Buck's Phototales

Lord Necropolis raised his right arm signalling the men at his rear to halt as he reigned in his horse.

"What is the meaning of this, M'Lord?" inquired a Knight as he too came to a halt beside the War Lord. "Why have you called a halt?"

"Have we not ridden long, hard, and certainly far enough to suit you, Henchman?"

"But Lord Necropolis! Sire! It was said that Stalwart and his Knights were all but upon us!"

"And I, foolish man that I am, listened to you!"

"Lord Necropolis! I beg your pardon, Sire! But you are anything but foolish!"

"A compliment for which I thank you, Henchman! But now tell me! Have you seen either hide or hair of Sir Stalwart and his Knights?"

"'Pon my soul, Lord Necropolis, I have not! For which I will remain forever thankful!"

"I think that perhaps you are wont to give thanks too soon, Henchman!"

"What!? Is Sir Stalwart upon us then?! Where?!"

"Calm yourself, Henchman! I did not mean to infer that Stalwart was anywhere in the vicinity! In point of fact, Henchman ... I am now inclined to believe that neither Sir Stalwart nor any one of his Good Knights were ever about to lay seige to our Castle in the first place!"

"But ... My Lord Necropolis! I heard from an Unimpeachable Source that Sir Stalwart had sworn to rid the Kingdom of any and all undesirable elements of ..."

"Would you even dare to suggest that it is to my person that Stalwart alluded to as being in any way undesirable, Henchman?"

"Oh! No! M'Lord Necropolis! Not at all! But the rest of us, you see ..."

"That will suffice, Henchman! It will more than suffice as a matter of fact!"

"Yes, M'Lord!"

"So now as it stands ... Here I am with the warmth and safety of my hearth and home well behind me ... Seated astride an uncomfortable animal in a cold and drafty place ... And all because you, Henchman! You! Are subject to listening to the babble of the rabble in the Village Square! Now then! What do you propose that we should do about this sorry state of affairs?!"

Henchman looked quickly to the left and then to the right before he uttered his reply.

"Are we not now in the Domain of Lord Necros, Sire?" Henchman asked nervously.

Lord Necropolis raised himself in his stirrups and his horse issued a mild protest.

"By the Gods, Henchman! I believe you're right! Why, yes! Just over and a bit beyond that next ridge and in the valley beyond lays the Castle Keep of my cousin, Necros! Ha! Henchman! We are in luck!"

"Rather Bad Luck, I should think, Sire!"

"What on Earth would prompt you to say such a thing, Henchman?"

"Sire! Does not your erstwhile cousin, Lord Necros, make a practice of Human Sacrifice?"

"Ah! But you have lent your ear to the babbling rabble once again, Henchman! Besides! Can it not be said that we indulge in much the same practice in our own right?"

"Those are but females, Your Lordship!" Henchman spoke in a deprecating tone of voice.

"True ... But what real pleasure can be derived in the slaughter of a fellow man? Unless it be a matter of political neccessity?"

"Or on the order of a business transaction, M'Lord?" Henchman could well remember the number of assassinations that took place as a matter of course in the court of his Liege Lord Necropolis.

"Precisely what I said, Henchman! There is no true pleasure to be taken in any of that! Vindictiveness? Perhaps! But little or no pleasure ... Now then! Are there any women in our midst?"

"Perhaps a few of the usual Camp Followers, M'Lord! Most of the Courtesans remained behind ..."

"I cannot say that I can fault them overmuch, Henchman! I suspect that the Ladies preferred to take their chances with the Good Knight Stalwart than to brave the elements as it were!"

"Do I have your leave to ride back in search of the women, M'Lord?"

"By all means, Henchman! Yes! Perhaps the Gift of a stout wench will improve our own prospects with my cousin, Lord Necros!"

Henchman returned in due course with a pair of young women in tow ...

"Ah! A fine pair of lusty wenches fit for a King! You have done well, Henchman!" Lord Necropolis voiced his approval.

"I am glad that they meet with your approval, M'Lord!"

"They are twins, are they not?"

"In truth I believe that one is almost a year older than her sister ..."

"A small enough detail that! I am certain that my cousin Necros will be more than pleased!"

The troop had been riding as Lord Necropolis passed pleasantries with his Henchman and for their part, the sisters were happy enough not to have to trudge along in the dust behind the riders.

"Do you know, Henchman? This is a fine idea you had to have the women ride with us!"

"Thank you, M'Lord! But it does pose one small problem!"

"Oh? And what may that problem be, Henchman?"

"I cannot determine whether it is more pleasant to have her riding in front of - or behind me!"

"Under ordinary circumstances, Henchman, I would say that a bit of healthy experimentation is in order ..."

"But you would not today, M'Lord?"

"No ... Because ... Lo! See! The Castle of my dear Cousin Necros lies ahead!"

"Ye Gods, M'Lord! Your Cousin's Castle is all a-flood! Never have I known it to rain this much in your land, Sire!"

"Calm yourself, my dear, Henchman! This is but a moat that Lord Necros had constructed recently! He wrote of it in the last missive he had carried to me, I believe ..."

"What purpose does it serve him, M'Lord?"

"Lord Necros feels that it affords those within his castle walls an extra bit of protection ..."

"Protection, M'Lord? From who?"

"You do not know my Cousin, Henchman!"

"That is quite true, Sire! I know the Lord Necros only by reputation ... And you know how the rabble will babble ..."

"Yes! We went through all that before, Henchman ... Only in this instance I rather suspect that the babbling rabble have it quite correct, you see ..."

"In truth, M'Lord?"

"Verily, Henchman!"

"If that be the case, M'Lord, then you must pardon me for saying so - but your Cousin Lord Necros may well require protection from about anyone of the surrounding populace!"

"Quite so, Henchman! And, well said, I may add!"

"Thank You, M'Lord!"

"Zounds! I have not seen this much water in one place since the flood at the Rath Skeller!"

"Oh! But wasn't that a wretched affair, Henchman!"

"A veritable disaster, Sire!"

"Thank Goodness there is a bridge for our convenience, M'Lord!"

"I rather seriously doubt that Goodness had anything at all to do with the construction of this draw-bridge, Henchman!"

"Excuse me, Sire! T'was but a figure of speech on my part!"

"Yes ... Now ... If only someone would be kind enough to lower the bridge for us, I wonder?"

"Halt! Who goes there?"

"Aha! A sentry stands guard at the bridge, M'Lord!"

"Yes! And quite likely more than one, I'll be bound! Give him answer, Henchman!"

"This is the Good Lord Necropolis and but a few of his Honor Guard, who has come to visit his Dearly Beloved Cousin, the Great Lord Necros!"

"I did not request that you lay it on quite as thick as that, Henchman ..."

"No, Sire ... But it seems to have turned the trick all the same ... See! Even now the sentry is lowering the bridge!"

"Yes ... Quite so, Henchman ... All the same, I shall request that while we are to remain civil at all times ... I still have no intention of doing any amount of obsequious grovelling for the benefit of my cousin's ego!"

"I may have you to mean then, Sire, that the man has no lack of self esteem?"

"None whatever! And besides Henchman ... This pair of women should in all ways suffice to ease our situation ..."

"One of them would be sufficient unto herself to be adequate to my own needs, Sire! Your Cousin, the Lord Necros must indeed be a Man Among Men if he has need as well as the use for two of them!"

"Oh, Lord Necros is all of that, Henchman! You may rest assured of that!"

"The Castle Sanctuary is a truly cozy little place out here in the country, is it not, M'Lord?"

"Your are given to speaking in jest, Henchman ... But to tell you the God's Truth ... ... Now that the Gate that leads to the draw-bridge is closing ..."

"I know not whether the intent of these security measures is to keep the Vandals at bay ... Or rather to hold my Cousin's guests under House Arrest!"

"Gentlemen! May I be the first to bid thee a most hearty welcome!"

"For which I thank you most humbly, M'Lord Necros! I fear that we arrive under somewhat straitened circumstances!"

"Ah, yes! Prince Stalwart can such a bother at times!"

"You had heard of our plight then?"

"But of course! Why! I was expecting you to arrive at any day! Whatever kept you?"

"Henchman here is of the opinion that Stalwart left off in his pursuit of us, you see ..."

"Did he now? Why, how very unstalwart of him! Ah ... But perhaps it is just as well ... Tell me, Necropolis ... Are these pour moi?"

"The women? But of course! Yes! How silly of me! Please excuse my ..."

"Tut-Tut, Cousin! Think nothing of it! 'Pon my soul! What have we here? A pair of Nubian maidens? And Twins to the bargain! How wonderful!"

"They are not truly twins, Lord Necros ... You see ..."

"Oh very well! Whatever! They will do spendidly indeed! I have a small entertainment in mind for later this evening, you see!"

"It really isn't at all necessary, Lord Necros ..."

"My Dear Cousin Necropolis! I do fear that thou are ever given to protesting too much! Guards! Take these females away that they may be properly prepared for the amusement that is to come later!"

"Now then, Gentlemen! I shall have you escorted to your rooms! You will find that the moat provides ample water with which to remove the dust of the trail, but I would caution you not to ingest any of it. I have found that when in residence here in my humble abode that it is best to imbibe in wine and wine alone ... For there really is no telling what may have found its ways into that water! You will called to take your evening meal and after we have dined ... Then we will proceed with this evening's diversion! Guards! If you will be kind enough to show my Cousin to his quarters? Let us away then!"

Henchman found himself wondering what had become of the two women for he and Lord Necropolis had seen neither hide nor hair of either one of them since their arrival.

For his part, Necropolis was intrigued with the water that ran continuously into a stone basin over in a corner of his room ... Only to drain away again out through an exterior wall of the castle. A novel idea really ... He'd have to make inquiry of his cousin as to how the water was elevated to the point that gravity carried here to this room and presumably to other places throughout the castle.

Both Lord Necropolis and his servant found dinner to be a simple though adequate repast. It was evident that Lord Necros himself was not given to gluttony and that at the same time he was rather anxious if not outright impatient to have the matter of the meal finished and put aside so that they could get on with whatever in the way of festivities he had planned for the evening.

The Babble of the Rabble was to serve both Lord Necropolis and his Henchman in good stead in that neither of them were either surprized nor even particulary dismayed when Lord Necros escorted them to a subterranean room located somewhere in the very bowels of his castle where the two Nubian women were awaiting their arrival ...

Neither were the men taken aback when Lord Necros went to a mantel from where he retrieved a pair of knives - offering them to each of his guests ...

"Would you Gentlemen care to do the honors? Or will you permit me to take matters into my own hands - as it were?"

"The women were presented to you to do with as you will, Lord Necros ..." Lord Necropolis addressed his cousin stiffly.

Henchman took his cue from his Leige Lord and declined as well - although if the truth were told - the idea of thrusting a naked blade into each of those equally bare brown bodies was thoroughly engrossing and he vowed to assist in any way that was allowed.

"Well then! Here we are! So! The question that immediately comes to mind whenever a choice exists is - Where do I begin?" His guests could tell that Lord Necros was warming to his soliloquy.

"But since my guard appears to have this one well in hand as it were ..."

"And since this other is laying in what appears to be a somewhat uncomfortable position upon the altar ... I would suggest that we should perhaps commence with her ... Are there any objections or reccomendations to the contrary? No? Good!"

"Now please try not to whimper, my dear! I mean really! Why I have not yet so much as inserted the blade into you yet! Goodness! I hardly know what to make of women these days!"

"Will you be offering here as a sacrifice, M'Lord?" Henchman could not refrain from making inquiry as he knelt in an effort to restrain the victim - although since she had been bound some time earlier it became rather evident that she required no further restraint.

"Sacrifice? Why, no! I would not forsake the opportunity to run my blade into this buxom lass for all the tea in Cathay! Now then ... Where were we?"

"As a general rule, I prefer to begin with a thrust to the belly ... And to the navel when it is at all possible ... Thus ..."

"Noo-ee-aahugh!"

"And so to continue, if I may ... Once the depth of the female's guts have been plumbed ... It is then that our attention is turned to her breasts ... And so now a word of caution ... In most instances you will find that you may not thrust the knife too deeply ..."

"Guuu-unngh!"

For there is the ever-present danger of piercing her heart ... Or perhaps some other organ of vital importance ... With this particular woman it is entirely likely that you could afford to stab her deeply with impunity ... But as a matter of principle it is usually best to proceed with a certain amount of caution ..."

Henchman stood gazing down at the woman Lord Necros had just killed. The thought occured to him that it was too bad in a way that both Lord Necropolis and his cousin Necros were such comparatively elderly men ...

For if the thrusting knife was to in some way come to symbolize the thrusts of the male pushing his plow into the body of a fertile female ... Then the blade should be plunged into her many times with strokes heated passion and near reckless abandon!

"And so my dear, we have come to you ..."

"I could say that I have saved the best for last ...
But that would be doing an injustice to your sister, you see!"

"Now in your case ... Since we have just had your sister upon the altar ... I propose cutting you down where you stand ... What say you to that? 'Ey?"

"Noo-ooow-ooo!"

"Yes ... Just as I thorught! I might have expected as much!"

"And so now we shall move to the left breast!"

"Satisfyingly deep! Yet again ... Not overly so! For it is as I said before ... Too deep a thrust will make and end of the festivities far too soon ..."

"Always bear in mind that you yourself want to be well-spent when she is finished!"

"Now a thrust to the middle of the chest is a dicey thing ... But this one was built to take it if ever there was one! So ..."

"Huunugh!"

Henchman thought that he was beginning to detect a certain pattern in the stabbing technique employed by Lord Necros ... And so as he dumped the first woman unceremoniously off the altar to make room for her sister ... He was sure that since Lord Necros had stabbed her breasts as she stood before him ... That he would now proceed to thrust his knife into the dying woman's belly ...

Henchman watched the with fascination for the woman's bosom still heaved mightily ... And he pursed his lips wondering how this was conceivable when he considered the amount of punishment she had all ready absorbed!

"It is quite a simple matter really," Lord Necros was offering encouraged to his Princess as he lent his instruction as she wielded the knife.

"All that you need do is to simply push ... And let the knife do the rest!"

Henchman thought that a crowning thrust to her navel was a rather unusual deathstroke ... But then, he had to allow that there wasn't anything at all usual about the entertainment provided by Lord Necros! And hadn't it been Henchman himself who only minutes earlier had marvelled that this woman was yet alive to suffer these final indignities?"

Yet even so, as again he stood in admiration of the second magnificent corpse, Henchman felt that had he been given his choice - he would have lifted the woman's heavy breasts as she was being stabbed in the gut ... And thrust a blade thrust each ov the very nipples!

"Did you learn anything this night of which you had no prior knowledge?" Lord Necropolis inquired of his servant when they had reached their quarters.

"Naught but that the Babble of the Rabble does oft possess a certain element of Truth, M'Lord!"

"Well said, Henchman! Tell me! What did Lord Necros have you do with the bodies?"

"The Captain of the Guard opted to toss them in the moat!"

"But you did not?"

"No ... Lord Necros feared that it would raise the water level to a dangerous degree ... Besides which ..."

"Yes, Henchman?"

"His dogs were quite ravenous, M'Lord ..."