AI's Got Me by the Balls: Episode 6 - Easier Than Expected?
Hey guys! Did you miss me? No? Okay, well did you at least miss Neimi and Yvette? xD I hope so because I've got a nice new installment and I'm currently working on the next one. Hope you all have a great read and a greater day! Enjoy! Feel free to comment below and let me know what you think!
\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~
The next morning comes with to you quicker than you could've hoped but your body feels warm and refreshed all the same. At least, it did in your dream. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" comes a familiar voice, which you know something else is coming along with it but you're too groggy and sleepy to react. You let out a low howl of pain as Neimi drives her knees directly into your exposed testicles. Swollen and soft from last night's punishment, you feel your body squirm and convulse a little at Neimi's torment. "You let Yvette bust you without me, so be prepared for a beating! Teehee\~"
Your eyes snap open and you look at your tormenter. Neimi looks back with a wicked grin. Her eyes seem to glimmer with joy as she gazes at you in excitement, it's obvious that she enjoyed beating the hell out of you. She backs away from you and gives a little twirl, eyeing you up and down and licking her lips.
​
\> You try pleading to her "Oh lord, please. Neimi, not right now. Please?"
You reach out to her with your hands out and your palms up but her reaction is to laugh out loud. "How adorable!" she says, scurrying over to you and planting another tiny fae foot deep into your testicles.
​
\> You say "Ohhhhhh!"
Pain shoots through your crotch and you moan loudly. "Don't make that sound!" she says. "Makes me want to do it more."
She slowly backs away from you, watching you in curiosity. You groan and roll over onto your side, letting out another whimper when you put any weight on your sore ball sack. You look at her and she raises an eyebrow at you, still giving off that predatory grin.
​
\> You try to surrender "Uncle?"
She bursts into laughter and lets out a gleeful cry. "Not a chance! I want to play with you too, Colm!"
With that, she jumps down onto the backside of your lest testicle, both of her tiny feet slamming in deep. She may have been a tiny fae with big tits but, that didn't mean she didn't hurt when she jumped on your balls.
You let out a pained yelp, your face twisting in pain. "If you're done playing, can we get on with this?"
She giggles and starts marching her feet up and down onto your swollen ball, her feet pinpointing the left one exclusively. You let out a moan, your body twisting to the side as you grit your teeth. "Okay, that hurts! Neimi!"
"Does it?" she asks innocently. "Or does it feel amazing?"
With each thrust of her tiny feet, your cock twitches and throbs with after-shocks of pleasure. You grimace in both agony and shame. You can't deny that you've come to enjoy this but you're reaching a breaking point with the intense pain.
​
\> You moan outloud "It hurts! It hurts!"
She giggles and continues her assault, ignoring your cries of agony. It's not long before she has you twitching and whimpering. You let out a deep, guttural moan as you push your head deep into the pillow, letting out a shudder as you do. You finally let out a pained moan as you feel your body shiver, Neimi smiles as she watches on with anticipation. "Here it comes!" she says with glee, jumping up and fluttering into the air.
"Money shot!" she exclaims with elation as she backflips through the air to let herself free fall, landing both her knees flush with your aching left nugget.
You let out a shuddering moan as you let your seed shoot out, your body still shuddering as you find your release. Your moan turns into a groan as you slowly come down from your powerful high.
"You came!" she laughs, bouncing in place with glee.
​
\> You yell "Fucking hell, Neimi! My ball, I think you're going to break it!"
She smiles and gives a playful pout, before looking delighted. "Oh, but I so want to make you feel good, my little ball-busting boy!" She hops off your soft, mushy egg and gives it a love tap with her foot. "It's not broken but, I sure did get close this time! Teehee\~! I'm so glad we could play together!"
She giggles joyfully at her victory, for now.
"You're lucky you have a pretty face!" She winks at you and gives a little twirl.
Neimi looks adorable as she does this, and you'd never turn down a pretty girl wanting your attention. Of course, you're still in pain. "Alright then, I guess you did good."
​
\> You say "Now, may I go get cleaned up? I imagine I'll need my strength for today."
She nods eagerly and bounces over to the sink, putting her hands under the warm running water and letting it flow through her fingers. She sighs happily.
​
\> You moan in agonized pain that only you can feel at this moment. You manage to to get yourself up and stumble toward the washroom.
You manage to get into the washroom and quickly head over to the tub. You feel the water, it's a nice hot temperature. You dip yourself in and sigh in pure bliss as you let the water envelop you. If it hadn't been for Yvette and Neimi destroying you, you probably could've slept and not had to bathe again but, how often did you really get to out on the road anyways. Best to take the chance while you had it.
​
\> You clean yourself up, bathing until you're clean.
Finished, you stand up out the tub and step into the mirror. You're not used to seeing yourself, but you must admit... you look pretty good.
​
\> You say "Damn. Not bad for a guy who almost lost a nut."
You hear a giggle from the door and you blink, turning to see Neimi and Yvette staring at you. "Hurry up! Get dressed! Breakfast is here!"
​
\> You shoo them away and chuckle. "Get the hell out of here."
They giggle as you shoo them away and continue chuckling as they leave. You can hear their footsteps running off as they get settled into the couch. You think to yourself, "what a fucking day".
​
\> You get dressed and join them for breakfast.
You sit down next to Yvette and smile, but her face is still a little sad.
"Good morning."
She gives a tired smile in return. "Morning."
​
\> You say "What's wrong?"
She looks at you and sighs, looking away with a sigh. "Sorry about last night. I... kinda got lost in the moment, forgot myself there."
"Oh? That's okay. I'm fine and you enjoyed yourself, right?" you offer her with a warm smile.
She immediately looks back up at you with a smile. "Of course! Thanks for, you know, letting it all happen."
You nod, continuing to smile as you eat.
​
\> You eat and share in some moments of peace with your two female companions, Neimi and Yvette.
The three of you sit around and talk for a while, before long you pat your belly and sigh contentedly. "So, shall we make our way to the Sheriff's office?" you ask, looking to Neimi and Yvette.
"Yes, let us go," replies Yvette.
Neimi nods in agreement, and you stand from the table. You find your boots, which you quickly pull on, then walk to the door.
​
\> You head out of the inn and find your way to the Sheriff.
You walk through the streets slowly, taking in the sights and checking every corner for any potential danger. It'd be best to have as much information as possible before you meet this Sheriff.
The Sheriff is on the payroll for the Ebony Claw Syndicate, after all and you never know where the enemies lie. "If we have to torture the Sheriff to get him to tell us where his goons are hiding, can I explode one of his nuts?" Neimi asks, almost hoping for the opportunity. "You're in a mood today," you chuckle back at her. "Don't worry, we'll get to torture the Sheriff eventually." You reach the end of the street, and you pause. There's a jailhouse at the end of the street, with two guards on duty outside.
​
\> You look to Yvette and ask her if this is the destination. She would know best, as this is her hometown, after all.
Yvette looks at you with a small smile. "This is where we split up," she says, resting her head on your shoulder and kissing you briefly on the cheek.
​
\> You look at her with a bit of surprise. "Wait, why? Aren't you coming with us?"
"Yes but, remember the Sheriff knows me and knows I work for the Count. He'll likely freeze up if he sees me. I'll be watching from a vantage point, if things go south, I'll rush in and corner their escape path. If the Sheriff is in bed with the Ebony Claw, he likely has some of their assassins on retainer to protect him. Be careful, Colm."
You smile, "Worried about me, are you?" You kiss her on the cheek and embrace her tightly. "I'll be back, I promise."
With that, you split up with Yvette.
Neimi blushes a little and pulls her arms together behind her back, looking away from you as you both meander towards the jailhouse looking inconspicuous.
You look over at her and raise your brow, "Something wrong, Neimi?"
She shakes her head and offers you a smile, "Huh? Oh no! It's nothing..."
​
\> You say "Oh come on, you can tell me."
Neimi bites her lip and shuffles her feet, "Well... it's just..." she takes in a breath and sighs heavily, "you seem really close with Yvette now. You are rather taken with her, aren't you?"
​
\> You blink in surprise and wonder why this seems to be bothering her. "Why would you say that? I mean, I like her and she's become a part of this group. You really like her too, don't you?"
"I do... but it's not that! It's just, the longer she's with us, the less you seem to notice... well, notice me." Her face turns to you, redder than you can ever remember it being before. "Colm, I-"
"Halt! Who goes there?!" a booming voice suddenly shouts as you and Neimi had begun to approach the doors of the jailhouse.
​
\> You stop and look at the large guard. "I'm Colm. I'm here to see the Sheriff."
The guard frowns in confusion, "Are you now? I'm not sure if the Sheriff will see you. He's really busy right now, and he doesn't like to be disturbed."
​
\> You say "Oh, he'll want to see me. I've got some very important business with him."
"Well, if you're sure..." he lets the rest trail off, implying the uncertainty in his voice.
"I'm sure." You smile.
The guard looks to his guard pal, who shrugs back in confusion. They seem to be persuaded and open the door with a gruff grunt.
You step in, and immediately take in your surroundings. You are in a room with a lot of wooden floors and boring, featureless whitewashed walls.
​
\> You walk around, searching for the Sheriff's office. "This place is pretty drab," you say without a care.
"Yeah, it's definitely not the fanciest building around." Neimi agrees.
You walk down a few hallways before finding an open room with a group of men playing cards in it.
​
\> You walk in with a smirk and call out to them, "Hey! Anyone know where the Sheriff is?"
They all turn to look at you, their eyes flitting between you and each other. One finally stands up and clears his throat. "I'm Sheriff Donnell O'Mallie, and you are?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm Colm. Mind taking a walk with me, Sheriff?" You say, stepping up to the man. "I was told you were busy but, it seems you've got time."
"Hmph. Best make it quick, I'm a busy man." he grunts, not backing down as he is quite a bit larger than you. He puffs out his chest a bit as he walks with you.
"It's about the Ebony Claw," you say bluntly.
The Sheriff stops walking, looking at you with some surprise. "So, what did he say?" he asks.
"Who?"
"The EC member who sent you here."
​
\> You grin, this was an unexpected reaction but you can roll with it. "He told me to fetch you for a meeting with the boss. The usual place."
"Ah, so he wants me to make a deal with him."
You nod slowly, not wanting to trust your voice just in case.
"Alright then, what did he say exactly?"
​
\> You say "That you and the assassins he's assigned to you need to come to the meet up spot. You remember where it is, don't you?"
The Sheriff smiles, his wrinkled old face splitting open. "Damn right I do."
"Well, you'll find us there then." You say, turning and continuing down the hallway.
"And when you find me?" Sheriff O'Mallie calls out to you.
​
\> You say "What the bosses do with you is their business, not ours."
The Sheriff sighs, shaking his head. "Alright Mr...?"
"Colm."
"Right. I'll be there."
​
\> You leave the Sheriff's office and begin heading down the street.
You walk briskly down the street, slipping off down an alley where you wait for Yvette to catch up to you. She should've been able to track you quite easily from her vantage point. You look to Neimi.
"That was pretty easy."
She nods, "Surprisingly so."
"Don't sound too disappointed," you tease her.
"I was really hoping he'd try to fight us. I've been itching to stomp on someone's balls!" she stamps her little feet in the air with a couple cute grunts for emphasis.
​
\> You say "Heh. That's my girl."
Neimi simply blushes and floats around, turning as you both hear footsteps approaching. You both spot Yvette.
"It worked then." You call out.
"Looks like, now we just wait."
"Things went pretty smoothly. Now, we just have to follow the Sheriff and he'll lead us right to an Ebony Claw hideout AND we get to interrogate him for information." you say, bristling with confidence and pride at a job well done.
"Well, we still have to get him to give up their base of operations," Yvette says, trying to temper her expectations.
"We could just torture it out of him." Neimi suggests with a wicked grin.
"I doubt if it would take that long. The sheriff's a pretty old guy, not overly tough."
​
\> You say "Huh. Seemed like a prideful war veteran-type. Though, maybe not if he's colluding with the likes of Ebony Claw."
"I guess we'll find out." You say nonchalantly.
Neimi giggles, "Well, let's go then! Let's get this show on the road!" She hops forward eagerly.
​
\> You say "You might not get to torture his balls, you know."
Neimi frowns, "Oh. That's disappointing."
"I'm sure he has a shitload of sensitive information we can get though."
​
\> You turn to Yvette, smirking. "A shitload, you say?"
Yvette grins, shaking her head, before nodding to Neimi. "Let's go." She begins walking off towards the Sheriff's office, as you follow.
"By the way." Yvette says, stopping to look at you. "Thank you."
"For what?" you ask bewildered.
"For trusting me and coming to help my city. Holgard will be better off once we rid it of EC scum."
You shrug, "Eh, you're welcome. I guess." you offer in response.
Yvette smiles, knowing you wouldn't see it as much of a big deal, but to her it was a huge deal. Before long the three of you continuing to walk towards the sheriff's office once again, keeping to the shadows as you intend to follow the sheriff in secret.
​
\> You say "Stick with me and we will go quietly and unseen. If we spook him, we might be up a creek and back to square one."
Neimi and Yvette both nod, making sure to be extra careful with their movements. The three of you spot the sheriff coming out of the jailhouse, followed by three guards cloaked in all-black armor. Those were the Ebony Claw assassins, you surmise.
​
\> You follow them but not too closely, they lead you through the streets and down to the slums.
The slums of Holgard are a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and that doesn't even begin to describe what goes on here. You see a lot of debauchery of various types here. But you do your best to ignore it all, focusing in on what was important.
Before long the Sheriff comes to a stop at a large solid, iron door and two of the assassins knock a distinct pattern against the metal. The door clicks unlocked and swings open. The three assassins lead the way inside and you follow. You keep your distance, using the alleys and backways to keep from being followed.
After going down several flights of stairs (You must be underground now) you come to a large dungeon. Several slaves, gagged and strapped to the dungeon walls are begging for someone, anyone to rescue them.
The Sheriff and his goons enter a large chamber room, it seems to be empty apart from he and the three accompanying assassins. You turn and gesture to Yvette and Neimi to stay here while you go in alone.
You enter the chamber alone and face the three assassins. "I had a feeling you'd be coming" one of them says to you. "There are more outside, in case you get away."
​
\> You say "When did you realize it was a lie?"
"When you arrived at the jailhouse," he replies. "But it doesn't matter, we're all dead men anyway."
You smile. "Then why agree to meet me? If you're smart enough to see through my ruse, you must've known my reputation."
"Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment," he laughs, "or perhaps I wanted to please the higher ups with your head!"
The sheriff snarls as he flings his arm at you, a plume of smoke, what you assume to be a poison gas, spraying from his hand. You jump back as two of the assassins rush at you through the mist.
​
\> You quickly deflect their ranged assault, two daggers preemptively thrown to get your guard down while they rushed in behind them, but you're fast and quickly land to your feet, spinning on your heel to kick one into the other, sending them both colliding to the floor.
In seconds, the two are up and charging again, but you're ready for them, having spun to deflect the first attack and throwing daggers at one's feet while arcing around the second's punch to shove him to the floor. Once they're in close, you quickly wrap your fingers around the neck of the first assassin and shove him to the floor again, dropping a dagger into his throat as you whisper, "Why don't these guys ever learn?" sarcasm emanating from every word.
​
\> You say "If you give up now, I'll tell my friends to let you keep your balls."
The second assassin gives you a glare that could melt lead as he grasps his crotch, before taking up a fighting stance. You roll your eyes and sigh, pulling your dagger out of his comrade's throat, blood dripping off the blade.
"Are you seriously still refusing to give up?" You demand, angrily. He glares at you, spitting at your feet before dashing at you at full speed.
​
\> You sigh, "Man, I really hate it when people make me work." your voice annoyed as you seemingly blink past the assassin, his body slumping forward behind you as he clutches his throat, trying to keep his head from falling from his shoulders. Blood oozes between his fingers.
As he continues to stagger away from you, his grip weakens as he bleeds out. His head hits the floor with a sickening thud, his body dropping shortly after. "I really hate having to do that," you say, flicking the blood of the blade of Helena, your dagger. You turn to see the smoke settling, the Sheriff and the third assassin are both gone.
​
\> You say "Well fuck. Now I've got to chase them,"
Quickly, you search the bodies, looking for anything that can give you an edge. You find a few coins and a nightlock sextant from the first man you killed, but missing from the second.
​
\> You say "I wonder if the other guy has the other half to this."
You quickly take the dead man's ring, searching his body again, hoping it ends up a useful prize.
You discover a hidden leather pouch under his clothes, fastened by a long strap.
​
\> You say "Ohh, what have we here?"
You pull the drawstring open, finding a small stack of documents. You quickly skim through them: apparently, they're official papers detailing the steps to take should they become compromised. You smirk, "Jackpot."
Neimi and Yvette run into the room, "Colm!" they both shout but realize you're unharmed and look around the room. "Where's the Sheriff?" they ask in unison.
"Guess," you say.
"Shit!" Yvette curses aloud. You shrug, and begin to search the room, surely there had to be a hidden door around her somewhere, you think. "He can't have gotten far," you say.
​
\> You search the room closely for any escape exits the Sheriff might've taken.
You search the room carefully, looking for secret panels or passages. You know the Sheriff could've taken other routes out of the room, but you're hoping to find what you're looking for.
​
\> You say "Any luck?"
"No, but a bit of this wall seems a little different than the rest of it," Yvette says, tapping at one of the walls.
​
\> You walk over to it, "Let me see," you tell her as you begin probing at the wall and surrounding area.
As you tap, the wall seems to move as if there was a hidden door behind it. "Aha!" you say, flashing a grin at Yvette.
"What? What is it?" Yvette asks, clearly baffled.
"It's a secret passage. The Sheriff must've escaped through here. Come on, let's follow it."
"What if it's a trap?" Neimi asks suddenly. You smile and pat her head, "Well, their last trap ended in them running with their tails between their legs so, I doubt they have another one ready." you tell her, trying to boost her confidence.
Neimi gulps and nods, clearly not wanting to run into any traps.
You begin following the passage as it twists and turns, while Neimi follows closely behind. Soon enough, the passage bends to a stop with stairs leading down. "This must be where they're going," you say.
"Shall we?" Yvette asks.
​
\> You smirk and nod, "No sense turning back now."
You begin descending the stairs as Yvette follows after you. Soon enough, the stairs lead to a hallway, and you can make out the figures of a few bandits up ahead. "Don't rush into anything yet."
​
\> You turn to Yvette, grinning at her. "What? Do you want to take these guys on?" you ask her teasingly.
"If the situation arises, sure," she replies, her voice not betraying any signs of fear.
​
\> You nod with a simple smile, you do feel bad for always stealing the good fights. Although if she fought them, maybe they would actually be fights instead of slaughters.
As you get close up ahead, you can make out the words of three bandits.
"Who are you two?" one asks. "I asked the first question, now it's your turn."
The bandits seem to be speaking with the Sheriff and his assassin buddy. They don't appear to be working together.
"I'm Will," one thug begins, offering up your hand to shake with the assassin.
"I'm Guinevere," the assassin extends her hand, smiling.
"I'm Sebastian." offers a second thug, smiling goofily but the assassin ignores him.
​
\> You look to Yvette, then back to the events carrying out up ahead. "Why are they just sitting there chatting?" you whisper, wondering why they aren't still running.
"They must be planning on just ambushing us if we reach for our weapons," you hear Yvette say. "Or perhaps they just don't realize that we have the advantage." You smirk. Thinking maybe you should get the drop on them now. Yvette grabs your arm and you look at her, she shakes her head as if knowing what you were thinking. "Let them lead us further in, they might be going to the Ebony Claw's main hideout." she tells you in a hushed tone.
​
\> You nod, sighing through your nose as you listen to the bandits and the assassin speak.
"We're just a small bandit group. The Ebony Claw Syndicate has many, many more," one says.
"You see this?" the assassin raises her hand, displaying a thick golden ring. "I was given this as a gift by the Holgard Watch and it has no equal. They fear us, we could strike anywhere."
"And now you're going to lead the Holgard Watch right to us!" one of the bandits complains.
"I am merely setting the trap. Once we have lead the Holgard Watch to our hideout, we can rule the city with an iron fist!" the assassin laughs.
"I have a cousin once removed who has an aunt who is dating the head of the Holgard Thieves' Guild," Will interjects.
The assassin simply blinks before rolling her eyes. "Right, anyway, do you want to get paid? Ebony Claw is going to rule this country before long. I suggest you chose the winning team."
"How much do you want for this?" one of the bandits asks.
"Fifty gold pieces, the lot of you. You can have your fun on the side for less."
The bandits look between themselves but they ultimately agree. Handing over the money, the assassin pulls out a small coin pouch for each of them and begins to chant something, a coiling mist emanating from her lips as the mist coils around the necks of the bandits.
"Oh, right," she says, looking up. "I forgot to mention, this might hurt a bit!" suddenly the mist chokes the bandits around their necks. You can hear a sizzling as their flesh burns. They were being branded.
The bandits, a now miserable looking lot, begin to complain and curse the woman. She calmly puts up a hand.
"I warned you it would hurt."
The bandits continue to groan in pain, their burning flesh stinking up the air. The assassin shakes her head. "I can't focus if you keep whining, this is a magical spell that burns your fealty to Ebony Claw into a brand on your skin. It will also enhance your abilities."
​
\> You look to Yvette, "Can we stop her now?!" you whisper loudly at her.
"We can't just stand by and let her do this to these poor guys," you say.
Yvette stares at the scene in front of her, shaking her head.
"They're just bandit scum anyway. Probably killed before, perhaps stolen bread out of poor people's hands or even worse. If they're making a deal with Ebony Claw, you know they're disgusting human garbage. The real threat is further in and we can't afford to give up such an opportunity."
With this, she turns and watches the scene unfold.
You quickly pull her shoulder to turn her to face you, "But they're just bandits. They're not even the same as the normal criminal types. They're unskilled and-"
Yvette grabs your wrist and leans in close to your face.
"Listen to me. I've been in Holgard all my life, I've seen better men than these do far worse things. Ebony Claw has had their talons rooted deep in this city for far too long. I'm going to rip them out at the roots."
You sigh and nod. Clearly there was much more going on that Yvette wasn't ready to share with you.
​
\> You say "Fine, but when we make it out of this, I want you to tell me everything."
"Done," she replies.
You both turn to see that the ritual was complete and the Sheriff and Guinevere seem to have started shuffling off in a hurry. The three bandits from before look ashen, breathing black smoke from their maws. Eyes sunken in and hollowed out as they look around aimlessly, as if waiting for anything to move.
​
\> You curse under your breath, "What the hell?!"
You both start to approach the bandits, creeping quietly with Neimi floating over your shoulder. They don't notice the three of you. As you get closer, they seem to just stare blindly, if not menacingly around the area. "What the fuck happened here?" you ask, staring at the horrifying scene.
The three bandits seem to have been turned into corpses that had gone partially rotten, though a black substance seemed to have leaked from their eyes. You wince as a horrid smell creeps into your nostrils, they reek of rotted, burnt flesh. Yvette coughs, unable to hold back as the rancid smell overtakes her senses. The three bandits snap their heads in her direction, Neimi squeaks in fear. "Those things are so nasty!" she says in a whisper.
You look back at the corpses and shudder. How could something so horrible happen? Then again, you've seen some pretty horrific shit in your life. They let out a vicious roar as they start stomping their way toward you and Yvette.
​
\> You say "Shit, get back!"
Yvette screams in terror and jumps back, but not before one of the corpses almost grabs her ankle. She panics and runs, screaming as she does.
​
\> You shout at Yvette, "Calm down! Get ahold of yourself!"
You sigh and calm down yourself, focusing on the here and now. At the first Corpse, you send a jab of shadow energy through it as you run by, freezing it in its tracks.
You haven't really used your newfound powers since your showdown with Helena, becoming the Bane of Shadows, but now seems about as good a time as any. You release a burst of Shadow energy at another one, freezing it as it reaches for you. You keep your cool as you move through the air like lightning, shoving your blade through the spine of the final one. You watch as it continues to try and struggle despite being paralyzed, before you give it a mighty stab, breaking through its skin and impaling its brain.
​
\> You say "Damn, these things have some tough skin!"
You take a moment to catch your breath as you stare around the room. Well, that scenario played out better than you expected. The other two seem frozen in place after you hit them with your Shadow energy, but a deafening roar turns you back to them as a red glow rings around their necks. The primal growls echo off the walls as the first one breaks free of your energy, eyes glowing red as it charges you.
​
\> You curse, "Okay then! Whatever the hell that was! Let's go then!" you taunt it, bouncing in place for a moment before you rush forward to attack the beast head-on.
You rush at it, but you need to dodge its claws first. You roll under it's swing and jab your dagger blade into its belly, twisting it as you send the bloody dagger back out and stabbing it again.
The second stab cuts through its thigh, bringing it to its knees. Before you can finish it, however, the second beast had started stomping towards you in a bull rush from behind. You jump up and backflip over it, letting it crash into its brethren. "Right. Now we're talking!" You say, almost excited as you send a pulse of Shadow energy at the two remaining enemies. You quickly scan to seen that Yvette and Neimi are safe close by.
​
\> You watch as your Shadow energy slams into the two fallen beasts, sending another blast crashing into them. "Stay down!"
"You did a good thing there, Colm!" Yvette beams.
"Yeah! You're a hero!" Neimi agrees.
"Maybe," you shrug, "We should get going."
You walk a few steps before you feel a dizzying sensation. For a moment, your vision goes black and you feel warmth all over your body as you burst into black flames.
​
\> You ask, as if you expect someone to answer, "What is this?"
You look around and don't see your allies, just a bunch of ethereal ghosts floating around you.
​
\> You notice one in particular, it's Helena.
You smile at the memory of your time with her, you approach her and caress her cheek.
Helena's body was cold, but you felt warmth from her smile. "So, you've finally used your powers," she muses, smirking at you.
​
\> You ask, a little glad you seemed to be wrong, "I thought you were dead."
"I am, Colm. These souls you see here, they are the previous wielders of the Shadow. We are the Banes of Shadow. You won't often see us but, upon your first awakening with the Shadow, we come to you, we welcome you. You are becoming initiated."
"I thought I was already initiated when I killed you to become the Bane of Shadows. How is this different?"
She laughs, "Oh, I had forgotten just how... passionate you are. It's nice to know I was right about you." She looks at you seriously. "Well, the Shadow has a set order of events. Killing me made you the Bane of Shadows, but it wasn't the full initiation. There is... something else." She pauses, running her fingers through your hair.
​
\> You say "Which is?"
She smiles at you, "The Shadow Rites. Those are the initiation for full powers. You must undergo them to fulfill your role as Bane of Shadows and to become a true Shadow Master. The first of the Rites was convincing you to kill me. The second was to use your powers of Shadow for the first time."
You frown, "So, what's the third one?"
She grins, "The third is up to you. The Shadow adapts the initiation for each Bane that wishes to complete the Rites, but ONLY if YOU wish to complete them."
"What do I have to do?"
"Well, currently you're fighting the Ebony Claw Syndicate. You must banish them from this city, so that yet another Bane may awaken here."
"Why?"
She shrugs, "This is your choice. Your role as Bane of Shadows is to ensure the survival of the Shadow. You must do whatever it is you need to do."
"But..." you pause, trying to think. "The fight against the EC, it's got nothing to do with saving the world. It's got nothing to do with the Demon Realm, Morthos."
She nods, "I just told you, the Shadow will adapt to you."
​
\> You say "Then who is the other Bane who might awaken here?"
She smiles, "I already told you, remember?"
You pause for a moment, "Yvette... but, I thought she was too young?"
Again, she shrugs, "The will of the Shadow is one that can be confusing but it knows, the Shadow does not make mistakes."
You smirk at this, "You sure about that? Pretty sure choosing me was a glaring mistake."
She laughs, "Colm, you have the strongest connection to the Shadow since the first Bane. You were no mistake." She leans into you, placing a hand on your chest, "I believe in you."
You grin, "You sure know how to make a guy feel special."
She smiles, "I'm sure you'll do great things as the Bane of Shadows. You are the hero, after all."
You lean into her, closing your eyes.
"Are we consummating or sleeping?" she asked.
You smile, "Very funny. I need to get back," you tell her.
​
\> You say "Was there anything else I must know?"
She sighs, "No, I believe that's it."
You nod, "I guess it's time to go."
She nods in return, "Until we meet again..."
You focus as you channel the burning shadow into yourself.
Helena reaches out to touch your cheek, "Colm," she says, you looking up into her eyes.
"Before you go," she breathes in a whisper as she lures you toward her, you're intoxicated by her touch, her stare. You step toward her, just as she rockets her knee up between your thighs, the bony cap of her knee colliding into your delicate testicles. She grabs ahold of your head, pulling it up toward her in a deep kiss as you groan in exquisite agony. She smiles as she pulls back, her hand reaching down to pat your aching orbs. "I'll always remember you, I hope you'll remember me." she says before backing away from you.
You stagger without her support for a moment, clutching your aching eggs before composing yourself. "You're impossible to forget," you say before you burn away in black flames.
Your vision returns to you as you look around, seeing the dank cellar walls again. The musty, rank smell returning you to the place where you killed the three demonic beasts that Guinevere had left behind and you're greeted with Yvette and Neimi throwing their arms around you. "Colm!" they cry out.
"You're alive! We were so worried!" they say, then look at the enemies and Yvette pipes up, "you killed them all! You're a fucking hero!"
"Yeah! You got shit done!" Neimi chimes in.
They embrace you in a group hug while you pat their backs. "It's okay, we need to catch up to the Sheriff. Sorry about all that, I'm still figuring out all this Shadow power stuff."
The three of you look at one another and nod. "Don't worry about it, we were at least a little better prepared this time. You also didn't come back naked this time either!" Neimi says, smiling at you with a smile that could light up a cave.
"Yeah, and you don't seem as exhausted! Seems you're getting the hang of things on the other side too!"
You nod, smiling. With Neimi and Yvette, and your newfound powers, you're certain nothing can stop you. "Come on! Let's hurry!" you say as the three of you begin running to catch up with Guinevere and Sheriff Donnel.