Monster Quest

Chapter Three: Ranger Things

After leaving the young pilgrim, the ranger traveled south, skirting the seaside city of Port Toshiri. His mind drifted back to the handsome youngster who had ran into some trouble with a pack of grimlyns. The young man was sexy, especially with the grimlin toxin ramping up his libido. While a part of him was hesitant to leave young Kasper behind, he was on a mission for his king. The good of the kingdom had to take priority over his personal desires.

The ranger was on the hunt, tracking something or someone. He was deeply troubled, as he had suspicions about his target that he had not yet voiced to another living soul. The ranger kept to the shadows, and watched everything around him. He was looking for signs, some clue left by his quarry. But the ranger found nothing and feared that he had lost the trail. It was a long and fruitless day. Late that night, he made a small camp and tried to ease his increasingly troubled mind. He stretched out on the ground, resting his back against a fallen tree. Senses still alert, he closed his eyes.

The ranger, known as Dakon Refelo to some, was one of the most skilled woodsmen in all the kingdom. His tracking ability, his stealth, and his skill with a blade were unparalleled. Any attempt to follow him would be an exercise in futility. It would be impossible to find the man when he didn't want to be found. No one could ever possibly get the drop on him.

No one human, that is.

As the ranger rested, his eyes half closed, he heard a voice call out: "What have we here? Captain of the King's Rangers, caught unawares!"

The ranger worked hard not to let his surprise show as a shape emerged from the forest and entered his camp. He recognized that voice.

"Hello, Gehleth. You didn't catch anything. I heard you coming."

"You did not."

"I did," the ranger replied. "You're slipping, old man."

"Me? Slipping? Are you sure about that?"

It was at that point that the ranger noticed the two arrows pointed at his chest on each side of him, bows held by tall fighters in green armor. He sighed. "Damn elves."

These men were not men at all. The first was their leader, a tall male elf with raven hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. He was slender but athletic. He wore dark green armor and a cloak that shimmered in the darkness, much like the one worn by the ranger. And of course, he had pointy ears.

"Damn elves, indeed," the elven leader laughed. The ranger rose and held out his hand to the elf called Gehleth. The elf took his hand, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "It's good to see you, you grumpy bastard."

The ranger returned the embrace, enjoying the feel of the elf's tight body against his for just a moment longer than necessary. "I'm not grumpy, just realistic. Mind telling your boys to lay off the arrows before somebody sneezes?"

The elf laughed again, and nodded to the other two. "Leave us."

A knowing smile flickered across their elven faces before they melted back into the forest.

The ranger looked at his old friend. The elf was still as young and sexy looking as he had ever been, the benefit of being immortal. "You're a long way from the Silver City."

"And you are far from the Northland Kingdoms, Dakon."

"You know how it is. Secret mission, fate of the kingdom, the usual."

"Same here. Care to share some details?"

"I shouldn't."

"True. But that's never stopped you before," the elf replied. "I'll share mine, Dakon, if you share yours."

"An offer I could never refuse," the ranger replied with a sly smile.

The elves had always been an ally to the rangers, and to King Aaron whom he served. Perhaps sharing what they knew could be beneficial to all parties.

The elf sat on the fallen log as the ranger began his tale. "The royal sages are up in arms about some sort of new evil brewing. Bad omens, that sort of thing. Something has got the monsters, the ghouls, all the creepy crawlies worked up. The King sent me out to investigate, and I haven't liked what I've seen. Too much is happening, too many dark things on the move."

Gehleth nodded, his face now serious. "We've had rachnid attacks on the outskirts of the provinces. Reports of livestock disappearing from the fields. Spirits haunting our sacred shrines. Individually troubling, but taken together, a pattern. Our seers have also read these bad portents. There is something happening, some new power on the horizon. We were sent by the Queen to discover the nature of this power, and to see how far this evil had spread."

"Damnation. Here I was hoping it was just something local. But if it has also effecting the Silver City..."

"Then this may be a greater threat than even we anticipated," the elf finished.

The elf and the man sat in silence for a moment. Finally the ranger spoke. "I have to tell you something else, and I'm not sure you are going to believe me. I shouldn't believe it myself but I swear to the Gods it's true."

"Of course I'll believe you."

"Don't be so sure." The ranger looked away and continued. "I was in the Far North, near the village of Kern. There had been reports of monsters attacking, killing villagers and livestock. While I was passing down the main street, I saw a face that I recognized. I couldn't believe it at first, but I could never forget that miserable mug. He was wearing a hood, skulking through the alleys, but I swear it was him. It was Sutton Stitch."

The elf narrowed his eyes. "The Warg Rider? Impossible. He died at the Silver Gate! We burned his body!"

The ranger shook his head in frustration. "I know! I was there. I watched that bastard burn. Yet, I saw him. And what's more, he saw me. He even smiled, like he recognized me."

The elf searched his friend's troubled face and found only truth. The ranger continued.

"When I got out of the village I found warg tracks. Big ones, bigger than anything I've ever seen. I've been tracking them south ever sense. I thought he was keeping ahead of me. I stopped to help a...I was unexpectedly delayed. Lost the trail. Now I fear he's given me the slip."

The elf pondered this revelation. Sutton Stitch was a threat he knew well. Years ago, Stitch somehow managed to unite the mountain tribes of wildermen north of the elven realm. He had been a firebrand, and rallied them by fanning their existing hatreds of the elves. Then he negotiated an alliance between the wildermen and mountain orks in an attempt to take the elven kingdom. He started called himself Bloodtooth, the self-proclaimed general known for riding a vicious warg into battle. Caught unawares, he managed to push deep into the elven lands. He led his combined forces to the gates of the elven capital, the Silver City, and fought a terrible battle against the elves and their allies. He very nearly succeeded. King Aaron had sent his best warriors to the elves' defense, including Dakon. Many lost their lives defending the Silver City from the invaders.

"This is dire. First some unknown evil agitates the dark forces, now Sutton Stitch returns from the grave. It cannot be a coincidence."

The ranger just sat and nodded.

"What will you do, Dakon?"

"Keep going south, as that was the direction he was heading. I'll give it another day or two. Hopefully, I can pick up his trail."

"Then I shall take my men and go north, pursue your backtrail. Perhaps we can find out more information."

The ranger rose, and looked at his friend. "Thank you. With the two of us on him we will run that old dog to ground."

The elf smiled. "Of course."

The two men embraced. For a moment, the Ranger felt a flash of heat. He had shared Gehleth's bed many times, and knew he was an energetic and satisfying lover.

As if reading his mind, the elf said, "I wish we had more time."

The ranger smiled his sly smile. "There's always time if we make it"

"You are incorrigible, Dakon Rafelo. There's evil afoot."

"Isn't there always? Besides, I'm not interested in your foot."

The ranger pulled the elf close, pressing his lips together in a wave of passion. Gehleth's mouth opened hungrily, taking the human's tongue inside. Dakon moaned quietly as he tasted his friend. All pretense was pushed aside at the two men grabbed each other, hands pressing, pulling, drawing the other in. Each knowing the other's needs as only an old lover can.

In a flash, each man was stripping. In a preternatural flurry of leather straps, clanking armor, and unlaced bindings, the man and the elf dropped naked to the forest floor. The ranger's hard length pressed into the elf's thigh. Dakon kissed along the length of Gehleth's jaw, his hands exploring the elf's smooth, well developed chest. Despite their reputation among more ignorant humans, elves were not the delicate wispy immortals, as they were often portrayed. Dakon knew there was steel beneath the elf's tender olive skin. He pressed his own wiry body against the elf, enjoying the contrast between his own hairy body and the smoothness of his lover.

Gehleth's elfhood stood long and firm from his body. "Suck me, Dakon. I need your mouth."

The ranger was happy to oblige. He didn't reply, he just continued kissing, lower and lower. He traveled slowly down Gehleth's neck, stopping at his chest to suck gently on both nipples, before continuing. He traced the elf's abdominal muscles with his tongue, taking his time to savor the taste of his skin. All the while Gehleth gasped and moaned with each touch.

Soon Dakon arrived at the elf's perfect cock. It was not too big, not too thick. The perfect size for...

The ranger engulfed the head with his mouth. Immediately his mouth was flooded with Gehleth's precum. While sexually similar, humans and elves differed I one area: elves produced huge amounts of precum. Dakon savored the rich taste, sweet yet woodsy. The ranger began to lick the spongy head of the elf's cock, teasing out more precum that he quickly licked up. He loved the way Gehleth tasted.

The elf writhed in pleasure has Dakon continued to tease his sensitive head. He needed more, but the human was focusing on the head, slurping down Gehleth's cum as fast as he could

"More, Dakon!"

The human kissed the head of Gehleth's cock. "More what?"

"Stop teasing and suck me!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Fuck you."

The human lightly rubbed his thumb across the elf's sensitive cock-head. "Say it, elf."

"Arrrrghh...Please!"

In response, Dakon engulfed Gehleth's turgid elf-hood all the way to his smooth balls. The elf said nothing, only gurgled inarticulately. The ranger took him expertly into the back of his throat, working his tongue against the shaft. The ranger stroked his own cock while he pleasured his friend.

"Tarvo be praised, you are good at that."

Dakon was too busy to respond. He took his fingers and began to slowly fondle the elf's smooth balls. Slowly he stroked the tender flesh. Each caress made the elf groan, and even more of the copious nectar would flood from his cock. Dakon wanted more. He released the elf's balls, and let Gehleth's cock slip from his mouth.

"Fuck me, elf. I want you inside me."

Gehleth didn't hesitate. He grabbed the human around the waist and turned him away, positioning his dripping elfhood at the human's hole. He pressed in, and the head popped past the tight barrier. Dakon let out a low moan. He loved the feel of that perfect elf cock piercing his insides. Gehleth continued to push forward until he was buried to the hilt.

Dakon let out a gasp. "Gods, you are good at that."

It was not the first time the elf had fucked the ranger. Each had made love to the other many times. But in the moment, here in the wilderness, the threat of danger always just over the horizon, made it particularly exciting.

Gehleth withdrew, then thrust forward. The flowing precum and already lubed Dakon's passage. The elf set a slow pace; in then out. Each thrust pushed the elf's cock head against Dakon's button, sending waves of pleasure through his body. The elf picked up speed, working his way to a steady rhythm. Dakon began to stroke his own cock, allowing his pleasure to build from the heat of his partner's fucking.

Gehleth pulled out unexpectedly, cum dripping from Dakon's open hole. "Bend over!"

Dakon wasted no time. He moved onto his knees, letting his chest rest against the fallen log had had used as a back rest. Gehleth moved behind the ranger and shoved his way back in. He quickly resumed a hard tempo. Dakon was moaning, again finding his prostate hit with every thrust. It was some elven magic, their cocks always knew exactly where to hit.

Dakon could feel his climax approaching. "I'm close."

He had no sooner spoken than the elf began to fill his ass with his cum. For a moment, Dakon had time to marvel at the sudden pressure of his insides as they flooded with elf cum before his own climax pushed him over the edge. He shot his load all over the forest floor as Gehleth thrust his last thrust, then withdrew.

The two men collapsed against each other, naked bodies pressed together. Each gasping for breath. Dakon pulled the elf to his chest, and placed a long, lingering kiss on his lips.

"You can sneak up on me anytime, elf."

"Next time, I'll take you unawares."

"Hmm. We'll see."

The two men began to dress. Their clothing went on slower than it had come off. Finally, armor and cloaks reattached, the elf and the human found themselves preparing to part ways once again. The Ranger started to make his good bye when a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Another? Even immortals need time to recover..."

"No, not that. There was a boy, a young man on his pilgrimage to Gui Sudor who ran into some trouble. He's probably long gone by now, but could you keep an eye out? You are heading in his direction."

"Guilty conscience, Dakon?"

"Never. But if the Warg Rider did manage to give me the slip, the boy might be in his path."

The elf smiled, nodded and began to move towards the trees. "We'll keep our eyes open. Until we meet again, Ranger."

The Ranger raised his hand, and watched as the elf melted back into the forest. He turned back to his camp, and tried to get an hour of rest before he resumed his mission.

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Excerpt from the unpublished notes of Ivo Wyn, Professor of Biology, Dwarven Academy of Kowlslag

Much has been written about elves, yet from a biological perspective they offer a fascinating subject to study. What natural processes produce a being that is immortal? How does one classify them on the scale of complexity? A class 5 biped? They have no natural venoms, no armor plating, no crushing jaws. But their knowledge, their magical affinity make them deadlier than any dragon. One only has to-

Damnation. Have had falling out with Dward. He refuses to allow entries in the 'Bestiary' for elves, humans, or even for us dwarves. Politics, he says. Bad optics, he says. I say, are we all not animals? Do we all not bow to the forces of biology? He replies, we are not fecking anthropologists.

Fool! The sooner we are done with this book, the better.

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