Posted by Moore on November 24, 2003 at 07:45:26:
The Master and his apprentice spent the next week in Newsporth looking for targets to Harvest.
Max found several candidates. The first was a tall, willowy red head named Adrian. She was an expert archer, and had recently returned to the town. Her return was rumored to be due to a falling out she had with Mackabee, her mercenary commander.
Max saw this particular target one night at one of the merc bars. The bar was called the Killing Ground. This bar was a place where mercs gathered and fought each other to get the attention of potential employers. Noisy, but controlled mayhem. Max watched Adrian discretely for several nights, until he knew her schedule. She rented a single room upstairs, and usually slept alone.
Max liked the Killing Ground as, well, a killing ground. He knew Adrian felt safe with her fighting skills to protect her, and there are dozens of other warriors only a scream away. The doors to the rooms had only latches for locks - who would want to rob a mercenary? It was always noisy, and the sounds of a struggle or the stray yell would not gather any notice. Adrian was a tease and she had made several of the warriors angry with her flirting. No one would miss her when she disappeared, and there were plenty of other suspects to catch the blame.
On the night Max decided to Harvest her, Adrian was leaning against the bar when Max walked in. She was taller then some of the men around her, and lean, with rope like muscles. Adrian was dressed provocatively in a black, scooped neck tank top and a leather skirt. She was showing off her figure.
An attractive man in light chain mail armor walked over to her as Max sat at a table. The man said something to Adrian, but she shook her head no, and he left. Max watched his target, and waited for her to go to her room. Max hoped she wouldn't be successful in her trolling and would go to her room alone. Another man, much less attractive then the first and wearing only a ratty suit of leather armor approached her. Adrian did not even bother to listen to what he had to say, she kneed him in the balls, then made her way upstairs alone to her room. Max waited for a hour to give her a chance to fall asleep.
Max checked the back door of the Killing Ground, which was used to drag injured or unconscious warriors to the surgeon. The passage to the door was dark and discrete. Max always planned for a rapid escape.
With rising excitement, Max went up to Adrian's floor. He took from the pocket of his robe a cold, dark box made of jet, the contents of which was unliving darkness. Max opened the box outside of her room, and bid the creature to come forth. It had blood red, dimly glowing eyes; the red faded slowly as its head moved. The darkness unfolded itself to man size. A Shadow.
Shadows drain the strength of the living. Shadows slowly make living creatures' muscles weaker and weaker until they can barely move or lift their arms. Only holy items, magic, or a silvered weapon can damage a Shadow. Max' Shadow was too valuable to risk in combat against an Ogre.
The Shadow hissed softly, and followed its Master's commands. It seeped under the door into Adrian's room. All she knew was a cold touch, a thing in her mouth, and her arms weakening as she tried to fight it off. But by then it was too late.
Max used his knife to lift the latch and open the door. Max held his glowstone in one hand, and the knife in the other. Light from the glowstone spilled out from between his fingers in narrow beams. He aimed the beams away from the Shadow; there was no sense in ticking it off.
"Guard the door," Max ordered. If left unchecked, the Shadow would weaken her even more until she was unconscious, then feast on her life-force. Max wanted her aware for her fate.
Adrian had rolled onto her stomach in an effort to get away. Her red hair was splayed around her head. Her hands were down by her hips. She slept in the nude.
As Max took his pants off, she summoned what was left of her strength and rolled on her side. Their eyes met. Max grinned. She looked down at his groin, and instinctively tried to curl her knees to her chest. Her hand fluttered over her ear, as if to shield herself from what was about to happen.
Max got on her and put his left forearm under her chin to keep her from screaming. She was still warm from sleeping under the blankets.
Adrian tried weakly to keep her sex from him, but he overpowered her. She feebly tried to bat at him, or crunch his throat, or gouge out his eyes, but now he was too strong for her. Adrian tried to resist, but Max made sure she didn't succeed. Max hated to be teased.
Adrian was tight and very nice when he took her. He started thrusting, enjoying the feel of her long, lean, firm body.
Perhaps realizing she was powerless to stop him, she turned her head to the side, and stared at the wall; her big, blue eyes filling with tears; a curl of red hair on her cheek.
Max didn't like it when she stopped struggling. He licked his hand, and put it over Adrian's mouth and nose. That got her struggling again when she realized she couldn't breathe. She thrashed, and "hmmm"ed, and struggled until Max was well satisfied.
Then he laid on her, and watched her slowly succumb.
In her weakened state, her death struggle was a sexy show instead of a ferocious battle. Adrian more caressed him then punched him as she died. Instead of her knees bucking frantically, she could only slide them slowly up and down his thighs. Her chest heaved against his as she weakly fought for air. Her blue eyes locked on his as she died.
Then Max Harvested her. The look of horror on her face when she became aware that she wasn't dead, but that she wasn't alive either, made him laugh. Being under his complete control was fitting justice for a tease. "No," he laughed, "it is not over yet."
Max put the Shadow away. He had Adrian take her weapons, and dress in her armor. Although she fought against his mental domination of her, Max had properly Harvested Adrian, and she could not resist his every command.
Max had her follow him at a discrete distance down the back steps and out into the cold, cold, night.