== VORTEX QUEST 6-2 ==
== ANTI-PIRACY MEASURES ==
Killing hundreds, even thousands of slaves at once, had thrown the region into a fuel crisis from which it was bouncing back with some growing pains.
Nearly all soul-powered vessels had been forced to land for a while and the ability of lords and champions to project their power had been limited. Now lords, clans and tribes were struggling to reestablish their trade routes and territorial claims with a lot of no man's land – or air – still barely guarded.
Obviously, this was a glorious opportunity for a ragtag gang of misfits to steal a ship and start a pirate crew. Especially a vision barge, able to camouflage itself.
Marcus was pretty excited about the idea.
Flying ships had turned out a lot less fun than he'd have imagined, since you spent most of the time just going places with no on-board entertainment, but a chameleon boat held promise.
Right now, though, it was the waiting game again, until the pirates moved through the one-mile-narrow passage the pantheon was scouting.
On a flat platform, at the edge of a crawlway entrance, Xane and Marcus stood next to each other, spread legs touching, squatting and lightly bent forward, fists in each other's asses.
Their free dicks were flopping pointlessly, spent from a mage-mouth suckjob. Marcus was glad to be flaccid again. He kept getting irritated by his dick being in the way.
"There," Xane said, through an abs-flexing spasm. "Smoke signal."
Slightly higher than them, on the opposite passage wall, Chay's puffs were rising. Xane conjured a well-directed flash to respond and covered himself and Marcus with an illusory rock.
The demigods slipped back into their golden fundoshi and waited.
Marcus bathed in the afterglow of casual sex, then noticed to his irritation that he was getting erect. It wasn't even fun anymore. He pulled his dick out and rubbed out a quick few cumshots, holding his breath to speed it up.
In the meantime, the pirates moved in.
The gray ship was maybe fifteen feet long, a typical flat barge looking like an upside down sailing ship. The two sails hanging under the deck and the additional wing-sails at the side got pulled in by Hellions in leather harnesses. A soap bubble established itself around the vessel and distorted to fit itself to the elongated shape.
A round puff of smoke. The signal.
Xane let the rock fade and gave himself and Marcus butterfly wings. This used up most of his available magic now that he had no motes. Still, the thaum-mage gave himself an aura of red sparks and glowing eyes. Marcus set his mohawk, hands and feet ablaze with holy fire.
They flew at the ship like cannonballs. Chay and Goro descended from their position, aiming for the center of the vessel.
Just as invisibility laid itself across the vision bubble, the demigod duo burst through, slipping between the arches at the bow and landed with a booming sound effect.
The four-armed, yellow Kobold at the steering console reached for an arquebus the size of his torso. A mage-hand took it from him.
The lizardman tossed a knife at them. Marcus didn't even have to move. He had lost his chakram, which brutally reduced his range options, but he had been given greater animus-power, whitefire extending his limbs' reach by a good foot.
He slapped the knife from its trajectory, embedding the blade in a dark wood pillar.
The wizard shoved the disarmed Kobold ahead of him into the main area of the ship, where tied down crates towered between cabins.
A Glooper stopped mid-motion, its jelly body filled with half-digested bones.
"Pirates," Xane shouted into the ship. "This vessel is now under our command. If you're willing to work for us, come here without weapons."
A cabin to their right burst open, three Kobolds leaping out, long scimitars in each hand.
Marcus raised his clasped hands and let them come down on the first head, charring the lizardman's scalp to the skull just as the force crushed him. The martial artists used the momentum to bring himself into the air, legs apart and bent. Each foot – with the help of his holy fire extension – slammed into an angry face hard enough to break necks.
The three bodies barely had time to hit the ground before more enemies streamed into-
"We surrender," said the hostage from the steering console.
Four Hellions held their position.
"Are you the captain?" Xane asked in Boldian.
"Yes?" the Kobold said, all four arms shrugging. "If we have such a thing."
"Good. Make them stand down. We're the new captains."
Xane released the ex-captain from his mage-hand grip and the Kobold stumbled back. "You heard the... slave?"
"Demigod," Xane said. "Or human, or whatever."
A Troll marched into the room which was getting crowded. The Glooper pressed itself between crates with squelching sounds, to make space.
The Troll was the typical eight foot, neck-less, musclebound troglodyte with a tool belt holding his leather loin cloth, a ring in both major tusks, a bone through the pig-nose and a few allegiance tattoos.
He was followed by Chay and Goro.
"Trans-Alethium crystal secured," Chay reported, "humming along in the engine. There's five slaves, too, ready to fall apart."
Shades entering the economy currently were rushed and thus burst after just a few days. People were willing to pay full price anyway since machines and generators needed fuel desperately enough that keeping shades around for a month was no option anyway.
"Okay then," Chay continued and clapped his hands. "I think introductions are in order. Also, the treasure. I'll need-" His head snapped around to glare at a Hellion. "Nuh-uh, don't get twitchy now. What is it? Secret compartments? Not quite... Double bottomed crates." He pointed. "That one? Hm... Ah, that one."
The Hellions got agitated at the umbralism display.
"Oh I can tell something's up," Chay said ultra-casually and leaned on a pillar. "You wouldn't be pirates if you weren't on the run from your former demonic lords. You did something that makes you... hard to employ and need a way out. A sanctuary. Say, have you heard of Zlennrop? Up and coming minor lord. Bonemaster."
It was always fascinating to see Chay use his abilities like that. Rarely was diplomacy a solution but when it worked it worked.
Marcus' dick slipped from his fundoshi. Oh for fuck's sake.
His level of horniness was always at super-giga-maximum so his erection rose whenever his dick had recovered from the last spanking. At least he wasn't the only one. Although with the way Goro looked at the Troll's crotch bulge, the berserker was just going to get his cum massaged out of him.
Xane gave him a poke. Marcus saw the wizard was erect. He leaned in.
"Hellion riding?" Xane asked.
"Sure," Marcus said. "You know, I figured with the aegises gone the two of us would be fighting to stick it into each other's holes but we've barely fucked `like man' as you say."
"So you'd pass up on Hellion dick?"
"Uh, no way. I'm team monstercock. Just thought you'd-"
Xane waved him off. "I'll be hard again ten minutes later. Let's introduce ourselves to our new crewmates."
===***===
The pirate ship, now renamed Sneak Attack by Captain Chay, was a little more crammed than others. It had to be centered around the vision crystal, a head-sized, sharp-edged, purple oblong in a metal sphere. There were two souls swimming within, allowing for maybe a few minutes of invisibility.
The journey to the defiled sanctuary happened at a leisurely pace to give Chay time to assess the stolen treasures.
Marcus used the time to say hi to the crew. Having such a diverse gang of misfits was no problem for a man who magically spoke all languages and had a magic hole hungry for as much dick as possible.
Among the four Hellions who acted as engineers and haulers, the one who called himself Seventh seemed to be in charge. He was earnest, cunning and his twenty inch dick rummaged in Marcus' stomach like an inner massage that sent so much pleasure into his system he had to dry heave and shook uncontrollably. He'd have been too weak to walk after if it wasn't for animus-power keeping him going.
The four-armed helmsman was called Zzva'greeesss, meaning Helping Bite, and he had four strong grips to pin Marcus to the wall and rub his studded, segmented monstercock into him with enough force to make the demigod shoot his own load at the planks.
The Troll served as mechanic, in the sense that he did percussive maintenance on anything making a funny noise. His name was Gonyo Bana and Marcus had to exert overwhelming willpower not to yell `gogo banana' anytime he walked by the colossus. Naturally, the green dick – as long as it was wide – ripped him open like a punch straight from the ass up to the brain.
There was also the Glooper, the Sneak Attack's all-purpose janitor and quartermaster, but he was exceedingly difficult to talk to. Not because Elementic was hard to pronounce – though it was – but he also seemed pretty aloof and had no dick to ride.
Marcus leaned on the railing of the demigods' cozy 3x5 foot cabin – the exterior hull was a mere assortment of arches and rope where red energy flitted into the wing sails – and sullied the monstercock afterglow with a few split-second penile orgasms.
His squirts rained on the blue jungle half a mile below, where Sleuthken were tearing into the corpse of a giant spider.
The cabin door creaked aside and his balls got crushed.
Wincing with a squeak and a chuckle, Marcus turned and reached for the elusive open signature of his attacker.
Xane's glorious thighs reflexively slapped together as his balls got revenge tortured. The wizard was getting a mage-mouth blowjob, the fundoshi around his wrist.
"Chay's done taking stock," Xane announced. "We're filthy rich for another half Ringturn, till we trade it to Gallant for intel. If you've always wanted to roll around in obol piles..."
The thaum-mage stood next to Marcus, his light legs rubbing on the leaner, tanner ones, and looked out into Hiwinymb where soap bubbles turned tall towers into Cinderella castles with exotic gardens.
"Pretty, huh?" Marcus said.
"Pretty fucking dumb," Xane said. "They get power back and turn on the sprinklers first thing."
"Oh, you don't know? King Pwen'Gllach is into illusions."
"Obviously I know that."
Marcus felt a licking tongue slowly dig into his tender hole. The ability to keep two mage-limbs going at the same time almost made up for the loss of his friend's butterflies.
The swimmer, model and martial champion threw his arm over the shorter man's shoulder and teased his nipples.
"The king likes illusion so much," Marcus continued, "that he'll shove his own power into crystals, so turning on the sprinklers makes... the fridge... run faster? Chay had a better explanation. But if the king likes what he sees you get a bonus."
Xane smirked. "Well if it's for religious reasons... These are quite pretty compared to most abyssal architecture."
"Can you think of something else pretty?" Marcus said and fluttered his eyelids, whitefire sparks popping off the corners of his eyes.
"Haha, what, you?"
"Ooooh," Marcus made. "You really think so? What a flirt you are."
"Bitch, I don't need to flirt, I'm a sex god and I can fuck anytime I- You know what? Turn around."
Marcus felt a mage-hand slap him on the ass, he turned and went down, hands on the ground, legs apart and just bent enough to have his hip on Xane's hip height.
The thaum-mage shoved his erection in and started hammering.
Thanks to his healing factor, Marcus was as tight as a virgin and got an okay dose of joy from a mere human cock. He curled up his spine some more, making use of his divine flexibility.
He could probably bend all the way and kiss Xane's ass while getting dicked from behind, but why kiss when he could do better?
While getting topped, Marcus pushed his fist up, five fingertips knocking on Xane's hole. Lubrication appeared instantly as the thaum-mage realized what was coming.
Marcus slid in to halfway up the forearm. Xane was instantly cumming inside him but kept going, incoherent, screech-groans rolling off his lips. Marcus could probably milk another three or four shot from the top.
Another superhuman sex position to add to the repertoire.
===***===
Chay's negotiation with the Nephilim didn't take long.
Gallant got the treasure but the Sneak Attack kept enough money to refuel on slaves a few times. The five shades they had weren't going to get them far, especially if they wanted to use the vision stone in addition to the engine.
Gallant was quite forthcoming with his contacts.
They needed to speak to Starbeholder to learn about the Time Ghoul. Not only was Starbeholder an expert but also known to be fairly friendly – if you could reach her.
She was a Nightwyrm, a brilliant but reclusive species that only existed for a brief moment after midnight, or `bottom notch' as folk in the abyss called the middle of the night.
Since they weren't going to get there in time today, Chay made Helping Bite land the Sneak Attack, wedged between sanctuary walls.
Part of Marcus wanted to keep his new discovery between him and Xane. They weren't boyfriends or anything like that – of course not – but he liked the intimacy of the sex act and the fact they had a secret. But a bigger part of him wanted to overshare everything all the time and seeing his friends' reactions was vital.
Also, Chay could tell something had happened.
===***===
"So I call it `the snail'," Marcus said and squirted more ectoplasm on the participants.
"You just made that up," Xane interrupted but drew a quick sketch of a snail in the air, frowned then nodded. "But it works."
The pantheon sat in a fire-lit chamber of the sanctuary, demon cocks and runes that worshipped them were written in blood over cracked celestial tablets as graffiti.
Goro was lying on his back, holding his erection pointed up. "Ready."
Chay sat down, his back to Goro, giving no reaction as the berserker dick entered him fully but rubbed his nipples. "And now?"
Marcus grabbed Chay's wrist and dragged it between his and the top's legs. "Now fist."
Chay worked his hand into Goro who bucked with a whine. Looking at them from the front, the leader's cockhawk seemed to be right between Goro's legs.
"I think," Chay said, now breathing hard, "I see why this was more fun standing up, but yes, this is a flexibility challenge even sitting down. Sky fucker be thanks."
"Actually," Goro grunted and grabbed Chay's chest. He pulled the umbralist back to lay on top of his chest and threw his own legs up. Then he pushed Chay's shoulders to make him roll up.
Thus, Goro was still on his back but his legs were spread wide and in the air, asshole pointing straight up with godly abs-strength. Chay was rolled up like a snail's shell, getting fucked by the top while also past the elbows in the top's ass.
Naturally, Marcus was hard. None of them really `jerked off' anymore. He just rubbed his dickhead with one hand, keeping the rod pressed to his abs, while the other hand dug into his ass and massaged the cum out from behind. Penile orgasms barely registered but at least with anal treatment it felt worth the effort.
"So Marky-boy," Xane started, getting mage-mouth sucked. "Those two are having fun. Ready for another snail?"
"Can I top this time?"
"Not a chance. Also, is it really topping if you're getting gut-wrecked?"
"Yes, dick overwrites hand. I... think. Apropos, rock paper scissor?"
"Uh, fine. Except," Xane said and turned to the fucking couple. "Your snailing lesson is complete so it's time for the exam. Both of you. Bottom. Now."
Goro made Chay slip off him and let his legs flop. "Good, my loads are completely spent for... at least five minutes."
Soon two standing snails' made groans echo off the walls. Marcus was topping' Chay's magnificent glutes, getting an ass full of leader-arm in return.
Next to them, the gym bunnies were sweat dripping as Xane floated with thaum-power to let the much taller Goro roll himself up between the perfectly sculpted legs and hammer the top's guts.
Once the tops had spent their loads, they instinctively replaced their rods with their hands, digging in from above while the curled snail-shells stayed as they were. Naturally, this ended with a proper fisting square, four demigods floating above the ground for maximum comfort and punch fun.
Okay, maybe straight up sixty-nine fisting was superior to fancy maneuvers with cutesy names. But one day Marcus would find a good use for his dick. He clearly had a lot to learn. Good thing he had practice buddies.