This story is an experiment, more of a series of episodes than a tale with a beginning, middle and an end. the idea is inspired by my favorite History Channel show, but absolutely not the characters. That would end your fetish real fast...
Gwendolyn dusted the spell books in the back display case carefully, making sure the feather duster didn't trigger any of the protection spells their original owners had cast on them, spells she had no way of shielding herself from the effects. Gwen wiped her brow, brushing the blond hair from her blue eyes. It was so hard being a non-magical person living in a magical land!
But Gwen more than made up for her lack of mystical abilities with her talent for business, a skill even the most fantastic residents of the land seemed to lack. For example, she was certain to sell the dangerous spellbooks for double the price she had paid for them. She had bought everything in the shop from wizards and witches down on their luck for a fraction of their true worth and was certain to find buyers willing to pay much more. That was why Gwendolyn was probably the richest if most ordinary resident of the realm.
And such money came in handy. She looked in a mirror (non-magical) hanging from a wall to fix her hair, putting every golden curl back in place, and noticed again how smooth and wrinkle free her skin remained. Gwen could have passed for twenty five! Elixir's of Youth were extremely expensive, but they certainly were worth it.
The bell above her front door rang quietly, alerting Gwendolyn that a customer had just entered. She looked up to see a young magician wearing black satin robes with mystical symbols woven into the fabric. Gwen sized him up instantly. The runes showed him a minor member of a small magical order that sometimes met in the city. Not quite a wanna be, but close..
“May I help you sir?” she said in a pleasant voice. She had learned long ago not to judge a customer by how powerful of a mage they were. Sometimes, even apprentices could get their hands on a powerful relic. And they were more likely to need to sell it for a quick buck then their masters were.
'Yes,” he said in a stuffy voice, “I will be selling this.” Out of a bag the magician pulled out what looked like a human foot. It was on the smallish size, though bigger than a child's would have been, with about an inch of ankle attached. There it ended in a smooth circle of tan skin.
“I'm sorry,” Gwen frowned severely, “We don't deal in body parts.” A mangled foot held a particular distaste for her, but the decision not to sell it wasn't a moral one. She didn't make those when it came to her business. There wasn't any market things like this. A necromancer would prefer to gather their own bits of flesh.
'Oh no, no, you don't understand,” the man corrected her, “This foot isn't dead. Take a look.”
Frowning, Gwendolyn did take the foot, turning it over in her hands. The magician was right. The skin was warm and a healthy pale pink. She could feel life pulsing through it. Gwendolyn brushed her fingertips across the toes. Definitely female, with a high arch, long toes with red painted nails. Absolutely perfect condition. Not so much as a scratch on it. The shopkeeper felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead.
'How...how did you get this?” She asked slowly, hoping her voice didn't crack. Normally Gwen had no trouble keeping her poker face when buying an item she wanted. This time would be difficult.
Before the magician could open his mouth, the answer walked through the door. A redheaded woman limped into the shop using a crutch. She had a panicked looked on her face. The dress she was wearing was clearly homemade, woven together from bits and pieces of different colored fabrics and colors. She also had on various charms and bangles, none of which matched either. A complete rejection of all laws of fashion or common sense.
In another land, she was what they would have called a hippie. Yet, despite her ragtag appearance, or maybe because of it, she was quite beautiful, with fiery hair draped over marble white skin. The dress did manage to show off her slender hips and large bussom.
“Please, Marcus, please, don't sell my foot!” She begged, slowly crossing the distance between the entrance and the display case. Gwen looked down. Sure enough one of her legs ended at the ankle.
“Madam, by the terms of the contract, your foot is mine. I can do with it as I will.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Gwendolyn interjected, tearing her eyes from the woman, “I cannot buy stolen goods. Unless you can show me proof of ownership, I'll have to decline to make an offer on it.” Normally shouldn't have gone through the hassle of buying something whose ownership was disputed, but something told her this time it might be worth it.
“You can't buy it!” the woman cried, “It's my foot! It was part of my body! I just woke up this morning, and it was gone! I was left with this stump! That's got to be black magic!” She was so close now, Gwendolyn noticed faint freckles on her milky skin, perhaps brought out by her anger.
“It's not black magic when the previous owner gives permission. And I have proof,” Marcus pulled a long, sheepskin document from a deceptively small pocket, “As you can see, Autumn here was hired to perform a certain service. Clause 9b states that the penalty for failure to provide that service by a certain date is her left foot. It is mine.”
Gwendolyn rested the foot on her counter to take hold of the contract with both hands Long experience in the business made able to translate the legalese to English, but it took much of her concentration to do so. It was a task she truly disliked, why she usually only bought items whose ownership was not being questioned.
OOOH,” Autumn jumped a bit, “The glass is quite cold! Could you...put my foot on something else? Something softer maybe?”
Gwendolyn gave the woman a strange look, then brought out a piece of black satin, usually used to display delicate items and put the foot directly on it. The chilly morning had made the glass a bit icy. But why had Autumn...An idea popped into the shopkeeper's head.
“The silk is a bit dusty...” she said with the unhappy look of a neat freak finding something untidy. While holding the contract with one hand, Gwyn picked up the feather duster with the other and swooshed it over the foot and fabric both, supposedly cleaning it.
Pretending to be reading the stuffy document, Gwen snuck a look at Autumn. Her eyes, so filled with panic and outrage a second ago, were now filled with mirth. Her lips were turning up at the corner, fighting a smile. The shopkeeper's practiced eye even noticed her hands curling up into two cute little balls. Clearly the young hippie was just trying to hold on until Gwen stopped dusting.
No such luck. Hiding her own smile of victory, Gwendolyn began mouthing words from the contract, swishing the feathers back and forth with the rhythm of her reading, making the dusting look like an unconscious movement then an attempt to torment another human being. She was forced to keep her eyes on the document, but Gwendolyn could here barely suppressed giggles and squeaks coming from the redhead's mouth,
Eventually she cracked, of course. A stream of giggles poured from Autumn's mouth, clearly audible in the quiet shop.
“Please Autumn! Reading this is hard enough! I can't be interrupted by your childish giggling! I would think you would take this matter more seriously! Or is this some kind of a joke? Maybe you are wasting my time?” Gwendolyn snapped, feigning anger and annoyance. One of her troll bodyguards moved slowly forward, ready to eject the woman if she was disturbing its master. The feather duster never stopped moving
“he eh no no he eh no it s just he eh ehhh that your he eheh ehe tickling me he eheheh...” Autumn sputtered, pointing at her detached foot and looking nervously out of the corner of her eye at the hulking creature.
“You can feel that?” Gwen looked up, pretending to be shocked, pulling the feather duster away.
“Allow me to explain,” Marcus said with a smile on her face, “The spell which removed the foot from Autumn's body was a powerful one. It is still connected to her life essence through the spirit realm. Not only do the blood vessels continue to deliver nutrients to her it,nerve endings in the foot still send sensations to Autumn's brain. She will feel everything as if it were still on her ankle.”
“Really...” Gwen swallowed hard, forcing herself not to drool. One of her most carefully guarded secrets was her lust for women. Again not for moral reasons. In a realm where the dead could be animated and demons summoned from the abyss, sleeping with the 'wrong' group of people didn't seem like that much of a sin. She had been afraid that if her interests were known, it might allow a potential customer to get the best of her. Now would definitely be one of those times.
“You're quite ticklish, aren't you young lady?” Gwen asked Autumn, using the diminutive even though the hippie looked scarcely younger than herself.
“Yes ma'am,” Autumn answered meekly, watching the shopkeepers fingertips inch closer to her foot on the counter, certain to challenge any other answer with a few quick strokes.
“And, did anyone else know how ticklish you were?”
“Well,” Autumn hesitated, obviously not wanting to tell, “I guess so. One time Jennie and I were out gathering roots and I got stuck crawling through an old log looking for mushrooms. My feet were sticking out the other side sand she gave me them a good tickling before getting me out. And another time, at a harvest dance, I had had a bit too much mead. Some of the boys tricked me into going behind the haystack, and they really got my armpits and sides. I finally had to run from them screaming right through the dance floor!”
Gwendolyn smirked. If Marcus's master was powerful enough to separate Autumn's foot from her body and still keep it spiritually connected, it was doubtful he would need a prophesy from such a young shaman as Autumn, and definitely not for the high price mentioned in the contract. She had a feeling Autumn had been scammed. The master had offered a contract he knew Autumn couldn't fulfill just so he could sell her foot. It was a true prize.
“Well, this contract does seem in order. Tell me magician, how much money do you want for this?” She was glad she had never made her lesbian desires public. Marcus could demand almost any amount and Gwen would hand it over before seeing the foot walk out the door.
“Wait! No! You can't!” Autumn yelled, “It's my HA AH AHAHAH AHAHAHHAHAH!!!!” Autumn burst into violent laughter, holding onto the glass counter to avoid from falling. Gwendolyn had started scratching a fingernail underneath the foot's big toe.
“Madam, the magician and I have business. If you can keep your mouth shut, maybe I'll sell it back to you afterward. However, if you insist on making a nuisance of yourself, I'll have you removed from the shop and barred from reentering. Do you understand?”
“HA AH AHAHHA A A AHAHAH MMMMMYYYYYYY AH AHAHAHH AH MYYYYY HA AHAHAHAH FOOOOHOHOHOOOOOOTTT HAH AHAH AHAHH AHAHAHH AH AHAH!!!! CAAHAHAHHHAANNNNNN'T AHAHAHAH A SEELLLLLLL AHAHAH!!!!!!!”
Autumn made a clumsy grab for the foot and missed. Gwen picked up the body part and held it in the crook of one elbow. She then started wiggling the fingers of her other hand over the bare sole, using the same motions as when she played the lute.
Autumn was laughing harder and harder, her face turning as read as her hair. She leaned across the glass counter, though Gwen wasn't sure if shew was making another grab for her foot or just falling over.
With a glance, Gwen stopped the troll from moving forward again. She then took a step back and began even a more rigorous tickling, raking all five fingers from toes to heels, as fast as she could.
“HA AH AHAH AHAH AHAHHH STAWWWWPPPP HA AHAHH AHAH PPPLLEEAASSEE AHG AHA AHAHHH ARRRGGG AH AHAHAHHH PLLEEASSEE HE EHE EH HE EHH MEEERRRCCYYYY HE EHEH EHEH EHEHEHEHEH!!!!”
Autumn began banging on the case now, her hysteria clearly overwhelming her. She looked like a slender thing, but the outdoor life of a hippie shaman must have hardened her, because she would have surely splintered the glass if it hadn't been magically hardened.
“Well, are you going to be a good girl, Autumn?” Gwen asked, her calm voice somehow cutting through the redhead's high pitched screams.
She nodded 'yes' furiously, clearly unable to speak or even lift her head off the display counter. Gwendolyn kept tickling a few minutes longer, than took her hand off the foot she hoped to buy. She motioned for the troll to help Autumn take a seat on the other side of the store.
“Well, magician, how much do you want?” Gwen turned her head back to the magician, putting Autumn's foot back on the black silk. The tone of her voice as normal as if a hysterical outburst was an everyday occurrence.
Marcus smiled, looking over at Autumn, flustered and out of breath. He then named an amount of gold high enough to buy a small castle.
“No,” Gwendolyn said softly, sure the magician couldn't tell she was bluffing, “What you have here, by itself is just an oddity. A living, detached foot. A collector might but it for a tenth of that. For me to make a profit reselling it, I would have to pay even less than that.”
“But wait,” Gwen said quickly when Marcus moved to pick up the foot and put it back into his bag, “The special part of this...artifact is not the foot itself but the control it gives you over Autumn. Her...forced responses to different ways of manipulating the foot would make it quite valuable to a hedonistic mage or a tantric witch.
“But,” now Marcus frowned, clearly trying to remember his early lessons, “Those are schools of magic which gain their power from sexual energies. All you did was tickle her.”
“Yes, but what most mages outside of those schools don't understand is how closely tickling is related to sexual intercourse. Let me demonstrate.” Picking up the foot again, Gwen began licking the five long toes. Autumn's reaction was immediate.
“OOOOHH GAWWWWDDD AHA AHAHAHAHH NAWWWOOO AHA AHAH NAAAWWW AGGAIIIIINNNNN!!! STAWWWPP AHA AHAH AHAH PLLLEEEAASSEEE AH AHA AHAHAH N N N II I I AH AH AHH IIIITTT HA AHAH TIICCKKKLLEESS HA AHA AHAHH AHAH!!!!!!!”
From across the shop, Autumn erupted. She had barely caught her breath from the last episode! She just didn't have the strength to resist another. The clenched the arms of the chair, her grip tight as steel, but still slip out of the chair, ending up on the floor. Every employee in the shop stopped what they were doing and stared. She was quite the spectacle.
Autumn rolled back and forth across the shop floor, yelling and howling. Every lick from Gwen's tongue sent lightning bolts shooting through her body, pure, agonizing ticking ripping through her.
“HE EH EHEHEHEHH I HE EHE EHE EH I I I HE EHEHEHH WASSSS HE EHEHEHH GOOOODD HE EHEHEH GIRRLLLL HE EHEHHEHEH HEHEH STAWWWPPPPP HE EHEH EHEH IIIII HE EHEH WASSSSS GOOOOD HE EHEHE!!!!”
“Hear the submission in her voice,” Gwendolyn added smoothly, as if giving a lecture on ancient magic farming techniques, instead of referring to a writhing attractive female, “That alone will fuel quite a few Hedonistic spells. And, if you want more sexual energy, all I have to do is this.” Gwendolyn continued her demonstration by popping the pinkie toe into her mouth, sucking hard on it.
“O Ooh Oh OOUUHHHH That that OOOOOHHHH MMMYYYYYYY O O OOOOHHHHHH That that that OOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Moans and grunts of pleasure started pouring from Autumn's mouth, cutting off her laughter in mid hysteria. Her eyes opened wide in pleasure and fear, her face becoming a picture of longing.
“I see,” Marcus said softly, the demonstration clearly having an affect on him. Luckily his robe hid the most obvious effect, “And could this make her...climax?”
“OOOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO A A A A A OOOOOHH” Autumn moaned in horror, Marcus's horrible words sinking in. Even though hippie's had no problem with multiple sexual partners, seeing monogamy as the greedy and close to slavery, sex had always been a very private thing for Autumn.
“Oh yes,” Gwen said, barely stopping herself from licking her lips, “She started sucking another toe, flicking her tongue in between them. Despite feeling every sensation, Autumn did not have control over the detached foot. She could not so much as wiggle her toes, never mind clenching them tightly. She was helpless.
In the end, Gwendolyn didn't bring Autumn all the way to orgasm. She stopped just short, with the hippie so far lost in the heat of pleasure, that she was grinding her privates gains the floor, oblivious to the spectators. She was both humiliated and highly frustrated when the sucking stopped.
“I think I've made my point,” Gwendolyn said, placing the foot back on the black silk one last time, “But understand this. You are not selling me the foot so much as the ability to control Autumn. Is that what you want?”
“I have no problem with that,” Marcus said, his voice more than a little husky. In truth he would love to keep the foot now, explore that control over the redheaded hippie for a few days. But his master wouldn't allow that. He'd have to be satisfied with tasking his share of the profits to the nearest brothel.
Autumn's face turned white as she listened to the two barter back and forth. Still lying on the floor, she considered making another grab for her own foot. But at the moment, so weakened by the tickling and near orgasm, she wasn't sure she could even stand. And that blond shopkeeper...she scared Autumn. She was sure the woman would have some devilish punishment in mind if Autumn tried anything.
Eventually, Gwendolyn and Marcus agreed upon a price for the foot, about half the large amount Marcus had asked for originally. She gladly paid him in gold coins, and smiled cheerfully when he walked out. An expensive deal, but surely a profitable one.
“Madam,” Autumn said after Marcus had left, forcing herself to stand and walk back to the display counter, “You know I can't match that price! But I do represent my entire commune. Please, there has to be some kind of deal we can work out, a trade! We have lots to offer.”
“Oh, we will work out a deal,” Gwendolyn smiled evilly, “You are going to work for me for the next four or five years. A...personal servant if you will. At the end of that time, if you are indeed a good girl, I will give you your foot as back pay.”
“Work in this shop, live in the city?” Autumn was shocked, “But I'm a shaman, I need to be one with the natural world to have any magic at all! I've spent all my life around plants and animals, not...counting money! I'd be a horrible employee!”
“No,” Gwendolyn said smoothly, “You'd be the perfect employee...for the job I want done. Now if you'd come with me to my private chambers, I'll close the shop for the afternoon, and we can discuss your...specific duties.”
Suddenly Autumn did understand. She'd been so wrapped up in her need for her own foot that she'd missed all the little looks and signs the blond shopkeeper had been giving her since she'd walked in. While Autumn had some homosexual friends, it was not a lifestyle that appealed to her at all. And she definitely wasn't prepared to do anything intimate with this viper woman!
“No,” Autumn said simply, “Let's find another way.”
“I was not asking,” Gwendolyn said, “If you ever want to own your foot again, get yourself into my chambers.” Her voice was so hard, so cold. Autumn found herself repulsed even more.
“Then, I guess you can keep it,” Autumn said carefully, “Because that is a price I will never pay. I'd rather have one foot than live in this evil place that makes gold off of the suffering of others.”
“You aren't leaving,” Gwendolyn said, just as coldly.
“No? Because unless I'm mistaken, you brought my foot, not me. Slavery is illegal, even in this awful city of metal and stone. Or are you going to force me to stay here?” Autumn took another look at the troll, “Because if you are, I'll think I'll have to contact the proper authorities.”
With a defiant look, Autumn turned and started walking for the door.
Just as calmly, Gwendolyn broke a feather off the duster, and began to stroke it over the bare sole still sitting on the black silk cover.
A shiver ran up and down Autumn's spine as the muscles in her legs began to tremble. Still she took another step forward.
“You're right, I can't stop you Autumn. You are free to go,” Gwendolyn smiled at last, stroking the feather across the long, shapely toes, “But I can keep dusting this new knick knack I purchased.”
“he ehe ehehh eh it he eheh it won't work he eh eheh...” Autumn broke into giggle, taking another, wobbly step.
“I don't know what you are talking about,” Gwendolyn shook her head, “How did you get this so dirty?” She began working the tip of the plume between the big toe and its closest neighbor.
HE eh EH EH e ehEH EHEH naaawwtt he NAAAWWWTTT eh EHE this time!!!” Autumn gritted her teeth as she lurched forward three or four feet, leaning first left and then to the right. It looked like quite a drunken shuffle!
“What this artifact needs is is a good ,” Gwendolyn mused, still sawing the feather in between toes, “Tabitha, get me a pail of warm soapy water and a tooth brush.”
“he ehe ehH ehe heehh yoouuu he eheheh e yooouuu h eh ehehh ewooulldnn''tttt eh eheheh eveennn he ehehehh yoouu he ehehh woouldnn'ttt he ehe he bee eheheh sooo crueelll eheeh!!!” Autumn made it to the door just as her knees became butter. She grabbed it, hand on the door knob all that was stopping Autumn from falling.
“You saw the amount of gold I gave Marcus. I you heard me tell him that without you, it was practically worthless. Now, do you think I would hesitate to give this foot a nice, soapy bath if it stopped me from losing all that money?” Gwendolyn swiped her fingernail over the balls of Autumn's foot as if to make that point.
“AHHHHHH!!!!” Autumn howled. She managed to get the door opened, but slapped the door frame hard as the newest tickle swept over her. If she let go...
“If you manage to make it out of my shop, what then? I'm still going to scour this foot until it shines! You'll be, lurching through the strange city, completely hysterical and no friend in sight. How far do you think you'll get until you collapse, helpless, screaming with laughter, obviously insane? Maybe the authorities will find you and throw you in the sanitarium as an escaped lunatic. Dreadful place. Or someone drags you back to their shack, to use you as they will? Not like you'll be putting up a fight. Maybe Marcus. He seemed to be feeling the need as he left. Or some necromancer or daemon summoner needing a sacrifice to invoke some new evil?”
“Oh my goddess,” Autumn turned her head, white as a ghost, “You couldn't possibly...” Her own imagination and ignorance of the way the city truly worked filled in even worse possibilities. Fear gripped her like never before.
Tabitha brought the pail and brush, placing it on the glass counter and submerging the foot in it. Autumn felt the warm wetness flood over the end of her leg, where her body part should be. She feel drops of water sliding over her arch, between her toes.
“What is it going to be?” Gwendolyn asked, holding up the brush, “You know what I want. And you know I'll keep you safe. I'll never make a profit on this investment if I don't.”
Truly horrified, backed into a corner and alone like she had never been before in her life, Autumn made an impossible choice. She trusted in Gwendolyn's greed, closed the shop door and limped back across the floor to the door marked 'private'.
“And take off that awful dress,” Gwendolyn called after her, “You won't be needing it for quite some time.”
The End
Gwendolyn dusted the spell books in the back display case carefully, making sure the feather duster didn't trigger any of the protection spells their original owners had cast on them, spells she had no way of shielding herself from the effects. Gwen wiped her brow, brushing the blond hair from her blue eyes. It was so hard being a non-magical person living in a magical land!
But Gwen more than made up for her lack of mystical abilities with her talent for business, a skill even the most fantastic residents of the land seemed to lack. For example, she was certain to sell the dangerous spellbooks for double the price she had paid for them. She had bought everything in the shop from wizards and witches down on their luck for a fraction of their true worth and was certain to find buyers willing to pay much more. That was why Gwendolyn was probably the richest if most ordinary resident of the realm.
And such money came in handy. She looked in a mirror (non-magical) hanging from a wall to fix her hair, putting every golden curl back in place, and noticed again how smooth and wrinkle free her skin remained. Gwen could have passed for twenty five! Elixir's of Youth were extremely expensive, but they certainly were worth it.
The bell above her front door rang quietly, alerting Gwendolyn that a customer had just entered. She looked up to see a young magician wearing black satin robes with mystical symbols woven into the fabric. Gwen sized him up instantly. The runes showed him a minor member of a small magical order that sometimes met in the city. Not quite a wanna be, but close..
“May I help you sir?” she said in a pleasant voice. She had learned long ago not to judge a customer by how powerful of a mage they were. Sometimes, even apprentices could get their hands on a powerful relic. And they were more likely to need to sell it for a quick buck then their masters were.
'Yes,” he said in a stuffy voice, “I will be selling this.” Out of a bag the magician pulled out what looked like a human foot. It was on the smallish size, though bigger than a child's would have been, with about an inch of ankle attached. There it ended in a smooth circle of tan skin.
“I'm sorry,” Gwen frowned severely, “We don't deal in body parts.” A mangled foot held a particular distaste for her, but the decision not to sell it wasn't a moral one. She didn't make those when it came to her business. There wasn't any market things like this. A necromancer would prefer to gather their own bits of flesh.
'Oh no, no, you don't understand,” the man corrected her, “This foot isn't dead. Take a look.”
Frowning, Gwendolyn did take the foot, turning it over in her hands. The magician was right. The skin was warm and a healthy pale pink. She could feel life pulsing through it. Gwendolyn brushed her fingertips across the toes. Definitely female, with a high arch, long toes with red painted nails. Absolutely perfect condition. Not so much as a scratch on it. The shopkeeper felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead.
'How...how did you get this?” She asked slowly, hoping her voice didn't crack. Normally Gwen had no trouble keeping her poker face when buying an item she wanted. This time would be difficult.
Before the magician could open his mouth, the answer walked through the door. A redheaded woman limped into the shop using a crutch. She had a panicked looked on her face. The dress she was wearing was clearly homemade, woven together from bits and pieces of different colored fabrics and colors. She also had on various charms and bangles, none of which matched either. A complete rejection of all laws of fashion or common sense.
In another land, she was what they would have called a hippie. Yet, despite her ragtag appearance, or maybe because of it, she was quite beautiful, with fiery hair draped over marble white skin. The dress did manage to show off her slender hips and large bussom.
“Please, Marcus, please, don't sell my foot!” She begged, slowly crossing the distance between the entrance and the display case. Gwen looked down. Sure enough one of her legs ended at the ankle.
“Madam, by the terms of the contract, your foot is mine. I can do with it as I will.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Gwendolyn interjected, tearing her eyes from the woman, “I cannot buy stolen goods. Unless you can show me proof of ownership, I'll have to decline to make an offer on it.” Normally shouldn't have gone through the hassle of buying something whose ownership was disputed, but something told her this time it might be worth it.
“You can't buy it!” the woman cried, “It's my foot! It was part of my body! I just woke up this morning, and it was gone! I was left with this stump! That's got to be black magic!” She was so close now, Gwendolyn noticed faint freckles on her milky skin, perhaps brought out by her anger.
“It's not black magic when the previous owner gives permission. And I have proof,” Marcus pulled a long, sheepskin document from a deceptively small pocket, “As you can see, Autumn here was hired to perform a certain service. Clause 9b states that the penalty for failure to provide that service by a certain date is her left foot. It is mine.”
Gwendolyn rested the foot on her counter to take hold of the contract with both hands Long experience in the business made able to translate the legalese to English, but it took much of her concentration to do so. It was a task she truly disliked, why she usually only bought items whose ownership was not being questioned.
OOOH,” Autumn jumped a bit, “The glass is quite cold! Could you...put my foot on something else? Something softer maybe?”
Gwendolyn gave the woman a strange look, then brought out a piece of black satin, usually used to display delicate items and put the foot directly on it. The chilly morning had made the glass a bit icy. But why had Autumn...An idea popped into the shopkeeper's head.
“The silk is a bit dusty...” she said with the unhappy look of a neat freak finding something untidy. While holding the contract with one hand, Gwyn picked up the feather duster with the other and swooshed it over the foot and fabric both, supposedly cleaning it.
Pretending to be reading the stuffy document, Gwen snuck a look at Autumn. Her eyes, so filled with panic and outrage a second ago, were now filled with mirth. Her lips were turning up at the corner, fighting a smile. The shopkeeper's practiced eye even noticed her hands curling up into two cute little balls. Clearly the young hippie was just trying to hold on until Gwen stopped dusting.
No such luck. Hiding her own smile of victory, Gwendolyn began mouthing words from the contract, swishing the feathers back and forth with the rhythm of her reading, making the dusting look like an unconscious movement then an attempt to torment another human being. She was forced to keep her eyes on the document, but Gwendolyn could here barely suppressed giggles and squeaks coming from the redhead's mouth,
Eventually she cracked, of course. A stream of giggles poured from Autumn's mouth, clearly audible in the quiet shop.
“Please Autumn! Reading this is hard enough! I can't be interrupted by your childish giggling! I would think you would take this matter more seriously! Or is this some kind of a joke? Maybe you are wasting my time?” Gwendolyn snapped, feigning anger and annoyance. One of her troll bodyguards moved slowly forward, ready to eject the woman if she was disturbing its master. The feather duster never stopped moving
“he eh no no he eh no it s just he eh ehhh that your he eheh ehe tickling me he eheheh...” Autumn sputtered, pointing at her detached foot and looking nervously out of the corner of her eye at the hulking creature.
“You can feel that?” Gwen looked up, pretending to be shocked, pulling the feather duster away.
“Allow me to explain,” Marcus said with a smile on her face, “The spell which removed the foot from Autumn's body was a powerful one. It is still connected to her life essence through the spirit realm. Not only do the blood vessels continue to deliver nutrients to her it,nerve endings in the foot still send sensations to Autumn's brain. She will feel everything as if it were still on her ankle.”
“Really...” Gwen swallowed hard, forcing herself not to drool. One of her most carefully guarded secrets was her lust for women. Again not for moral reasons. In a realm where the dead could be animated and demons summoned from the abyss, sleeping with the 'wrong' group of people didn't seem like that much of a sin. She had been afraid that if her interests were known, it might allow a potential customer to get the best of her. Now would definitely be one of those times.
“You're quite ticklish, aren't you young lady?” Gwen asked Autumn, using the diminutive even though the hippie looked scarcely younger than herself.
“Yes ma'am,” Autumn answered meekly, watching the shopkeepers fingertips inch closer to her foot on the counter, certain to challenge any other answer with a few quick strokes.
“And, did anyone else know how ticklish you were?”
“Well,” Autumn hesitated, obviously not wanting to tell, “I guess so. One time Jennie and I were out gathering roots and I got stuck crawling through an old log looking for mushrooms. My feet were sticking out the other side sand she gave me them a good tickling before getting me out. And another time, at a harvest dance, I had had a bit too much mead. Some of the boys tricked me into going behind the haystack, and they really got my armpits and sides. I finally had to run from them screaming right through the dance floor!”
Gwendolyn smirked. If Marcus's master was powerful enough to separate Autumn's foot from her body and still keep it spiritually connected, it was doubtful he would need a prophesy from such a young shaman as Autumn, and definitely not for the high price mentioned in the contract. She had a feeling Autumn had been scammed. The master had offered a contract he knew Autumn couldn't fulfill just so he could sell her foot. It was a true prize.
“Well, this contract does seem in order. Tell me magician, how much money do you want for this?” She was glad she had never made her lesbian desires public. Marcus could demand almost any amount and Gwen would hand it over before seeing the foot walk out the door.
“Wait! No! You can't!” Autumn yelled, “It's my HA AH AHAHAH AHAHAHHAHAH!!!!” Autumn burst into violent laughter, holding onto the glass counter to avoid from falling. Gwendolyn had started scratching a fingernail underneath the foot's big toe.
“Madam, the magician and I have business. If you can keep your mouth shut, maybe I'll sell it back to you afterward. However, if you insist on making a nuisance of yourself, I'll have you removed from the shop and barred from reentering. Do you understand?”
“HA AH AHAHHA A A AHAHAH MMMMMYYYYYYY AH AHAHAHH AH MYYYYY HA AHAHAHAH FOOOOHOHOHOOOOOOTTT HAH AHAH AHAHH AHAHAHH AH AHAH!!!! CAAHAHAHHHAANNNNNN'T AHAHAHAH A SEELLLLLLL AHAHAH!!!!!!!”
Autumn made a clumsy grab for the foot and missed. Gwen picked up the body part and held it in the crook of one elbow. She then started wiggling the fingers of her other hand over the bare sole, using the same motions as when she played the lute.
Autumn was laughing harder and harder, her face turning as read as her hair. She leaned across the glass counter, though Gwen wasn't sure if shew was making another grab for her foot or just falling over.
With a glance, Gwen stopped the troll from moving forward again. She then took a step back and began even a more rigorous tickling, raking all five fingers from toes to heels, as fast as she could.
“HA AH AHAH AHAH AHAHHH STAWWWWPPPP HA AHAHH AHAH PPPLLEEAASSEE AHG AHA AHAHHH ARRRGGG AH AHAHAHHH PLLEEASSEE HE EHE EH HE EHH MEEERRRCCYYYY HE EHEH EHEH EHEHEHEHEH!!!!”
Autumn began banging on the case now, her hysteria clearly overwhelming her. She looked like a slender thing, but the outdoor life of a hippie shaman must have hardened her, because she would have surely splintered the glass if it hadn't been magically hardened.
“Well, are you going to be a good girl, Autumn?” Gwen asked, her calm voice somehow cutting through the redhead's high pitched screams.
She nodded 'yes' furiously, clearly unable to speak or even lift her head off the display counter. Gwendolyn kept tickling a few minutes longer, than took her hand off the foot she hoped to buy. She motioned for the troll to help Autumn take a seat on the other side of the store.
“Well, magician, how much do you want?” Gwen turned her head back to the magician, putting Autumn's foot back on the black silk. The tone of her voice as normal as if a hysterical outburst was an everyday occurrence.
Marcus smiled, looking over at Autumn, flustered and out of breath. He then named an amount of gold high enough to buy a small castle.
“No,” Gwendolyn said softly, sure the magician couldn't tell she was bluffing, “What you have here, by itself is just an oddity. A living, detached foot. A collector might but it for a tenth of that. For me to make a profit reselling it, I would have to pay even less than that.”
“But wait,” Gwen said quickly when Marcus moved to pick up the foot and put it back into his bag, “The special part of this...artifact is not the foot itself but the control it gives you over Autumn. Her...forced responses to different ways of manipulating the foot would make it quite valuable to a hedonistic mage or a tantric witch.
“But,” now Marcus frowned, clearly trying to remember his early lessons, “Those are schools of magic which gain their power from sexual energies. All you did was tickle her.”
“Yes, but what most mages outside of those schools don't understand is how closely tickling is related to sexual intercourse. Let me demonstrate.” Picking up the foot again, Gwen began licking the five long toes. Autumn's reaction was immediate.
“OOOOHH GAWWWWDDD AHA AHAHAHAHH NAWWWOOO AHA AHAH NAAAWWW AGGAIIIIINNNNN!!! STAWWWPP AHA AHAH AHAH PLLLEEEAASSEEE AH AHA AHAHAH N N N II I I AH AH AHH IIIITTT HA AHAH TIICCKKKLLEESS HA AHA AHAHH AHAH!!!!!!!”
From across the shop, Autumn erupted. She had barely caught her breath from the last episode! She just didn't have the strength to resist another. The clenched the arms of the chair, her grip tight as steel, but still slip out of the chair, ending up on the floor. Every employee in the shop stopped what they were doing and stared. She was quite the spectacle.
Autumn rolled back and forth across the shop floor, yelling and howling. Every lick from Gwen's tongue sent lightning bolts shooting through her body, pure, agonizing ticking ripping through her.
“HE EH EHEHEHEHH I HE EHE EHE EH I I I HE EHEHEHH WASSSS HE EHEHEHH GOOOODD HE EHEHEH GIRRLLLL HE EHEHHEHEH HEHEH STAWWWPPPPP HE EHEH EHEH IIIII HE EHEH WASSSSS GOOOOD HE EHEHE!!!!”
“Hear the submission in her voice,” Gwendolyn added smoothly, as if giving a lecture on ancient magic farming techniques, instead of referring to a writhing attractive female, “That alone will fuel quite a few Hedonistic spells. And, if you want more sexual energy, all I have to do is this.” Gwendolyn continued her demonstration by popping the pinkie toe into her mouth, sucking hard on it.
“O Ooh Oh OOUUHHHH That that OOOOOHHHH MMMYYYYYYY O O OOOOHHHHHH That that that OOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Moans and grunts of pleasure started pouring from Autumn's mouth, cutting off her laughter in mid hysteria. Her eyes opened wide in pleasure and fear, her face becoming a picture of longing.
“I see,” Marcus said softly, the demonstration clearly having an affect on him. Luckily his robe hid the most obvious effect, “And could this make her...climax?”
“OOOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO A A A A A OOOOOHH” Autumn moaned in horror, Marcus's horrible words sinking in. Even though hippie's had no problem with multiple sexual partners, seeing monogamy as the greedy and close to slavery, sex had always been a very private thing for Autumn.
“Oh yes,” Gwen said, barely stopping herself from licking her lips, “She started sucking another toe, flicking her tongue in between them. Despite feeling every sensation, Autumn did not have control over the detached foot. She could not so much as wiggle her toes, never mind clenching them tightly. She was helpless.
In the end, Gwendolyn didn't bring Autumn all the way to orgasm. She stopped just short, with the hippie so far lost in the heat of pleasure, that she was grinding her privates gains the floor, oblivious to the spectators. She was both humiliated and highly frustrated when the sucking stopped.
“I think I've made my point,” Gwendolyn said, placing the foot back on the black silk one last time, “But understand this. You are not selling me the foot so much as the ability to control Autumn. Is that what you want?”
“I have no problem with that,” Marcus said, his voice more than a little husky. In truth he would love to keep the foot now, explore that control over the redheaded hippie for a few days. But his master wouldn't allow that. He'd have to be satisfied with tasking his share of the profits to the nearest brothel.
Autumn's face turned white as she listened to the two barter back and forth. Still lying on the floor, she considered making another grab for her own foot. But at the moment, so weakened by the tickling and near orgasm, she wasn't sure she could even stand. And that blond shopkeeper...she scared Autumn. She was sure the woman would have some devilish punishment in mind if Autumn tried anything.
Eventually, Gwendolyn and Marcus agreed upon a price for the foot, about half the large amount Marcus had asked for originally. She gladly paid him in gold coins, and smiled cheerfully when he walked out. An expensive deal, but surely a profitable one.
“Madam,” Autumn said after Marcus had left, forcing herself to stand and walk back to the display counter, “You know I can't match that price! But I do represent my entire commune. Please, there has to be some kind of deal we can work out, a trade! We have lots to offer.”
“Oh, we will work out a deal,” Gwendolyn smiled evilly, “You are going to work for me for the next four or five years. A...personal servant if you will. At the end of that time, if you are indeed a good girl, I will give you your foot as back pay.”
“Work in this shop, live in the city?” Autumn was shocked, “But I'm a shaman, I need to be one with the natural world to have any magic at all! I've spent all my life around plants and animals, not...counting money! I'd be a horrible employee!”
“No,” Gwendolyn said smoothly, “You'd be the perfect employee...for the job I want done. Now if you'd come with me to my private chambers, I'll close the shop for the afternoon, and we can discuss your...specific duties.”
Suddenly Autumn did understand. She'd been so wrapped up in her need for her own foot that she'd missed all the little looks and signs the blond shopkeeper had been giving her since she'd walked in. While Autumn had some homosexual friends, it was not a lifestyle that appealed to her at all. And she definitely wasn't prepared to do anything intimate with this viper woman!
“No,” Autumn said simply, “Let's find another way.”
“I was not asking,” Gwendolyn said, “If you ever want to own your foot again, get yourself into my chambers.” Her voice was so hard, so cold. Autumn found herself repulsed even more.
“Then, I guess you can keep it,” Autumn said carefully, “Because that is a price I will never pay. I'd rather have one foot than live in this evil place that makes gold off of the suffering of others.”
“You aren't leaving,” Gwendolyn said, just as coldly.
“No? Because unless I'm mistaken, you brought my foot, not me. Slavery is illegal, even in this awful city of metal and stone. Or are you going to force me to stay here?” Autumn took another look at the troll, “Because if you are, I'll think I'll have to contact the proper authorities.”
With a defiant look, Autumn turned and started walking for the door.
Just as calmly, Gwendolyn broke a feather off the duster, and began to stroke it over the bare sole still sitting on the black silk cover.
A shiver ran up and down Autumn's spine as the muscles in her legs began to tremble. Still she took another step forward.
“You're right, I can't stop you Autumn. You are free to go,” Gwendolyn smiled at last, stroking the feather across the long, shapely toes, “But I can keep dusting this new knick knack I purchased.”
“he ehe ehehh eh it he eheh it won't work he eh eheh...” Autumn broke into giggle, taking another, wobbly step.
“I don't know what you are talking about,” Gwendolyn shook her head, “How did you get this so dirty?” She began working the tip of the plume between the big toe and its closest neighbor.
HE eh EH EH e ehEH EHEH naaawwtt he NAAAWWWTTT eh EHE this time!!!” Autumn gritted her teeth as she lurched forward three or four feet, leaning first left and then to the right. It looked like quite a drunken shuffle!
“What this artifact needs is is a good ,” Gwendolyn mused, still sawing the feather in between toes, “Tabitha, get me a pail of warm soapy water and a tooth brush.”
“he ehe ehH ehe heehh yoouuu he eheheh e yooouuu h eh ehehh ewooulldnn''tttt eh eheheh eveennn he ehehehh yoouu he ehehh woouldnn'ttt he ehe he bee eheheh sooo crueelll eheeh!!!” Autumn made it to the door just as her knees became butter. She grabbed it, hand on the door knob all that was stopping Autumn from falling.
“You saw the amount of gold I gave Marcus. I you heard me tell him that without you, it was practically worthless. Now, do you think I would hesitate to give this foot a nice, soapy bath if it stopped me from losing all that money?” Gwendolyn swiped her fingernail over the balls of Autumn's foot as if to make that point.
“AHHHHHH!!!!” Autumn howled. She managed to get the door opened, but slapped the door frame hard as the newest tickle swept over her. If she let go...
“If you manage to make it out of my shop, what then? I'm still going to scour this foot until it shines! You'll be, lurching through the strange city, completely hysterical and no friend in sight. How far do you think you'll get until you collapse, helpless, screaming with laughter, obviously insane? Maybe the authorities will find you and throw you in the sanitarium as an escaped lunatic. Dreadful place. Or someone drags you back to their shack, to use you as they will? Not like you'll be putting up a fight. Maybe Marcus. He seemed to be feeling the need as he left. Or some necromancer or daemon summoner needing a sacrifice to invoke some new evil?”
“Oh my goddess,” Autumn turned her head, white as a ghost, “You couldn't possibly...” Her own imagination and ignorance of the way the city truly worked filled in even worse possibilities. Fear gripped her like never before.
Tabitha brought the pail and brush, placing it on the glass counter and submerging the foot in it. Autumn felt the warm wetness flood over the end of her leg, where her body part should be. She feel drops of water sliding over her arch, between her toes.
“What is it going to be?” Gwendolyn asked, holding up the brush, “You know what I want. And you know I'll keep you safe. I'll never make a profit on this investment if I don't.”
Truly horrified, backed into a corner and alone like she had never been before in her life, Autumn made an impossible choice. She trusted in Gwendolyn's greed, closed the shop door and limped back across the floor to the door marked 'private'.
“And take off that awful dress,” Gwendolyn called after her, “You won't be needing it for quite some time.”
The End
