the soft, pillow-like mound of flesh.
 
"why thank you... Most of them do not appreciate my leadership, although I try hard not to make myself hated," Sasha's coils quickly wrapped themselves around his body as he embraced her. Her arms snaked their way under his robe, hands pressing against and feeling his toned torso muscles as she matched his kiss with equal passion. She pressed up into his touches, the sensation of his hands roaming her body lighting a furious flame of desire within her, even greater than her previous spark of lust. Yes, the primary reason she had required his assistance in this way was to procure an heir, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the process to the fullest as well. Her left hand gripped his shoulder while her right slowly worked its way down toward his waist, wrapping around his hardening member and gently pumping it, testing his size and firmness.

"Yes... I think you will do very nicely," she approved of his manhood's quality, "Even though you are not a Lamia, you are just as virile and stiff as any of our kind... "

For now, she let him take the initiative, but the further he proceeded, the more she desired to take hold of the situation and subject him to her pleasurable torments. She was not a gentle lover, but could bring out an intensity that few of his earlier partners could hope to match.
 
Sam was initially surprised at how quickly Sasha wrapped her lower body around him; however, he then simply smirked as she began returning his efforts, her fingers leaving a tickling trail over his chest and stomach as they explored to their heart's content. Her chest seemed to rise into his touch, pressing the large orb even more firmly into his hands as he continued to massage her breasts; he let out a bit of a gasp though, as her hand began stroking his impressive cock. "Glad you approve" he replied as she broke the kiss to compliment him.

He decided to take his teasing a bit further; he moved down, kissing along her jawline before then moving to her neck, letting his heated breath wash over the upper slopes of her breasts. After continuing this for a few moments more, he then went for her chest; his mouth kissed and licked the sizable orb, moving so painstakingly slow to reach her the erect bud at the top. Her breasts wanted attention, he could tell, so he would gladly give it to them. After teasing around the nipple for a few minutes, his lips then captured the erect bud, sucking with a moderate level of forced; Sam repeated this action with her other breast, switching back and forth every now and then so as to draw hot, heavy breaths and gasps of pleasure from her.
 
Sasha's body squirmed with delight under his attentions, heated moans escaping her lips as kissed and sucked on her nipples. Her face was already flushed with desire, her roaming eyes devouring him as her tongue brushed over her lustrous lips. Her coils tightened around him a bit more as she pushed him back into a seated position, her hands grasping his shoulders and keeping herself well within his reach during the movement.

She then bent forward and gave him a deep, lustful kiss square on his lips as she began to tease herself with the tip of his member, brushing it across the soft, damp folds of her sex. Pushing only the head inside at first, she drew him in and out of her body, gasping with delight at the sensations she was giving herself. She gradually tired of this, however, and then, with one swift motion, buried him completely inside of her moist channel. Almost instantly, her inner folds constricted around him, nearly painful in intensity, as she began to somewhat roughly ride him.
 
(Hope you don't mind if I speed things up here)

Sam was glad he was able to bring her this much pleasure; though it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. He'd been given quite the large number of opportunities to practice, plus he felt he owed her for agreeing to let Mist and Flo stay here as long as they desired. While he had no doubts in his mind that they were capable of taking care of themselves, he figured the whole 'safety in numbers' bit applied here. When she pushed him so that he was sitting upright, he gave a rather audible grunt as the pressure of her coils spiked around his body. They'd been tightening rhythmically around him this whole time, it was almost soothing; however, this sudden surge in pressure was unexpected, hence the reaction.

He returned her kiss as she threw herself wholeheartedly, their tongues wrestling in passionate combat. It was here he realized that tables were turned; she was stronger than him and she had all tied up, not that he was exactly trying to free himself from her trap. The two of them grunted, groaned, gasped, made all sorts of noises that lovers caught in the throes of ecstasy made. He himself gave a particularly loud grunt as she wrapped his manhood in her sheath; he knew snakes were all muscle, but this was something completely unexpected. Her walls squeezed, making the experience an odd mix of both pain and pleasure, but quickly reverting to pleasure as she shook her hips, driving his turgid love muscle deep inside her with each push. His arms, the only other appendages that were free at the moment, quickly wrapped around her human upper body and pressed each other closer together; her diamond-hard nipples rubbed against his toned chest fiercely as they made some of the most intense love either of them had ever experienced.

For hours on end, they continued; snakes had extraordinarily long mating sessions and this was no different. Each of them climaxed over and over again, their mixed fluids flooding Sasha's insides and ensuring that she would bare a child. Sam swore he felt some of his ribs bend and possibly break when she climaxed; however, the constant rush of endorphins and adrenaline drowned out any pain he might have felt. Besides, he wouldn't be TOO upset; he was in this much as she was. But, as with all good things, it must come to an end at some point; Sam was sweating profusely from the elevated intensity of it all and his energy was nearing zero. "Sa....Sasha.....I'm.....almost there!" he grunted out, his hands gripping her plump butt firmly as his strongly throbbing organ drove in and out of her, preparing itself for one last release.
 
(Nope, in fact I was considering much of the same thing myself)
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"Then cum one last time for me, my lover," Sasha purred into his ear as she felt his inevitable fatigue begin to take a firm hold of his body. They had been continuing their session for nearly six hours, and although Sasha was only starting to feel somewhat drained from their exertions she had no desire to push Sam further than he was physically able to perform. As things were, he was likely to need at least a few days to recover from the experience. Yet, she was satisfied with the amount of seed he had given her, which was more than sufficient to ensure at least one if not many offspring from their union.

Although she doubtless enjoyed his embrace and considered the possibility of taking him as her mate on a more... permanent basis, she knew that he had other things that he wished to accomplish, and that if he wished to return she would accept him with open arms. After all, she had no desire to keep an unwilling mate. In the very least, it would make it difficult to ensure his faithfulness if he were unhappy.

In any case, she realized that with his final release it would mark the end of their lovemaking for the time being, and as she felt his warm, thick release flow from his member and into her hungry sex, she stroked his face and began to gently lay him down beside her on the cushion. She curled up beside him, finally letting him withdraw from inside her body where he had remained for nearly the entire duration. Sasha laid her head down near his shoulder, and placed her right hand on his chest as she let him fall into a peaceful, deep, and doubtless fatigued slumber. A genuine smile graced her lips as she watched him sleep, and with the tip of her long tail she turned out the dim lamps in the corners of the room.

The next morning, she let him wake up when and how he pleased, but ordered her attendants to bring them fruits for their breakfast as well as writing tools for her to write down whatever information he desired her to give him as soon as he was capable of speech. Gnome approached the tent, and was near instantly admitted to Sasha's presence, as she was doubtless worried about her contractor and wished to see him. She silently approached him and laid down next to him, content that he did not seem to have sustained any major injuries.
 
Sam finished off, pouring his final release deep into Sasha's body before falling back, his chest rising and falling in quick succession from the massive expenditure of energy. He'd had some intense sessions, but this one topped them all. He felt himself laid down gently before the smooth, slick mass of muscle that was Sasha's serpent half unwound itself from his body; the air was heavy with the scent of their activity, a number of cushions coated in the evidence of their carnal activity. His hips were coated in their combined love fluids, as was Sasha's womanhood and a part of her front side. Luckily they both laid down on one spot that was clean, as it would have been a bit uncomfortable otherwise. He then entered the blissful realm of sleep, a dreamless sleep from being so thoroughly exhausted. He was so out of it that the aches and pains from having his body squeezed so mercilessly didn't even register to him before he passed out.

The morning however, would see to it that he remembered the previous night; it was sometime after Sasha had awakened that he himself started to stir. His eyelids fluttered as his mind kicked in more and more. He tried to take in a yawn, but groaned in pain. "Aaah" he grunted; he couldn't see it yet, but their activities last night left him with a few obvious marks. Parts of his legs were black and blue, as was almost every inch of his torso; that was quite the round of sex he had last night, apparently. While not anything too serious, he wouldn't be going anywhere until he'd healed.

However, he then looked to his left to see Gnome laying beside him. "Morning, Gn.....Gah" he then grunted out, clutching his side.; he figured Sasha would be a bit rough with him, but nothing like this. He had to keep his breaths shallow, as jolts of pain would shoot through him if he took in too much air. He couldn't even sit up, it hurt so bad. If he could look down, he would also see pressure marks where the contours of Sasha's serpent body had imprinted themselves onto him.
 
"You should have used the power of earth to harden your body somewhat," Gnome ever so gently stroked his arm with her fingertips, careful not to cause him pain but trying to maintain a certain amount of physical contact between them, "I could channel some of my power into you to help with the healing process, but its much less than what Undie is capable of."

She tried not to look too hard at his body, as she knew it would only upset her to see how much Sasha had (albeit somewhat unintentionally) abused him during their admittedly intense mating last night. Female lamia were not known to be the most gentle partners, and were capable of harming even male lamia in the past. If they were particularly aroused and deeply in love they could easily crush a normal human man to death without even realizing it. Thankfully, Sam's physical durability was passively enhanced due to his contract with the earth spirit, and since Sasha wasn't actually romantically entangled with Sam at the time she had been able to restrain herself to a certain degree. In any case, Gnome knew that even with a little help he would take a few days to be completely back up to full strength.

"Ah yes, Undie," Sasha repeated, stretching her arms a bit as she evidently didn't even feel somewhat sore from last nights exertions, "She was the one you wished to hear about, wasn't she? You see, she takes up residence in one of three springs which are marked on your map, spending approximately equal amounts of time in the year in each one of them. I'm not sure exactly why she does this, but I think its something of a mind game she plays to dissuade contractors who lack sufficient determination to find her... Thankfully, I know where she will be for the next three months or so. She is in the northern spring, the one skirted by a thick bamboo forest."
 
Now that Gnome brought it up, Sam felt like a bit of a dolt; he was so concerned with fulfilling his end of the bargain that he overlooked the fact he could have avoided this trouble entirely. But at least didn't seem all that upset with him. His arms, having been free from Sasha's coils, weren't bruised like the rest of his body, so her touches wouldn't make him hurt in any way. "I appreciate that, Gnome, but don't waste energy on me; if this is what happens, at least I'm not dead, hehe...Ah!" He then grunted out again; laughing was out of the picture as well, apparently.

He knew he'd gotten stronger, but he still didn't fully understand the benefits of beginning an Elemental's contractor. Plus, he figured Sasha had to have been holding back when she squeezed him with her coils; the larger serpents on Earth, such as anacondas and pythons, could easily kill a grown man like him, and they were many times smaller than any of the Lamia here. He was thankful for this; it would be a real shame if he perished here before his journey had barely even started. Little, of course, did he realize of the trials ahead and how trying they would be.

Though it was a bit of a bruise to Sam's strangely-awakened ego to see that Sasha didn't seem all that affected by last night's romp, he figured she possessed a far higher level of endurance than he did. He wondered if she even enjoyed it all, or if her moans and movements were just for him to give her what she wanted, but decided it ultimately wasn't important and cast it aside. "Yeah, you mentioned there were three springs at the Cleansing Embrace. So she's at the north spring, then." He found it odd that she would do this, but Sasha's theory made sense. But the only way he could see that working was if she moved from one spring to the next randomly.

"But I..." he grunted, working through the pronounced discomfort as he sat up before continuing, "did have some questions" He paused for a moment, trying to think of how to phrase the questions themselves. "What can you tell me about the Pharaoh? She, at least from what I've heard it's a she, is one of my objectives. I was wondering if you could enlighten me with anything you might know of her. Powers, traits, personality, anything will help."
 
"Ah, yes... The Pharaoh," Sasha nodded, bringing her right hand up to her chin, "Her patrols are becoming more frequent, and in greater numbers. My only guess is that she is trying to build up her forces to expand her sphere of influence. There are the Anubis, wolf-like leaders who are very orderly and authoritative, strong in themselves as they wield powerful mind-influencing magic but their true power lies in the vast numbers of mummies that they command. You see, her mummies have the special ability of not only quickly and efficiently subduing her foes with long strands of strong cloth, but turning them into more of her own soldiers. The Anubis are weak against strong-willed individuals who can overpower their spells which will surprise them allow you to subdue them rather easily. The mummies, however, are a bit more tricky. If you are caught in their bindings, try to reach out and touch their skin. They are very sensitive to direct stimulation of their bodies, and if you can touch them they will be unable to move let alone continue to attack you. There are also Golems, artificial life forms made of stone which are physically very strong and whose sole purpose is to gather semen from whatever source they can find. They follow commands written in runes on their bodies, and until they are fulfilled they will continue to mindlessly follow their last command. Lastly, there are the Sphinx. Generally they are quite easygoing, but if you should ever come across one of them and she asks you a riddle, you must answer correctly or she will attack you. They are very powerful, but they respect wisdom in whatever form it may take."

"I can't imagine you would wish to confront any of these as you are now, and yet they are vastly weaker in comparison to the Pharaoh herself. Standing at the head of a vast army of Anubis, Golems, and Mummies, she can take many forms. At times, she appears to be a giant viper, while other others she looks like a mighty lion. Most of the time, she looks like a human woman with an elaborate headdress and pure white robes decorated with designs sewn with golden thread, but this is not her true form. No one other than the Goddess herself has seen her true form and lived, which she only reveals when she is truly serious. The battle between them raged for months if not years, until the Goddess herself was defeated and sealed inside the Great Pyramid. When the Pharaoh fights, she holds nothing back, yet that is precisely what her true weakness is. Using the power of Undie, you should be able to see the flow of her body as it moves, and anticipate each and every one of her attacks and evade them effortlessly. Once she tires, it will be a simple task to seal her, yet that binding spell granted to you by Poseidon only works when she is in her true form. Also, utilizing Undie's powers when faced by someone such as the Pharaoh will be very difficult, since it requires a calm and serene heart devoid of all fear or anxiety. If you hesitate or slip up for but a moment, you will be unable to maintain your focus."

"Personally, the Pharaoh is very proud and self-seeking, only fearing those that she cannot control. Even she cannot rebel against the Succubus, which should give you an idea of just what sort of person you are up against. At present, I do not think that she wishes to crush you, but instead has taken an interest in you... Possibly as a potential replacement for her previous mate. You see, that is the reason why we call her the Sleeping Succubus. She lacks the spiritual power to maintain high levels of activity, so she spends most of the year sleeping... But that's a bit beside the point. If you defeat the Pharaoh and release the Goddess, it will doubtless draw more of her attention to you. The more powerful you become, the more desirable you are to her... So be careful, Sam," Sasha smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was not a romantic gesture, but rather a sign of her blessing which she was more than willing to grant him... After all, he would need all the support he could get.

"Concerning Undie herself, I can also tell you a bit about her as a person and what method she will likely use to test you," Sasha continued, "She used to be very kind and sociable, but for reasons that I am not privy to, she has become much more aggressive and uneasy as of late. She will likely wish to engage you in combat, placing you in a nearly impossible situation to see if you can clear your mind and find a way to defeat her. She can hide her form in any body of water, including the spring itself, and can create thick fog to further conceal herself. She is is impervious to most forms of attack as well, yet her most deadly power is her body itself. If she approaches you and envelops you in herself, it is all over... She can dissolve virtually any substance into herself, including you. Concerning the other elementals, however, I cannot say that I know very much about them..."
 
Sam just sat there, feeling the disbelief, anxiety and dread well up within him; Poseidon mentioned the Pharaoh was powerful, but he didn't realize she'd have an army this massive! He could only lay back, his eyes fixated on Sasha as she explained each of the soldiers under her command. The Anubis didn't sound like too much of a problem at the least, but the mummies......With the information that all of monster women here were female, he couldn't but wonder. His mind briefly drifted to how each of them would look like, but shook his head of the thoughts. The thought of mummies having skin was a bit of a conundrum to wrap his head around; if they were mummies. Then came the Golems; at this he imagined that they were Minotaurus-sized stone monstrosities and just as violent. All of this was making his head hurt. Normally he prided himself on the ability to process a lot of information and make use of it, but that was when he worked with machines, a far simpler thing to deal with than this.

His feelings of unease were amplified as Sasha then began talking about the Pharaoh herself, her various forms and how only the Goddess had seen her true form and lived. When she explained that even someone as strong as the Pharaoh couldn't match the Succubus in terms of power "Right, she's the reason I need to go the Pharaoh; I promised Poseidon I would rescue her." he then replied, looking back at Sasha as she then talked more of the Sleeping Succubus. So that's why she was called that, because she couldn't really do anything too strenuous.only to feel his heart practically stop. He was potentially being considered a replacement for her mate? "You gotta be kidding me....." he said, the disbelief evident in his tone. Could this be working against him any more than it was now. He knew he'd be painting a target on his back by seeking out the elementals, but to be a mate? Somehow he could only foresee that ending very, VERY badly.

Her exposition of Undine made him worry; she basically just listed off a thousand ways he could die, and he was expected to be able to maintain a calm heart? "Well, that's just great" he groaned out sarcastically; this couldn't possibly get worse. So now he had to deal with a pissed-off water spirit that could dissolve him like battery acid on metal? Fantastic; so if he fails he's a dead man. No pressure. No pressure at all. "I suppose next you're going to tell me she can superheat steam to burn me to high heaven too, right?" he then chimed in exasperatedly, not expecting that he hit the nail on the head with that.
 
"Well, actually, now that you mention it I believe she may possess that ability as well," Sasha replied after considering his statement for a few moments, "She is a very powerful spirit, but also very dangerous... I wonder if she has ever even been contracted before, which might explain her somewhat erratic behavior."

"I'm surprised she has anything at all in common with your little darling here," she reached over and patted Gnome on the head, much to the earth spirit's dismay.

"My mother met Undie once, but it was so long ago I don't think she will even recognize me," Gnome adjusted her hood a bit, "She's much older than I am, and much more experienced, but I think bonding with her will be more difficult for Sam than when he bonded with me. I think part of the reason why she is acting so strangely is possibly due to pollutants in her springs, as my mother would tell me that Undie was a bit of an airhead but generally easygoing."

"That is what I heard as well, but apparently that is no longer the case," Sasha shrugged.
 
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