Looters Beware

”Is great treasure, Effendi. Left behind by Chinaman! Wealth of the Silk Road! I give you good deal on map!” the bushy-tailed one had said. He’d rubbed his chin and considered for a moment, then he’d bought the damn thing. The caravan to Lewd-Golem wasn’t going to leave until a fortnight from now so he had nothing better to do than go for a little detour. The chances of an actual treasure being where the map claimed it was were very low, as such a place would likely have been plundered ages ago, but the fact that the Tanuki was able to sell such maps in public meant it wasn’t an ambush-site at least. She’d have been handled by local authorities if it was anything like that business with the scorpion raiders from two months back…
Al-Orens packed up five days’ rations of food and 12 days’ rations of water in his dimensionally enhanced bag. His clothes looked simple enough despite the striking blue colour, but in truth they had spells weaved into them and could block arrows and Manticore barbs, to a point. No sense lugging around heavy armour if you could get reliable enchantments. The heaviest thing Orens was carrying was his weapon, the Longer Sword. A magical item, this straight blade carried but a single magical effect, but that effect was very malleable. Quite literally, as the spell made the blade capable of changing shape to some extent. He could make it longer, but then the blade would get thinner and frailer. He could make it shorter and thicker for blocking. He could split it into multiple prongs and had successfully caught an enemy’s sword between them a few times. As soon as he saved up enough money he’d add more improvements, and it was partially for this reason that he was now headed out to look for treasure. If he could get the enchantment done before heading to Lewd-Golem he could use the pay from guarding the caravan for something more… enjoyable.

Orens asked around a bit before leaving town and learned that the particular set of ruins he was headed to had indeed been a trading post at one point, but it had been abandoned because of a plague epidemic after which the trading routes had been shifted around. Looters had gone there for a while but eventually this had stopped due to reasons that were unclear. Did the valuables run out or did the place get taken over? It was not entirely unheard of for deserted outposts to contain curses that would protect the goods therein, maybe such a thing had been activated in time? Orens couldn’t get a straight answer out of people, apparently the place was considered a bit of a taboo by the locals and most people in town were just passing through on their way to somewhere else. He also asked about the reputation of the Tanuki he had purchased the map from, but nobody could tell him about her. When he went back to where her stall had been, it was gone. Figures. These were the kinds of things her kind did, of course, so it wasn’t something he worried about overmuch. Regardless, it was time to head out. Orens dropped a word to his employer that he’d be out of town for a bit but promised to return in time, and with that he set out.

The journey across the desert was exactly the same as every single other trip over the desert. By day he slept wrapped in his cloak, inside which it was cool and refreshing, and by night he travelled under the stars wrapped in his cloak, inside which it was warm and comfortable. His boots barely left prints in the sand and didn’t sink even in the softest dunes. He made good progress and wasn’t attacked by trapdoor spiders, greedy Lizard bandits or Girtablilus at all. Early in the morning of his second day of travel Al-Orens saw the cliffs of the mountain fortress in the reddish hue of the rising Sun and nodded with satisfaction. The place looked sturdy and had been built by people with some wealth to spare. How should he try to reach it? The caravans would climb up the winding roads along the side of the cliff and inside through the main gate, but that was a very pedestrian route to take. An adventurer such as he should simply climb by the steepest side of the cliff and up the wall of the fort, like an invader. That seemed like a suitable challenge.

The Sun was up and the temperature was starting to climb when Al-Orens finally reached the foot of the cliff. His clothing would keep him fairly cool if all he did was walk at a leisurely pace, but climbing on these rocks was a different matter, he’d be sweating quite a bit before he reached the top. Looking straight up he felt a slight dizziness as one does when looking up at a mountain. It wasn’t THAT high up though, and if he ever fell his cloak would allow him to float down safely, his boots soaking up any impact that might threaten him otherwise. All he needed was some climbing gear.
There was plenty of rope in his bag, and Al-Orens took a length of it out. He turned Longer Sword into a hook and attached the rope to the handle. He’d scaled a tower like this once, to steal some fruit from a private garden. Such fruit tasted sweeter than ones picked with permission.

Sweat ran down Al-Orens’ face and he felt his clothes stick to his skin. Despite enchantments that made his very body lighter to carry his muscles were straining. The ascent had taken him only half-way up the cliff so far and he was not enjoying the adventure at this point. He took a deep breath and licked his lips. He should take out some water and have a drink. But wouldn’t it be more rewarding to do it up top? At least wait until the top of the cliff, if not to the top of the wall above it. The wall would be an easy climb compared to the rock after all, even if he’d be a bit tired…
He rested himself against the rock, wrapped the rope around his thigh and just looked around for a bit. You could see quite far from here, and if he climbed all the way to the top of the highest lookout tower he could possibly see to the town he’d left from. Up in the sky there wasn’t a single cloud, all he could see was the Sun and… was that an eagle? No, it, it was oddly shaped, the wings were definitely an eagle but…
Circling directly above him was what Al-Orens could only assume was a Griffon. It was quite high, hopefully too high to have noticed him, but considering the way it was circling around the only possibility was that it lived here. In the ruins. THAT was the reason people had stopped coming here! Griffons were greedy, possessive creatures. They didn’t like people taking things from their turf. Dammit! A Griffon was a powerful creature, it belonged in the same category as Manticores, an apex predator that could overwhelm many men in battle. And Al-Orens was alone! But… maybe he could sneak his way through this!

With a command he ordered Longer Sword to unhook and become a sword again as he jumped off the rock and floated down, coiling up the rope as he fell. By the time he touched down he’d stuffed the rope back in and taken a good swig of water and was rushing along the side of the rock to where the path up to the gates began. Climbing along the rock was a sure way to get spotted, but along the path he could… actually that would just leave him even more exposed, what the hell was he thinking? He was just panicking now.
Al-Orens stopped in his tracks and leaned against the rock, looking upwards. He couldn’t see the Griffon now. Did that mean he’d been seen, or that it had gone someplace else to scout the territory for intruders? Did the creature live alone? What was he supposed to do here? In a fight against most creatures he was fairly confident he could either win or at least outmanoeuvre his enemies and grab whatever it was he needed before running away, but in a situation like this things were different. A Griffon could fly, so it could easily catch him if he was out in the open. The Griffon knew the trading post and fort intimately, as it lived there. He knew nothing of the place. If it became a game of cat and mouse, it was likely he’d be found. He’d have no chance in a fight either. His options were greatly limited. Maybe if he stuck to the very base of the rock and waited until nightfall he could just leave? Yes, he hadn’t been seen last night so he could get away that way too. He’d have to leave empty-handed, but that was the only thing to do here, wasn’t it?
A shadow blocked out the Sun then and a rush of air made his cloak flutter. Then everything was upside down and the earth was getting further and further away.

“Sneaky little thief” the Griffon said, her tone cold enough to make Al-Orens shiver despite the heat of the day.
“I’m not…” he tried but as soon as he spoke the Griffon’s clawed feet tightened their grip on his midsection rather uncomfortably.
“Quiet, thief. Words won’t save you now”
Al-Orens saw the fort and trading post below him. They had climbed rather high in a very short amount of time. Was she planning to drop him? He’d be perfectly fine if she did, so that might be the best case scenario.
“O-oh magnificent one…” he started, but the claws tightened again. They were much bulkier than those of a harpy, seeing as a Griffon’s lower body was more akin to that of a Manticore. A powerful creature, she might be able to kick a camel dead.
“W-whatever you may do…” he kept gasping “please don’t drop me…”
The Griffon circled around and chuckled.
“So you could glide to safety? No, I don’t think I’ll drop you thief”
Drats, she’d seen that?
“Yes, I saw. My eyesight is as good as an eagle’s. I can see further and more clearly than you can even imagine”
That was troublesome.
“But I’m not unreasonable. You didn’t steal anything yet, so I’ll let you go…”
That was welcome news!
“After I punish you”
That was disconcerting!
“Here we go…”
The Griffon let go of him and as he floated for a brief moment she turned around and snatched his bag, his cloak and his belt, with the sword attached, away from him. He began to fall immediately. As he did he saw the Griffon dart past him into the fort, drop the things she’d taken from him there and rush back up, catching him in the air and dragging him back up. She tossed him up, tore off his expensive shirt rather ruthlessly and returned down and back up again, repeating the process until he was being tossed in the air in the nude, his precious spells and enchantments gone. There was nothing to protect him, nothing at all he could do to help himself at this stage; he was completely reliant on the Griffon to survive down from this height. After playing with him in this manner for a bit she took him down into the central courtyard of the fort and dropped him into a pool of lukewarm water.

By the time Al-Orens climbed out of the pool the Griffon was on the ground as well. His legs couldn’t quite carry him and he fell on his ass. She must’ve been seven feet from head-to-toe, not counting her tail. Her wingspan didn’t bear thinking about. Her skin was a delightfully tanned shade, gleaming sweat trickling down her naked chest. Her feathers and fur were well groomed but her hair was a wild, wind-swept mess after the play in the air. She was completely naked and eyeing him up curiously.
“You’re a Northener?” she asked.
“I am” Al-Orens replied. His skin was tanned enough to pass for a native of these lands but his eyes were blue and his hair and beard blonde.
“Never been with a Northener before” the Griffon purred, approaching him on all fours, that mode of movement making her appear all the more bestial. She licked her lips.
“Run for me, Northener thief” she whispered.
Al-Orens sat there, transfixed.
“I’ll pounce on the count of ten. Run.”
He got up.
“One…”
He turned around and looked for somewhere to run to. There was a staircase that led up to the ramparts.
“Two…”
He tried to take off but slipped on the wet cobblestones and fumbled before getting up.
“Five…”
He reached the stairs and began climbing.
“Eightnineten!” she shouted and pounced. The muscles in her legs carried her up and ahead of him and she reached the top of the stairs before he did. Al-Orens stopped in his tracks, turned around and began to run down. He didn’t make it more than a few steps before a whooshing sound of displaced air hit his ears and his body was caught tightly against the sweaty heat of the Griffon. They tumbled to the ground and after rolling a bit she let him go.
“Again! On the count of five!”
Al-Orens barely got on his feet before he heard “three” from her lips.
“W-wait I…” he mumbled, still dizzy. He couldn’t finish before she tackled him again, her talons grasping his shoulders so tightly he cried out, her tongue licking his face. She pinned him on the ground, her weight feeling completely immovable, the muscles in her shoulders and biceps all clearly visible as she pushed him into the ground, her hot breath and saliva falling on his face.
“I…”
“Quiet” she hissed, kissing him. Her head wasn’t a different size from his but her tongue was somehow much longer and wider than his, and it wasted no time in exploring the inside of his mouth. Her claws drew blood, making his body tense up, to which she responded by starting to grind her hips. His body reacted to thin stimulus in the only way a man’s could.
The kiss stopped and she licked his face again, Al-Orens choosing to be quiet, taking the precious time to catch his breath. Maybe this wasn’t so bad…
He tried to move his hands to help himself inside the Griffon and managed it. She let out a moan that the acoustics of the fort’s central square amplified to sound like the screech of an eagle. She was soaking wet already and moved her hips with force and determination. He moved his hands along her midriff, her sides, feeling the taut muscles there. This was a beast of awesome force. He’d learned that already. Her breasts were apparently rather sensitive as the moment he touched them a shiver ran along her body. He began to knead them in the hopes of asserting some control, but as soon as he did he came to regret it as her claws scratched his chest, arms and back, making him cry out again. As he did she looked into his eyes with a glint in her eyes.
“Bear it thief” she whispered, licking the few tears that had risen in his eyes. “You deserve it”
“B-but I didn’t steal any” she shoved her tongue down his throat again and he felt the grip of her vagina tighten like a vice as she pumped her hips. Her upper body came down on his with her full weight and his hands were trapped motionless. As she ended the kiss a veritable trickle of saliva fell on his face.
“Quiet” she said once again and this time Al-Orens decided to obey until otherwise instructed.

The Griffon reached her climax quickly but all this did was made her change position, dropping her moist hole on his face while her tongue moved to lick him, her dangerous claws playing with his sensitive inner thighs, lifting his lower body off the ground to scratch his buttocks, his cries of pain smothered by her lusty hole. He licked as best he could to earn the reprieve of air, but found himself suffocated for longer and longer, her tongue leaving his penis to play with his balls, soon leaving him entirely, the Griffon merely panting and moaning with pleasure while further scratching him. After her second orgasm she sat on her haunches and took him into her lap, pulling him inside once more, locking his legs in place with her, stuffing his face in her breasts and letting her claws play with the so far uninjured skin along the length of his back. The pleasurable sensations his manhood was subjected to kept him hard but the pain kept him distracted from enjoying himself too much and before he could reach his own emission the Griffon had her third climax.
It was after this third one that she decided she’d had enough and let him fall limply on the ground, completely spent. Despite all that had transpired without release his erection soon faded an Al-Orens found himself shivering in fear of the creature he had been thoroughly raped by. The Griffon stretched and yawned.
“That was nice, thief” she said.
“You may take him now” she added. Al-Orens didn’t quite understand. Who had she been speaking to?
“Alright then, lift your head” a voice said and the confused Orens did so. Hands reached down and placed a collar on his neck, locking it in place. He felt a warm shimmer travel through a magic circuit as it was closed, and he looked up to see the face of the same Tanuki who had sold him the map to this place.
“W-wha…”
“Oh I’m sure you’ll figure things out when you’ve had some time to think about it. Get your ass up and get moving, I need to clean you up for your big auction”
“Wha…”
“I said get up!”
The magical collar took over and moved his body for him. Al-Orens stood up and the Tanuki took him by the balls, her grip very firm.
“Nice and full, huh? Good. They’ll like that!”
“Who…”
“Hush! Save that tongue for the pussy buffet. It’s all you can eat, whether you want any or not. Heh. It was pleasure doing business with you!” the Tanuki shouted to the Griffon, who jumped into the pool for a bath, and with that the Tanuki led Orens away, holding him firmly by the balls, his body completely unable to disobey.