The Cursed Rebirth

She hadn't expected this. Sure, it sounded like a difficult mission, but she and her company were used to difficult missions. They specialized in difficult missions. But during the briefing, the mission had sounded doable.

Instead, they were facing a legion ten times the size of what was reported to them in the briefing. Rayne looked at her company. A hundred warriors from all across the kingdom of Salcara, each a veteran on the battlefield. They'd fought countless battles under Rayne's leadership and trusted her with their lives. And she trusted most of them with hers. She was Rayne Ironwall, "The Lion of Salcara", and they were her Paw, the most well-known company of the Salcara army.

A voice rang out, "a penny for your thoughts, captain," and Rayne turned to face Dadenn, one of the squad leaders. He sat down next to her as she resumed her watch over the valley and the enemy encampment. "It's unusual to see you so nervous."

"It's also unusual that the enemy is so vastly bigger than what we were told. If there were ten enemies for each of us, there wouldn't be a problem. But looking at that... There has to be at least fifty for each of us."

Dadenn's eyebrows shot up as he looked at the enemy camp. "Surely, captain, you must be jesting. It's just a civil uprising. They can't have that many people there."

"I wish I were, Dadenn. And I hope that I'm overestimating their size. But looking at the size of that camp... Fifty heads for one of ours seems like the best possible scenario." The information didn't seem to have an effect on the squad leader, but Rayne ignored and pointed a bit further down the valley. "They must go through that pass to get to the capital. We will make our stand there, at the bottleneck. That takes away their size advantage."

"Why are you nervous then, captain?"

"Because this one's size was either misreported, or it grew while we were getting here. Neither option is a good one. If it grew, this uprising might be a bigger problem for the kingdom. If it was misreported, they might have someone inside the court helping them. Either way," she turned to look at their camp, "we're undersupplied because of it. We have to reduce the amount of daily food just in case, and I doubt that we can rest well here, so we won't be fighting at full strength."

Dadenn shifted his gaze from the encampment to the campfire between them. "I start to see your worry, captain."

Rayne didn't answer, and when Dadenn looked up he noticed that her eyes were trained on the bushes a few paces away. Soon Nuala, their scout, walked out of them, a smirk on her face. "It seems like I can never sneak up on you, captain," the elf said. "What gave me away this time?"

"Your mind was in the gutter, Nuala," was Rayne's reply, punctuated with a tap on the nose. "So tell me, what did you see?"

Nuala's smirk faded away, replaced with a worrisome frown. "They're way too well armed for a simple insurrection, captain. They also have mages with them."

That shocked Rayne. That changed a lot. It changed way too much. Rayne rubbed her temple. "Dadenn, go wake up Ipwahl. Tell him the news. Hopefully he can prepare his mages in time for the sudden change." She looked behind her, spotting a nearby soldier. "Alisoun," she spoke, making the soldier jump and turn at her, "go tell others to rest. Dadenn's squad will take care of the guard duty." Alisoun saluted and ran off as Rayne turned to face the enemy encampment again.

Nuala sighed at that, and started to walk towards her tent when Rayne called her attention again. "What is it, cap?"

Rayne kept her gaze at the enemy as she gestured Nuala to sit beside her. When she felt the scout's presence next to her, she spoke, "I want to apologize to you, Nuala."

The elf frowned. "Apologize to me? For what?"

"For lying to you, and for ignoring your feelings for me."

Nuala was quiet, a blush spreading on her face. "You know, huh?"

"I do. I have known for a long time now."

Nuala sighed. "Well, it's not like I tried to hide them, so it's not surprising that a dense stick-in-the-mud like you would've noticed them. No offense, cap, but what is surprising that a pious puritan like you is even willing to acknowledge my feelings."

Rayne let out a dark chuckle at that. "That is where the lying part comes in." She finally turned to face Nuala's confused expression. "I think I have lusted for your warmth ever since you joined my unit, Nuala. Fell in love at first sight, as they say. But I kept lying to you, acting like it was not the case." She turned to look at the enemy camp again. "My knighthood in Salcara is already fickle enough. Many do not like me because I rose to the rank of a knight through merit, not by birth. Others dislike me because I did it while also being a woman. The only reason they accept me is because of my reputation as Ironwall, the Lion, Salcara's greatest shield." Another dark chuckle. "It does not stop them from trying to get me out."

"I don't understand what you're saying, captain," Nuala said, but hope was creeping into her voice. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

To her disappointment, Rayne shook her head. "I wish I were, Nuala. But only by denying my sexuality do I get to keep my place. The nobles demanded that I give a vow of abstinence in order to gain knighthood. A vow they have tried to make me break ever since." She rose up, and started to walk to her tent. "I am only telling you this because I do not want to go to my grave whilst lying to myself. I do not care if the nobles have spies listening in on this, which they most likely have." She stopped, turning to look at the elf one last time. "If it were not for the vow, I would have bedded you a long time ago."

She then walked into her tent, leaving Nuala to brood by the campfire.

--

The sun was high in the sky when Rayne saw the rebels march towards the pass. She and her Paw had woken up early and made camp further down the pass, creating their stand a little way in its mouth. Just as Nuala had informed her, they were way too well equipped for a simple uprising. Their metal armor gleamed in the morning sun; their formation was too organized for them to not have any military experience. Rayne could feel how the alert bells started ringing in her head. This was a trap, she just knew it, but what kind of trap? Who was setting it up?

The enemy ended up making a half-moon on the mouth of the pass, and their leader started to walk towards the middle of the two lines. Rayne did the same. When they met in the middle, Rayne spoke, "per orders of the king, we are not to let you pass. Please turn around and return to your homes."

The other laughed at that. It was high, squeaky laugh, one whose owner Rayne recognized even before he removed his helmet. Gabriel, the second prince of Salcara. "I believe your orders are obsolete now, captain."

"Your Highness? What is the meaning of this?"

He snickered. "My father's an old fool. He can't see what he could have, the might this kingdom holds! It was time for him to step down."

Rayne laid her hand on the hilt of her sword. "So you're attempting a coup d'etat?"

"Attempting?" He laughed. "We've already succeeded."

Rayne was confused, until she heard someone running to her from her troops. Nuala. "Captain, we've been surrounded. They got another force coming from other side. They've already gotten our camp."

Gabriel grinned maliciously. "The Lion's Paw is such an exceptional force in our kingdom. Too bad you're too loyal to the old king. We couldn't have succeeded if you were still in the capital. Thankfully, you're also too stubborn to go against the king's orders and too stupid to realize when they're forged."

Rayne could only grit her teeth. She wanted to slay this man. Oh, how she wanted to draw her sword and run it through this traitor. But she couldn't. If she did, she would doom her whole company. She knew they would follow her to the death, but she wasn't foolish enough to just blindly do it. "Nuala," she called, "go tell the others of the news of the old king's death. Tell them that any and all who value their lives can surrender. No one is to stop those who will. Tell the rest... This will be the last stand of the Lion's Paw." Nuala nodded and started jogging back to the line as Rayne turned back to face the traitor prince. "You will pay for your actions. If I am to go down, for the old king, I will take at least one traitor with me." Gabriel just smiled devilishly as they both turned to walk back to their troops.

It took a few seconds for the pain to register in Rayne's head. She dropped her gaze and saw how a tip of a sword was pulled out of her chest, blood seeping out of it. "Like I'll let you live long enough for you to even try," Gabriel laughed as she turned back around, stumbling to keep herself upright.

Blood rushed into her ears, drowning the rest of the bastard's boasting. Unable to keep herself standing, she fell to her knees, vomiting blood. "No, I can't die like this," she thought, "the king put his trust in me. I can't betray him like this." So she did what anyone would have done in that situation. She started praying. "Please help me, gods of justice. Gods of strength, lend me your power for this last push. Gods of vengeance, let me avenge my king!"

But no one answered. Rayne wasn't surprised; the gods didn't bless just anyone. And clearly, she wasn't one of those they looked favourably upon. But she wasn't willing to give up. "Fuck this. I will not let my men die a meaningless death. I WILL NOT DIE a meaningless death! The Lion and its Paw will not just kindly keel over to let traitors walk over us!"

A voice rang out in her head, "then let me help you. Give yourself to me, and you will have what you ask for."

Normally, this might've startled Rayne. Normally she wouldn't even consider accepting such an open ended offer from a faceless entity. But in this situation, Rayne didn't even think of rejecting it as she promised herself to her anonymous benefactor. And it didn't take long for her to regain her senses and notice how both armies were moving in for a clash, the prince running for his defenses, his tail between his legs.

Except... Everything was slowed down. Everything was happening at a slug's pace, even though the movements indicated a normal speed. "No," Rayne thought, "things are not slowed down. I can just react to them faster than normally." That thought seemed to be proven right as Rayne stood up, a rabbit in the middle of slugs. With a few quick strides, she was next to Gabriel, drawing her sword and letting her blade sing. Within moments, the traitor prince's head was flying separately from his body, and Rayne could let the darkness claim her.

-

Consciousness slowly returned to Rayne. She was unwilling to believe that she was alive, that she had somehow survived. Oh, how she would hate herself if she were the only one to be alive.

"You do not need to fret, child. I extended a similar invitation to your men. Every single one of them accepted it, willing to follow their captain to the deepest depths of hell." A sultry chuckle. "An endeavour that won't seem so unlikely anymore."

Rayne's eyes shot open. She was laying in front of a huge throne. And on that throne sat a giant of a woman. She had a serene smile on her face as she looked upon Rayne, similar to how a mother would look on her newborn. It took a moment for Rayne to realize that the woman was naked and appeared to be heavily pregnant. Another moment for her to realize what was off with the woman. "What do you want from me, demon? Where am I?" Rayne asked as she stumbled to get up. To her dismay, she realized that she was stripped of her armor and clothing, and she threw her hands to cover her intimates.

The woman chuckled. "No need to be embarrassed, child. I have already seen your assets." She let out a hearty laugh as Rayne gave her a blushed glare before obliging and taking a battle stance instead. "As for where you are: you're in my dominion, child. And you're here because you promised yourself to me."

Rayne quirked her eyebrow. "You are the one who helped me? Why? Who are you?"

The demoness rose from her throne and gave a mock curtsy to Rayne. "My name's Laal'Lilith, Rayne Ironwall. I believe you've heard of me."

Yes, Rayne had heard of her. She wasn't into occultism and mythology that much, but even she could recall the name of one of the greater demon gods. And as she finally realized to take in her surroundings - mentally berating herself for not doing it earlier - her hopes of being wrong kept growing smaller and smaller. All around her were hundreds, maybe even thousands of demons, monsters and mortals, all engaged in a grand orgy. She couldn't tell where one person ended and where a demon started, which ones were monsters and which ones mortals. They were all just one big mass of hedonistic pleasure.

Rayne finally turned back to face the demoness, fear in her voice and despair in her eyes. "What does the Duchess of Lust want of me? Why would you help me?"

Laal'Lilith just gave her a simple smile and a coy look, before gesturing Rayne to come closer. A small part in her mind yelled not to comply, but her feet weren't listening. Rayne gulped, but couldn't stop herself from getting and walking towards the demoness. She felt aroused. She was aroused. How did she get aroused in such a situation?

'It's the Duchess,' she realized. 'It's like her mere presence oozes sexuality and titillation.'

She walked to the demoness, sitting on her lap and snuggling into her embrace as Laal'Lilith started to comb her hand through the knight's hair as she started speaking again, "I've had my eyes on you for a long time, Rayne. A very long time. And most importantly, I know of the passion you try to keep within yourself. The lust you've kept hidden from many. Do you know how happy I was when you admitted it on your last night as a mortal?" Rayne blushed at that. "If you hadn't, I'm not sure I could've helped you."

"But why did you help me? I have always stood against what you are."

"Because, my dear child," the demoness said, bringing Rayne's face right before her own, "I know you've always wanted to stand for me. And that is what I'm offering to you. Become my knight. Become my daughter. Become my paladin."

Rayne stayed silent for a while, contemplating. "But it is not like I truly have a choice in the matter," she concluded. "You helped me in my time of need, gave me strength I so desired. My honour requires me to pay you back." She dropped herself off the duchess's lap and knelt before her. "I pledge my allegiance to you, Your Grace. I shall serve you till you no longer find me useful and wish to get rid of me."

Laal'Lilith laughed. "Now, now, child. You're my daughter now, so you should refer to me as Mother. And I don't throw away my daughters. Now, first things first," she said as she took hold of one of her enormous breasts, lifting it up a little, "come take a drink of your mother's milk."

She stepped into Laal'Lilith's lap, putting the offered nipple into her mouth. She started sucking and felt how a warm liquid entered her mouth, flowing down her throat. It warmed her up, made her burn. Her hazy mind realized that she had started to hump her new mother's thigh as she drank, making Rayne orgasm time and time again. But instead of ripping her mind to shreds, each orgasm made her feel stronger. They made her crave more, sure, but her capability to think stayed.

Soon, Laal'Lilith pushed Rayne away a little, stopping her from drinking more. It made Rayne ache, but she stood from the demoness's lap and once again knelt in front of her, her senses heightened with pleasure but her mind clearer than ever. "How do you feel, my daughter? How does it feel to accept my demonic energy?"

"I feel... horny, mother. like I could lay thousands and still not have enough. Is this what it means to be your daughter? To be a demon of lust?"

Mirth filled Rayne's ears as Laal'Lilith laughed. "Oh, you silly child. You're not a demon yet. You've only walked through the first circle. Now, for the second circle," she said, and clapped her hands. Rayne could hear how the moans and groans around her stopped, and when she looked over her shoulder she could see that writhing mass around them had stopped their carnal fun. "Stand," she heard her mother say to her, and as she complied, the crowd parted as two figures started approaching her. Two women, an elf that kept twitching and panting as she walked closer, and a human she dragged with her by the foot. Both had obscenities painted on them, making it hard for her to recognize them. When they got close enough it dawned on Rayne that the human didn't - couldn't - pay attention. Instead she kept masturbating even as she was dragged across the floor, whimpering out, "let me come, please, please. Let me come, let me come, please."

As the elf finally reached Rayne, she saluted her, panting out, "Hiya cap."

"Nuala?"

"Do you like the paintings we made out of them?" Laal'Lilith asked. "The paint's my own speciality; when applied to skin, it acts as a highly potent aphrodisiac, turning the skin into an erogenous zone. Even a light breeze on it brings an orgasm to the wearer."

Rayne was conflicted. Was this a test? Was she just supposed to stand there and watch as her new liege abused those that had sworn loyalty to her? Her gaze fell on the woman on the ground. She seemed familiar, but Rayne couldn't tell why. "Who is she?" she asked Nuala.

"Oh, that's Dadenn. Though I think Daniella would fit her better now," Nuala answered with a giggle.

That made her turn back to face Laal'Lilith. "Why are they like this? What have they done to you?"

The demoness rose and walked to Rayne, patting her head. "They haven't done anything to me. I put them in this state for the crime of betraying you, child."

Rayne blinked. "What?" The Duchess turned her gaze to Nuala, and Rayne followed the suit. Nuala had dropped her gaze, refusing to look up as she was under the scrutiny of the two women, and by extension the whole room.

"You said it yourself, cap," Nuala spoke, "that the nobles would most likely have spies watching your actions."

Rayne could feel how a crack ran through her heart. "You?"

Nuala dropped her gaze, guilt all over her face. "Yep, captain. Me and Daniella here were the ones the nobles sent to infiltrate your company, to try and sabotage your position." She kicked the former man beside her. "Dadenn was supposed to seduce you, and I was to gather evidence of it. Luckily, they didn't have a clue that you're into the fairer sex," she said as she gave a hopeful smile at the knight.

The crack stopped spreading. "So you... were not meant to seduce me?"

"Nope, I fell in love with ya all on my own, cap! Kinda started to sabotage the nobles' plan when I did. Dadenn caught up to it, but it was too late then." She smiled sadly. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that they had wizards with them. I heard from Ipwahl over there," she pointed to a demonic figure, who bowed its head at Rayne, "that Dadenn didn't carry out your message to him."

Rayne's eyes kept changing between the two painted women before her. Two of her most trusted soldiers, now outed as spies for her enemies. The one question kept circling in her mind. "Why?"

Nuala shrugged. "What I've dug out, Dadenn wanted to be a knight. Nobles promised him that position if he could bring you down. That's why he joined you in the first place."

"And you?"

Nuala dropped her gaze again. "... It was just business. They gave me money, I did my job. As simple as that."

"Did not turn out to be so simple, did it?"

Nuala smiled at her captain. "It didn't, and I'm glad about that. I'd much rather serve you to my death than keep serving money."