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Chapter 9 - Higher Stakes

Weiss and Therica’s relationship had taken on a strange, almost comical atmosphere at this point, like they were a parody of a real couple. They had travelled to London together, she took care of his every need and now they were sitting side by side in an ornately furnished office room, waiting for the boss of Kirkland Electrics to arrive. It felt like they were buying a house together, only the air was crackling with tension as they both tried to remain calm. They had no idea whether they were being watched already.

It’s a good sign that he’s keeping us waiting. Probably a negotiation tactic. That means he’s at least willing to negotiate. Therica’s voice appeared in Weiss’ head as she sat patiently, staring straight ahead. The non-magical pretence still hadn’t been dropped at this point, to any unknowing observer it would seem like a completely mundane business meeting. The last week had been intense, with Weiss and Therica going over dozens of strategies and counter-strategies for the negotiation about to take place, knowing almost nothing about who they were dealing with. Therica spent the nights putting out feelers to try and attract the dragon’s attention, which had proved to be the easy part, just as she suspected. All she had to do was mention Josephine’s name in the right locations and the right times and soon she was being contacted by an employee of Kirkland Electrics, as if the dragon was expecting someone to come looking for her.

Where is he? This feels like a trap. Weiss answered back in Therica’s head, as he had learnt to do by now.

Be calm. If this was a trap we would have already sprung it. Therica replied coolly. Another stretch of time passed, during which the pair exchanged some idle small talk in order to not make it obvious they were speaking telepathically, but whether it was believable was another question. Then, just as Weiss was about to lose his nerve, the door at the back of the room slowly opened and a tall man walked through. He had an imposing build, with distinguished, slicked back grey hair and intense blue eyes that Weiss couldn’t help assume were hinting at a draconic nature. His suit was immaculately tailored and he exuded an air of nonchalance, in stark contrast to the seriousness in his eyes. He sat down opposite the pair and took a breath before speaking. His voice was deep, and seemed to almost bounce off the walls.

“Weiss Buchannon, and Therica…” He said simply, trailing off with a questioning tone and gesturing to the witch, though addressing Weiss.

“Buchannon.” Weiss answered, in accordance with their plan. Posing as a couple made the most sense while they were still yet to reveal their true identities. The man, presumably Kirkland himself, chuckled quietly and leaned back a little, clasping his hands together.

“That’s quite an impressive woman you have with you.” He laughed, making Weiss smile wryly and Therica cast her gaze downwards.

“She is quite the beauty isn’t she?” Weiss answered, but Kirkland shook his head.

“That’s not exactly what I meant. Perhaps we should drop the pretence and discuss our real business here. I was waiting for someone to come looking for Josephine but I wasn’t expecting a… Man to show up.” He said with a business-like tone.

Okay he knows, move on to step two. Therica’s ethereal voice calmly instructed.

“So, who is she?” Kirkland added.

“That would be Josephine’s sister.” Weiss answered smoothly, making the man, or dragon, sitting opposite chuckle again.

“Well then this is interesting. I’ve known you for two minutes and you’re already the most impressive human I’ve met. Hadrian Kirkland’s the name, by the way.” He said, standing to shake Weiss’ hand as if he had only just felt it merited. Weiss stood and returned the gesture, but as their hands clasped together and he looked into the imposing figure’s eyes, they seemed to flash an even more brilliant blue, and he was suddenly overcome with a sensation of being more than just watched, but examined.

What’s happening? He asked Therica desperately.

Be calm, he’s just checking you’re actually human. She answered. Sure enough, a moment later the feeling faded and the two men sat back down as if nothing had happened. Indeed, it somehow felt like no time at all had passed.

“Well I suppose it was naive to think you might have done it all alone, but kudos to you regardless, and to your otherworldly patron.” Kirkland said with a toothy grin. Therica raised an eyebrow at this, but continued to sit obediently and quietly. Weiss gave nothing away in his expression, and Kirkland promptly moved on.

“Is she completely enthralled then?” He asked, giving Weiss the impression that he might want a demonstration.

“Therica, why don’t you change into your usual attire?” Weiss suggested to his partner.

“Good idea… Master.” Therica answered, snapping her fingers and slowly transforming her conservative dress into the lurid outfit she had designed for Weiss, putting her body on display for both the men. Hadrian leaned back again, making no attempt to hide his astonishment.

“What else does she do?” He asked with a laugh, turning back to Weiss.

“With all due respect sir, I am here to talk business.” Weiss answered.

“Of course, of course. You’re here for Josephine, to add to your collection.” Hadrian nodded, as if having grasped a new understanding of the situation.

“Well let’s talk then. Your search is not in vain, the girl is in my possession, safe and sound. My question is what will you offer me for her?”

“Right. Well, that is correct, I have come to negotiate for her.” Weiss started, a little flustered by the sudden matter-of-factness.

Relax, just show him the wand. Therica urged, prompting him to reach into his grey jacket and remove The Wand of Unusual Results, wrapped in wax paper. He placed it on the table between them and in a show of reverence, slowly unwrapped it. Kirkland raised one eyebrow with what appeared to be genuine interest.

“This is The Wand of Unusual Results. Recovered from the ancestral grounds of the Andromeda coven in France. One of their formerly most prized possessions, I assure you.” Weiss explained. The crystal wand sparkled under the bright lights of the office, and Kirkland grinned.

“Well, Mr. Buchannon. You certainly have impressed me, I haven’t heard of a human stepping foot in a witches coven in hundreds of years, let alone emerging with something like this. And that’s to say nothing of your pet here.”

“So you’ll trade Josephine for the wand?” Weiss asked, leaning forward with perhaps a little too much excitement.

“Oh no, of course not! This is worth nowhere near what she is. It’s a nice trinket but I have a live witch in captivity. I’m sure you wouldn’t give up yours for something like that.” Kirkland explained with a snort, before standing up from the table and continuing.

“But look, don’t think I don’t admire the balls it’s taken for you to come this far! Very impressive work indeed, enthralling a witch and heisting her lair. I wonder if I couldn’t show you something, maybe give you an opportunity to widen your exploits.” He went on like a showman, coming around and helping Therica to her feet, obliging Weiss to stand as well.

“If we can talk more about Josephine, I think that-” Weiss began, but he was quickly cut off.

“Oh sure, we’ll have lots of time to talk. Just bear with me, I think you’ll really enjoy this.” Hadrian went on, ushering them towards the back of the room.

I don’t like this. Therica told Weiss nervously, while keeping a smile on her face. Weiss tried to ask what they were doing or steer the conversation back to Josephine but the dragon cut him off or deftly steered the conversation away every time, all while leading them out of the office and through a maze of corridors, Weiss trailing him and Therica following closely behind. Eventually they came to a wall, as nondescript as any other, and Hadrian suddenly stopped and held up a hand. After a moment, he placed the hand on the wall and whispered something quietly, before turning and winking at Weiss, as a set of glowing runes appeared on the wall in concentric circles, radiating from the centre.

“So a factory in the middle of London is a shrewd place for a dragon’s lair now?” Weiss commented, invoking Hadrian’s true nature for the first time in an attempt to throw him off.

“These are the times we live in.” Is all he said in response, as the wall slid away to reveal a tiny spiral staircase dropping into almost pure darkness. Without another word, Therica and Weiss were ushered in first, Hadrian closing the entrance behind them.

Okay, this obviously hasn’t gone exactly to plan but if he wasn’t interested in the wand he would have just sent us away. This is a classic draconic tactic, he’s trying to distract you. Let’s see what game he’s playing, be patient, and stay focused on Josephine, okay? Therica explained, as they descended step after step into the unknown, spurred along quickly by the looming figure right behind them.

At least he seems to respect me. I think I can turn this around. Weiss replied, before any further communication was interrupted by Hadrian’s voice.

“Here we are! Welcome friends… To the club!” As he spoke, the staircase opened up into a huge cavern, with beautifully carved ceilings and decorations hanging off the walls, round tables with seats arranged in the middle and a stage on one end, with what looked like a bar on the other. What’s more, it was filled with people, but as Weiss looked closer he realised that people might not have been the most accurate term.

So this is the ‘magical underworld’, huh? He asked Therica, keeping it in their heads so as to not appear quite so green.

Perhaps one indecent corner of it. Was all she had to say on the matter. Indecent was right, Weiss didn’t even understand half of what he was looking at as he took it all in, though some of it was definitely obvious. Some of the patrons were gambling, some were consuming various substances in a variety of different ways. Most of what was going on seemed to involve magic in some way. But what was most interesting was the women, just like in any seedy club in human society there were plenty to go around, not all of which seemed to be willing attendants. Some of them were merely dressed in revealing outfits and had subtle non-human features to them, long pointy ears or flowers sprouting out of their hair, but others were more noticeable. Standing next to a tiny gentleman in a three piece suit who probably only came up to Weiss’ knees was a taller woman with red skin and strange markings on her body, dressed in a kind of toga that barely left her covered. Around her neck was a thick collar inscribed with glowing purple runes, and atop her head were two coiled horns protruding from her black hair. She obediently held the short man’s drink for him but had a permanent scowl on her face as if her even being there was an insult to her existence, an expression Weiss was quite familiar with.

All of these sights paled in comparison to the centrepiece of the chamber, a huge cylindrical tank in the middle of the room, painted blue at the base with gilded edges. The tank was filled with water and had some decorative props inside, sand at the bottom, some aquatic plants and a small castle, like what you would find in a fish tank but at a much larger scale. Floating vacantly in the middle was another woman, this one stunningly beautiful with pale skin, gentle features and long, flowing red hair. But she certainly wasn’t a woman, there was a huge tail tipped with two fins where her legs should have been.

Is that… A mermaid? Weiss wondered, forgetting for a second that Therica could hear his thoughts.

Yes master. She’s a long way from home though. Mermaids are reclusive creatures, they tend to hide out in the middle of the oceans… Weiss was barely listening, his eyes transfixed on the aquatic woman, who briefly looked back at him as they slowly entered the room, with an expression that suggested she had been ogled hundreds of times before. As they passed the tank in the middle of the room their path took them close to the bar, where Kirkland stopped and waved down the bartender, some kind of green skinned winged creature. Therica paid close attention to the situation that was now going slightly awry, but Weiss was turned the other way towards the tank, admiring the aquatic woman inside. She was swimming idly near the centre, looking without much interest at the constant flurry of activity around her. She had soft, dainty features, and skin that seemed to almost glow under the water. From this distance he could see the small blue scales that made up her tail beginning at her waist, matching the lacy blue brassiere that held her generous bust. When she noticed Weiss staring, her expression at first remained disinterested, but quickly changed as she got a better look at him. She raised one eyebrow before swimming a little closer, Weiss standing still on the other side of the glass. The mystical woman approached him until they were less than a metre apart, looking him over with such intensity that there had to be a reason why. Just as Weiss was about to try and say something to her, she suddenly darted off to the other side of the tank, moving like a bullet through the water.

“There you are, on the house!” Kirkland boomed, shoving a short tumbler into his hand and snapping him out of his stupor. The mermaid must have seen him coming, she was long gone before anyone could notice their interaction. Weiss shook his head and tried to refocus, glancing at the drink he was now holding which looked something like an old-fashioned except that it was glowing slightly. He glanced at Therica, who smiled and nodded, before he took a mouthful. It tasted fantastic, but even though it was only one mouthful it went straight to his head, and he felt very intoxicated, almost immediately. Everything went fuzzy in a moment, and he heard Therica’s voice in his head, but much more distant.

…a sip! Was all he could make out over Hadrian’s booming laughter. Despite himself, he felt good, and as the dragon kept him moving towards the other side of the room he couldn’t help but glance back at the tank, where he once more caught the mermaid’s eye. Was that a slight smile on her face? He felt Therica’s hand on his shoulder as he was taken over to a large round table.

“We need to talk about Josephine.” Weiss managed to get out as he sat down almost instinctively in a grand wooden chair at the table. Kirkland chuckled again before answering.

“I have a feeling this will interest you greatly. Everything and everyone has a value, Weiss. Even you, even Therica." His gaze flickered briefly to the witch, who was standing silently by her master’s side, her face a pleasant but unreadable mask. Suddenly, Weiss’ vision seemed to focus, and the light headedness that had gripped him started to fade. He suddenly realised that seated at the table were a number of other ‘people’, and at the head was a tall man with pointed ears and long hair dressed in a dark suit, holding a deck of cards… He suddenly felt as though he had never had any of the drink in the first place, and struggled to hide the confusion on his face.

It hits hard and fades quickly, now stay focused. Therica urged him. Play along but don’t get sucked into it, show him that petty distractions won’t work and he’ll have to negotiate seriously. Weiss nodded in response to her, still feeling a little bewildered, but his nod was evidently taken as a response to something Hadrian had said and he had missed.

“Excellent! I’ll buy you in, my treat.” He spoke quickly, taking his own seat and waving to get the table’s attention.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen! I propose for tonight, we play a human game. Our friend here is eager to try his luck!” Hadrian went on. Weiss nodded again, a little nervously, looking around at the largely disinterested faces flanking him at the table. None of them looked like humans, one in particular had dark green skin and almost grotesque pig-like features, while another was deathly pale with pitch black hair and an almost ancient appearance. They didn’t seem to care that he didn’t look at all magical, but then neither did Hadrian, and Therica standing behind him did at least give him some mystique. Soon the game started and Weiss didn’t have much choice but to play as best he could. In truth he wasn’t much of a gambler, but he knew the game and he felt that he was holding his own, keeping his small pile of shiny golden chips relatively even. It seemed like a cautious crowd, even Hadrian, with all his bravado as the host, was guarding his chips tightly. After a while Weiss started to play a little more aggressively, just to test the waters. After all, the pile of chips had been given to him ‘on the house’ and he wasn’t sure what good it would be to him in the outside world anyway. Besides, there was a growing sense in his mind that all of this was a sort of test, seeing if he had what it took to step up to these otherworldly beings. It seemed to work at first and he managed to grow his stack a little, but then it soon dipped lower and he quickly found himself the furthest behind. All this time Therica had been strangely quiet, but he could tell she was watching intently, studying everyone at the table.

This game doesn’t actually matter, right? Weiss asked in his head after begrudgingly folding a hand and losing a few more chips.

I am… Unsure. All I can tell you certainly is that no one is cheating. Keep playing and I’ll figure out how to get us back on track. She answered, without looking at him, her eyes only barely giving away her intense concentration.

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last… Weiss thought, although he wasn’t sure if he meant for Therica to actually hear it. As time kept passing his chips were slowly disappearing, more from bad luck rather than any faults in his gameplay that he was aware of, until he finally caught a break with an amazing hand. Right on cue, Hadrian shoved a sizable portion of his enormous stack of chips into the centre of the table, grinning confidently as each player folded one by one in response, until it came to Weiss and there was a long pause.

“Don’t waste our time Mr. Buchannon, even if you could afford this bet my hand would knock you out of the game.” Hadrian chuckled, almost gesturing to continue the game past him until Weiss interrupted, spurned by a sudden burst of confidence that was only partly fueled by the amazing hand he had been dealt.

“Knock me out? With what? What have you got there, three queens? Three dukes?” He asked tauntingly, pointing at Hadrian’s hidden cards. He didn’t actually know what they were but he knew his were almost certainly better. Hadrian kept his cool, grinning again and sitting back.

“You’ve got balls sir, for a human. Such a pity you don’t have anything to back it up with.” He snorted. Weiss tensed, he was being challenged, a feeling he did not enjoy. Therica realised what he was about to do and tried to interject telepathically.

Master stop! There’s no point- She began, but it was too late. Weiss pulled out The Wand of Unusual Results and brandished it in front of the table.

“I’ll wager this if you so allow.” He announced, to a chorus of interested murmurs and curious glances. If the various patrons of the room surrounding the table weren’t paying attention before they were now, all eyes were on Weiss.

If you lose that wand… Therica warned him, but he cut her off.

I know I can’t lose, and you said he wasn’t cheating. He replied sternly.

That’s correct, but- This time she was interrupted by Hadrian, who clapped his hands and laughed.

“Now this is a game! Absolutely, throw it in!” The man boomed. With only a brief moment of hesitation, Weiss placed the wand carefully in the middle of the table with the other chips, and the crowd applauded. No one made a noise, including Therica, as the two remaining players folded and the dealer instructed Weiss and Hadrian to reveal their cards. Weiss placed his down first, eliciting a few gasps of excitement, although everyone waited for the dragon, almost as though it would take his permission to win. Hadrian sat with a straight look on his face for a few terrifying moments, before shrugging, and throwing down his two queens, the weaker hand. The crowd began to applaud again and Hadrian joined in, as the massive pile was pushed over to Weiss and the wand was returned.

“Well done Mr. Buchannon, it seems we may have underestimated you.” Hadrian announced, perhaps somewhat deflated but still in good spirits. Weiss tried to act cool, even while sitting behind his pile that now dwarfed everyone else’s.

“Perhaps we should take a break and return to finish our game?” Hadrian suggested to the table, the other players nodding and beginning to stand.

“Now’s our chance, you have much more than you started with. Tell him you’re done playing and he’ll have to negotiate to get back what he lost.” Therica said out loud, surprising Weiss slightly as she held his shoulder. They couldn’t be heard over the commotion of the crowd that had formed but still, Weiss didn’t like her tone, the way she was ordering him around. And why was she speaking out loud at all?

“Come with me to the bathroom.” Weiss commanded. Therica looked slightly confused but quickly nodded.

“Yes master.”

SMACK! The blonde witch let out a shrill yelp as Weiss’ hand collided with her cheek, almost knocking her to the floor in the ornately tiled bathroom. They were alone in there, and a spell from Therica to lock the door behind them had ensured it would stay that way.

“Who’s in charge here?” Weiss demanded, as the woman got back to her feet.

“You… You are… I only meant to-” SMACK! Another hard slap landed on her face, this time hitting the other side and knocking her over again, tears welling up in her eyes.

“No fucking buts, I AM. You think you’re so fucking smart? How is it I was able to make you my little fuck doll? Who’s in charge? Say it you whore.” He grabbed her hair and pulled her up so she was dangling on her knees.

“You are.” She said, sniffling.

“Good, now let me remind you so you don’t forget again.” He snarled, undoing his pants. Therica knew what was about to happen, kneeling in place and opening her mouth in preparation. A moment later she was choking on his cock, struggling to breathe as held her head and used her mouth like a sex toy. This wasn’t like the long, sensual blowjobs she gave him most days, where she would use magic to hold her breath for minutes at a time and make her mouth extra warm and wet for him. No, when he was using her like this she wasn’t allowed to use magic at all, she had to suffer like any mortal would as he pinched her nose tightly and watched the tears pour down her face. When he had finally had his fill he gave her a look that she knew meant it was time for him to cum. Using the underside of her tongue she massaged his cockhead, the movements so delicate and well practised that he felt himself pushed over the edge in just a few seconds. Wanting to punctuate his lecture, he pulled out of her mouth and snapped his fingers above her, making her look straight up at the ceiling with her back arched and her tits pushed out. Groaning loudly, he shot thick ropes of cum over her face and her bust, painting her with his seed, before delivering one final slap to her face, letting her fall to the ground.

“You’re lucky I have to get back to the game, otherwise my cock would be buried in your ass right now.” He said, putting his clothes back on and fixing himself up in the sink.

“Yes master, I am lucky master…” She murmured, still lying on the floor.

“Now fix yourself up and meet me back at the table.” He called out as he left, the magical lock disarming as he walked through.

As Weiss crossed the floor from the bathroom he took his time to look around a little, he could see that the game wasn’t close to starting again and Hadrian was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t take long for his attention to turn back to the tank in the centre, the mermaid still swimming around gracefully. Left to his own devices for the moment, Weiss approached the tank, catching the mystical woman’s attention. She looked at him through the floating strands of her hair, brushing them away to reveal a sly smile. He hadn’t seen her show this much interest in anyone else, but what was so special about him? He couldn’t dismiss the possibility that she was meant to give attention to the newer male patrons, but then why did she seem like she was hiding it? After only a moment of eye contact she swam away again, but this time he noticed her cock her head in one direction, almost imperceptibly. He traced the direction of the movement to a small passageway on one side of the room, just near the bar. He couldn’t tell where it went but when the mermaid suddenly dived down to the bottom of the tank and disappeared from view into the decorative rock formations he became much more curious. Casually, he made his way over, stopping to make sure the bartender wasn’t watching before he slipped into the passageway and quickly walked down the unassuming corridor. He passed doors on either side that seemed to lead to various private rooms, some of the sounds from within disturbing him a little… He didn’t know what he was looking for until he found it, a heavyset iron door with a glass porthole in the middle, revealing a pool of water inside. He turned the large handle and it slowly creaked open, letting him slip inside and close it behind him. The metallic room was empty aside from the pool, with only a small rim to walk around it. He was about to crouch down to look below when there was suddenly a splash, and the mermaid herself emerged in the centre, brushing her hair back and shaking the water from her gorgeous face. Weiss was speechless as she looked at him, like a lioness staring down a kill. It was only then that he realised how foolish he was being, he had no idea what capabilities her kind possessed, what she might be able to do with him here, without Therica to protect him. But she didn’t do anything, except slowly swim over to the edge of the pool while staring him down. He crouched down to meet her as she reached up and leant her elbows on the edge, leaning forward so her large breasts rested on the metallic floor in the soaking wet brassiere.

“They call you Weiss…” Was all she said as he knelt down. She was even more beautiful close up, her dainty face lightly dashed with freckles.

“You can hear from inside the tank?” He asked, having to reach for the words in his near speechless state.

“Oh yes… I hear everything… See everything…” She answered, her voice as smooth as silk. She reached up with one hand and touched his chin, her skin cold against his own. Everything… Weiss considered the words, considered what her relationship with Hadrian might be. Therica had said mermaids live in isolation in the middle of the ocean, surely she wasn’t here willingly. Maybe she had something on Hadrian that she’d be willing to share…

“My kind are… Excellent judges of character…” She said, never taking her eyes away from his, seemingly staring into his soul, though he didn’t feel a magical intrusion like with Hadrian.

“And what do you see in me?” He asked, leaning closer.

“I see great power.” She whispered, finally closing her eyes as she leant in and brought her lips to his, her hand now holding his cheek. Weiss leant into the kiss, which quickly became passionate, and as their tongues danced around each other she leant back, bringing him forward. Not wanting to break from her, he allowed himself to be tipped over into the pool, crashing beneath the surface and submerging himself, her hands still holding his face. They were completely underwater now, her hair floating above her, and in the crystal clear water he could see everything, her near naked body, her blue tail. He was holding his breath, but before he could go up for air she stopped him, pressed her hand to his cheek where it glowed softly. Suddenly he felt the water in a different way, knew that he could open his mouth and not drown, and sure enough he found himself breathing. Without waiting another moment he kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her as they floated in equilibrium. Her skin was smoother and softer than anything he had felt before, he ran his hands down to her waist and felt the scales at the edge of her tail. She pulled away and smiled wickedly, before lowering herself deeper into the water, down to his crotch, her hands expertly reaching in and undoing his pants. She looked up at him in delight as his hard cock was revealed, and already one soft hand was massaging the shaft, the other holding on tightly to his leg. Keeping eye contact with him the whole time, she brought her bright red lips to his member and slowly took it in her mouth, the feeling driving him crazy with lust. She started to suck his dick, seemingly unbothered as she took the whole length inside, running her tongue along the underside and squeezing her throat muscles around the tip.

After a minute or two of that treatment Weiss couldn’t take anymore, he ran his hands through her hair, before softly tugging her upwards, the mermaid obeying and floating up to meet his face again. Weiss knew he wanted to fuck her, but it wasn’t until this moment that he realised the problem, she was a mermaid… How could he fuck her? As if she knew what he was thinking, she broke away from him and swam up to the surface, kicking her tail with impressive force and launching herself out of the water, leaping up onto the edge of the pool. Weiss quickly followed, and when he burst out of the water and wiped his eyes clear he let out a gasp. She was sitting on the edge now, with two beautiful human legs dangling in the water, pale and slim, one crossed over the other so he couldn’t see between them. She leant back on her elbows with her wet hair draped around her shoulders and the same knowing smile on her face, Weiss launched himself towards her as fast as he could but as he was about to climb out of the pool she flicked one foot onto his shoulder and held him down lightly, the other one finding his other shoulder before she pulled him in, sidling down to press his face against her crotch. He grinned, before reaching up and grabbing her thighs, burying himself in her pussy and delicately massaging her with his tongue. As his movements became more and more intimate she started to moan, and soon he was gently licking her clit, his hands having found their way to her breasts, massaging them through the brassiere as she got louder and louder until she was almost screaming in the small room. It didn’t take long before she too was nearing her limit, reaching forward to pull Weiss up out of the pool. His cock still hard, he leapt onto her, bending her legs up to her shoulders and sliding his cock effortlessly inside her, pounding her down against the floor. Her wet pussy felt so good around his member that it was like he was fucking for the first time, his brain reeling in the ecstasy. He couldn’t pull out if he wanted to, but all he wanted to do was slam his dick in and out of her again and again, his mind totally engulfed in the moment. Faint screams of pleasure echoed down the hallway from both of them, joining with the chorus of indecent noises.

Weiss adjusted his belt as he paced back and forth in front of the table, the mermaid had generously used some of her magic to dry him off but his body was still reeling from the encounter and just how good it felt. She was back in her tank now, swimming idly and facing the other direction, but Weiss had more pressing concerns; Therica was nowhere to be seen.

“Mr. Buchannon, if you aren’t going to play I may have to ask you to kindly take your leave.” Hadrian said loudly, signalling for the dealer to hand out a fresh set of cards. The patrons around the table paid him little attention now, it seemed they had moved past their curiosity and the few looks he attracted were of annoyance at his delaying the gameplay.

“Look, I was wondering if maybe we could talk somewhere more private, about… You know who?” Weiss inquired, moving closer to Hadrian and speaking in a hushed tone. The dragon looked uninterested, bored even, and didn’t look up.

“Perhaps another time, as you can see I’m quite busy here.” He answered flatly. Weiss stepped back and sighed quietly, bereft of a clear plan. Should he push the issue now? Wait around in this seedy place for the game to be done? He didn't know what he was doing without Therica, he had to admit that, but… He knew how to play this game. He had done well already, if he just kept playing as he had been he would be able to win a lot more without staking the wand again, perhaps enough to force Hadrian to put Josephine on the line… Realising he had no other choice, he sat down and nodded at the dealer, Hadrian smiling every so slightly.

“I’m not going to ask again. Who is he working for?” Came the harsh voice of the stern little man, his dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, the suit jacket hanging over a nearby barrel. Despite his size, no more than a few feet, his face gave him a demeanour of cold, almost brutal indifference. When no answer came, he nodded to the huge red skinned creature towering next to him, who grinned with malice. This creature was almost eight feet tall, his skin a smooth red colour, two massive horns protruding from his head, and not a shred of clothing on him. His cock matched the rest of his stature, the rock solid red member protruding out like a tree branch.

Therica was hovering in place in the centre of the room, still wearing her uniform, dangling from her neck where a glowing purple ring of symbols and shapes jutted out like an oversized collar, her arms forced out to either side encircled by more hovering glyphs around her wrists, and another glyph keeping her knees bound together below her. She struggled hard, kicking her calves back and forth and bucking her torso, but it was clear the bindings weren’t going to budge. The red creature brought his hand into a fist and twisted his arm, grunting as he manipulated the glyphs and small beams of purple light shot out between them, joining them together. The binding around her knees joined the one from her neck and tightened, pulling her body in, while the two around her wrists formed a triangle with her head and a new glyph appeared around her mouth, silencing her. Verbal magic alone wouldn’t help her here, but the red creature didn’t seem to want to take chances. The glowing triangle of magic pulled her arms behind her back, and now her ass was being presented to the creature. Still wielding the magic with his right arm held in the air, he grabbed her waist with his other hand and brought his oversized cock to her pussy lips, his red meat passing right through the fabric. Therica’s face remained cold and steely as he forced his way inside her, his girth forcing her open inch by inch, pushing past any resistance. However when he twisted his arm again, grunting loudly to exert his magical power, the runes crackled with energy and turned red, sending pain coursing through her body and amplifying the feeling of his dick rearranging her insides. She opened her mouth to scream but no noise emerged through the glyph, tears welling in her eyes as the small man looked up in satisfaction.