Harem Country Ch. 04

DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS ENTIRELY FICTIONAL. ANY SIMILARITY TO REAL PEOPLE OR EVENTS IS ENTIRELY COINCIDENTAL. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE CHARACTERS ARE NOT THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.

IF YOU ARE HERE JUST FOR THE SMUT, SEARCH FOR "~*~" THAT SIGNALS THAT THE SEX SCENE IS STARTING.

****

Seth was awakened by a loud banging noise. He peeled his eyes open and sat up. He was briefly forced to disentangle himself from a mess of arms and legs. Joanna and Roshina were sleeping on either side of him, clinging onto him. They had all finally passed out sometime during the night, completely soaked in sweat and their fluids. Seth tried to get to his feet, but instantly collapsed back onto his butt and groaned. Every muscle in his body was aching terribly...especially the ones around his crotch. He had previously thought it only existed in jokes...but his dick was literally sore. Right now it looked pretty pathetic, shrunken and bruised. He hoped that it wasn't damaged too badly.

Before he could contemplate it further, there was even more knocking on the door, more earnestly. Seth got to his feet with a lot of effort and shuffled over to the door. He opened it to find a god staring directly at him.

"Are you finished?" Dotan asked flatly.

"Oh...uh...certainly my lord." Seth stammered. "How can I help you?"

Dotan looked past the mortal and spied the two women still lying in a heap.

"Had fun did you?" the god asked.

"Oh very much so my lord." the high priest said. "It was very enjoyable. Thank you so much."

"Of course." Dotan said as if it were obvious. "Your friends in the arena are almost done. We need to get underway quickly. You need to get dressed. I have a have something important for you to do...but first..." The god reached up and rubbed his nose. "Dump a bucket of water over yourself or something. You reek of sex."

"Of course my lord."

Several minutes later Seth reemerged from the room, recently washed and now clothed. Dotan was waiting for him somewhat impatiently.

"Finally ready?" the god demanded.

"Yes sir, I am at your service." Seth said.

"Good. Come along." Dotan instructed. They began walking down the hallway, but Seth was having a hard time keeping up. Every step he took was incredibly painful. He began groaning while trying to take bigger steps and keep up with the god.

"What's with you?" the god asked.

"I'm sore from last night." Seth groaned. "Everything on my body hurts, especially my dick."

"How many times did you do it?" Dotan asked.

"Uh...heavens...it had be...over twenty at least."

"Oh...wow...no wonder. That must have been tough for a mortal."

Seth wasn't sure he wanted to know how many times a god could do it, so he decided not to ask.

"What was that stuff?" the high priest asked. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack a few times."

"Essence of incubus flower."

"Incubus flower? Is that the ancient name of devil's breath?"

"I don't know. I've been ever so slightly busy for a few centuries." The god gave his high priest a hard stare and the mortal returned with a slightly nervous smile. "What difference does it make?"

"It's poisonous!"

"No it's not. Why would you...ooooohhhhh, I know why you think it's poisonous. Zophiel told mortals that it was poison."

"Why would she do that?"

"Incubus flower has certain properties that when distilled increases male tendencies when drunk."

"Okay...um...not to sound stupid my lord, but could you explain that in simpler words?"

"When males drink it, it makes them more like males. Their sexual desire increases, they become more aggressive, more competitive, and stronger. I have no doubt that's why Zophiel convinced everyone that it was poisonous. There's also a similar flower with the reverse properties, which I have no doubt Zophiel told you is also poisonous. Distilled succubus flower makes women more docile, sexually submissive, and emotional. Regardless, if you drink either of them it will temporarily change body chemistry."

"Well I think I took too much of it." Seth replied. "I hurt my dick."

"Really? That was a diluted solution." Dotan explained.

"What?" the high priest interjected. "THAT was diluted?"

"Indeed." Dotan reached into his shirt and pulled out a new bottle. It contained a liquid that instead of being purple, was clear like water. "This is the concentrated form."

"Never, ever let someone drink that." Seth said emphatically.

"Relax, thanks to you I have a better idea of how much to use."

"I was a test subject?"

"You've been a test subject since we met." Dotan's statement sounded very cold and detached. Seth shivered for a moment. He had to always keep in mind, his god was not one of kindness and mercy. The god reached to his side and lifted up something that had been attached to his waist. It appeared to be a wineskin. The god unscrewed the top and lifted up the bottle of incubus essence. He gingerly let a single drop of it fall into the wineskin before he screwed the top back on both of the containers. He shook the wineskin around for a few moments.

"Time to test it on a larger audience." Dotan stated.

Dotan and Seth emerged into the arena just as the other guards were putting the finishing touches on the symbols around the wall. Once it was finally finished, they all groaned and began holding their backs and arms, which were completely sore.

"Excellent job!" Dotan cried. All of the guards turned to him and groaned again.

"It took all night!" one of the guards complained.

"Every bone in my body is killing me!" another one cried.

"What was the point of this anyway?" yet another said.

"You know," Dotan began flatly. "I could crush all of your skulls in a matter of seconds."

"Um...of course, we say that with all due respect to you my lord." the lead guard said.

"That's what I thought you said." Dotan replied. "Now, I've brought this wine so that my...grateful followers...might have something to enjoy after their hard work."

"Oh we're very grateful!" one of the guards said.

"So grateful!"

"We're happy to be working for you my lord!"

"I'm sure." Dotan replied flatly. He ended up rolling his eyes and tossing the wineskin at them. One of the guards caught it and they all began crowding around, taking swigs of the liquor. Dotan scanned the wall around the arena, making sure that all of the symbols were consistent. Despite the guards not being top quality workers, they had done a competent job. The god grinned widely and his eyes seemed to glow in delight.

"Everything is in place." he said in glee. "I am so, so close. I've waited for centuries and it will soon all be mine!" Dotan turned back to the group of guards. They were all crowded around Thomas and chanting "chug, chug, chug!" The young man was desperately trying to swig down the wine he was clearly not used to drinking. "...Provided no one fucks this whole thing up."

Once the wineskin was finally empty the guards started groaning again. Now they were slouching and yawning.

"I could use some rest..." one of the guards said through a yawn.

"Yes, all of you should rest before this afternoon." Dotan said. "Except...which two of you would like to have the first turn with Lyfillia?" The question hung in the air for a few seconds before it registered. Two guards, one of them being the big leader, raised their hands before everyone else did (excluding Thomas). Dotan pointed at them. "You two got there first." Everyone else but Thomas and the two winners groaned.

"Okay, everyone else gets to go to bed, I need you two to stay up." Dotan ordered.

"What?" the big guard complained. Dotan gave the large man a stiff and dangerous glare. The guard went a little pale and looked as if he were about to sweat. "My lord, with all due respect, your highness."

"That's better. You want the first bite of the apple?" the god asked. "You have to work for it."

The two guards nodded nervously, but said nothing else. The other guards began shuffling out of the arena towards the exit, looking a little apprehensive at Dotan. They were learning that it was not wise to question him. The two remaining guards waited for their orders.

"I need the two of you to meet Zophiel's nephew at his arrival." Dotan explained. "He will be here shortly. You are to give him a meal, but put this solution in his food." The god reached into his shirt and extracted yet another bottle. Seth was beginning to wonder where he got all these bottles from in such a short amount of time.

"What is that?" the big guard asked.

"It's a special substance that will knock a demigod unconscious." Dotan explained. "It will also render him powerless for some time. It will only make a god drowsy so don't get any ideas. Also it will kill a mortal, so don't drink it."

"Yes sir, we understand." the big guard said warily. Dotan handed them the bottle. "What if he refuses to eat my lord?"

"Tell him it's part of the elvish marriage ritual." the god said. "Feed him bread and water like it's part of the purification process. If he asks about it, just tell him it was part of the instructions sent by the elvish gods."

"As you wish my lord." the big guard said.

"Go get ready. Tell all the other staff that you have orders to deal with Addur personally, so they can focus on making the wedding perfect."

"Yes sir." the guard replied. "One question though my lord, what if Zophiel catches wind of what we are doing?"

Dotan grinned from ear to ear. His pearly teeth gleamed as his eyes seemed to glow like they were gazing into a fire. The god looked immensely pleased with himself as he stared around the arena.

"You need not worry about Zophiel." he said. "I will deal with her shortly." The two guards nervously glanced at each other. They weren't sure what the god meant, but it wouldn't be good. He had the eyes of a madman right now. They nervously began shuffling away to complete their task. Seth, however, cleared his throat. Dotan tore his intense gaze away from the arena and towards his high priest.

"What?" Dotan asked, sounding annoyed.

"No offense my lord, and not to doubt you," Seth began. "What exactly is your plan to deal with Zophiel?"

"I am so glad you asked." the god replied.

"Oh heavens...I'm part of the plan aren't I?" Seth asked with wide eyes.

"It's a good thing you look exhausted and beat up. You are going to go to Zophiel and lure her here."

"And um...how am I supposed to do that?"

"I have to come up with everything don't I? Cover yourself in dirt and go into Zophiel's room limping. Tell her some mortals have kidnapped Roshina and they want her to come down to the arena."

"What if she just sends soldiers?" Seth asked.

"Tell her they demand that she comes alone, and if she doesn't they'll kill Roshina. Also say the people mentioned singing the Dirge of Sybelleth and mumbled something about a "God Seal.""

"I don't...what are those things?" Seth asked.

"I'll tell you later, if you succeed. Are you ready to finally begin our takeover?"

"In for a penny, in for a pound my lord."

*

Outside of Starminster Castle a grand carriage pulled up. It was carved ornately and gilded in gold. Two guards, one of them quite large, waited nervously outside the front door. They had shooed all the other servants away, barking about orders from Zophiel. Fortunately, the castle was in such an uproar that the servants just went with it. The door to the carriage opened and a handsome man in a white armor emerged. He was carrying an ornate baton, showing his rank as the Master of Arms. It was Addur, Zophiel's nephew. Unlike Zophiel, he had dark hair, but very bright eyes. It was no wonder that women swooned over him, even the most man-hating ones. After a servant helped him out of his carriage, they stepped back onto the cart and it sped away to the stables. Addur approached the two guards, his eyebrow raised. Both of the exhausted guards felt incredibly nervous. Although he did not exude quite as much power as Zophiel, his presence was still intimidating. A demigod could still easily snap a mortal's neck in half with one hand.

"Only you the two of you?" Addur asked. The guards glanced at each other and gulped.

"W-Well, you see my lord..." the big guard began. "There were some...last-minute preparations sent to us by the elves. They now want you to do some...Elvish purity ritual...before you marry..." The guard gulped again. Addur stared at him with a flat expression for a few moments. Then the demigod clicked his tongue and glanced off to the side.

"That's not a surprise." he said. "The last time I was with Malona she wanted to change me from "husband" to "holy husband.""

"O-oh...okay..." the guard replied. He had no idea what that was.

"So what is this ritual?" Addur asked.

"You have to be as isolated from people as much possible." the guard continued. "That's why there are only two of us. You are to stay in a very simple room. You will remain there until the wedding and eat only bread and water."

"Sounds like something elves would do." the demigod added. He motioned with his baton. "Well, lead the way."

"Of course, sire." the guard replied.

*

Seth stood outside the door to Zophiel's room. He was sweating and breathing deeply. It was one thing to trick mortals into things, but to deceive a goddess? That was going to be tough. Zophiel was older than the stones this castle was made of. Could he really trick such an ancient being? It wasn't as if Seth could take it all back now. He was neck-deep in the conspiracy already. Even if he came clean there was no way he would be forgiven for what he did to Joanna and Roshina. Seth took a deep breath and barged through the doors loudly.

Zophiel had been working at her desk when Seth slammed through the doors. The goddess jumped and whirled around. Seth stumbled into her room and hunched over. He panted as if he had been running and grabbed his knees.

"What is it? What is going on?" Zophiel demanded, standing up. The beautiful goddess was wearing another sheer, white dress, but this time it had what looked like a red flower branch up from her hip and bloom on her right breast. It was also studded with jewels.

"My lady!" Seth cried. He took a deep breath and stood back up. He looked as desperate as he could manage. The dirt and sweat all over his body looked convincing enough. "A group of dark god worshippers have invaded the castle!"

"What?" Zophiel shrieked. She looked equal amounts perplexed and horrified. "Where?"

"Th...there's an arena underneath the garden!" Seth replied. This seemed to horrify her even more. "They grabbed me when I was heading for the barracks after my shift! They...they have Roshina! They're threatening to kill her!" Now the goddess looked incredibly serious.

"Assemble the guards!" Zophiel cried. "We'll deal with them!"

"Wait, my lady!" Seth shouted. "They said that unless you come alone, they will kill Roshina on sight! But...but you can't go!"

"Why is that?" Zophiel asked.

"They...said some things to me..." Seth said darkly. "They mentioned a...God Seal...and the Dirge of Sybelleth. It sounds really bad!"

Zophiel straightened her spine and looked determined. She smugly lifted her nose up a little.

"Are all of them mortals?" she asked.

"Yes my lady, none of them seemed to be demigods." Seth replied.

"I wouldn't matter if they were." the goddess replied. "God Seals only work when other gods make them." There was a brief pause in the room as Seth's eyebrows raised.

"Oh." he said simply. He suddenly had a realization about Dotan's plans.

"It's something that should have been dealt with ages ago anyway. Lead me to these people."

"As you wish...my lady."

*

The two guards led Addur to a simple guest room. It was actually sleeping quarters for the servants of royal guests, but it was very out of the way and people very rarely went there. There was only a bed and a table with a chair in the bare room. On the table was some bread and water that the guards had put there. Addur seemed displeased, but went ahead and entered the room.

"Anything else to this purity ritual?" Addur asked.

"No, you just need to eat the bread and water." the big guard stated.

Addur grunted and sat down at the table. He casually took a bite of the bread while the other guards watched nervously. Addur chewed a few times before making a face.

"It tastes odd." he said to the guards.

"Oh..um...they put some extra stuff in it!" the other guard stated. "It...um...it..."purifies" you."

"In what way?" the demigod asked. The guards shuffled for a moment, trying to think of just exactly what to say. The big one's eyes then brightened. He leaned forward, held up his hand and whispered something.

"It makes you shit." he said.

"Oh." Addur said. "THAT kind of purify."

"Yeah...yeah...purity of mind and body."

"Sounds like something the elves would do."

"It totally does!" the guard shouted a little too loudly. Addur gave him an odd look. He took a sip of water and continued eating bread. The guards glanced at each other, trying to come up with a reason to stay.

"So my lord..." the big guard began. "If I may be so bold as to ask, are you excited to get married?"

"Oh very much." Addur said through another bite of bread in his mouth. "Malona is one of those purity-oriented elves that are popular nowadays. It won't be an exciting marriage, but she's quite nice and beautiful. I won't mind spending time with her."

"Oh, that's very lovely sir." the big guard said with a smile. "Are you planning on having any children, if you feel like answering that question that is."

"Oh I don't mind." Addur said. "She said maybe in fifty years or so we could think about it. Until then we will remain pure. Marriage isn't just about reproduction. It's also about..." Addur abruptly stopped talking. He stared straight ahead for a few moments. Then his head dropped like a rock onto the table. It slammed with a loud noise, knocking over the plate and the cup of water.

Neither guard moved for a few seconds. They then glanced at each other.

"Is he...um...is he dead?" the other guard asked.

"Uh...maybe..." the big guard replied. He walked over and lifted Addur's head up. He put his ear next to his nose and mouth. "No, he's still breathing."

"Well thank the heavens for that. I guess Dotan wasn't kidding."

"We better get used to calling him Lord Dotan. Now help me get him out of this armor and tie him up."

*

Seth hobbled down the corridors of the arena. Zophiel kept eyeing him the whole time he was walking.

"Are you alright?" the goddess asked.

"I'm fine my lady." Seth said. "They beat me before they sent me to get you. They mean business."

"You have nothing to fear." Zophiel replied. "Mortals are no match for gods."

"Of course my lady." he replied. Seth gazed up and saw they were near the entrance to the arena. "We're almost there my lady!" The guard ran to the best of his ability. Zophiel trotted behind him. They emerged into the huge coliseum.

The inside of the arena was dimly lit for once. Seth quickly glanced around, wondering what he was supposed to be looking for. In the dark he saw what appeared to be a dozen figures in the pit surrounding someone who was tied up. The guard could make out a gleaming blade being held up to the one in ropes.

"M...My lady!" Seth cried. "They must have seen me! They're going to stab Roshina!"

"No they won't!" Zophiel cried. In the blink of an eye, she had leapt onto the top of the wall over the pit, dress and all. She dove into the arena like a hawk after its prey. She slammed into the figure holding the knife...and got a strange surprise.

She collapsed onto the sand and stood up, dazed. In her hands was not a person, but a strawman, made of cloth and sticks.

"What is..?"