Chapter 1 - Humble Beginnings

"XAN RHISKEL"! The voice boomed through the small shop, snapping Xan out of his peaceful reverie. Head whipping upwards from the counter top upon which it had lain, shoulder-length dirty blond hair flying everywhere, obscuring his vision, Xan tried desperately to locate the source of this outburst.

 "Yes master?", he asked, hoping against all odds that Bernard Charpshire, the owner of the small apothecary and Xan's trainer in the alchemical arts had simply been inquiring to his whereabouts, not reprimanding him for slacking off.

 His hopes flickered out as Bernard continued to shout; "Boy, if I ever catch you daydreaming in my apothecary again so help me god I'll cut your ears off and feed them to you myself!", roared the angry shopkeeper, his gray beard bristling as he told Xan off.

 Xan, however, could bear the man no ill will. The gruff but intelligent apothecary had taken Xan in, saving him from a short life on the streets, after Xan's parents had been killed in the war between the humans and most other sentient races against the dark mage Kul'thanos and his army of undead monstrosities.

 Xan had been very little when his parents died, fleeting memories being quickly overpowered by the wonders of Bernard's apothecary and his own training in the art mixing various herbs and chemicals together to produce potions, draughts and powders that came in useful for people from the everyday housewife to battle-hardened adventurers.

Returning to the task at hand, sorting usable firegrass stems from dead ones, a menial task which fell to Xan, the apprentice, rather than having Bernard waste time on such a chore. Glancing around, Xan caught a glimpse of his reflection in the smudged window at the front of the shop, his lengthy blond hair accentuating a delicately handsome face with strikingly blue eyes. His brown apprentice robes covered most of his slim yet well-muscled frame, developed from the constant labor an apprentice must endure.

 "By the way boy, you might as well know this now, you will be traveling to Vandelar to retrieve a package of some very particular ingredients that I require". 

 Xan's heart leaped into his throat. Vandelar! The capital city of his mid-sized human nation! His current city, the port city of San'Culas was nothing to scoff at, but Vandelar! However, other thoughts began to emerge from his excitedness.

 "Master, am I meant to travel to Vandelar by myself?", Xan inquired. The journey to Vandelar was roughly 10 days, and Xan was not sure if he could carry enough food and water to support himself, let alone fend off bandits and other dangers that lurked in the woods that encompassed most of the road.

 "Of course not, you arse, I don't care that much for you, but I don't want to send you to an inevitable death", replied Bernard, his beard concealing an amused grin.

 "I've arranged for you to travel with a group of adventurers who are making their way to Vandelar to join the fight against Kul'thanos. You can make yourself useful by preparing healing potions and antivenoms and other such things. Pack your bags, you leave tomorrow morn".

 Xan could scarcely believe it. Tomorrow he, who had never even been outside the city, would travel all the way to the capital city! In all his eighteen years of life, Xan had never felt more excited or nervous.

...............................................................................

 The next morning Xan woke at the crack of dawn, double and triple checking that he had packed everything he would need for such a journey, traveling garb, various ingredients for healing salves, and two old daggers that Bernard had dragged out of a chest somewhere, "For your protection boy, can't have you dying without giving whatever does you in a couple good shanks first", the bearded apothecary had chuckled.

 Just after having eaten a quick breakfast, Bernard grabbed Xan and dragged him outside to meet the adventurers he would be accompanying.

 Of the five men and women gathered before him, arguing jovially in the warm summer air, three were human. The first and, Xan assumed, leader of the group was a tall, skinny mage dressed in shimmering blue and violet robes who introduced himself as Aurelius of the Frost. The second was a warrior, decked in a suit polished yet battle-scarred silver and obsidian armor, who laughed heartily as he shook Xan's hand, introducing himself simply as Marcus. It was the third human adventurer that Xan was forced to take a second look at. The female priest, Camilla, wore the long white robes of her brethren that concealed, but did not completely hide a voluptuous figure, large breasts and an ample rear creating tantalizing curves in her white and gold habit. Bouncy light-brown curls only slightly longer than Xan's own hair fell from under her small hat to rest atop her eye-catching chest. She smiled and gently shook his hand as they exchanged names. 
 The last two adventurers also merited looking at, as Xan had seen few non-humans in his short life. The male was a gnome, the top of his bald head barely clearing Xan's midriff. He was clearly a rogue, dressed in earth-brown leathers and twirling a set of daggers much more impressive than Xan's. His name was Quint, and he seemed friendly enough despite his dubious profession. The last adventurer, however, made Xan catch his breath. She was an elf, a race which Xan had never seen before, and she was stunningly beautiful. Her skin was pale, with a faint violet tinge, and her smokey siver eyes seemed to emit a light of their own. The leather druid's armor she wore revealed a figure slightly less voluptuous than Camilla's, but no less attractive, lithe curves that were accentuated by her long, flowing silver hair. Her name was Shalandra, and while Xan had heard that elves looked down upon humans, she too seemed friendly, in a cool sort of way.

 The introductions completed, the group mounted their horses and set off through the city at a brisk pace; Xan, unaccustomed to riding, bumping and bouncing in his saddle, trying hard to maintain his balance as Quint laughed at his struggles.

 In the end he got the hang of it, and by the time they exited the city, Xan felt comfortable enough to relax his death-grip on the reins. They rode steadily for most of the day, Xan making shy conversation with members of the company, discovering that Marcus had once kicked a mountain drake in its dragon-balls and that Aurelius had nearly lost his own testicles to frostbite after a spell had gone horribly wrong, among other things.

 As night began to fall, Aurelius suggested that they make camp for the night, and the others readily agreed. Spotting a clearing off to the right of the road through the trees, the party made their way to it and dismounted, stretching after the long ride.

 In helping to set up the tents, Xan leaned that he was to share a tent with Marcus, while Aurelius and Quint would share another and Camilla and Shalandra would share the third.

 As Xan was finishing setting up his and Marcus' tent, he noticed something strange; the woods was gone silent. Looking around, he saw that his companions had noticed it too, and were all standing perfectly still, listening for the slightest sound.

 Without the slightest warning, an arrow flew from the shadowy woods, heading straight for Aurelius. Unfazed, the mage froze the arrow in its tracks with a flick of his wrist, then sent it flying back towards where its unseen shooter. A strangled scream told them that it had found its target.

 Suddenly, a group of men (a half-dozen, more? Xan could scarecely believe that this was happening) rushed from the woods, weapons drawn. "Bandits!", thought Xan, his mind racing to comprehend the situation unfolding before him.

 The companions drew their weapons without hesitation, and rushed to meet their attackers. Marcus hacked and slashed as Aurelius sent bolts of icy magic towards their assailants, while Quint set to work slicing the hamstrings and Achilles tendons of various bandits. Shalandra too joined the battle, transforming into a great cat and swiping with vicious claws at the would-be highwaymen.

 Xan surveyed the battle, frozen with disbelief and fear. "This can't be happening", he thought to himself, "We're not even a full day into our journey and already involved in a battle". Looking around, Xan tried to find some way of making himself useful, as he had little combat training. Then he saw the blade appear from the shadows behind Camilla.

 She had ended up close to the treeline in the heat of battle, working to repair the various wounds that had been inflicted on her companions, so that she did not notice as one last bandit emerged from the trees behind her, a fist filled with a wicked dagger cocked back and ready to strike.

 Not fully thinking anymore, Xan's body moved of its own accord, charging at Camilla, knocking her aside and barreling into her assailant. The two fell to the ground and Xan received a blow to the face, punching back blindly with one hand as he struggled with the other for control of the knife. 

 Unfortunately for Xan, the bandit knew a fair deal more about fighting than he did, and Xan found himself being kicked off and rolling across the grass empty-handed. Scrambling to his feet, Xan looked around to see that his companions were stil battling the remainder of the bandits, leaving him alone against the man with the blade.

 "Oh gods", Xan found himself thinking, "Is this how I die, stabbed by a bandit by the side of some road?" The bandit however, had other ideas, and finding Camilla's back turned to him once again in an attempt to aid her fellow adventurers, he went for her again. 

 "No". That was the only coherent though in Xan's mind as he charged towards the bandit, unwilling to allow the death of the gentle and pretty priestess. The bandit saw him coming this time, and Xan's charge came to a sudden halt as he felt the cold blade pierce his ribs. The last thing Xan saw was Marcus running the bandit through, blood spattering onto his silver armor and Xan's face, before Xan's vision faded to black.

...............................................................................

 Xan awoke with a start, clutching at his chest where the cruel blade had been thrust into him. To his surprise, he found only bandages and a small, dull ache in his ribs. The next thing he noticed was Camilla, kneeling next to him in the darkness, her white robes the only thing visible. Xan could not help but notice the way her sizable breasts gently bounced as she leaned over him, catching him in a completely unexpected embrace. 

 "Oh god Xan", she whispered into his ear, "I was afraid that even I couldn't save you, there was so much blood...". She trailed off and Xan could feel that her cheeks were wet with tears. Completely and utterly confused, Xan could only ask meekly, "What happened?"

 "You got stabbed in the heart defending me Xan, that's what happened", she responded, breaking their embrace and returning to her original position. "You shouldn't have, that wasn't your fight and you could have been killed, you almost were".

 Xan shrugged. "Couldn't do it. Couldn't just stand there and watch you get hurt. You're important, I'm just an orphaned apothecary's apprentice".

 "Oh Xan", her tone softened, "You're more important than you know. I can sense that you will do great things, I just know it". Xan could barely make out her features in the darkness of the tent, barely illuminated by the full moon, and he began to notice just how beautiful the priestess truly was. 

 She couldn't have been more than two or three years his senior, her gentle face free of lines, her curly light-brown hair shining lustrously, and her voluptuous curves round and begging to be caressed. Xan felt a pull in his loins and forced the urge back down, she was a priestess for god's sake!

 Camilla interrupted his mental battle. "Well we need to get you cleaned up I suppose, you're still covered in that bandit's and your own blood". Xan felt around and remarked that he was indeed caked in a thick layer of dried blood.

 "There's a creek nearby, it has an inlet which is perfect for bathing, and I don't suppose there's any more danger of a bandit attack now", Camilla continued. "Can you stand?".

 Xan managed with her help to stand on wobbly legs and together they exited the tent and slipped further into the forest. Soon, Xan could hear the sound of running water, as he managed to walk unaided by Camilla towards its source.

 When they got to the creek, there was indeed a small inlet perfect for bathing, lit by the full moon with a silvery glow. Camilla indicated a large rock behind which Xan could strip down before entering the water. It was bitingly cold in contrast with the warm summer air, but he ignored it and started to scrub himself when a small splash behind him distracted him from his efforts.

 Turning, he found himself staring at Camilla, her clothes discarded by the bank, she was as naked as he was, the water rising to cover her breasts, leaving the faintest hint of cleavage above the shining surface. Xan once again felt that swelling, tugging sensation between his legs and he whirled back around, his face reddening.

 "Oh! Sorry!" He began to furiously scrub himself, trying his best to ignore the fact that there was a beautiful, naked woman just feet behind him in this moonlight pool. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, and a gentle voice in his ear. "Don't be embarrassed Xan".

 "But...I..." he struggled for words as he felt her nipples, hardened by the cold water, brush lightly against his back. "You need someone to wash your back don't you?", she asked, not retreating. Xan could not argue that point, and soon she was moving her hands up and down his back, wiping away blood and grime, Xan trying desperately not to tremble at her touch.

Then she stopped, and as Xan was beginning to think that this stressful experience was coming to a close, her voice entered his ear again. This time she was closer than before, her breasts pressing against Xan's back, her lips next to his ear.

 "Xan...I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life"

 "I told you, I couldn't..." but he was cut off because she had turned his head to face hers and was kissing him, her soft lips pressed gently but firmly against his. Turning to face her, Xan instinctively returned the kiss, amazed by her sweet taste, his hands falling limply to his sides.

 And then her hands were intertwined with his, drawing them upwards, his left resting on her hip while his right she brought up to one round, luscious breast, her hand on top of his, encouraging him to squeeze and knead.

 He did, and was rewarded by a soft moan, and her kissing him more fiercely, more hungrily. Suddenly her tongue was in his mouth and his tongue met hers, wrestling in and out of each others mouths. Her hands had left his and were now sliding along his toned shoulders and chest, her touch making him shiver and lean into their kiss. Both his hands were on her breasts now, fondling her large but surprisingly firm mounds.

 His fingers found a nipple, and he gently squeezed, her teat growing if possible even harder beneath his touch. She moaned, louder this time, and broke their kiss to throw her head back, brown curls bringing up slight sprays of water.

 "Oooohh...Xannn..."

 They were still connected by a single stand of saliva hanging between their lips, glistening in the pale moonlight. She looked into his dazzling blue eyes, and he into her soulful brown orbs, and saw a hunger there, shining brightly as she moved sinuously through the water towards him.

 Her hands found the back of his neck and she pulled him in close for another passionate kiss, Xan offering no resistance. This time both his hands slid to her hips, then lower still, to underneath her rump, squeezing and lifting her slightly so that she leaned down to kiss him, sighing gently into their kiss, tongues intertwined, breathing all but forgotten.

 Her hands roamed his upper body, her caress exciting him beyond belief. He was fully erect now, his swollen member throbbing almost painfully as they embraced. Lowering her back down, his right hand made its way around to her inner thigh, sliding up and down her leg, sending shivers of her own up her spine. She redoubled her kissing intensity, her arms reaching around his back to grasp at his shoulder blades, pulling him even closer, her breasts now rubbing against his bare chest. The sensation was so pleasurable that it was Xan's turn to moan into their kiss, his blue eyes filling with the same hunger that now clouded her brown ones.

  "She's so hot", Xan noticed, her milky skin burning despite the chilling water. And the hottest place of all, Xan discovered, was the slit between her legs. Running his index finger up and down this fold of flesh provoked an immediate response from Camilla, her body shuddering as a loud moan rent the still air.

 "Ooohhh...gods yesss..."

 Xan continued to explore with his finger and was rewarded with more pants and moans, her fingernails digging into his back. But now one of her hands was moving steadily downwards, past his navel to settle with a firm grasp on his engorged manhood.

 "Oh!", a gasp escaped her lips as she drew back, astonished by the size of what she was now gripping in her hand. "It's...big".

 Xan too had slowed, nervousness mixing with excitement. Despite having had girlfriends back home, Xan had never gone all the way with any one of them, and was still a virgin, a fact that caused him some embarrassment.

 They stared at each other for a second, neither sure what exactly to do next. Xan broke the silence, stumbling over his words.

 "Camilla, I'm...ahh, I'm not sure what you're expecting, but, well...I've never really..." he trailed off, head hung. He jumped a little as Camilla slid up to him, her face passing his, her lips brushing his ear beneath his golden hair.

 "Xan, can I tell you a secret", her whisper was almost inaudible.

 "Of course"

 "I haven't either"

 "What?" Xan certainly hadn't been expecting this. A stunningly attractive older woman, he had not a doubt in his mind that couldn't be a virgin like him.

 "I'm a priestess Xan, we're not exactly the most promiscuous sort".

 This was true, he acknowledged, though he was still in disbelief. A virgin!

 "So...where do we go from here?" Xan had hoped that if things went that far she would use her experience to guide him, but that was not the case anymore.

 "Well", a smile twinkled across her lips as her eyes sparkled, "I may have heard a few things from more experienced women".

 He realized her hand was still gripping his rock-hard cock and now she was moving her hand up and down, stroking his shaft, sending waves of pleasure coursing through him. He groaned, moving his hand back to the hot slit between her legs, his head bowing to suckle one of her sweet, firm breasts.

 Camilla's ensuing moan sent a couple owls hooting from their perches, in search of quieter real estate. Her hand moved with increasing speed on his cock, making him respond by sucking harder and probing deeper into her virgin pussy. She was panting now, close to climax as Xan's inexperienced fingers rubbed and prodded her most sensitive area, his mouth clamped tight over her breast, biting down gently on a firm nipple, his tongue lapping at her areola.

 She came silently, her back arched, head thrown back, eyes clouded with unbridled pleasure, her very first orgasm ripping through her body, one hand pressing Xan into her cleavage, the other still rapidly massaging his throbbing phallus.

 Xan began to feel his cock swell even more, as his balls tightened, and he knew what was coming next. Held in place by Camilla, he could do little but writhe and moan as he came, spurting pure white strands into the clear water.

 They broke apart once more, each panting and riding out their respective orgasms.

 "So, it that..."

 "I'm not sure..."

 "Xan, it felt amazing"

 "Same..."

 "Xan, you're...you're still hard"

 Xan looked down and noticed that yes, his erection had not subsided a bit, still throbbing and begging for more. "Well", Camilla smiled coyly, "We can't have you leaving here unsatisfied".

 "No, I guess we can't". The hunger had reappeared in Xan's eyes as he pulled her close, kissing her deeply as his hands traveled under her round ass, lifting her higher, carrying her out of the water and on to the sandy bank.

 She lay on her back, legs spread, the moonlight glistening off her moist skin, her eyes locked on his, begging him to take her.

 "Gods she's beautiful", thought Xan, before more lurid thought crept into his mind and he knelt between her legs, the shaft of his meaty cock rubbing her slit, new pleasure coursing through both their bodies.

 "Xan..."

 "Yes?"

 "Please...be gentle. It's my first time, and you're so big..."

 "I would never hurt you", Xan promised, and he meant it. Shifting his hips backwards, he maneuvered the head of his member to the quivering, wet, warm, hole betwixt her legs. Slowly, infinitesimally, Xan pushed forwards, feeling her lips embrace the head of his cock, squeezing it tight and drawing him in further. 

 Her body spasmed and she shrieked into the night, causing Xan to stop his progress into her.

 "It it okay, did I hurt you?"

 "No not at all, it hurts a little, but it feels so unbearably good"

 "Okay, I'm going further, is that alright?"

 "Xan...fuck me"

 And he obeyed, sliding his cock deeper into her pussy, feeling her hymen pressing against the tip of his dick, he pushed harder, and suddenly the pressure was gone and he was all the way inside of her, her hips grinding against his, her eyes rolling back with pleasure.

 "She's almost too tight", Xan thought, slowly moving his hips back and forth, the walls of her virgin pussy grasping at his cock, not wanting to let him go. It felt so good that he couldn't help but go faster, pumping into her more rapidly, leaning down to kiss her and muffle her moans of delight.

 With one hand Xan felt the top of her pussy, locating a small, hard bump and massaging it while still pumping with increasing speed into her pussy, juices spilling onto the sand. Her response was instant and involuntary, the walls of her insides clamped even tighter on Xan's thrusting manhood, making him weak at the knees with the incredible feeling of it all.

 Xan was now thrusting into Camilla at breakneck speed, panting and groaning, her nails digging furrows in his shoulders, the pain somehow adding to the pleasure, pushing him onwards. He could not stop even if he had wanted to, and his moans and the shrill cries of his partner as she came again echoed through the woods.

 Each time she came her walls clamped tighter and tighter on Xan's cock, juices running down her legs as she writhed beneath him, breasts bouncing wildly with every frenzied thrust, her eyes trying to focus on his, but rolling back as the pleasure of his manhood filling her to the brim took her like a tidal wave.

 Again, Xan felt his shaft expand inside her, and as she came a final time, so did he, semen gushing into her womb and filling her completely and utterly. Her screams of bliss slowly subsided and they lay together in the sand, panting, spent.

 "I suppose we'll need another bath", Xan managed after a few silent minutes.
 
 "I suppose so", Camilla planted one last kiss on his lips before slipping back into the water.

 "Hurry, we have to be back before the other wake up".

 Grimacing, Xan forced himself back into the chilly water. She was right, there was a long journey ahead.