Dianna's Quest into the Unknown (AmySorin x Reydan)

[AmySorin]

It was a cloudy, but warm spring morning in Melakar. The city had been founded almost eight hundred years ago, amidst the Hogorian hills, located in the southeast of the continent. Originally only a small town, the place saw a huge increase in movement nearly four hundred years ago, after the discovery of many gold and iron veins in the region. Nearly two hundred years after that, the city became the Falkirian Empire political capital, with the Emperor moving his permanent palace to a place in the heart of the city. Due to Melakar’s wealth and easy to defend position, the choice was easily justified and few people questioned the decision. Ever since then, the city’s streets had been packed with people from everywhere in the huge empire coming and going, some staying forever, some leaving for good.

What many people seemed to fail to notice was that Melakar had been the birthplace of the Order of Truth. The Order started as a small religious organization devoted to xxx – the goddess of knowledge and wisdom –, but ever since its creation its influence had expanded immensely and its activities had branched into many different ways. Some people would go as far as claiming that the Order of Truth had been the real reason for Melakar status as political capital of the Empire. The rumors, of course, had never actually been confirmed, with the Order always denying any interest in the Falkirian Empire’s politics. Even so, it was clear that the Order had quite some influence in the Empire, since the royal guard was composed of high ranked paladins provided by the order.

Also, right next to the emperor’s palace, lied a huge and imposing stronghold, even bigger than the palace itself. Those were the headquarters of the Order of Truth. A building where their paladins were trained, their priests and priestess were initiated and their grandmasters made their decisions. In that specific day, in a dim lit room in the heart of the building, the three grandmasters, hidden behind their robes, looked down at a blonde paladin, kneeling several meters below them.

“We are glad to see how quickly you have answered to our call, Dianna” a womanly voice started. Her voice was deep and her pacing was slow and calm.

“We have asked you to come here today because of a request made by King Snyker, governor of the Arcturo province” a man’s voice stated, in a louder and more rushed way than the first one.

“He has asked for help with some strange events and sightings in some outer cities of his province. He believes they’re being caused by outerworld creatures, who are corrupting and plaguing their lands” explained a third voice, this one also of a woman, although of a much higher-pitched tone than the first.

“However, the king has provided no evidence of anything he claimed to be happening in the province. We can’t spare our highest ranked men investigating something that we have no proof of. The Order has biggest concerns than that” the second voice resumed in its rushed way.

“This is what we want from you, Dianna. You’re going to be sent to the province to investigate the king’s claims. This is an official request from the Order, but you are to behave as if an unofficial assignment and you’re not supposed to present yourself as a paladin of the Order” The first voice calmly mentioned.

“You have been granted training and equipment by the Order and this should prove enough. However, we’re also sparing you a sum of gold to aid you in your travel, considering that the Arcturian province is rather far from Melakar” the third voice said “It’s already resting on the small table in front of you. Take it and move on in your journey. You’re now dismissed” ended the third voice.

Shortly after the grandmasters had stopped talking, they disappeared from the room, seemingly leaving no trace of them. This way, Dianna was left on her own inside the large, dim lit place.​

 

[Reydan]

Dianna's heart was pounding as she knelt, in the dimly lit room at the heart of the great palace of the Order of Truth. Above her, high above her and looking down imperiously, were three of the great leaders of the Order. Grandmasters, wise and powerful, who had selected her, her, for a sacred and vital duty.

A quest. Into the Arcturo Province to investigate the strange reports of otherworldly creatures and goings-on. Her heart sang. She could hardly believe that she had been chosen for this great honor. Seriously - it had only been ten months before that she had joined the Order. Dianna was the daughter of a noble family, from the surrounding countryside, but had balked at the idea of marrying the simpering son of another nearby blue-blooded family. She had simply been unable to bear the idea of Anton Dantorin's lopsided face bearing down on her night after night....so she had fled to the capital to sign up with the Order. The Paladins were, as all knew, immune from the law and her parents were unable to object.

Still, her training had not been the smoothest. She had a reputation as a hothead, of acting before thinking, and would often charge in unadvisedly. Her instructors had done their best, but she was still a bit of a loose cannon. And, critically, untested. Nevertheless, her heart swelled with pride as she listened to their instructions.

Standing, as they vacated their lofty perch, she stopped at the table to strap on the armor and longsword. They were standard Order equipment but, as the Grandmasters had said, they were free of the insignia of the Order. Nothing would tie her to the group. That was a little...uneasy, but in her self-confident pride at having been selected Dianna paid it little mind.

Setting off into the street of Melakar she decided to head to the river dock. The quickest way through the rough terrain of the countryside would be to take one of the narrow barges that plied their trade up and down the rivers and canals of the Empire. She would start there and try and purchase passage.

 

[AmySorin]

Even taking the quickest way across the countryside, Dianna took nearly three hours to reach the river docks. The terrains that surrounded the capital made for excellent defense positions, but that also made passage through it quite a chore. Throughout the years, aqueducts had been built so that the fresh water was taken to and stored in the urban areas of Melakar, a work made possible by the research branch of the Order of Truth. This meant that the urban areas of the city could grow away from the river and deeper into the hills.

From a defensive point of view, strapping the armor – consisting of a gambeson and a riveted chainmail, more than any commoner would ever be able to afford – was the correct decision. However, as Dianna progressed through the hilly countryside, the clouds started moving away from the sun and sunlight started to pour directly onto her head and body. This, obviously, only served the purpose of making the paladin’s march to the river docks harder than the normal. The armor was fairly comfortable and allowed her way more freedom of movement than people who weren’t used to it would expect, but they also served as a great way to make the wearer feel like they were melting if worn for way too long.

By the time Dianna arrived into the docks, she was already sweating quite a bit. The same, however, could be said about the many sailors and workers that took cargo from the ships to the carriages and from the carriages to the ships. Apparently, three commercial ships had docked, bringing with them a great many types of goods from northern most part of the Empire. Yet, at the same time, two ships carrying the flag of Melakar looked just about to set sail, one carrying a shipment of raw gold and the other carrying an impressive amount of weapons made in the capital. Aside from those bigger vessels, about a dozen smaller boats were also docked.

Aside from all the ships that made the dock’s waters almost full, a large number of people could see walking around. They were of every kind, race and species. From noble elves from another country, to sailor dwarves that worked within the ships and Melakar citizens going out of the city for a reason or the other, the docks were visited by all. It was almost hard to walk around and not to bump onto someone by accident. However, the people there seemed to agglomerate the most around the vessels, big or small, that seemed to be about to leave.

The Arcturo Province was on the western part of the Empire, almost in the exact polar opposite side of where Melakar stood. Even through the fastest ways of travel and without interruptions, it was a trip that could take almost a month. The region was mostly known for its access to the continent’s internal sea and it served as a pretty good means of commerce with the remainder of the region. Being a coastal province meant that there were rivers that crossed it and emptied into the seas. However, not all of the rivers of the Empire were navigable and there was no direct river way that led straight from Melakar to Arcturo.​

 

[Reydan]

Dianna was huffing and puffing by the time the river docks came into sight over the crest of the hill. The sun was beating down on the rolling countryside outside the capital and although the armor, like everything in the Order, was well-made she was roasting away inside it.

'Gah, I feel like a jacket potato' she said to the empty road, pulling over to the side to catch her breath and tug off the offending plate and chainmail. She should be safe enough in the port - still under the careful eye of the city watch - and she stowed the armor in her pack. It was still a heavy load but, already, she felt about a million degrees cooler in the warm summer weather.

Standing for a moment on the rise of ground, the dusty road to the port stretching ahead of her, she mused over the scene. Her first instinct was to try the big ships, comfortingly official banners flapping from their mast heads, but on second thought she paused. They were mainly cargo ships, it seemed, and not passenger ones. Besides, she thought back to the Grandmasters' instructions. This was meant to be an unofficial trip. A Paladin would be expected to travel in large, Imperial, ships. No, she decided she would be far better off trying one of the many smaller boats in seeking passage across the inland sea.

Soon she was walking though the market place, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the myriad of goods, tongues, and costumes assembled from around the realms. There were even traders and their wares from well beyond the Empire's borders. Still, she had enough sense not to blow her meager supply of money on trinkets. Gods alone knew how much passage would cost on the river boat.

Arriving at the harbor front the blonde paladin picked one of the more upstanding looking vessels, a painted cutter named The Annamaria, and joined the queue of people moving up the gangplank. Clambering aboard, she looked to the man handling the money, who she assumed must be in charge of at least the sale of passage, and smiled.

'I seek passage towards Arcturo' she said in a neutral voice 'How far that way are you going, and what price would the ticket set me back?'

 

[AmySorin]

Along with Dianna, a large number of people stood in the line to get into the Annamaria. As far as she could see, however, most of the line was made by men, with a very little number of women scattered around. Most of them, actually, would be sent away from the ship as soon as they talked to the sailor responsible for negotiating the boarding fees with the possible travelers.

The Annamaria seemed to be far from an official ship. The medium sized vessel held a colorless flag, without any sort of emblem or insignia. Although in a pretty good condition for a non-Imperial ship, it shared more resemblances with pirate ships that travelled the high seas than with the usual transport boat that would be crossing the continent rivers. However, both the ship and the crew – or at least the crew members that could be seen on the ship – seemed far better equipped than all the other non-cargo ships docked in the harbor. The vessel itself seemed quite robust, while the crew seemed seasoned and experienced.

“Tis be th’ only ship that can take ye close to Arcturo. It can drop ye off at th’ center of th’ Adhara province” the sailor told the paladin, paying little attention to the girl “No other ship be willin’ to sail ‘tis far into dangerous waters” the man explained the girl, still not properly looking at her.

Adhara was a province in the center of the Empire. It was a hot, tropical land through which most of the Empire’s commerce circulated, due to its favorable position. It was also a land with a great number of rainforests and home to most of the elven population that lived in the Falkirian Empire. All things considered, it was actually quite rare to find someone that was actually willing to sail this far into the center of the Empire. Waters were known to get quite dangerous the closer they got to the center, especially if the rivers were heading into Adhara. From there, it would most likely be a two or three week trip until getting to the Arcturo province.

“We be not willin’ to take ye lass thar. Lasses like ye be bad luck and we prefer to stay away from trouble in th’ deck, especially if we be travelin’ in troublesome waters. Th’ place fer a lass like ye be in a warm bed, naked next to a scurvy dog, not on th’ poop deck with we” the sailor said, blocking Dianna’s passage further “Now get on ye way, I have thin’s to do. The Annamaria be supposed to be leavin’ soon. The cap’n’ be angry at we already” the sailor finished, shooing the paladin away.​

 

[Reydan]

'What the hells do you mean you don't take women?' the impetuous blonde said, scowling at the sailor before her. She held up the line for a moment or two, shooting daggers at him with her eyes, until passengers behind her started to get impatient and edge around her.

It was clear the man was not going to budge, though, and reluctantly she pushed and shoved her way back down the gangplank to the dockside, not caring what the other potential passengers thought. Once of the stone of the dock edge, she paced, annoyed, up and down the length of the boat. The heat was making the young paladin's hot head even worse, and she scowled furiously. This was the only ship going close to Arcturo, he had said, and she didn't have cause to doubt him. The province was far away and few ships had cause to go there.

Looking around, she decided she had three options available to her. She could find someone else to argue about passage with, maybe someone more senior than that pig of a sailor. She could try and find a different ship, and risk being dropped off further away from her ultimate destination. Or, she thought, looking at the crates of cargo on the dock - she could try to smuggle herself on board.

She blew out her cheeks, not sure what to do, before deciding recklessly on the final option. Circling around to some large crates out of sight of the crew, waiting to be loaded on, she tried to see if any of them would open up and allow her small form to slip inside.

 

[AmySorin]

“’Tis how ye heard it, lass. Now get lost, I get work to do” the man said, paying no heed to the paladin’s anger and to the stares she was giving him. Orders were orders and there was no way he’d let the girl inside the ship that easily. He’d take her other places without much of a question, but not onboard.

As Dianna moved away from the other potential passengers, they didn’t seem to pay much attention to her. Most people looking to get into that boat were men and they didn’t seem to bother with the fact that there would be no woman onboard. Perhaps it would be correct to say that most of them actually agreed with the position taken by the sailor. It was not an official ship, so they had the right to take inside whoever they deemed fit and even fresh water sailors knew that women aboard was a sign of bad luck. The world was certainly not a kind place for young girls, even if they happened to be unknown paladin of the Order of Truth.

Of all the option the blonde girl could’ve taken, perhaps the one she chose was the craziest. The only crate with enough space left for her to fit inside was a 2 meters tall, 2 meters wide, 2 meters long wooden crate, still unsealed by the boarding party. The available space inside was rather small, as the place was filled with iron ore. That was most likely going to be used to fabricate weapons and armors for some province’s men at arms. Melakar was the only reliable place in the who Empire where that sort of material could be found so easily and with such quality.

The girl stood hidden inside the container for a while, with nothing of interest happening outside. At some point, however, she heard some shouts coming from the outside:

“You four, quit slacking! You still have to lock and move these boxes instead before we are ready to set sail, you scurvy dogs” a voice shouted. It was loud and imposing “Quit looking at me and go do your jobs or I will make sure you get tied to the mast when we finally set sails again!”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n’!” four people shouted in unison after the first voice was gone.

Soon after, several steps could be heard around the crate Dianna had chosen as her hideout. Without paying any attention to the regularity of the contents inside their cargo, the sailors closed the wooden crate and nailed the side through which the paladin had entered it. Left in almost complete darkness, save for a few small holes in the wood, the blonde felt when the sailors, with quite some effort, pulled the cargo up and loaded it into the lower parts of the ship.

Once they had loaded the cargo into the ship, the sailors walked away from it and made their way to the deck. That left Dianna alone and locked inside the wooden crate filled with iron. Now that the crate had been moved, she was in complete darkness, unable to see an inch ahead of her. The small holes in the wood were enough for some hours of breathing, but the girl would eventually run out of oxygen. All in all, she seemed to be locked inside a dark wooden cage with not much time to live. However, at the very least, she knew her plan had succeeded, as the vessel started to move soon after she was put in that place.​

 

[Reydan]

The plan works well...for the about five minutes that Dianna had planned for.

Ten minutes later, sitting in the airless crate in the darkness, the young Paladin was forced to admit that this had not been one of her brighter ideas. She had accomplished her aim of getting aboard the ship, but now she ran the distinct risk of suffocating before reaching the port.

In the darkness she frowned, trying not to panic, and studied the inside of the box. There were certain weak points in the wood that might aid her escape.

The blonde breathed, in and out, and tried to think what the hells she would tell anyone she encountered upon breaking open the crate. What a mess this was.

She levered her legs up and, then, gritting her teeth, she kicked the lid of the crate. Hard. Again and again. Bang bang bang. Her actions grew more and more desperate. Then, finally, the wood splintered apart and, sucking in the relatively fresh air of the hold, she was able to scramble out of the ruined box and into the cargo space of the ship.

 

[AmySorin]

In desperation, the blondie repeatedly hit the crate’s lid. Aside from getting her foot to hurt, the first few kicks didn’t seem to accomplish much against the crate’s wooden lid. However, she eventually hit a seemingly weaker spot of the lid’s structure and. After she recognized that, the hits that followed did some pretty good work against the crate, eventually completely breaking its structure and forming a hole on it. From there, she managed to widen the passage and go through it, slightly damaging her clothes in the process.

It should be mentioned that hitting the crate with her leg wasn’t the best course of action. Even though it was better than damaging her sword’s blade trying to cut through the box’s structure, she could’ve had half-sworded and used the crossguard of her longsword as a mace of sorts, thus punching through the wood more easily. As a result, the leg she had used to repeatedly kick the lid had suffered a minor injury and the paladin now limped a bit when moving around. It wasn’t a big issue, as she could still fight and move around properly, but it definitely slowed her down, even if just a bit.

Dianna now found herself in a large, dim lit room. The little light that entered the room did so through the hatches on the sides of the ship’s wooden structure. It wasn’t much, but it was still enough for her to see that, as expected, she was standing on a room that was mostly composed of cargo crates of all sizes, most of them made of wood just like the one she had gotten out of. There were also a few barrels scattered around the place, most likely containing liquids of sorts. A few meters in front of her, there was the only door she could see. Most likely a passage to the upper deck.

However, as the paladin decided on her next course of action, she heard some sounds coming from above. Her escape from the box had been successful, but it hadn’t been exactly silent. On the floor above her, some sailors had heard several hits and knocks coming from the cargo floor. They didn’t seem like something particularly serious, but the first-mate had ordered two sailors to investigate the situation even so. From what Dianna could hear, whoever was coming was likely to arrive in less than a minute.
​

 

[Reydan]

Dianna swore quietly as her leg stung. She tried to work the muscle but, as she felt the slight twist, she realised in frustration that she was going to have a limp for a day or two until the burning ache calmed down.

She didn't have long to concentrate on her calf, though, as her blonde head snapped up at the noise of the two sailors tramping down the corridor. She maybe had moments to try and secrete herself before whoever it was heading her way came through the only door in the cargo hold.

Quickly, cursing silently and biting the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the pain in her leg, she hobbled over to the stack of crates closest to the one she had kicked apart. She shoved the top one, with a heave as the ship rolled from a swell in the river to help her, so that it banged up against the broken one. Hopefully the sailors would see it and assume that the boxes had been poorly stacked and just broken in a fall.

That done, she limped back around, making it into the shadows near the door just as she heard the footsteps reach her. Pressing herself against the wall of the ship in the dark, she tried to quiet her breathing. Dianna hoped that she would be able to slip out of the cargo hold and elsewhere into the ship whilst the sailors explored the broken crate over the other side of the room. It was a risky plan, but that was all she had.

 

[AmySorin]

As Dianna pushed the crate, it fell down right against the crate she had just gotten herself out of. Not only it helped damaging the larger crate more than the paladin had already done, but also ended up breaking the one she had just pushed as well, causing a loud and audible crack to echo across the room just as the sailors were entering the room. The splattered contents of the second crate were then spilled on the ship’s wooden floor, causing a foul smell to spread around the dim lit place.

As the pair sailors entered the room and saw one crate smashing against the other, they quickly rushed to the place. With a disgusted look on their faces, most likely caused by the smell, they examined the situation. If that was a bright room and those sailors had been gifted with the mental capacities of the average man, they would’ve been able to see that the hole through which the paladin managed to get out of the larger crate couldn’t have been caused by the “accident” that just happened. However, under the awful illumination of the place and due to the boaters’ absolute incomprehension of physics and logic, they didn’t manage to see anything. Also, the fact that the smell of something similar to rotten eggs was assaulting their noses wasn’t exactly helping.

“Twas just the rocking of ye ol’ ship” concluded one of them, immediately turning his back to leave. He had obviously been in that place for far too long “Nothin’ to do here, aye?” he asked his partner.

“Oy, don’t ye think we take a closer look?” replied the other, still not as convinced – or not as bothered – as his partner “This be lookin’ weird. Th’ cap’n’ gunna be mad if we screw up his cargo” he insisted.

“Ye wanna stay and go lookin’ fer th’ rat who caused ‘tis, be me guest” the first one said, shrugging “I be not spendin’ another moment in ‘tis rathole” he finished.
Despite the second sailor’s initial disagreement with the first one, he didn’t try to argue on the situation. Even though he thought there was something fishy on the whole situation, that room was quickly becoming a place that not many people would like to stay inside for long, let alone conduct an investigation in there. With that in mind, as soon as his partner left, he went upstairs with him, closing the door when they stepped out.

Like this, Dianna managed to escape from her prison crate without being detected. However, that still left her with the trouble of having to sneak around the ship for the next two weeks before they arrived in the Adhara province. That is, if the ship was still going there.
​

 

[Reydan]

Diana breathed out with relief but, straight away, almost gagged as she sucked in the foul smell released by the broken crate's content.

Hand over her mouth, she edged her way along the wooden wall, hearing the two men close the door as they go. Thankfully, when she reached the portal and turned the handle, she found it mercifully unlocked.

Thanking the Gods under her breath, she slipped out and into the corridor beyond, closing the door into the hold behind her. Doors line the darkened corridor. She guessed she was still in the bowels of the ship, judging by the roll of the waves beneath her feet, but there was no other indication of what was in this part of the vessel.

She gulped. She needed a place to hide until the next stop. Diana had given up the idea of riding this ship all the way - this stowaway plan had been a mistake and now she resolved simply to hide until the first point of call and slip off the ship and resume her travels in another way.

Steeling herself she approached the closest door. She could, she hoped, bargain or even threaten any resident to keep quiet. But, really, she hoped for an empty cabin in which she could lie low. She turned the handle, slowly, trying to peer in through a crack without revealing herself to anyone who might be inside.

 

[AmySorin]

The corridor in which Dianna found herself after getting out of the cargo room was a rather long, yet narrow one. Even in the darkness, she could see at least eight doors, five on her right side and three on her left. About midway through the corridor, a staircase could also be seen. The stairs led to the upper part of the ship, but without knowing the vessel’s layout there was no way for her to know precisely where that would take her.

The closest door was one to her right. As she carefully turned the handle, the door opened silently, which was kind of surprising considering its conditions. However, through the small crack, she still couldn’t see much. From that angle, she could see a wall, some sort of nightstand and, if she dared open the door a little bit more, a small part of what seemed to be a bunk. The room seemed to be decently illuminated, at least in comparison with what she had seen of the ship thus far.

At first glance, the room seemed empty. However, as Dianna took a more careful look, she caught a glimpse of what vaguely looked like a human shadow against the room’s wall. It could’ve just been the paladin’s imagination, as the shadow faded away just a moment after she noticed it, but it was also an indication that there was a big chance of someone being inside the cabinet. Luckily for her, if there really was a person in that room, he or she was still yet to notice that they were being spied upon.

Still, that didn’t mean that the girl had a lot of time to think about her next course of action. From where she stood, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her, likely through the stairs. There was no way of précising how many people there were, but by the rhythm of the steps alone it seemed pretty clear that there was more than one. Because of her injured leg, it was hard to tell how far she could go before people arrived at the corridor. Even so, she could safely assume that she would be able to get inside the room she was currently peeking, to go back to the cargo room or to turn around and try to enter the room behind her. Trying the next door to the right was also a possibility, although a riskier one. If she tried to reach any other door, there would be a really high risk of getting caught.
​

 

[Reydan]

The Paladin thought, for a moment, that she saw something move in the half-light of the room. A shadow that flickered out of sight just as she caught it with her eye. She froze, listening, but all she could hear was the sound of the river swishing up against the hull and the muffled sounds of the crew above.

She let out a ragged breath, quietly, trying to juggle her options. She wished she never set foot on this poxy boot - she was definitely going to try and jump ship at the next stop she told herself. She'd make for her destination some other way. What the hells had she been thinking stowing away like this? Her leg throbbed, angrily, and she shifted her balance off of it for a moment to give it some relief.

Then she heard steps coming towards her. She looked up, panicked, but no-one was yet in sight. Still, they sounded closer and closer as she listened, hard boots echoing on the worn wooden planks of the ship. She had maybe moments to act before being discovered.

Clenching her jaw, and her fist, the impetuous young blonde made up her mind in a split-second. She opened the door she had just cracked a little and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and pressing her back against it. She scanned the room, eyes wide, unsure of what was about to confront her. Still, better to try and deal with the unknown in a small space than be exposed to the whole ship...

 

[AmySorin]

The paladin rushed into the room, the door slamming behind her after she went through it. The room was small and decently illuminated by the small hatch on the wall in front of her. To her right side, there was a bunk bed and two small chests in front of it. From where she stood, it was possible to see that the sheets on both the top and bottom parts of the bunk bed were quite messed up. To her left, there was a simple single bed, also with a chest lying in front of it. However, this one had its sheets organized and in place. Between them, there was only a small space where two people could barely stand side by side.

Yet, that wasn’t the most important information she found in the room. Her worries when she was peeking at the room seemed to be justified, since in front of her stood a young man who seemed to be no over 25 years old. With tanned skin, he stood quite a few inches above Dianna and looked quite bulky and strong. The moment she entered the room, he was turned to the bunk bed, most likely checking something on it, but he quickly turned towards the door when he heard it slamming. For a moment, his dark brown eyes looked fixedly to the blonde girl in front of him, trying to understand the awkward situation that presented itself.

“What the heck is the meaning of this? Why’s there a woman in my room?” he asked loudly, probably more to himself than to Dianna “Explain yourself, woman! Last time I checked, this ship didn’t allow women aboard. You bring bad luck. So why is there one standing in front of me right?” the man continued, now clearly addressing the girl

He paused for a moment and slowly walked towards Dianna. The more he approached, the clearer the height difference between them was. Yet, despite his words, his face retained a neutral and calm expression. He stopped a little over a foot away from her, his arms resting loosely besides his body, his eyes occasionally glancing at her waist line before fixing themselves on her face again.

“I’m waiting for your answer, woman. What are you doing here and why shouldn’t I just go through you and get the crew to kick you out of the ship while it’s still sailing?” The man insisted, his expression still neutral, though.
​

 

[Reydan]

Dianna swore, under her breath, when she saw the young man standing in the room she had just rushed into. He seemed well built, too strong to simply rush, if that had even occurred to the virtuous paladin. As it was she pressed her back to the wooden door, hoping that his raised voice would not attract attention. She held her ground as he approached, indeed drawing herself up a little to her full height, even though it was a little shorter than he.

She was a Paladin dammit - that had to count for something. She was a holy knight sworn to sacred duty, and even though she was a stowaway on this boat, she still had some standing.

'I know I've intruded on you sir' she said, her tone level but also conciliatory 'but you must give me shelter. I am a Paladin on an urgent holy mission for the church. This was the only ship giving passage to my destination, and they would not take me due to my gender. I sneaked aboard but was almost discovered - please sir. I beg you. Shelter me here until I can slip ashore at the next stop. I will pay you what money I have'

With that she tailed off, aware that she was very much at his mercy now.

 

[AmySorin]

The young man shook his head at her, chuckling slightly

“I don’t care about your position, girl. I couldn’t care less about your church, your gods or your mission. This has nothing to do with me and I will only be troubled if I give shelter to a woman in this room” The young man said, looking down at her as he spoke. His voice wasn’t particularly harsh, but it also didn’t show any empathy towards her “Even your money doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t belong in these lands and plan on leaving as soon as I get done with brought me here, meaning your currency won’t be worth shit to me”

With Dianna pressing her back against the door, the tanned man stepped towards her, as if he to attempt to go through her. Looking down at her, he reached his arm to the door, but stopped himself midway. Although claiming to be a paladin, the girl actually looked like as if she was a rich young woman from a noble family. The kind who would live a sheltered life and stay inside for most of her days, only stepping out to see other noble people. Once he realized that, something clicked inside his head and he smirked.

“However, I would be willing to shelter you in our room if you were to offer other things, dear paladin” the young man calmly said, putting his large hand, that was reaching for the door seconds ago, on her shoulder “You see, I wouldn’t go as far as considering a lady onboard as bad luck, like those filthy sailors likely would, so I would be willing to turn a blind eye on this matter. Yet, since I’m likely to get in trouble over this, I want you to make the risk I’m taking worthwhile. So, how about I give you shelter if you provide us the kind of services that only a fine lady as yourself could provide? That would last until we reach the first stop, which should be in two days” the man proposed, giving her a smirk.

Since Dianna had her back pressed against the door, she could hear the sound of footsteps on the corridor. They seemed to be approaching their position rather quickly. From that distance, she could even tell that there were people chatting on the other side.

 

[Reydan]

She stiffened at his touch, her blood running cold. What was he going to ask of her? What would he want of her? She'd not expected him to be particularly welcoming, but in her experience the combination of moral authority, piety, and duty that a Paladin represented usually contained some element that persuaded most people to help in some way. Or at the very least not be actively obstructive.

But this young man was different. He was devoid of empathy - she would have called it calculating if he'd been interested in her money. But he had said he wasn't. She frowned, pressing herself back against the wood of the door, wondering what on earth he did want. Her body? A cold shiver ran over her. And what did he mean about not belonging to these lands? Was he a traveler? A fugitive? Her mind raced.

The footsteps in the passage were coming closer though, echoing off the wood, as the sailors moved towards them. They were unaware of her presence at the moment, but all it would take would be for this young man to call out, or open the door, or in some way raise the alarm. She was entirely in his power.

Rita clenched her fists by her sides in frustration at her powerlessness. 'Fine' she said in a low voice. 'I will provide you with the services you desire'. What those were to be, of course, she had no idea. She tried not to think of it so far.

 

[AmySorin]

The man smirked at Dianna’s words, looking down at her with a satisfied look on his face. He then moved the hand that he had landed on her shoulder towards her cheek and started to slowly stroke it with the back of his hand. Although he didn’t apply too much strength on his touch, his skin felt particularly harsh against the girl’s smooth and soft looking skin.

“That’s a wise decision, little paladin. I will make sure that you don’t regret it” he told her, still keeping the smirk on his lips “This way I can help you on your quest and you can help me with mine. It can be quite annoying to travel on these ships where we can only find men. A lady’s company is always much welcome” he spoke as he continued to slowly stroke Dianna’s cheek with the back of his large and rough hand.

As the young man caressed Dianna’s cheek, he kept looking at her up and down, a rather delighted smile on his face all along. That was certainly a weird turn of events on that seemingly boring day, but he knew he had gotten quite lucky with the whole situation. Soon enough, the hand on her cheek slid down her body, slightly grazing on her right breast and then moving down to her waist line. Putting his other hand on the other side, he moved his palms up and down against her, feeling her curves while his eyes were fixed on her.

“You will have to forgive me for the hurry at the moment, but throughout all the time in this Empire, I didn’t have the chance of properly having some contact with a lady such as yourself” he said, smirking at her “So I guess I will have to ask you to offer your services for the first time right now” he explained, his hands gripping on the girl’s waist a bit harder than before “Start stripping” he demanded.

With her back still pressed against the door, the paladin continued to hear footsteps and the occasional sound of voices and laughter behind her. At that exact moment, they seemed to be as close to their room as ever. Eventually, however, the sound of footsteps stopped and only the voices remained. From what she could gather, they were likely standing still just at the other side and there were at least three of them.​

 

[Reydan]

She shivered a little at the touch, pressing back against the wood of the door. But it was to no avail. Physically, she could not escape his advances - he was too close, the space too narrow for maneuver. Mentally, too, she was trapped. The voices outside the door did not seem to be fading away. She had no escape.

And, of course, she had agreed to this.

'Fine' she said in a low voice, anxious not to arouse the attention of the men outside the door and compound her woes. Shaking free of his groping hands, for the moment, she unlaced her mail shirt and tugged it up over her head. Her blouse fell away as she undid the buttons, revealing her pert young breasts, the flesh two generous handfuls tipped with stiff pink nipples. She blushed, trying to avoid his gaze, cheeks burning in shame. And a hint of something else. Something that churned in her stomach. Fear? Doubt? She did not know...the sensation was new and alien.

Her trousers, tight riding breeches that showed off her atheletic figure, fell away as she stepped out of her boots. Her toned legs, the product of months of hard training and exercise, were matched by a slightly rounded heart-shaped bottom. Her hands, unconsciously, formed a protective shield over her panty-covered sex and Dianna regretted having worn slightly too revealing underwear. The thong-like material was most comfortable when in the saddle for days on end, but she had forgotten, in her interest in pure practicalities, how much it left her ass cheeks on open display.

She looked into the man's face, trying to judge his reaction. And his intentions.

'If you lie or sit back, I can please you with my hands' she said a little uncertainly. She had seen this be done in the stables, the horse breeders having to sometimes arouse the stallions manually before mating could commence. She hoped that if she could fob the man off with such a routine, she might save her purity this day.

 

[AmySorin]

As the girl agreed to his request and pulled his hand out of her body, the young man took a step back. Standing just a bit further away than before, he had a better view of the paladin as she quickly complied to his order. He was expecting a bit of reluctance from the pure and almost innocent looking blondie, but much to his amusement he didn’t have to do any convincing. The girl’s situation was probably very dire.

The show Dianna put while undressing was a bit subpar in the man’s opinion. He had expected her to try to entertain him some more, perhaps a bit like an odalisque, but that didn’t matter much at the time. Although the girl limited herself to only removing her clothes piece by piece, the man was rather satisfied with what he was seeing. Despite bearing the face of a young woman of noble birth, her body clearly stated that she put up with physical activity on a regular basis. She was stronger than the average woman, especially on her toned legs, but still retained a much appreciated feminine and elegant silhouette.

As he watched her stripping, a large grin could be seen on his face. In his mind, there was little doubt that she had never let a man see her like that before. As soon her hands stopped removing her clothes, he stepped towards her once more and gently put his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, he ran them down her arms, feeling her soft skin and her trained muscles against his palms. He moved them all the way down to her forearms while she tried to hide most intimate parts and then back up, patiently. Soon enough his hands were on her collarbone, rubbing her back and forth calmly while moving down to her breasts. Maintaining the same kind of touch and with no warning, he lightly held her breasts, kneading them and pressing them against each other for some good seconds.

He certainly would’ve spent some more time tending to her chest, but her voice quickly got his attention again. With a satisfied smirk, he nodded at her.

“Well, that is an offer only a madman would refuse” he told the young paladin.

A bit reluctant to let go of her body, he stepped away from her and walked towards the bottom bed of the bunk, sitting down on its edge. Even from that distance, Dianna could see the large bulge that had formed inside his loose linen trousers. As he awaited for the girl, however, he pulled them down to his knees together with his underwear, showing her his strong and toned thighs along with his hard and thick shaft, pointing upwards as he anticipated her touch.​

 

[Reydan]

Dianna's face wrinkled in distaste but her body was still humming gently from his touch. And, she had to admit, she was a tiny, awful, little bit intrigued. She had never seen a man like this before in...in intimacy. She blushed a little, her pale face flushing as she looked over his toned thighs and his thick manhood.

'Only a truly shameless gentleman would insist on something like this' the naked Paladin said in quiet disapproval. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off the shaft as she padded over to him on bare feet.

She lowered herself, business-like, between his legs and looked up at him. 'No funny business' she said, although really Dianna was in no position to barter or argue and they both knew it.

Reaching up, she wrapped a small hand around the base of the shaft. It was warm and smooth, to her surprise. Dianna realised she was very much a novice here and was suddenly struck by the fear that he might choose to expose her anyway if she didn't perform well enough. She set her jaw, determined. His pulse was evident through the shaft, throbbing away, and she began to move her little hand up and down the shaft, working the meat in a slow deliberate fashion. Pretty soon the other hand joined the first, the cock big enough to allow both of them, and slowly but surely she began to masturbate that man before her.

 

[AmySorin]

“If only a shameless man would insist in this kind of agreement, then what does that make the woman who accepts such requests?” The young man teased her, looking as she walked towards him. His eyes continuously looked at the paladin up and down, an everlasting grin on his lips as he repeatedly admired her “We both know that those aren’t the women who actually follow the gods, whoever they might be” he provoked. He didn’t really mean much by that, but the embarrassed and shy look on her face was too good for him to pass.

“I won’t hurt nor force you, don’t worry” the man said in a more serious manner as she asked for no ‘funny things’. He knew he had the upper hand on the whole situation, but there was really no point in mistreating her. “But I will make sure that you have a good time in the end as well” Still, he couldn’t resist taunting her a bit.

He let out a small groan of satisfaction as Dianna started to slowly work on his shaft. It was clear to him that she had never done such a thing before, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t having fun. Carefully, he placed his hand on her blonde hair, gently caressing her while his shaft throbbed against her small and soft hand “Be not timid, girl” he encouraged, letting yet another satisfied groan as she placed her other hand onto his cock “Don’t be afraid, hold onto it a bit tighter as you’re moving your hands” the man calmly oriented the paladin, still running his hand through her hair and looking down at her cute blushing face.​

 

[Reydan]

His reassurance made Dianna a little more at ease but did nothing to quiet the slow burning passion in her loins. She said nothing, frowning a little in concentration, as she worked the thick cock with one hand. She didn't shuck off his hand when he started brushing her hair, although it did make the Paladin blush a little more fiercely.

What was troubling Dianna the most was actually how calm he was. It might have been easier to hate him, making her do this, if he had been a brute. Ugly and vile. But he wasn't and, she had to admit, the young man was actually quite attractive. More than once she found herself stealing looks at his beautiful face or toned chest.

The cock in her hands was smooth but large. She watched, almost mesmerised, as the skin moved under her touch. She worked her hand to the tip, tightening as he suggested, and added the other one on the drop down. Soon she was working his cock in a steady rhythm, up and down, fingers teasing the swollen head and tickling the heavy scrotum each time she rose or fell with her hands.

Dianna was breathing heavily, eyes fixed on the shaft in front of her, sensing a growing tension in the flesh. Was he near some sort of climax? Gods, she was such a novice at this. Still, she hoped so. She desperately didn't want the young man to sense how aroused she was. How her juices were beginning to moisten in her sex.

 

[AmySorin]

“Aah, good girl” he said in sheer pleasure as she pressed her hand harder against his shaft. Her movements still felt a bit clumsy and somewhat awkward, but as she worked him up and down she started showing some good signs of improvement. If it depended on him, she would have plenty of time to practice and become proficient at that matter before she left the ship. Of course, that wouldn’t be the only thing he’d give her the opportunity to practice while there.

With the girl picking up a steady rhythm, he readjusted his position on the bed, sitting up closer to the edge and to her body. As she moved her hands on his shaft, he continued to slowly caress her blonde hair, patiently running his fingers through it. Closer to her, however, his hand could wander further down and, after it went all the way down her hair, he’d gently cup and caress her breast, taking his time to play feel her warm, smooth skin as he played with him.

As she held tighter, she could feel his shaft throbbing harder against her small hands. Occasionally, he’d slightly buck his hips up against her, accidently bringing his cock closer to her face, sometimes just barely grazing against her fair skin. Even though he wouldn’t say much, aside from some occasional barely audible moans of pleasure, it wasn’t too hard to notice that he was enjoying himself at that moment. Still, there was still the need for a bit more.

“You’re doing a great job thus far, paladin” he praised her as she worked his shaft “Tighten your grip some more and speed up those movements, though” he patiently oriented while looking down at her. All the time while she pleased him, his eyes were fixed on her body. She was certainly doing a fine work until then, but the sight itself was one of the things that pleased him the most. It was a shame she still had that one last piece of clothe on her body, but even that looked rather arousing, considering it was just a pair of thongs.​