Chapter 1 - Darkness He slumped on the ground, resting his back against the wall made from smooth, cut stone. He rubbed his hands against each other, trying to get some warmth into them and then started to massage his freezing feet. Aside from his shivering, the growling of his stomach was the only sound in the passageway. He could not stay in place for long. Sitting down on the cold stone was worse than standing on his aching feet. He had slept earlier, though he had no idea how long ago it might have been. There was no indication of time in the pitch-black, labyrinthine passageways he had awakened in. But when he had awoken from his slumber, his body had been so stiff with cold, he had been momentarily worried about his ability to rise again. “Couldn’t have been too long.” he told himself. “I haven’t had any water since I came here, it can’t have been too long.” He began fumbling his way along the smooth wall once more, always keeping it to his right. He figured that was the best course of action. If this really was some kind of labyrinth, keeping the wall always to his right and going forward should eventually lead to him to the exit. Of course, that theory was based on the assumption that there was an exit. “Don’t think about it, stay positive!” Normally, he didn’t speak to himself, but in this place it felt good to hear the sound of a human voice. Even if it was his own. Besides, hearing the echoes made him feel just a little less alone. He had tried shouting for help earlier. After all, he had somehow ended up in this place and maybe he had not been alone in coming here. Shouting had been exhausting however, and since he did not know how long it would take to reach the exit, it was best that he conserved his energy as much as he could. He wrapped his arms around his chest, making sure that his shoulder remained in contact with the wall, and cursed the humidity of the place. “There’s no water here, be happy the air is not too dry.” “Maybe I would be more happy if it wasn’t so cold!” He came to a stop and slapped his forehead a few times with his open palm. “Okay, talking to yourself is one thing. It’s perfectly alright. But no arguing with yourself.” He continued on his way, satisfied that no argument was forthcoming. He was right of course, he probably wouldn’t be walking anymore if the air wasn’t so humid. He had tried licking the walls earlier, hoping that enough moisture was there so wetten his throat just a little bit. His only reward had been an unpleasant taste on his tongue though. That, and he suspected he had left more moisture on the wall than he had taken from it. Water really was what most of his thoughts centered around as he continued on his way through the dark tunnels. Both its seeming abundance in the air around him and its startling absence from his throat. “I’m going to die of thirst in this place.” “You’ll get no argument from me.” “Stop being so negative!” He quickly pulled his hands back from the wall. The fingertips of his middle- and index finger felt distinctly wet. He started to raise them to his mouth, but then hesitated. “What are you waiting for?” “Maybe I’m just hallucinating.” “What if you’re not?” He had to admit that he had a point. He raised his hand and sniffed at his fingers before he let his tongue run across the tips. There was definitely more moisture on them. He carefully moved his hand back against the wall and slowly moved it forward, until they were covered by a stream of liquid. “Motherfucker.” He cursed loudly. The liquid was ice cold. Far colder than the surrounding air. Nonetheless, he cupped his hands and caught some of the liquid, which he sincerely hoped was water. He took a big gulp and immediately began choking as the cold liquid made contact with his dry throat. At least it really did seem to be water. He continued to fill up his cupped hands with the precious stuff, but drank much more carefully now. By the time he was, at least for the moment, satisfied, he could barely move his fingers. Since he, inexplicably, was bereft of any clothing, he could not dry his hands and so he continued to rub them against one another, hoping to once again bring some warmth back into them. He went back a few steps and squatted down, standing on his toe tips to avoid excessive contact with the ground and considered his options. “We could stay…. I could stay here. At least there’s some water here.” “So I’m not gonna die of thirst, but starve instead?” “Good point. What then?” “Maybe I could rest here a bit before continuing?” “Last time, I wasn’t sure I was gonna wake up.” “Stop being so soft, if I was gonna freeze, I would’ve done so already.” “Eventually I’m gonna freeze.” “Eventually I’m gonna starve, too.” Somehow, that argument went nowhere. Maybe it was because he was arguing with himself. “What about the water? Where is it coming from?” He stretched his legs and moved slowly back to where the small stream of water was flowing down the wall. There hadn’t been anything like that before. Perhaps this was the exit? He groped around the wall, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. He reached up, trying to find where the water came from, but couldn’t feel anything other than more wall. Even by jumping, his hands could not reach to the ceiling. After wasting his breath for a few minutes, he concluded that this place could not possibly be the exit and an especially insistent growling of his stomach gave him the determination he needed to forge ahead. He filled up with water as much as he could. After all, there was no telling when he might come across water once more. That, and a stomach full of water would, at least temporarily, alleviate some of that stomach growling. He cursed loudly as he stepped through the freezing cold water that collected in a small puddle before flowing god-knew-where and continued on his way. --- Some time later, his heart made a jump as his hand, following the wall, suddenly found nothing but open air. He moved his hand back a bit and found the edge where he had lost it. He moved around the bend and forward a few steps. Then he touched his fingertips to the wall and stretched his left arm to find the other side of the tunnel. He paused, then carefully let go of the wall and took a measured step towards the other side. Only, there was no other side. He quickly retreated back to the safety of his wall and squatted down to consider. “Maybe it’s an open room?” “There haven’t been any so far.” “You think it’s the exit?” “I don’t know, maybe.” “What are we going to do?” “We should continue along the wall.” “What if the exit is somewhere out there?” “What if it’s not? How are we going to find our wall again?” He slapped his open palm against his forehead. “It’s. I. Not. We.” He took a deep breath. “This isolation is not great for me.” He stared out towards the great (or not so great, he had no clue) void and tentatively called out “Anybody out there?” “You think they wouldn’t have heard me already, if there was somebody there?” “Alright, alright.” It was possible, of course, that the exit he’d been looking for was located out there. But if it was not, there was no telling whether he would find his way back. There was no telling whether he would be able to find an exit located in an open space either. He was quite certain he would not find his way back. For now, he determined, he would try to continue along the wall. He continued on his way until, about 50 steps later, his head unexpectedly collided with something somewhat soft and warm. He recoiled and collected himself for a moment, before carefully picking his way along the wall. There was nothing directly at the wall, but rather, about half an arms-length before it. His hands probed something that felt like skin. He probed a bit further, until he pulled his hand back, remembering that, if this was a person, they likely wouldn’t enjoy being fondled by a stranger in the dark, and if this was an animal, well, it might not enjoy it either. “Hello?” He asked tentatively. No Answer. “Excuse me?” He tried again, a bit louder. “Could you help me?” He tried, becoming more insistent. “WAKE UP!” He finally shouted. Still, there was no response. He considered his shivering muscles and his growling stomach and concluded that, for now, perhaps warmth was to be his first objective. He reached out again and started probing, carefully. Roughly at chest height, the person, he had decided it was a person, had something that distinctly felt like a butt. He laid a palm of his hands against each cheek, enjoying the warmth for a moment, before continuing his probing. If the butt was facing towards the wall, he’d be able to collect more information about this person on the other side. He kept hold of the bodies waistline as he slowly rounded it, anxious about moving away from the wall. He reached further up, since he felt that was the less rude area to explore, and felt the breasts of what appeared to be a woman. “Are you awake?” He tried once more. When he received no reply, he shrugged and hugged the woman, trying to get as much body warmth from her as he could. “Perhaps not a woman?” he guessed, but at that moment, couldn't care less about. Just as he didn’t care how this person was suspended in mid air and didn’t emit any signs of life, other than body warmth. Nothing happened for several minutes, other than him feeling a bit drowsy, now that some warmth was returning to him. “Awfully forward, aren’t we Pet?” With a start, he raised his head and saw two glowing red disks where the voice had come from. The dick, which had nestled flaccid against his chest so far, had also started to engorge and gave a few jumps. Freed from his shock-induced paralysis, he jumped backwards. “Careful now.” The, he realized now, distinctly feminine voice warned, but it was too late. His calf had already caught on some unseen object and he toppled over backwards, hitting the hard ground with the back of his head. |
| The third person POV is a bit different than what is typical. But so far it seems to work out great and you are off to a great start. Looking forward to find out what kind of mamono he just ran into. For she leaves a couple boxes unchecked which pretty much rules out my initial guesses of an arachne or an werebat... Which frankly has me kind of worried... Also I'll go and have a stern talk with that writer that keeps you waiting so long to continue your first story! |
| Figured I'd try something new with the perspective, let's see how it works out :) As to the identity of our mamano, I'm sure that will come to light eventually. And yes, I think you might have to motivate that other author. It's been so long, I hardly recall his name. Must've had some serious writer's block :P |
| Chapter 2 - Far from bright “Huh”? He wondered when he opened his eyes. He found himself lying in a soft bed in a room flooded with bright beams of light. He moved his hand to the back of his head, but couldn’t feel anything out the ordinary there. He moved the soft sheets to the side and swung his legs out of bed. He noted that his pelvic area and backside felt somewhat sore as he stood up. His mind wandered to the person he’d come across in that dark place. Before he’d hit his head. The implication was not reassuring. Just like before, he was completely naked, but at least this place, wherever it was, was neither humid nor cold. He grabbed the sheets from the bed and wrapped himself in them before taking a steadying breath. “This place can’t possibly be worse than the other one.” He told himself and determinedly walthed through one of the three doors leading out of the room. “Finally awake, my pet?” Asked a somewhat familiar voice. He rounded a privacy shield and saw a large bathing tub and within it, what had to be the woman from earlier. She had cerulean skin with long violet hair. The most telling feature was her eyes though. There was no white in them. Instead, a black sclera was surrounding piercing, perhaps even glowing, red pupils. She appeared amused as he stared at her somewhat sumbstruck. “Lost your tongue?” When he still didn’t say anything, she sighed and rose from her bath. The semi-hard member dangling between her legs also matched with his memories. She stepped towards him and he started to back up to maintain the distance between them. “Stop!” She commanded and to his surprise, stop he did. Not surprised by his obedience at all, she continued. “On your knees!” ‘Certainly not.’ He thought to reply, but to his amazement, he found himself on his knees before he could even think to protest. She looked quite pleased with that and closed the distance between them with a few deliberate steps. “What’s the matter pet? You look confused.” That was putting it mildly. “Who are you? And where the hell am I? And what do you want from me?” Her expression shifted to annoyance, but she caught herself almost immediately. ”What do you mean, Pet? You’ve been living here, in your mistresses manor, for years. Ever since I took you in as a boy.” She looked a bit thoughtful for a moment. “Well, technically it is my mother’s manor, but since she is your mistress too, the point stands. As for what I want from you, you could start by attending to your duties.” For emphasis, she grabbed the rod between her legs and slapped him in the face with it. H-Scene “I enjoy the confused prey play, my Pet. But next time, do not let it impact your sexual performance.” She admonished him. The words quickly rekindled his confusion. The woman, or whatever she was, didn’t seem to feign her knowing him. She seemed to sense his discomfort and turned around, looking at him closely. “Do you really not recognize me, Pet?” Her tone had a volatile, threatening quality to it now, warning him not to play games with her. He shook his head and she observed him discerningly, before finally lifting herself out of the tub and motioning him to follow her. He considered just remaining in the water, but that really was not a solution, so he got up and followed her. She was now standing by the privacy shield, looking at him expectantly. He just returned the look blankly until she motioned toward the towels stacked on top of a small dresser. He looked between the towels and the woman. “Do you want me to…?” She nodded and, with some hesitation in his step, he went to grab one of the towels and began drying her off. When he was done with her, he grabbed another to quickly dry himself and follow her back to the bedroom. A set of clothes were sitting neatly folded in a chair that had previously been empty and a dress on a rack was sitting next to the bed. “I suppose you want me to…” he motioned towards the dress and she nodded once more. He helped her get dressed, deciding that, until he knew what was going on, it was probably for the best to go with the flow. “Well then. If you do not remember me.” Her tone carried an accusatory tone. “What do you remember, Pet?” He considered for a moment, but quickly found that, other than memories of a dark, dank endless labyrinth, he couldn’t recall anything else. Not even his name. Was that why her constantly calling him ‘Pet’ did not bother him? He felt like it should bother him. He relayed his lack of memory and she pursed her lips. “You have, to my knowledge, never been to any place like you’ve described. I picked you off the streets when you were a boy. I suppose, in a way I saved you from a place full of darkness, so I suppose you might come up with a dream like that. Still, I will not accept that you simply forgot the years that you have served me.” Her tone had assumed that accusatory quality again. “Perhaps mother will know what to do.” He finally finished putting the dress on her. The white silk contrasted her blue skin nicely and the cut emphasized her curves, but not overly so. He quickly moved to put on the other set of much less luxurious clothes and together they headed out one of the other doors. Outside was a modestly sized foyer. He stopped walking to take in the sight. Every last bit of wall was clad in wood, intricately carved with swirling patterns. “I should be able to remember something like this.” He said to himself. The blue skinned woman grasped his hand and pulled him along onto the other side of the room. Walking through one set of doors, they came into a salon with richly upholstered furniture. A woman with a simple black dress stood by a door on the other side and inclined her head when they entered. “Good Morning, mistress. Your mother is currently entertaining a guest.” The woman said, but the blue skinned woman did not seem to care, pushing open the door and blowing past, pulling him along for the ride. They stepped into a much smaller room, dominated by a large bookshelf and desk. Sat in a monstrosity of a chair behind the desk, was who he inferred had to the mother of the woman claiming to be his mistress. In front of the desk, in a much more modest chair, sat a blonde, fox-eared woman, who turned and narrowed her eyes in suspicion upon their entry. Her reaction was quite welcoming though, when compared to the mother. She sneered openly as they entered and wasted no time airing her grievance. “I told you I don’t want to see the cur!” She reprimanded her daughter. Then she looked at him and uttered a single word. “Out!” There was so much venom in her voice, that he found himself obeying before she finished even that single syllable. His ‘mistress’ looked none-too-pleased, but neither stopped, nor followed him. The woman in the black dress closed the door behind him, motioning for him to sit on one of the comfortable looking chairs before proceeding to wholly ignoring him. He sat down with a sigh and struggled to make sense of his situation. |
| So it was a demon he ran into? Luckily for him it wasn't the Atlach-Nacha I feared he had run into. Mom sure does not seem to like him at all, which is kinda odd as demons typically are much less picky about a man's status or even looks than say vampires or dragons. My guess is that this guy has some history with mom, which is why she now resents him so much. As for what happened to him, my bet is on someone deliberately messing with his mind. |
| All (or let's say some) shall be revealed in the next chapter! |
| One more thing I just thought about: maybe it would be better to give this story a proper title |
| I'll add one if I come up with one :P |
Chapter 3 - Revelation The next few days were small help when it came to alleviating his confused state of mind. His ‘mistress’ kept acting like he’d been with her for years and demanded that he stay by her side at all times, attending to her needs. The only times they were seperated was when she was fighting with her mother, who would not tolerate his presence. Though she did not say so, he was quite certain that he was a recurring topic. About a week after his initial awakening in the manor, he was once more sitting on the same couch, in the same salon, in front of the same door he was forbidden from entering and being ignored by the same woman in the same black dress. Muffled shouting could be heard through the heavy, dark-wooden door as the two demons had another argument. Even if I don’t recall anything, she’s the only one who doesn’t treat me either with scorn or outright ignores me. Does it matter if she’s known me from before. I just can’t figure out why the rest of them appear so hostile? It was not the first time he’d wondered that and, just like each time previously, he did not have an answer. His mind was still moving in useless circles when the door opened and his mistress came storming out. He could see her mother through the door behind him and, if looks could kill, the one he was being given would’ve surely disintegrated him. “Come” She commanded, and, like a faithful dog, he got to his feet and followed after her, long past wondering why following her commands seemed like the most natural thing in the world. After clearing the salon, the mistress slowed her step and continued out towards the garden terrace. He scurried after her, pulling out a chair for her and preparing a footrest. She sat down with a frown on her face, her arms crossed over her chest and one hand impatiently tapping against her arm. “Is there something wrong?” He ventured. “Something.” She said, giving him a measuring look. “This is hardly what I had in mind.” “What is?” He asked. She gave him another measuring look, before continuing. “I don’t think mother will be changing her mind about you.” She sighed, then added. “She wants you to entertain a guest of hers tomorrow.” That didn’t quite add up to him. “Why does she want me to entertain her guest if she despises me so much?” He demanded. She gave him another one of those looks before her lips formed a smirk. “I suppose it could be worse, pet. Don’t worry your pretty head. Just do as I tell you, and all will be well.” Consciously, he realized that worry and consideration of his tentative situation would be prudent, but nonetheless he found himself nodding obediently, putting it from his mind for the moment. “Is there anything else you need right now, Mistress?” She smirked and nodded approvingly. “Attend your duties.” She spread her legs and once more, he nodded obediently. --- The next morning, a new costume had been delivered to their room. Though it looked a great deal more expensive than what he’d previously been wearing, it was also a good deal less comfortable and a great deal more revealing. As he struggled to move properly in the tight confines of fabric, he shot a doubtful glance at his mistress, but her lustful gaze told him that she, at least, enjoyed it on him. He half expected the order to attend his duties, but instead, they left their rooms and headed for the salon, where he expected to once more be sitting outside, listening to a muffled shouting match. The first part of his expectation came true, as his mistress deposited him on the same couch as always and headed into her mother's office. The first aberration was that there was no shouting. The second that, shortly after his mistresses entry, the door opened and another person exitted. Though he could not recall ever having met her, his stomach immediately tied itself into a knot when he gazed upon her. Her entirely unclothed skin had a light pink-ish colour. Violet tinted tentacles sprouted from her head, while her lower half seemed to consist exclusively of similar tentacles. “Good morning, pet.” She said softly, making her way over to the chair opposite of where he was seated. “Are- Are you the guest I’m meant to entertain?” He asked, managing barely more than a whisper. “I suppose I am.” she continued in that same soft voice. She took a seat and watched him silently. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze and felt himself starting to squirm. After a while she asked. “Are you not going to offer me something to drink?” “Of course.” He said, getting to his feet. His instinct was telling him to just run and get as far away as he could, but, without consciously choosing to, he walked over to the table, where a teapot sat over a candle, poured a cup and brought it over. As he sat it down in front of her, his mind flitted towards escape once more, but as if a foreign force was interfering with his own best interest, the thought was swept aside and he took his seat once more. “How do you enjoy yourself here?” The tentacled woman asked. “I… I’m not sure?” He said, honestly. “Is that so?” Her eyes had a sardonic gleam to them. “Would you like to hear a story?” He wrinkled his brow, but she took no notice and continued. “Once, there was a young lady from a wealthy home. She lived a carefree life, being provided with all her needs through the successful business ventures of her mother. While visiting the big city, she captured the attention of a rich foxes scion. The young lady had little enthusiasm for the young fox, yet her mother urged her on. You see, her business interests would have benefited greatly from placing her daughter close to the rich fox.” “I fail to see how…” She cut him off with a gesture. “Though the idea held the little appeal for the young lady, she decided to comply with her mother’s wishes. So it came that, while journeying towards Bestallion, she and her escort stayed at a certain in and she came across the thing that adds spice to many stories we like to tell.” She paused and had the same sardonic look. He remained quiet and after a short break, she continued. “A man, of course. Or perhaps, in this case, it would be more reasonable to speak of a boy.” Her lips tugged up into a smirk. “Can you already guess where this story is going, pet?” Rather than take a guess, he once more felt like running away, yet his legs would not react to his commands. With flight not an option, he suggested in a raspy voice “The appearance of the man caused some issue?” Her smirk grew wider. “You could say that. As is so often the case with Mamano, it was love, or rather lust, at first sight. She decided to abandon her mother's wishes and attempt her luck at courtship. Alas, the boy, though the young lady was quite striking, did not reciprocate her feelings. He already had a sweetheart you see. The daughter of the couple running the tavern, where the young lady had come upon him. Young ladies who grew up spoiled often find themselves struggling to accept rejection. And so, distraught upon her failure at courtship, the young lady resolved that more drastic measures were appropriate to make sure she’d get what she naturally deserved.” The woman finished the last sip of tea and sighed happily. Then she rose from her seat and slowly made her way around the table separating them. He tried to will his limbs once more to flee, but failed to produce as much as a quiver from his muscles. Meanwhile, she had finished making her way around the table and slithered her way into his lap. Despite his palpable terror, and thanks to the easy-access design of his clothes, it was no challenge to her to make blood flow where he currently did not want it. She slid him inside and then continued to stare intently into his eyes. “She hired a pair of specialists to… acquire her love interest and finally procured the services of a certain mindflayer to… make the boy more amicable to her desires.” It was clear to him, of course, that she was talking about him and his ‘mistress’. The term Mindflayer also gave him, for the first time, a good idea what might have happened to his memories. “Eventually, all men succumb to pleasure, but the young lady insisted that their relationship was to be one of mutual adoration, so the Mindflayer did naught but turn the boy somewhat amnesiac and make him a bit more receptive to the demands of his lover to be.” He felt the tentacles of her head caress his cheeks and inwardly recoiled. “She set up a little game, one where the boy would save her and she in turn would save the boy - A start to a beautiful romance.” She smirked again. “But alas, her plans did not go off without a hitch. First the boy was clumsy and split his head open and then her mother was less than impressed with her daughter’s choices and required an alteration to the situation.” He felt two of her tentacles stroke at his ears. “Why are you telling me all this?” He managed to bring forth. Her eyes took an that same sardonic glint as earlier and her lips split wide into a grin. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “The taste of your terror was part of the bargain.” He screamed wordlessly as the tentacles began pushing into his ears. He wrenched his head to the side and looked pleadingly at the woman in the black dress, but all he got from her was a look of detached fascination. |
mugen91 said: To be fair, the other half of the guess about him and the mom having a history was not correct.Well, looks like Metals guess was right on the mark. mugen91 said: Thank you, I shall invest them in stonks. :-)I hereby present you with your price: 50 Imaginary Internet Points! I guess we now know why mom and daughter were arguing so much. Not only did mom see her daughter ruin a deal she had brokered, questionable as that deal might be. The daughter has also brought home a huge liability as, not surprisingly, husband snatchers are not looked upon favourably. Then again, she's the one who turned her own daughter into a spoiled brat. As for the MC, I sure hope for him that his fortune will turn around, cause so far he's down on his luck big time... Also have to call BS on that demon wanting a relationship of mutual adoration, so far she has only shown interest in keeping the guy as her plaything. Sad as it might be, the chapter is great! |
MetallumOperaturMar 3, 2020 2:23 PM
MetallumOperatur said: mugen91 said: To be fair, the other half of the guess about him and the mom having a history was not correct.Well, looks like Metals guess was right on the mark. Well, given what information was available, that second part was very reasonable to assume :) MetallumOperatur said: Also have to call BS on that demon wanting a relationship of mutual adoration, so far she has only shown interest in keeping the guy as her plaything. Well, as the nice Mindflayer lady elaborated, perhaps it was more lust than love. Besides, it can't be that unreasonable to assume that a fashionable and rich young demon would expect her lover to be receptive to her expectation? :P TsunamiSeeker said: Just goes to show that you should always be careful with those Mindflayers... I honestly wouldn't mind a little (preferably gentle) ear fucking to erase a few choice memories... But total mind rape to reset and change my personality to suit somebody else? God I feel sorry for our MC... And it looks like he might not even be through the worst of it yet. 😅 Yeah, getting rid of a few choice pieces of memory sounds enticing... if you had any control over the process. The MCs woes might not quite be over... or are they? |
Chapter 4 - An idyllic life? With a yawn he pushed the door open, his heart swelling at the thought of his lovely wife. “Honey I’m home.” He whispered as he removed his boots and, making as little noise as he could, he made his way to their bedroom. Still asleep in their bed, he found his wife. Like always, he felt a sense of euphoria overcome him as he glanced over her smooth cerulean skin and even after a long night, he felt a certain excitement overcome him. He bent over her sleeping form and kissed her neck, eliciting a moan and soon she was glancing up at him with her crimson eyes. “Good morning.” she breathed, pulling him down onto the bed and into her embrace. “How was work?” He felt a pang of guilt and revulsion at himself, much like he often felt when she asked. It was stupid. She had been the one to suggest it. They needed the money and yet he couldn’t help feel like he was failing her. “It was alright. Like every other night.” She looked at him and her eyes seemed to bore straight into his soul, but then she smiled, nestled his head against her chest and said: “That’s good dear. Do you want to sleep now or share some breakfast with me?” He smiled. “In just a moment, honey.” She’d not be happy if he skipped out on sharing the meal with her and likewise, he’d be unhappy to miss it. Nonetheless, he relaxed into her embrace a bit longer, coming tantalizingly close to sleep before giving his wife another peck on the lips and drawing himself out of bed once more. He clambered into the kitchen and quickly went about assembling some bread, holstaurus butter, some cold cuts and the jam she liked so much. With all the components of a quick but bountiful breakfast assembled on a tray, he headed back to the bedroom. While he prepared the bread for their consumption, she was telling him some rumours she heard about a rich, young mamano who had fallen in love with a married man. The man's wife had no intention of giving up her husband or sharing him and the lovestruck girl was trying to use her family’s resources to get what she wanted. Something about the story was making his brain itch, but he tried to ignore it. “Where have you even heard about that? Doesn’t seem like something she would want to be widely known.” “Oh, you know dear. I just have a knack for it.” If only you could find a way to make us some money with that gift, maybe I wouldn’t have to… He set the thought aside. After everything she had done for him, the few sacrifices he made were nothing. He scratched at his temple, trying to get rid of the itch, though it was to no avail. It never was. “Is it the itch again?” She asked, her tone serious. He nodded. “Maybe something about the story reminds you of something from before?” “No, honey. I still don’t really remember anything from before. Same as always.” He couldn’t really remember much of anything that had happened in the past. His first memories were of his undying love for his wife, their connection so strong that even his mysterious amnesia had not been able to sever it. Luckily, as she continued to share gossip and rumours she had heard here and there over breakfast, the itch slowly subsided and he felt the contentment that radiated from his very core whenever he glanced into his wife’s crimson orbs. Nonetheless, the long night soon made itself known as he began to sway in his seat.With a promise to take her out into town later in the day he finally laid his head onto his pillow and drifted off to sleep. --- A few hours later and with some sleep under his belt, the two of them had gone out and Bestallion showed itself in its best light. The streets were bustling with activity as merchants extolled the virtues of their wares and prospective shoppers eagerly inspected what was on offer. He himself didn’t much care for any of the fancy clothes or jewelry on display. He cared only for his wife and thought that anything foreign that was added on top actually detracted from her perfection. Though, of course, it didn’t matter to him whether she dressed up or down, she would still be the most beautiful woman in the world. Still, she enjoyed all these little luxuries, though they could ill-afford them on his meager earnings. “What do you think?” she held up her hand, a ring made of a cut ruby encased in gold filigree on her hand. “You look beautiful.” He answered earnestly. “No, the ring, silly.” She corrected him playfully, waving it in front of his face. “I think it suits me.” For a moment he wanted to tell her that they could not afford it. His stomach was tying itself into knots at the thought of what he regularly did to pay for their expenses. Not to mention the things he did on a not-so-regular basis. But then he looked into her crimson orbs and the knot loosened. It would all be okay, as long as he could stay by her side. “I think if you like it, you should get it. Red is your favorite after all, and the craftsmanship looks quite good.” “I think you’re right.” She said with a beaming smile. She handed more coins than were probably advisable to a very happy Danuki and they continued on their way. Whatever worries her purchases might be bringing him otherwise, seeing her happy was what mattered the most. Two hours later, they settled onto a park bench in the gardens surrounding Kioko’s castle, enjoying a snack. His wife fiddled with the red silk scarf that had been her last purchase of the day while regaling him with a story from the previous night of how an acquaintance of hers had embarrassed herself at playing cards. While she told the story with great mirth, he found himself smiling and nodding along, but unable to supply any witty commentary. He was glad that she found entertaining company when he was working, as he didn’t even want to imagine someone as bright as her spending all her time with a dullard like him. But of course this was just further proof how great she was, keeping him around although surely, she could’ve found a much better match. Noticing the shifts in his expression, she asked. “What’s on your mind?” “Oh, nothing.” He said, embarrassed. “Come on, out with it.” She chided playfully. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you and how much I love you.” “Oh, I love you too, dear.” She pulled him into a tight embrace. “And don’t you ever forget it!” He squeezed her tightly and, as he did, he could hear her breath quicken and her pulse accelerate. “My body yearns for you, honey. Please, I need it.” He said, knowing it was what she wanted to hear. A satisfied smirk came over her perfect features. “What kind of wife would I be, if I ignored my dearest’s needs? Let us hurry back home.” She broke the embrace and pulled him to his feet. They hurried back along the winding roads, ignoring the passersby that threw them a variety of glances, ranging from curious to lustful to envious as his wife openly groped him, keen on showing anyone who cared to look who he belonged to and what they were about to do. H-Scene With her need sated for the moment, the two continued to idle together in bed for a few minutes, but the dusky light entering through the shades in the window told him that the woeful time of being parted for the night would soon be upon them. “What are your plans for tonight?” He asked. “Oh, just going out with a few friends.” She answered. “Nothing fancy tonight.” “I see. I hope you’ll have a good time.” Taking that as her cue, she released him and he got up, picking up the clothes strewn about the room. When he found himself presentable once more, he sighed at the thought of the night ahead of him, but one look back at his beautiful wife was enough to know that it was worth it. “See you tomorrow, dear.” She smiled. “Yes, see you tomorrow, honey.” He smiled back. If it was for her, it was all worth it. |
| Eehm, no. I totally did not think that. That would have been silly. Yes, silly indeed. Good to see this story continued. Quite the stark contrast to the previous chapter. This seems to be the "happy life" his abductor had envisioned for them. Curious to see what kind of "alteration" the demon's mother had the mindflayer make to the spell and how that is going to affect their artificial "love" life. |
MetallumOperatur said: Eehm, no. I totally did not think that. That would have been silly. Yes, silly indeed. Good to see this story continued. Then i apologize of course, silly me :P MetallumOperatur said: Quite the stark contrast to the previous chapter. This seems to be the "happy life" his abductor had envisioned for them. Curious to see what kind of "alteration" the demon's mother had the mindflayer make to the spell and how that is going to affect their artificial "love" life. Well, the only thing I can say is that you'll (hopefully) not see the ending coming :) |
Chapter 5 - Grudge He made his way steadily towards his place of work. As the hour grew later, many of Bestallions residents grew bolder and handsier and so he made sure to watch everyone that passed him attentively and stuck always to the main thoroughfares. Only when he got close to his destination did he enter a side street leading into a small courtyard. A small number of revellers were already drinking and dancing on and around the benches set up along the perimeter of the enclosed space. Not paying attention to the cat calling that ensued the moment he was spied, he made his way towards the towering ogre guarding the large doors. He took a deep breath and prepared to put on his work persona when someone firmly grabbed him by his shoulder. “Sorry, I haven’t gotten started for today yet, honey. You’ll have to wait a bit longer,” he turned, smiling amicably to consider whoever it was. One thing was for damn sure, she was neither a customer, nor good news. “Boss wants to see ya.” The Ren Xiongmao said, her tone making clear that it was not a suggestion. “I need to work,” he said defensively. “What does she even want with me? Shouldn’t she be talking with my wife?” “Boss says to bring ya, I bring ya,” she replied, squeezing his shoulder tighter. He turned to look towards the ogre manning the doors and considered his options, causing the Ren Xiongmao to snicker. “Think Pippas gonna help ya?” “It’s her job, isn’t it?” “Her jobs takin care of business. ‘Sides, it’s not like my boss’ boss and her boss’ boss ain’t the same.” “All the more reason to let me do my job and earn your boss’ boss some money?” he tried, and failed, to convince her to leave him alone. “Nah, like I said, boss says to bring ya, I bring ya. Now are ya gonna behave or do I need to get rough?” “You work for Hosuzu?” he ventured a guess. “Sure do,” she replied and he gnashed his teeth. He’d figured as much. Since there was nothing much else he could do, he relaxed his posture slightly, letting her know that he would play ball. She nodded her head back towards the main street, where he’d come from. Following her directions, he started walking, with her following close behind him. “Any idea why she told you to get me?” He had a good idea what business this was about, but why she wanted to see him, rather than his wife, he couldn’t figure out. “Not my business to ask.” The Ren Xiongmao said and then pushed him forward. “Walk faster, I got more shit to take care of tonight.” Some time later, they arrived at an unremarkable building. His escort handed him over to a tall oni who looked typecast for her line of work, before she herself headed off. The oni wasted no time ushering him on, seeming to delight in pushing him repeatedly to keep him off balance. They went up a set of stairs, passing some more bored looking muscle, before the oni finally stopped in front of a door and knocked. “Hey Boss, the whore’s here.” “Show him in,” came the muffled answer through the door. The oni opened the door and pushed him in, before closing it once more. Inside, he came face to face with a woman he couldn’t easily identify and a Jurou-gumo suspended in her net behind an elevated desk. He alternated his gaze between the two women, wondering which one of them was Hosuzu, since he’d only ever heard the name, but hadn’t met her. Nor had he ever planned to. Finally, the Jurou-gumo heaved a sizable ledger from a drawer and put it in front of her. She spent a few moments rifling through the pages before finding what she was searching for. “There we have it,” she murmured, before finally addressing him. “Do you know why you’re here?” He swallowed uncomfortably. “I know who you are, but I don’t know what you want from me.” “Your wife owes a considerable amount of money.” “I know that. It’s the reason why I… why I do what I do. She’s been paying you back, hasn’t she? With the money I earn.” “She has certainly been making payments,” the spider smiled amicably. “But she’s also living rather beyond the means of someone deeply in debt, don’t you think? Especially for someone who barely earns herself, relying on her husband instead?” “I still don’t know why you had me brought here. Wouldn’t you need to talk to her about it?” “Oh, certainly. I will be talking to her. But seeing some of her recent spending has me, and by extension, my boss, worried for her continued ability to make payments. If you, for any reason, became unable to provide her with funds, we would be in quite the pickle. As for why you are here, I think it’s only reasonable, considering you are named as collateral in some of these loans.” “She wouldn’t do that,” he said with conviction. “Most of the debt she’s had longer than I’ve known her. She hasn’t borrowed that much since then. Why would I be named as collateral in a loan of any significance?” This caused the spider woman to snicker. “Oh, I’m sure you think that’s how it is. Jewelry, expensive clothes and association with those of higher station are not cheap, but neither are repeated mindflayer treatments. Anyway, you were legally named as collateral and we plan to collect before your pretty little head implodes. Your wife will be given a bit of time to come up with the amount owed, of course. Still, in the meantime, we’ll have…,” she was interrupted as something could be heard crashing to the ground just outside the door. “What the fuck was that?” Hosuzu hissed at the other woman, who only shrugged in response. “Well, check it out you dumb cunt.” The woman drew a knife somewhere from the folds of her clothes and made her way towards the door. The instant she touched it, it burst open and she let out a choked cry of alert. Without him registering it, something or rather, someone had slashed at her throat. She fell on her back, her hands vainly tried to stem the flow of arterial blood that exited her in thick spurts to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Things quickly went from bad to worse as a woman of medium stature clad from head to toe in black slowly made her way into the room. A short, thin blade in each hand she made her way over to where the doomed woman had fallen and efficiently sunk one of the blades into her chest. He quickly looked towards Hosuzu and judged by her panicked demeanor that she would be of little help. His back to the wall, he slowly moved past the unknown assassin, who looked at him with vibrant green eyes. “Better not run,” she said, sounding muffled through her facial mask. I have to get back to her. Everything will be fine if I can just make it back home. He thought desperately. The assassin, clearly not in a hurry, stalked with deliberate slowness over to the unarmed Jurou-gumo, who was talking rapidly and near unintelligibly. He inched himself slowly towards the door. Just when he reached it, the black-clad woman spun and threw one of her weapons. It impaled his thigh and with a cry of pain, he crumpled to the ground halfway out the door. He braced for more, but when he looked back into the room, she had resumed her slow walk towards her intended victim. He started crawling, pulling himself through the door by his arms, past the oni that lay crumpled to the ground in a pool of blood, staring with dead eyes. He could tell he was losing a lot of blood himself, but if he just made it out onto the streets, he’d be fine. He was sure of it. He had to be. Halfway towards the stairs, he paused briefly, hoping to catch his strength. “Are you done running?” The assassin asked from behind him, her tone even. “If you had been a good boy, I might have taken you with me.” “Sorry, I have someone to get ba…” Cold steel entered his upper back, was twisted once, and then withdrew. The other length of metal was removed from his leg and both were cleaned of blood on his clothes. Then the assassin calmly walked down the corridor, silent as the night. “Me….li….ra,” he mouthed with his last breath. He closed his eyes. Then he remembered everything. --- ~150 years later --- Melira couldn’t help but smirk as the dragon and the man turned to leave, actually believing they’d just cowed her into cooperating. I could’ve been a great actress. She thought with no small amount of satisfaction. After all this time, the cold-hearted killer had found a real lover. She still couldn’t believe it. Betraying Lycylla’s confidence to get the ball rolling had been more than worth it. A knock came from the door and Alvira entered. The elf maintained a tight-lipped, but otherwise neutral expression. “Did everything go as planned?” She asked. “They will return with payment to receive the information.” Melira confirmed. “Kiku will set up an ambush when they’ve retrieved the cursed one.” And then she will know what it’s like. “I still don’t understand what you’re going through all this trouble for. She’s in Elewyr right now. No matter how good she is, I’m sure we can kill her. Especially if those other kunoichi give us a hand.” Melira sighed. “You lack imagination. Killing her ist not the point. I want her to suffer. Only when she has suffered, as I have, will I move on making sure she receives her final punishment.” “Why not play a more direct part with the man then?” Melira snorted derisively. She looked at the small portrait of her erstwhile husband standing on her desk, the one she’d commissioned just weeks before his death. She smirked, then flipped it over. “Just shut up and bend over the table, all this revenge business is making me horny.” Fin |
Maku_The_Blue said: The contrast from the third to the fourth confused the hell out of me until I went back to refresh myself. You could almost say... it was so confusing... that it was a mindfuck! XD (I'll see myself out) Ba dum tss Maku_The_Blue said: I'm not personally a fan of these kinds of tragedy type stories, but it was still interesting to see the darker side of the MGE being explored with the use of a mindflayer. The story did turn a tad dark, which is why I struggled to finish it in a manner that somewhat satisfied me, as evidenced by the 10 month delays between chapters 3 and 4 and chapters 4 and 5 xD Maku_The_Blue said: I can definitely see a dark underbelly business of immoral, lustful MG using such methods to get husbands and concubines. When something desirable is hard to obtain, there'll probably be some willing to do some fucked up shit to get it. Though I guess the setting shouldn't be too much doom and gloom. I promise the next project will be a bit less dark (also the main story, when that finally continues) |
| Dang. Abducted, brainwashed, used, abused, and finally killed as some collateral to a whack job. That guy got shafted hard by life. Rough. Sure hope that demon who started all this, gets her comeuppance one day. But bad guys and gals getting away with immoral shit is sadly a fact of life too. |
MetallumOperatur said: Dang. Abducted, brainwashed, used, abused, and finally killed as some collateral to a whack job. That guy got shafted hard by life. Rough. He really might've gotten the short end of the stick in this story. MetallumOperatur said: Sure hope that demon who started all this, gets her comeuppance one day. But bad guys and gals getting away with immoral shit is sadly a fact of life too. Was this just some background fluff or setup? Who can tell? :P |
| Oh wow so this one turned out to be connected to the main story. When those green eyes appeared, man. I think I've read some cheesy romance novels before where there are things like vampire enthrall abilities or something like that being pretty cool in the context of those stories, but actual malicious mind manipulators really scare me. I am assuming that there will be references to this later on in the main story. |
Reply to YummyLunches
Oh wow so this one turned out to be connected to the main story. When those green eyes appeared, man. I think I've read some cheesy romance novels before where there are things like vampire enthrall abilities or something like that being pretty cool in the context of those stories, but actual malicious mind manipulators really scare me. I am assuming that there will be references to this later on in the main story.
| @YummyLunches There is actually reference to this already in the main story. The group visited Melira when they came through Elewyr, which occured shortly before the ending sequence. Basically, in the main story I have hinted at Sönke having met Kiku before he was abducted and that Melira may or may not have had some involvement, while this basically confirms it and sheds light on her motivations for it. |
| Yeah it's clear that the after 150 years section was a different perspective immediately after a scene that appeared in the main story. It is just that while reading this story, people weren't really named, and I also don't go in trying to connect stories to each other. So it was only around when the green eyes were mentioned when it really sunk in for me what this story is really about. |
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