Ajax And The Pit Of Doom Ch. 01

Ian looked at her with mock anger as she smiled in retort.

"Oh my Ian, surely you won't take that lying down." Said Ajax fueling the competitive spirit.

Ian promptly lined up an arrow to point it at Merah's target. As he Let go, Merah simultaneously fired an arrow from her bow. Her arrow hit Ian's arrow in mid air and turned it away from his target thus making him miss.

Ian looked at her dumbfounded and Ajax was speechless.

"I think it's obvious who the winner is" he finally managed to say.

Ian bowed gracefully, signalling that he acceded.

Then as they left the range, he whispered angrily in Ajax's ear

"You will tell no one about this, promise me."

Ajax just nodded, a large smile on his face. He then looked to Merah who smiled at him again.

The rest of the day was spent showing Merah around the castle. As Ajax took her to the gardens, he told her about the fantastic story he had heard from the fisherman.

"I know about that place." Said Merah as soon as Ajax finished his story.

"Yes, I know where it is." Said Merah excitedly.

"What do you mean you know where it is, how could you?"

"In my village there is a map to this island. It is forbidden for us to go there but nonetheless it is marked on the map. They call it the Island of Misfortune. Nobody has ever returned from that island."

"How does your village have a map of such places?" asked Ajax

"Well, ours was a village of explorers. Over the years, many daring adventurers have embarked on fantastic adventures to far gone places. It is one of the reasons I wanted to be a hunter. I too wanted to be an explorer one day. I used to look at the map with a longing almost everyday. It was one of the things I was obsessed with."

"Merah, do you think we can get the map from your village?"

This statement caused a ripple of anger inside Merah but she did not let it show.

"I don't think that you will find it there anymore. I'm not sure that much remains of Tartarus. But you must not fret for I remember it. I have looked at it so many times, I remember the entire map. I can take you there."

"Oh I wouldn't want you accompanying me on this journey. It would be too dangerous."

"Oh I can take care of myself, you have seen what I am capable of."

"Yes indeed I have" said Ajax feeling for the scar on his face.

"Then is that a yes? Will you take me with you?"

"I shall think about it." Said Ajax.

Merah said nothing more. She knew she just had to go. Well, there were other ways of convincing men..

That night as they retired to their chambers (Merah now having graduated to the master bedroom on the topmost tower where Ajax slept), Ajax after having a brief consult with Count Gallardus post dinner, retired to his room. As he stepped in, he had expected to see Merah waiting for him there but instead his room was empty.

He called out to her and even searched for her in the balcony as well as the hallway outside the room but she was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, Ajax started to undress and get into a comfortable robe. As he took off his ruby encrusted robe to reveal his bare torso, suddenly he felt the cold steel of a knife at his neck; His assailant had accosted him from behind and at the moment had the better of him.

"What do you want?" he said with no fear in his voice, just a calculated growl indicating that he wasn't in the least bit intimidated.

"Oh I don't' want anything else. I have you right where I want you. Don't move a muscle or I slit your throat."

It was Merah. Ajax was surprised at this sudden turn of events.

Then he felt her hand trailing down his waist to his stomach; She slid her hand inside his pants and groped his penis.

"So that's your game" said Ajax relieved that this was going to be the beginning of another sexual encounter.

"Yes; But the goal is to convince you to take me with you."

"Why does it mean so much to you?" asked Ajax.

"I want to accompany you on all your adventures. I want to see the world. I don't want to live in this castle like a porcelain doll. The world beckons to me, it always has. In you I see my guide to such wonders."

She was stroking his penis as she spoke and it was already getting hard.

He groaned with pleasure as his hips thrust involuntarily to the movement of her hand.

"My my, such panache my love, so eager to finish. But you mustn't forget about me."

Ajax was fully erect now, his desire growing with every stroke of her hand. Even though she had just had sex once before, she knew what he wanted and she was using that instinct to her full advantage.

Just as Ajax started to shudder in the throes of an orgasm, she cut his throat a little to make the feeling subside.

He growled with anger and taking her arm forcefully he brought her in front of him. She was naked save for a sarong wrapped around her lovely athletic body.

He held her by her hair and her body close to his, his still erect penis pushing into her nether regions.

She smiled, unaffected by the roughness with which he was treating her. Ajax kissed her passionately, so passionately that Merah dropped the dagger on the floor.

He then picked her up and threw her on the bed; Then he started to hurriedly undress for his desire was still to be satiated.

She prowled like a tigress waiting for him to pounce on her. Taking her by the shoulders he lay her down, then ripped aside her sarong to reveal her beautiful pussy, the lips glistening in the moonlight, her desire evident.

Without further ado he inserted himself inside her as far as it would go and she gasped with pain at first and then with pleasure as this was only the second time she was making love.

His thrusting was immediately urgent for just a moment ago he had been at the precipice of an orgasm. Therefore he didn't last long, filling her with a torrent of his cum and grunting with pleasure as he exploded inside her.

He collapsed on top of her, spent and gratified, then rolled over to his side.

Merah turned on her side to lay her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest.

"You are such a wonderful lover" she purred

"How would you know you've never been with another man before" chuckled Ajax

"Even so, I don't think that anybody else in this world could ever provide me such pleasure as you do."

Ajax looked deep into her eyes and said

"It is only possible because we love each other. There is a flame inside us that is inflamed with this love I feel for you."

Merah smiled and kissed Ajax.

She lay there for a bit on his shoulder, looking into his eyes, seducing him, enrapturing him.

Then she slid her hand down to his penis once again and started to play with it once again.

As soon as he was erect, she got on top of him and rode him, slowly at first so that he could last longer and she could get an orgasm. Then as she rocked faster, Ajax started grunting and she had to slow down again. Again she would start and again she would have to slow down. She knew that he was on the edge and so was she. She tried to save herself for as long as possible but desire is the sort of thing that can only be kept in check for so long.

Eventually, the feeling started to grow inside of her, that amazing feeling of pleasure and sweet pain she had felt last night. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back as she went into a spin, her entire body shaking with the force of her orgasm. Ajax came too, grunting with pleasure and holding her tight as he came.

Then they both fell back exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep.

The next day post breakfast Merah was waylaid by Queen Amelia who made a big fuss about how ill fitting the clothes were that had been provided to Merah. She insisted that Merah accompany her to the boutique to get a proper fitting done. This much to Merah's chagrin. She looked to Ajax for a way out but Ajax just shrugged and indicated that she would have to go along this time. Of course Ian was quite amused since he hadn't forgotten his humiliating defeat.

Ajax headed off to see the seer and see if he had arrived at a decision. But it was futile. The Seer had nothing for Ajax. He mumbled and deflected but didn't have anything concrete for Ajax. This was the first time Ajax had seen the Seer confused. Not that it perturbed him in the least bit but still he thought it was odd.

"So what will it be Seer? Must I embark on this perilous journey or not?"

"I am terribly sorry My Lord. The deities have not been kind to me. I know not if this would be a fool's errand or a path to our salvation. "

"Then I guess I must make this decision without your consult."

"I would advise you to wait a few more days my Lord. Surely the deities will have something to say about this."

"You have two more days Seer. I shall start to make preparations to embark on this journey. If after two days you have an answer for me then fine. Otherwise I am going anyway."

"Might I ask My Lord why are you in such a hurry? Is it to impress your new bride?"

Ajax stared back at the Seer angrily and the Seer hastily retreated into his chamber.

As Ajax walked away he agreed with what the Seer has just said. He was doing it to impress Merah.

Ajax headed straight to the barracks where Lord Gallardus was training with the soldiers. Ian was there too, learning how to fight with a sword. Of course he was adequate with a sword but in a real fight, adequate wouldn't cut it.

Ajax called away Gallardus and Ian to discuss his plan of action.

"The Seer has nothing for me. I have never seen him this confused. I am thinking we should go to this island. Get back as much Gold as we can carry. Then we can live the rest of our lives in peace and Javas shall become a non military, merchant colony."

"All that is great my Lord but are you sure about Merah's knowledge of the route?" asked Gallardus.

Ajax held Count Gallardus in high esteem since he had been around a very long time. In his fifties now but still nimble as a twenty year old, Count Gallardus was a master of war. He could handle five men at a time on the battlefield and ajax was sure he could handle even more than that.

"I trust her Count. She had many occasions to betray me. Kill me in my sleep or when I had my guard down. But she did not. When I look into her eyes, no longer do I see the hate of a woman I had wronged. I see the love of a woman worth fighting for."

Ian was grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Such big words my Lord. You were obviously saving them for such a time as this weren't you."

"You talk too much Ian" said Ajax smacking Ian with the back of his hand on his shoulder.

"So what do you think Count Gallardus? Ian? Shall we embark on this fantastic journey?"

Ian was already nodding before Ajax had finished his sentence. But Gallardus had a thing or two to say

"My Lord if we are to go then we must prepare for all eventualities. Large beasts, God knows what manner of creatures are lurking in those caves. We must be sure that we are not heading into a hornet's nest."

"Yes it will be dangerous. Which is why I have decided to open the Mantriel Armory."

This statement seemed to hang heavily in the air for a bit as Count Gallardus fumbled for words.

"The Mantriel armory is the one true treasure of our Kingdom. If we lose it we lose everything."

"I know. But if we come back with our prize, we won't be needing the armory now will we?"

Thus it was decided. Seer or no Seer, Ajax had set the Kingdom of Javas on a path to liberation. Liberation from the travails of waging wars against lesser mortals, pillaging and plundering what did not rightfully belong to them. It seemed like the Kingdom of Javas would have compunctions yet. But at what cost, nobody truly knew. All they had was a tale and a promise. And one of these was not a fallacy.

The next few days were spent in preparation for the journey that lay ahead. Ajax's mind was made up; he visited the seer one last time but to no avail. The seer urged him to wait for a sign from the deities.

"I cannot wait any longer. I must embark on this adventure now. No more shall we pillage or plunder. This kingdom shall not be built on bones and blood of others."

And so it was writ. 'The Harmony' which was the most seaworthy ship in the kingdom of Javas was readied for the awesome journey that lay ahead.

Ajax decided to take twelve of his best soldiers along with Count Gallardus, Ian and Merah. Although he hadn't wanted to take Ian along, Ian had begged and pleaded and finally Ajax had to give in.

He was relieved to have Ian at his side.

Queen Amelia was appalled when she came to know that Merah was accompanying Ajax on this perilous journey. She huffed and puffed and made a right fuss about the whole thing but Merah was adamant, therefore Ajax was adamant.

In Merah's own words,

"I would die before I become a porcelain doll waiting for her liege to return from the battlefield, heart aflutter with anxiety and body helpless with ineptitude."

Ajax chose Rochefort Amedarin, his most able seaman as the ship's chief steward. Rocherfort was a very experienced sailor and he was also very adept with a cutlass. Few people had trifled with him and lived to tell the tale.

On the day of the journey, Ajax and his crew boarded the ship with much fanfare. Almost the entire Kingdom descended to the harbor to see them off.

The last member to board the ship was the fisherman who had related the fantastic story to Ajax. Seeing him, Merah lent towards Ajax to ask him who he was

"Oh that is Dorian, he is the one who told me about this fantastic island."

"Why are you taking him along, you have me to show the way" said Merah a tad annoyed.

"We would require him when we get to the island. I intend to take the same path as he did when he escaped from the island. We won't be straying away from that path since it is all we know of the island. Who knows what other beasts we might encounter if we stray from that path."

Merah didn't say anything else.

The seer performed the ceremonial prayers and offered a goat as a sacrifice to appease the deities. Finally he blessed the ship with a grandiose wave of his hand which signaled that they were good to go.

Queen Amelia embraced Ajax, Ian and Merah and ordered Ajax to protect Merah with his life.

"Come now mother you don't have to ask me to. I would not need to think twice before putting myself in harm's way for Merah's sake. In any case she can take very good care of herself."

Finally the journey began, they set sail eastward, away from the island towards the fantastic island.

"Once we hit the mist Merah, you will have to direct Rocherfort." Said Ajax

"Of course my Lord."

"Till then shall we retire to our chambers? All this fresh sea air makes me horny."

As soon as they entered, Ajax did not stand on ceremony. He hurriedly undresses and literally tore the clothes off Merah.

He lay her on the bed and got on top of her, kissing her passionately, his crotch pressing against hers till he was fully erect.

He then entered her and fucked her slowly in the missionary position. They looked into each other's eyes, the fire of passion burning in their eyes, each devouring the other with their desire.

As they got closer to orgasm, Merah started to moan loudly, infact so loudly that her voice traveled outside to the willing ears of the crew.

A couple of them whistled and were quickly silenced by an angry look from Ian.

Thereafter whilst Rocherfort and Dorian steered the ship with help from some of the soldiers, Ian, Ajax, Count Gallardus and Merah spent their time below the deck.

Finally it was night time and the mist settled around them. Ajax brought Merah upstairs to guide them.

Merah immediately took a position beside Rocherfort and started to guide him.

"How can you tell which direction we need to head into even though we can't see a thing?" asked Ian fascinated by how confidently Merah was giving out directions.

Merah produced a compass crudely fashioned from lodestone.

"This device has been used by my village for countless journeys. By the way it points when you hang it from a string, you can tell which direction we need to head to."

"We shall be there by tomorrow morning. You must get some sleep." Said Merah to Ajax and the crew.

"What about you, don't you want to get some sleep?" asked Ajax concerned.

"Oh I'll be fine, I got enough sleep this afternoon."

Ian gave Ajax a look of respect which he rebuked with an angry scowl. Ian quickly deflated.

The crew stuck around for a bit then slowly everybody retired for the night. Finally it was just Ajax, Rocherfort and Merah on the deck.

Ajax stood on the starboard side, looking out into the mist. He was shortly joined by Merah.

"You must get some sleep my love." Said Merah putting her arms around him.

"I am too excited. Besides I don't want to leave you alone." Said Ajax looking into her eyes.

"I can take care of myself." Said Merah defensively.

"I know. Even so, I feel as if you must always be at my side."

"Oh how you love me." Said Merah kissing him passionately.

Suddenly the ship was jolted and then it shuddered to a halt. The entire crew was woken up with the force and the suddenness of this new development.

Lamps were lit and soon everybody was on deck.

Rocherfort looked over the side but couldn't see anything on account of the mist.

"I think we have hit land sire." He said still looking unsure.

"But the mist hasn't cleared. Dorian come here." Said Ajax beckoning to the fisherman.

"What do you think?" Ajax asked Dorian.

"I am not sure Sire, when I say the Island, the mist had cleared. I was of the opinion that the island lay beyond the mist for the great bird flew over the mist."

"It has to be the island, the weather must be bad at this time." Said Merah.

"Well we can't be sure until we disembark. One of us has to go overboard and see if we have indeed reached our destination. I shall lead the party."

"No Sire, stay on the ship with the queen. I shall take a couple of men along to check." Said Count Gallardus.

So it was decided. Gallardus and two of his best men lowered a rope ladder down the side of the ship. Before they climbed down, they threw a torch down the side. They could make out the faint glow of the fire as it fell onto the land.

Then slowly, they climbed down the side. The crew waited with baited breath to hear the 'All ok' from them.

Once Gallardus and his men had descended successfully, they shouted out the acknowledgement that they had made it safely.

As they moved further away from the ship, the crew could make out the faint glow from their torches get fainter and fainter as they went further away inland.

A few of the crew members went back to sleep whilst the others waited. Ajax, Merah and Ian retired to their chambers to talk about their plan of action.

Rocherfort and a couple of soldiers waited on deck for Gallardus to return with his men.

Eventually Ajax heard a shout from above deck. It was Rocherfort. Gallardus had made it back.

"What did you see?" Askd Ajax as soon as Gallardus was back on deck.

"Well, I didn't see any caves or fantastic creatures but we walked past some sand dunes and then we reached the outskirts of a forest, not too dense. We turned back from there. The mist clears up a little way before you hit the forest."

"I think we have hit the other side of the island" said Merah.

"Then I guess we must make it across." Said Ajax.

Thereafter they made preparations to start their journey into the island.

3 men including Rocherfort were to stay back on the ship to guard it. The rest of the mean would accompany Ajax, Ian, Gallardus and Merah. Merah and Dorian were expected to show them the way. Since they had hit shore on the other side of the island, Merah was expected to do most of the guiding.