haru_sphinx
Registered User
- Joined
- May 30, 2014
- Messages
- 8
- Points
- 0
Link to part three
The last chapter was not very long. In contrast, this one is! Following it, though, there may be a little bit of a decrease in production. I've gotten a new job and will have to adjust to the schedule. Still, everything's planned out and ready to go. I appreciate all your comments/feedback!
---------
“Wake up, sleepy.” Athos was nudging Seren's shoulder with his outstretched palm. “Wastin' daylight. We're almost there, anyway.”
“Nnn...we?” She asked, blearily blinking her eyes open. “Are you going to go with me?” She rubbed at her eyes, reaching over somewhat awkwardly for her backpack to grab a piece of meat and some water. Her stomach rumbled, even as she ate, and she was finally able to focus enough to see Athos in the light.
He looked even more bestial now that it was daytime. While his face was most definitely human, his full beard curved around his entire face like a chinstrap, with thick fur that belonged more on a wolf than on a human being. His entire frame was, indeed, very wide, but he was also tall. He was built like a tank of a man, she noted to herself as she began to get out of bed.
Athos laughed, the same big, hearty laugh as the night before, she remembered. “'Course I'm going with you. If I don't, you'll run off with a bunch of pixies again.”
Seren blushed brightly, her mind shooting back to the nigh-unbearable tickling she'd received the night before from the demons. “I-I will not!” she snapped back.
“Ooh, sorry.” He held his hands up in visual defense. “Didn't mean to upset you.” Athos sounded like he was being honest, in the least. If he wasn't, he was hiding it well, and Seren hadn't picked him out to be the kind of guy that lied without reason. “I know they have the charm spell. Just givin' ya a hard time.”
Seren hesitated, rolling up her sleeping bag and getting it in her pack. “...You said you were Cholseri, right?” she asked. “And you can dispel demons?”
“Sure did, and sure can.” Athos seemed to be smiling in relief. Relief he hadn't angered her too far, she figured. It was way too early to be upset with someone who saved her life, and besides, she had a city to get to, and hopefully a bath to take. She felt sticky and gross. “Cmon,” he said as she put her shoes back on, “I'll tell you about it on the way to Gallidell. That's where you're goin', right?”
Seren nodded, standing with Athos. He motioned towards a path nearby and led the way as Seren stumbled along behind him to start heading what she assumed was north. If it was morning... she glanced over to find the sun, and nodded inwardly. It was roughly north. Athos was trustworthy.
“So,” Athos began, “What questions do you have first? I have a few for you, but maybe I can offer what I know. I'm curious, but...”
Seren glanced over at him- he'd slowed down to match her pace. His large, leather boots thudded into the ground almost gently while she half-hurried to keep with him. “Well...” she sighed. “Mostly, I'm just heading to Gallidell because the Madreleans told me to.”
“You got mixed up with Madreleans?” Athos asked immediately, sounding a little incredulous. “I mean, I knew they lived somewhere in this forest, but they make themselves very hidden. Oh, sorry,” he said quickly, “Meant to be answering your questions.”
Seren gave a half-smile. “It's alright. Yeah, I ended up with them. They found me, probably because I'm human.”
“To be honest, that's why I'm out here.” Athos told her. “There were rumors a human had showed up in Ruptsura, somewhere in the Ivory Woods. None of the Ruptsurians want to go out because, well...” he paused, then chuckled. “Demons, and all.”
“So there's not more Cholseri out because there...aren't any?” Seren asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend her guide.
“Essentially, yes. The few Cholseri that exist live in a somewhat captivity.” Athos frowned. “At least in Gallidell. My father is one of them, but his magical talents exist a little farther than the normal dispelling of demons. He tells the future.”
Seren blinked, thinking. “Is his name Streull?” she asked.
“You know him?”
“The Madreleans told me to find him.”
“Ah.” Athos bowed his head, then fell silent for a moment. “...Wait, are you here to get rid of the demons for good?” He looked excited as he asked.
Seren barked out a laugh. “That's what I've been told. That's why I'm going to Gallidell. Your...your father is supposed to tell me whether it's something I can do or not.”
Athos was silent again, for a long while. They reached the edge of the forest at that point, and in the distance she could see a large wall extending around buildings. Gallidell, she determined. According to her map, the only large settlement in miles. The only place it could be. “You're going to have to go in disguised.” Athos finally said, crossing his arms.
“What do you mean?” Seren asked, feeling a little nervous. “Are...are the Ruptsurians bad people?”
“I wouldn't call them bad, really.” The Cholseri sighed. “Misguided, yes. You're a human, though, and they'll catch onto that pretty quick. There's only one of you, remember? And a good few thousand of them. If you want to go straight to Streull, you want to avoid their attention.”
She frowned. A few thousand...? That was intimidating. “How do you suggest I do that, then?”
“Hmm.” Athos placed a hand to his chin, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Oh!” He slid the cloak off his back, offering it out to her. “Here you go.”
Seren took it, holding it out. “Sort of big, don't you think?” she asked as she pulled it around her body, bringing the hood up over her face. It covered even her eyes when she did so. “But we don't have much other choice.”
“You're correct.” Athos responded. “C'mon, I'll lead you through the city. You keep your head down, and that covering you. Madrelean clothing is pretty recognizable.”
There were guards at the front gate, but they seemed to not be completely concerned with the two of them entering the city. One of them gave a half-nod to Athos, who returned the curt head motion. “Welcome back.” The guard said, and went back to his duties, which seemed to consist of staring out of the city walls.
As they started to move through the city, Seren tried to raise her head to see everything she could without showing her face. It definitely gave off that 'medieval city' vibe-- lots of stonework and brickwork, as well as some glass here and there, one some of the larger, more expensive looking buildings. The ground under her was still dirt, but many of the buildings rose a couple of stories up, some made out of wood. The streets were bustling with people-- Ruptsurians, that was.
“They even look different from you.” Athos murmured to her, trying to keep his voice down. “See?”
Seren could tell. Each Ruptsurian, while differing from each other, and still roughly human, had pale, grey skin that looked almost stony. Additionally, their eyes were pure white, and pupil-less, and they had little hair on their heads, even the women. It was a lot to take in, now that she had all three races in her head. Luckily, they also seemed to dress in covering clothing, so she didn't look too out of place.
They walked together until they reached a larger building, surrounded by a smaller wall, despite the walls around the entire city. “This is the castle.” Athos told her, nodding to point out the red banners hanging from the walls. “We're headed over here.” He nodded to a smaller building next to it, inside the walls. Athos knocked twice, but entered anyway, pushing open the unlocked door. “Dad, I'm home!” he called out. “I brought someone for you!”
A second Cholseri man pushed back a curtain from a side room, entering into the main room which was set up like a pretty standard (from what she could tell) fortune telling set-up. Lots of pillows surrounded a small circular table in the middle of the room, upon which sat a crystal ball, its insides swirling with dark clouds. The other Cholseri was similar in stature to Athos, but his hair was much darker, and much redder. The markings on his skin were similar-- both of them appeared heavily tattoed with tribal decoration. “...The human!” when he spoke, he sounded excited, but also worried. “Athos, how did you get her here?”
Seren let the hood on the cloak down, setting her pack down near her. Athos spoke for her, “We had to hide her a little. Didn't want to alert the entire city.”
“I would think not!” Streull hurried over, locking the door behind them. “Come in, come in. I suppose you're here about the prophecy, then?” he asked Seren.
“Am I really the one it refers to?” she asked, handing Athos his cloak back. “Do I really have to deal with all these...uh, demons?”
“You're the only human that's come through. If you're not the one, the Ruptsurians are going to be very upset.” Streull sighed. “Sit, across from me. Athos, watch the door.” Athos nodded, keeping his back to it. “Good.” Streull paused, waiting for Seren to sit on her knees, bringing herself to eye level with him when he sat cross-legged on the other side. “I'm sorry to hurry you.” he said quickly as he drew out a cloth, wiping it over the crystal ball. “I'll be able to divine your future, but only in brief glimpses. Once I'm done, you'll have to get moving fairly quickly out of town.”
“The, uh...” Seren watched as he pulled out a deck of tarot cards. “The Madreleans told me to ask the Ruptsurians if I was needed.”
“I'm sure they did.” Streull responded, shuffling the cards in front of him, then laying them out. “They mean well, despite being half-breeds. But if the Ruptsurians found you, they'd want to hold you for weeks, doing tests on you with machine and magic, just to do the same as I am about to do.”
“...Okay, I'm pretty sure Ruptsurians are bad.” Seren crossed her arms. “From what I've heard so far, there isn't any evidence otherwise. Capturing the only living Cholseri? Experiments on me, after making me hide?”
Streull nodded. “It would seem that way. Unfortunately, they're more of a militaristic society than anything. They were...a lot nicer, before the demon uprising, but once they found they were powerless, getting their life forces drained and causing the demons to multiply further, they hid in these walls and decided they'd do anything they could to harness any powers that could drive the demons back.”
“And traditional weapons don't work?” Seren asked. Streull hesitated, looking at the door again worriedly.
“They're extremely inefficient. That's why we have to hurry. Rumor has it they're building a large cannon, powered by magic. Once it's completed, they're going to fire at every cathedral, at each corner of the continent.” Streull sorted the cards out into five stacks. “What they don't know, and won't listen to, is that in doing so, they'll upset the balance of the world. It's imperative you start moving as quickly as possible.”
“And why can't they listen to you?” Seren pressed, eager for answers.
Streull gave her a sympathetic smile. “Divination, prophecy...to them it's all just hocus pocus. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and relax.”
Seren sighed, letting her eyes flutter closed. As she did so, she heard Streull keep speaking to her.
“Good. Now, what I'm going to do is invoke the power of the tarot cards to tell me what sort of dangers you'll be facing in your journey. All you have to do is listen.” He waved his hand over the crystal ball, and five cards, one from each stack, began to float up into the air. “You will be required to go into each cathedral alone. In the fire cathedral,” he flipped a card. “...the Chariot. It will be a difficult task. You will be required to endure much in this first, real test you face. What you will gain from it is the confidence that you can succeed, despite emerging somewhat battered. Strength.”
He paused, before speaking again. “You may open your eyes now.” She did so, to see the Chariot card lying on the table in front of her, a knight in gold armor riding the lion-drawn chariot against a red background. “The earth cathedral...the Moon.” he began. “This signifies a test of the mind. You will emerge with the knowledge that mental strength is just as important as physical. Cunning.” The card floated over in front of her, the shining, reflective celestial body bright against the dark ground below, a scarab highlighted on the terrain.
“In the water cathedral,” Streull intoned, “The Lovers. Here, you will learn to accept reality, and become more one with your body and its limits. You may be tempted, and that temptation will be hard to resist, but with effort you can overcome. Grace.” Across the table floated the Lovers card, two figures entwined in embrace. “And at the air cathedral, the northernmost point of Ruptsura,” he flipped a card, then paused. “Lust. Here, you learn that your own limitations can be broken, your desires can be quenched and new heights can be reached. Flight.” he added, before the Lost card floated over, a female figure peering into the jaws of a lion. “And your final test--”
“Streull!” Athos hissed suddenly, breaking the Cholseri's—and Seren's-- trance. There was a pounding on the door, and shouts outside.
“Shit.” Streull snapped, gathering his cards quickly, the final card falling on the table, slipping under the crystal ball. “Seren, hide. If anything happens--”
“I'll protect you.” Athos snarled, pushing his entire weight against the door as it was being battered from the other side. “If they catch you, I'll get you back. We have to get to the temples before they fire that cannon.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the door burst open despite all his strength on it. In strode a small group of Ruptsurians, their emotionless eyes scanning the room, landing on Seren, who had pressed herself up against a wall in lieu of anywhere else to hide at such short notice. “Seren, the human.” Their leader spoke, looking from her to Streull. “We should have known you would be harboring a fugitive, Streull. It's one thing after another, isn't it?”
In one motion, three of the Ruptsurians held Athos against a wall. He snarled and fought at them, but they held fast. “Fucking...magic!” he growled, straining hard. “Without it, you'd be powerless!”
“Ah, but that's where we excel.” The leader chuckled as three more moved to hold back Streull. The leader himself, the tallest of the group, moved across the room to grasp Seren's arm, tugging her to him. She struggled, but his grip was strong. “You knew to turn her in.” he added, glancing back to Athos's father. “As soon as you found her.”
“She doesn't need to be experimented on!” Streull snapped. “She doesn't need to be held in captivity any more than I do!”
“You're lucky you're not strong enough to dispel any more than the smallest demons.” The Ruptsurian said to Athos as he walked Seren towards the door. She stumbled along, and he frowned. “Or else you'd be stuck in the walls, too. I suppose you snuck her past the guards.” Athos looked a little exasperated. “Well, you've done well. When our cannon is completed, we'll reward you.”
“Y-you...” Seren looked at Athos, hurt.
“Seren, it's not like that, I promise I had every intention of--”
“Right.” The Ruptsurian waved. “Once we decide how humans can handle the demons, we'll let you two chat.” He chuckled. “Come then, Seren. Let's learn more about you.”
“No!” she yelped, squirming around more.
“Athos, do it!” Streull suddenly commanded. Athos roared, pushing with all his might and breaking free of the Ruptsurian's grasp. He rushed forward, reaching in with one hand under his shirt and drawing out a medallion around a cord on his neck. It glowed brightly and he clapped his free hand onto Seren's arm before the light flashed, a brilliant shine illuminating the room. Once it disappeared, the only ones left in the room were the Ruptsurians and Streull.
“They got away.” The leader hissed, turning to Streull. “You did this.”
Streull shook his head, simply.
The Ruptsurian snarled. “They can't have gone far out of the city. They're going to the cathedrals. After them.” With that, all seven of the Ruptsurians swept from the room, dropping Streull on their way out.
Groaning, he stumbled over to the table, pulling himself up. The last card from the pile, the one that had been floating when they'd been interrupted, caught his eye from the corner under the crystal ball, which was now nearly pulsing with dark energy. He tugged it out and flipped it, his eyes widening a little when he saw what it was.
The Aeon.
* * * *
“...Where are we?”
Seren had seen the flash of light that had come from the medallion around Athos's neck. She'd shut her eyes tightly, out of auto-response, and not a moment later had felt a weird sensation, as if her mind was leaving her body. A short rush later and she'd felt solid ground under her, as if she were laying on grass. The opening of her eyes, while somewhat painful initially, had confirmed it, but she and Athos were now in a somewhat hilly grassland.
Athos was getting up as well, rubbing at his head. “Sorry.” he apologized almost immediately upon looking over at her. “I wasn't particularly sure if that was going to work or not. We're miles north of Gallidell, about a day's walk from the fire cathedral. It was the closest to the city and seemed like the best idea.”
“What did you do, though?” Seren asked, glancing around. She realized she didn't have the pack the Madreleans gave her-- that was all their food and water, and Athos wasn't carrying anything either.
“Teleported us.” Athos gave her a sympathetic look. “It's what the medallion does,” he said, tucking it back under his shirt, “But it only does it once. It was a good thing we had it, though, you were about to die back there.”
Seren sighed, thinking back. Allowing the Ruptsurians to capture her and do testing on her-- likely concerned with tickling her to her wit's end, if the other things that had been going on were any indication. Somewhat wearily, she looked up at Athos, who, from the look of things, was attempting to get his bearings and orient them in the right direction. “So which way to the fire cathedral?” she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
“East.” The Cholseri responded after a moment's pause, stretching his arm out and pointing in the direction the sun was moving away from. With that information, Seren determined that it was already heading into the evening.
“Let's go then.” she announced, standing and beginning the slow trudge eastwards, towards what she hoped was the right direction.
Their journey would be a quiet one. For what must have been a couple of hours, Seren was quiet. When Athos would attempt to spark a conversation, usually asking her to just chat, or talk about herself some, or crack a joke, or even to discuss the scenery, which was rapidly becoming more plateaued and barren, mountainous even, she would decline to respond, leaving the silence awkward enough to slice through with a knife. It wasn't long before she started to feel the effects, though-- pretty consistent walking combined with not having any food or water to speak of made her well, parched, in the least. Her stomach grumbled and growled here and there, and from the slight grunts coming from Athos, he was feeling it, too. She was determined, though, and kept her mouth shut. They were going to get to the fire cathedral if it killed them.
The alternative, it seemed, was being tickled to death, so this was the lesser of two evils, if she wasn't...well, tickled to death somewhere along the way.
Truthfully, it was all a little ridiculous to her. Why did this entire continent seem to consist of and thrive on tickling the daylights out of people? Scratch that, tickling the daylights out of just her? She needed a little time to think, after the whirlwind rush from the past couple of days' events, but it wasn't looking like that was an option.
Just calm down, Seren. They're not hurting you. She thought to herself. Of course they weren't hurting her, but they were tickling her, and-- And what? After those pixies, you pretty much determined that you had a fet-- No. She wouldn't admit that much, not yet. Even thinking about thinking the word was making her blush. She could have said with absolute certainty that whoever she'd been before she'd been to Ruptsura, she didn't have...this strange fascination.
And just as she thought about not thinking it, her mind drifted off to thoughts of hundreds of fingers dancing over her skin, drawing giggles and laughter from her, making her squirm...
She shook her head. Insane, she determined, breathing a little hard as they kept walking. She chanced another glance over to Athos, who was looking similarly tired. Great, so they would die out here with no food or water in sight for miles. This would be wonderful.
Luckily, from off to their right, she started to hear the soft padding of footsteps-- hooves, if she was guessing correctly. Turning her head, she would see that she was. The creatures that approached them looked more human than anything she'd seen so far, and even that was stretching it.
Half-man on top and half-goat on bottom, they wore nothing other than what looked like necessary clothing-- for weaponry, water, and survival. There were three of them, walking in a triangular formation, the one up front the tallest and darkest-haired of the bunch, not to mention the most well-built. As they got nearer, Seren could see the twisted ram's horns on their heads, and Athos's whisper behind her confirmed her suspicions.
“Satyrs. They're tricky,” he continued, “Keep your guard up. They are demons.”
“Hail!” The closest satyr called, holding one arm up, the other occupied by a rather sharp, curved blade. “Traveler!”
“Just keep walking.” Athos urged silently. Seren frowned.
“What if they have food? Water?” she asked, almost snapping.
“They're demons.”
“So were the Madreleans, but they helped me out--”
“It's not the same!”
“Don't tell me what to do.” she snarled, whirling around to face the satyrs. She heard Athos give a large sigh from behind her. “Hey!” she called back, waving to the satyrs in return.
They picked up enough speed to get within range. “Greetings.” the foremost satyr smiled, a warm, welcoming smile. “We don't get guests often. Where are you headed?” He sheathed his weapon, and the other satyrs followed suit. One of them smirked a little.
“East.” she replied, a little vaguely. She wasn't stupid, she knew. She smiled a little to herself, proud of herself for not giving up all her information. “I seem to have lost my provisions, though, perhaps you can help me?”
“Of course.” The satyr responded, his voice smooth, almost sultry. He reached out a hand towards Seren, who took it after a short hesitation. She glanced back to Athos, who was looking more than frustrated with her.
“We shouldn't be going.” he told her aloud, giving her a pointed look. She glared back.
“So,” the satyr continued, looking oblivious to Athos's comment. “You're thirsty, hm? Hungry, as well?”
Seren nodded, a little enthusiastically. He chuckled.
“Kilmos, will you help the lovely lady back to camp?” he asked, raising Seren's hand up towards one of the other satyrs, who bowed and turned, allowing her to clamber a little awkwardly onto his back. When he stood, his muscles rippled under her and she could feel the strength of his legs pushing them up together.
“Just so you know,” Athos said, crossing his arms as the satyrs regrouped, “They can't see or hear me. None of the demons can. But you're getting yourself into a whole lot of trouble, and I don't know what for.”
True to what he said, the satyrs completely ignored him, taking off at a run while carrying her, which surprised her a little. Athos was left to hurry along behind, but he started off at a run as well. His movement was nowhere near as fast as the demons', but they didn't travel for more than a mile or so before she saw where they were headed.
The satyr camp wasn't much more than a few leather-made tents stretched over thick, wooden planks and beams. Piles of hay and other farm-tool looking items lay strewn about, and no more than seven more satyrs milled about, glancing up as they returned. What looked like a decently bustling conversation for them fell silent when they saw Seren perched atop one of their kind, and they congregated to meet the small group.
“She's thirsty,” the leader said, in a large, booming voice that startled even Seren as she was sliding off the one named Kilmos's back. “And hungry. Get her a meal. Now,” he added when they hesitated to speak amongst themselves. Murmurs of 'Yes Chief Aknan' were scattered around between them when they dispersed.
She was guided over to a log surrounding the fire pit in the center of the tents, and promptly brought water in a bowl, which she took large gulps from, having to stop and cough before she remembered to breathe. The sun was going down, and the satyrs moved quickly. The chief, Aknan, crouched near the fire pit after another satyr tossed down a pile of logs, and Seren watched as a jet of fire shot from Aknan's fingertips to ignite the logs on contact. Her eyes widened a little, and she glanced up to look around for Athos, her heart beginning to pound a little, nervously.
Just as the satyrs set a large plate of meat over the flame, Athos was rounding the last hill. Upon seeing her, he hurried closer, seating himself near her and breathing hard. “What the hell was that about?” he asked. “No, wait, don't tell me,” he responded, keeping a wary eye on the satyrs milling about. “They'll get suspicious.” He reached forward, as if to take the bowl of water, paused and glanced around to make sure there was no one else watching, then downed a few big gulps. “Just listen to me. You're stuck here now, until I can dismiss them. Don't run-- they do have knives, and bows, and that will stop us pretty quickly. They're going to feed you, looks like.” Athos told her, nodding towards the food. “We'll get a meal. They'll do what they want with you later, and you'll have to take it until I dispel them. That one,” he added, sounding a little concerned while he pointed at Aknan. “Is a lot stronger. You remember when...” he sighed. “When the pixies got you to orgasm? It drains a lot from you, and in turn makes them more susceptible. If it comes to that point, I'm sorry.”
Seren felt guilty. This was her fault, after all. Some of her guilt absolved when she was brought a plate of berries and nuts to snack on while the meat cooked, and she slipped over half of it to Athos, who ate carefully. Luckily, with all the satyrs walking around, he wasn't seen eating here and there. The meat was brought to them and they had what was viably a feast for her alone, but a filling meal for them both.
After they ate, it was dark, and the satyrs were starting to settle down. Although they continued to shoot her odd glances here and there, they began to sing and dance around the fire pit, a couple of them playing flute-like instruments. Aknan, grinning, came to sit next to her, heavily, making Athos scramble out of the way. He offered her a mug to drink from, which she accepted.
“Fantastic food, hm?” Aknan asked, patting Seren on the back. She slowly drank from the mug, then drank a little heavier when she found it to be sweet, and a little thicker than water. It burned the back of her throat just a bit when it went down, but it wasn't enough to keep her from drinking, until about half the mug was gone. Aknan chuckled.
“It was great.” Seren responded, setting the mug down next to her, behind Aknan, so he wouldn't notice Athos gently pick it up to drink from. She glanced back to the fire and had to blink once more-- her vision took a second to catch up to her. She giggled, in spite of herself.
Aknan chuckled, good-naturedly. “I suppose you'll be heading off in the morning. Glad we could help you for the night.”
There was a slight cough from behind them and Seren resisted the urge to turn and look at Athos.
“This is heavy alcohol.” he hissed into her ear. “You're going to get drunk.”
...Well, that was true. She was already feeling it. Her world began to sway as she watched the satyrs dancing around and Aknan rested his large hand on her back again. “You're going to help us tonight, though.” the satyr told her, gently pulling her up to her feet, which she was a little shaky on. “Take your shoes off for me.” he told her, gently supporting her as he helped-- well, almost pushed-- her into getting barefoot.
Before Seren knew it, she was dancing with the satyrs. Her head was spinning, but she felt lighter than air as she spun and swayed with them, their fingers trailing across her body here and there, causing her to jump a little, as it tickled just slightly. When the music began to slow, she found herself spinning into Aknan's arms as he laughed.
“Whoa, careful,” he said, his voice sounding a little darker. “Come with me.” He led her, stumbling a little, trying to catch her mind back up to where her body was, aside to a contraption that she could barely tell what it was. “Sit,” he told her, guiding her to sit down, and pulling her legs up before she fathomed what was going on. The next thing she knew was that her bottoms were tugged off and so was her top, leaving her in just her padded underclothes the Madreleans had provided her, and strong arms were holding her wrists and ankles.
“H-hey, what---?” she began, finally gaining control at the moment she could see her feet being locked in stocks and feel her arms being pulled up over her and locked similarly, exposing not only her soles, but the rest of her body as well. Athos had been right. She would have to put up with this. In addition, her legs were spread out far enough that the panties she had on barely covered her crotch, leaving a lot out in the open.
“Truly,” Aknan the satyr spoke as he walked around behind her, “We have been sent a gift. Clean her feet,” he called out to the other satyrs, who seemed happy to oblige him, four of them returning at once to crouch at her feet, water bowls and brushes at the ready.
“N-no...” she protested quietly, remembering the cleaning she'd been given before. Her pleas went unheard as the satyrs dipped their brushes into the water, raising their arms up and beginning to scrub at her feet.
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it wasn't, but Seren exploded into laughter virtually instantaneously. “Ahahahanooo!” she gasped, squirming and writhing and giggling. The stocks she was in held fast, and the ticklish agony had only just begun. There was no pattern-- the brushes, each only about as large as a toothbrush, scrubbed endlessly over her soles and heels, up past the balls of her feet to under her toes, and even between them. “Plehehease stop!” she insisted, to no avail despite her curling her toes, shaking her hips, throwing her head back.
“Well isn't that bothersome?” Aknan asked as he walked down to her feet, grasping one and pulling her toes back gently. From behind the stocks, she couldn't tell what he was doing, but she felt her big toe being tied to the wooden frame itself, followed by her other four toes. In a matter of minutes, her other foot had undergone the same treatment-- now, no matter how much she tried, there was no wrinkling or curling of her feet at all. “Better.” he said off-handedly, waving his hands to the satyrs, who set their brushes down. “Clean.” he commanded again.
Seren, who'd given only a few moments to catch her breath, started up her stream of giggles again when she felt their tongues slipping and sliding in and out from between her toes. “No! Ahahanooo!” she squealed, shaking her upper body as much as she was allowed. “It's too much ahahahaa!” she insisted as their rough, goatlike tongues circled under her toes and over her feet.
“You're going to be here a while.” Aknan crooned in her ear. It was then that she felt what he was doing. The backs of his hands, just as furry and soft as his lower body, were rubbing very gently against her sides, up and down, monotonously but surely.
“Eeyahahahano!” she giggled, the contrast of the soft, gentle tickling at her sides with the torturous, rough tickling at her feet. “It tickles stooohahahop!”
“That's not in the plans.” Aknan told her gently, moving his hands up to brush under her arms, causing her to squirm and laugh. He paused for another moment, reaching behind her to unhook her bra and tugging it off her, her breasts falling free and bouncing a little when she shook. Aknan's fingers slipped around her body, scribbling and wriggling right under her breasts as he curled his head around to lick as the other satyrs were, but under her arm.
Seren was laughing harder, now, unsure if she'd been tickled this badly yet. Just as soon as it began, however, it stopped, and Aknan was standing to address the camp. “Take my place,” he announced to the other five satyrs that seemed dying to join. Without hesitation, they rushed up to her shaking, squirming body, their fingers finding whatever piece of ticklish skin they could.
Seren was in hysterics. With four at her feet, another at her underarms, one on each of her sides that reached around to her breasts and stomach, and one taking each of her legs, from her knees to her thighs, she could say with certainty that nothing had been this intense thus far. “Stooohahahahop!” she begged, but it didn't matter, they kept tickling, kept torturing her.
It felt like it went on for days, but it only continued for realistically the next twenty minutes or so before she felt something different. Aknan had crouched, and had placed himself between her legs at the stocks, looking up at her. A single finger rested on her body, just above her panty line, and she felt that now-familiar warmth building up inside of her. Unlike before, when it was a gradual build, though, this was quick, sudden. Within moments, Seren found herself at the edge of her orgasm, and in a moment, everything was silent.
At this point, nothing else was going on but Aknan and herself. The finger on her body started to lazily draw back and forth, just at the edge of her panty line, right at her hips. It tickled horribly, his finger feeling like it was on fire against her skin as she squealed and squeaked in response. She managed to get her eyes open long enough to see Athos across the camp, his body bathed in a white glow. Aknan, the satyr chief, was the only one left. He wasn't seeming to see this, though- his eyes were trained on her face, his gaze burning into her.
Both his fingers began to dance at that point, over her hips, and down between her legs. As they reached down further, she squealed in new surprise as the line between her thighs and ass was tickled gently, finding yet another sensitive spot on her. Aknan seemed to catch on, and his fingers began to tease mercilessly at the part of her ass he could reach, making her laugh and giggle breathlessly from having spent the last half-hour almost constantly doing so. After a bit, he let up, and returned his finger to her hips, where she could feel her orgasm right at the edge again. “Yes.” he said simply, and his finger slid down to over her clit, pressing in firmly.
Seren screamed when she came, her orgasm powerful as it reached her in waves. Almost instantly, Aknan disappeared, just as the other satyrs had, and Seren was left there with her arms above her, a little sore, still giggling and gasping for breath. “I-I'm sorry...” she breathed when she saw Athos approaching.
Athos shrugged while he started to undo the bindings that held her arms over her. “Don't worry about it.” he told her.
“So...” she began as she rotated her wrists to get the blood flowing again, her heart pounding, “You're not mad at me?”
“You won't do it again, right?” Athos gave her a pointed look.
“N-no...”
“Then we're fine.” he said as he unbound her feet, giving Seren her shoes to put back on. “Just listen to me, alright?” he asked with a chuckle. “It's fun to watch you, but I know it's a little torturous as well. At least we have a camp to rest at for the night.”
Seren shook her head, walking around to get the rest of her clothing, then turning to look at the fire. “You think it'll be alright to leave that up for the night?” she asked as Athos gathered a few things together and took a couple more bites of food. Her head was still spinning, which she chalked up to still being drunk. Athos nodded, so she waved at him, ducking her way into one of the tents to fall asleep on the bed inside.
The last chapter was not very long. In contrast, this one is! Following it, though, there may be a little bit of a decrease in production. I've gotten a new job and will have to adjust to the schedule. Still, everything's planned out and ready to go. I appreciate all your comments/feedback!
---------
“Wake up, sleepy.” Athos was nudging Seren's shoulder with his outstretched palm. “Wastin' daylight. We're almost there, anyway.”
“Nnn...we?” She asked, blearily blinking her eyes open. “Are you going to go with me?” She rubbed at her eyes, reaching over somewhat awkwardly for her backpack to grab a piece of meat and some water. Her stomach rumbled, even as she ate, and she was finally able to focus enough to see Athos in the light.
He looked even more bestial now that it was daytime. While his face was most definitely human, his full beard curved around his entire face like a chinstrap, with thick fur that belonged more on a wolf than on a human being. His entire frame was, indeed, very wide, but he was also tall. He was built like a tank of a man, she noted to herself as she began to get out of bed.
Athos laughed, the same big, hearty laugh as the night before, she remembered. “'Course I'm going with you. If I don't, you'll run off with a bunch of pixies again.”
Seren blushed brightly, her mind shooting back to the nigh-unbearable tickling she'd received the night before from the demons. “I-I will not!” she snapped back.
“Ooh, sorry.” He held his hands up in visual defense. “Didn't mean to upset you.” Athos sounded like he was being honest, in the least. If he wasn't, he was hiding it well, and Seren hadn't picked him out to be the kind of guy that lied without reason. “I know they have the charm spell. Just givin' ya a hard time.”
Seren hesitated, rolling up her sleeping bag and getting it in her pack. “...You said you were Cholseri, right?” she asked. “And you can dispel demons?”
“Sure did, and sure can.” Athos seemed to be smiling in relief. Relief he hadn't angered her too far, she figured. It was way too early to be upset with someone who saved her life, and besides, she had a city to get to, and hopefully a bath to take. She felt sticky and gross. “Cmon,” he said as she put her shoes back on, “I'll tell you about it on the way to Gallidell. That's where you're goin', right?”
Seren nodded, standing with Athos. He motioned towards a path nearby and led the way as Seren stumbled along behind him to start heading what she assumed was north. If it was morning... she glanced over to find the sun, and nodded inwardly. It was roughly north. Athos was trustworthy.
“So,” Athos began, “What questions do you have first? I have a few for you, but maybe I can offer what I know. I'm curious, but...”
Seren glanced over at him- he'd slowed down to match her pace. His large, leather boots thudded into the ground almost gently while she half-hurried to keep with him. “Well...” she sighed. “Mostly, I'm just heading to Gallidell because the Madreleans told me to.”
“You got mixed up with Madreleans?” Athos asked immediately, sounding a little incredulous. “I mean, I knew they lived somewhere in this forest, but they make themselves very hidden. Oh, sorry,” he said quickly, “Meant to be answering your questions.”
Seren gave a half-smile. “It's alright. Yeah, I ended up with them. They found me, probably because I'm human.”
“To be honest, that's why I'm out here.” Athos told her. “There were rumors a human had showed up in Ruptsura, somewhere in the Ivory Woods. None of the Ruptsurians want to go out because, well...” he paused, then chuckled. “Demons, and all.”
“So there's not more Cholseri out because there...aren't any?” Seren asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend her guide.
“Essentially, yes. The few Cholseri that exist live in a somewhat captivity.” Athos frowned. “At least in Gallidell. My father is one of them, but his magical talents exist a little farther than the normal dispelling of demons. He tells the future.”
Seren blinked, thinking. “Is his name Streull?” she asked.
“You know him?”
“The Madreleans told me to find him.”
“Ah.” Athos bowed his head, then fell silent for a moment. “...Wait, are you here to get rid of the demons for good?” He looked excited as he asked.
Seren barked out a laugh. “That's what I've been told. That's why I'm going to Gallidell. Your...your father is supposed to tell me whether it's something I can do or not.”
Athos was silent again, for a long while. They reached the edge of the forest at that point, and in the distance she could see a large wall extending around buildings. Gallidell, she determined. According to her map, the only large settlement in miles. The only place it could be. “You're going to have to go in disguised.” Athos finally said, crossing his arms.
“What do you mean?” Seren asked, feeling a little nervous. “Are...are the Ruptsurians bad people?”
“I wouldn't call them bad, really.” The Cholseri sighed. “Misguided, yes. You're a human, though, and they'll catch onto that pretty quick. There's only one of you, remember? And a good few thousand of them. If you want to go straight to Streull, you want to avoid their attention.”
She frowned. A few thousand...? That was intimidating. “How do you suggest I do that, then?”
“Hmm.” Athos placed a hand to his chin, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Oh!” He slid the cloak off his back, offering it out to her. “Here you go.”
Seren took it, holding it out. “Sort of big, don't you think?” she asked as she pulled it around her body, bringing the hood up over her face. It covered even her eyes when she did so. “But we don't have much other choice.”
“You're correct.” Athos responded. “C'mon, I'll lead you through the city. You keep your head down, and that covering you. Madrelean clothing is pretty recognizable.”
There were guards at the front gate, but they seemed to not be completely concerned with the two of them entering the city. One of them gave a half-nod to Athos, who returned the curt head motion. “Welcome back.” The guard said, and went back to his duties, which seemed to consist of staring out of the city walls.
As they started to move through the city, Seren tried to raise her head to see everything she could without showing her face. It definitely gave off that 'medieval city' vibe-- lots of stonework and brickwork, as well as some glass here and there, one some of the larger, more expensive looking buildings. The ground under her was still dirt, but many of the buildings rose a couple of stories up, some made out of wood. The streets were bustling with people-- Ruptsurians, that was.
“They even look different from you.” Athos murmured to her, trying to keep his voice down. “See?”
Seren could tell. Each Ruptsurian, while differing from each other, and still roughly human, had pale, grey skin that looked almost stony. Additionally, their eyes were pure white, and pupil-less, and they had little hair on their heads, even the women. It was a lot to take in, now that she had all three races in her head. Luckily, they also seemed to dress in covering clothing, so she didn't look too out of place.
They walked together until they reached a larger building, surrounded by a smaller wall, despite the walls around the entire city. “This is the castle.” Athos told her, nodding to point out the red banners hanging from the walls. “We're headed over here.” He nodded to a smaller building next to it, inside the walls. Athos knocked twice, but entered anyway, pushing open the unlocked door. “Dad, I'm home!” he called out. “I brought someone for you!”
A second Cholseri man pushed back a curtain from a side room, entering into the main room which was set up like a pretty standard (from what she could tell) fortune telling set-up. Lots of pillows surrounded a small circular table in the middle of the room, upon which sat a crystal ball, its insides swirling with dark clouds. The other Cholseri was similar in stature to Athos, but his hair was much darker, and much redder. The markings on his skin were similar-- both of them appeared heavily tattoed with tribal decoration. “...The human!” when he spoke, he sounded excited, but also worried. “Athos, how did you get her here?”
Seren let the hood on the cloak down, setting her pack down near her. Athos spoke for her, “We had to hide her a little. Didn't want to alert the entire city.”
“I would think not!” Streull hurried over, locking the door behind them. “Come in, come in. I suppose you're here about the prophecy, then?” he asked Seren.
“Am I really the one it refers to?” she asked, handing Athos his cloak back. “Do I really have to deal with all these...uh, demons?”
“You're the only human that's come through. If you're not the one, the Ruptsurians are going to be very upset.” Streull sighed. “Sit, across from me. Athos, watch the door.” Athos nodded, keeping his back to it. “Good.” Streull paused, waiting for Seren to sit on her knees, bringing herself to eye level with him when he sat cross-legged on the other side. “I'm sorry to hurry you.” he said quickly as he drew out a cloth, wiping it over the crystal ball. “I'll be able to divine your future, but only in brief glimpses. Once I'm done, you'll have to get moving fairly quickly out of town.”
“The, uh...” Seren watched as he pulled out a deck of tarot cards. “The Madreleans told me to ask the Ruptsurians if I was needed.”
“I'm sure they did.” Streull responded, shuffling the cards in front of him, then laying them out. “They mean well, despite being half-breeds. But if the Ruptsurians found you, they'd want to hold you for weeks, doing tests on you with machine and magic, just to do the same as I am about to do.”
“...Okay, I'm pretty sure Ruptsurians are bad.” Seren crossed her arms. “From what I've heard so far, there isn't any evidence otherwise. Capturing the only living Cholseri? Experiments on me, after making me hide?”
Streull nodded. “It would seem that way. Unfortunately, they're more of a militaristic society than anything. They were...a lot nicer, before the demon uprising, but once they found they were powerless, getting their life forces drained and causing the demons to multiply further, they hid in these walls and decided they'd do anything they could to harness any powers that could drive the demons back.”
“And traditional weapons don't work?” Seren asked. Streull hesitated, looking at the door again worriedly.
“They're extremely inefficient. That's why we have to hurry. Rumor has it they're building a large cannon, powered by magic. Once it's completed, they're going to fire at every cathedral, at each corner of the continent.” Streull sorted the cards out into five stacks. “What they don't know, and won't listen to, is that in doing so, they'll upset the balance of the world. It's imperative you start moving as quickly as possible.”
“And why can't they listen to you?” Seren pressed, eager for answers.
Streull gave her a sympathetic smile. “Divination, prophecy...to them it's all just hocus pocus. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and relax.”
Seren sighed, letting her eyes flutter closed. As she did so, she heard Streull keep speaking to her.
“Good. Now, what I'm going to do is invoke the power of the tarot cards to tell me what sort of dangers you'll be facing in your journey. All you have to do is listen.” He waved his hand over the crystal ball, and five cards, one from each stack, began to float up into the air. “You will be required to go into each cathedral alone. In the fire cathedral,” he flipped a card. “...the Chariot. It will be a difficult task. You will be required to endure much in this first, real test you face. What you will gain from it is the confidence that you can succeed, despite emerging somewhat battered. Strength.”
He paused, before speaking again. “You may open your eyes now.” She did so, to see the Chariot card lying on the table in front of her, a knight in gold armor riding the lion-drawn chariot against a red background. “The earth cathedral...the Moon.” he began. “This signifies a test of the mind. You will emerge with the knowledge that mental strength is just as important as physical. Cunning.” The card floated over in front of her, the shining, reflective celestial body bright against the dark ground below, a scarab highlighted on the terrain.
“In the water cathedral,” Streull intoned, “The Lovers. Here, you will learn to accept reality, and become more one with your body and its limits. You may be tempted, and that temptation will be hard to resist, but with effort you can overcome. Grace.” Across the table floated the Lovers card, two figures entwined in embrace. “And at the air cathedral, the northernmost point of Ruptsura,” he flipped a card, then paused. “Lust. Here, you learn that your own limitations can be broken, your desires can be quenched and new heights can be reached. Flight.” he added, before the Lost card floated over, a female figure peering into the jaws of a lion. “And your final test--”
“Streull!” Athos hissed suddenly, breaking the Cholseri's—and Seren's-- trance. There was a pounding on the door, and shouts outside.
“Shit.” Streull snapped, gathering his cards quickly, the final card falling on the table, slipping under the crystal ball. “Seren, hide. If anything happens--”
“I'll protect you.” Athos snarled, pushing his entire weight against the door as it was being battered from the other side. “If they catch you, I'll get you back. We have to get to the temples before they fire that cannon.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the door burst open despite all his strength on it. In strode a small group of Ruptsurians, their emotionless eyes scanning the room, landing on Seren, who had pressed herself up against a wall in lieu of anywhere else to hide at such short notice. “Seren, the human.” Their leader spoke, looking from her to Streull. “We should have known you would be harboring a fugitive, Streull. It's one thing after another, isn't it?”
In one motion, three of the Ruptsurians held Athos against a wall. He snarled and fought at them, but they held fast. “Fucking...magic!” he growled, straining hard. “Without it, you'd be powerless!”
“Ah, but that's where we excel.” The leader chuckled as three more moved to hold back Streull. The leader himself, the tallest of the group, moved across the room to grasp Seren's arm, tugging her to him. She struggled, but his grip was strong. “You knew to turn her in.” he added, glancing back to Athos's father. “As soon as you found her.”
“She doesn't need to be experimented on!” Streull snapped. “She doesn't need to be held in captivity any more than I do!”
“You're lucky you're not strong enough to dispel any more than the smallest demons.” The Ruptsurian said to Athos as he walked Seren towards the door. She stumbled along, and he frowned. “Or else you'd be stuck in the walls, too. I suppose you snuck her past the guards.” Athos looked a little exasperated. “Well, you've done well. When our cannon is completed, we'll reward you.”
“Y-you...” Seren looked at Athos, hurt.
“Seren, it's not like that, I promise I had every intention of--”
“Right.” The Ruptsurian waved. “Once we decide how humans can handle the demons, we'll let you two chat.” He chuckled. “Come then, Seren. Let's learn more about you.”
“No!” she yelped, squirming around more.
“Athos, do it!” Streull suddenly commanded. Athos roared, pushing with all his might and breaking free of the Ruptsurian's grasp. He rushed forward, reaching in with one hand under his shirt and drawing out a medallion around a cord on his neck. It glowed brightly and he clapped his free hand onto Seren's arm before the light flashed, a brilliant shine illuminating the room. Once it disappeared, the only ones left in the room were the Ruptsurians and Streull.
“They got away.” The leader hissed, turning to Streull. “You did this.”
Streull shook his head, simply.
The Ruptsurian snarled. “They can't have gone far out of the city. They're going to the cathedrals. After them.” With that, all seven of the Ruptsurians swept from the room, dropping Streull on their way out.
Groaning, he stumbled over to the table, pulling himself up. The last card from the pile, the one that had been floating when they'd been interrupted, caught his eye from the corner under the crystal ball, which was now nearly pulsing with dark energy. He tugged it out and flipped it, his eyes widening a little when he saw what it was.
The Aeon.
* * * *
“...Where are we?”
Seren had seen the flash of light that had come from the medallion around Athos's neck. She'd shut her eyes tightly, out of auto-response, and not a moment later had felt a weird sensation, as if her mind was leaving her body. A short rush later and she'd felt solid ground under her, as if she were laying on grass. The opening of her eyes, while somewhat painful initially, had confirmed it, but she and Athos were now in a somewhat hilly grassland.
Athos was getting up as well, rubbing at his head. “Sorry.” he apologized almost immediately upon looking over at her. “I wasn't particularly sure if that was going to work or not. We're miles north of Gallidell, about a day's walk from the fire cathedral. It was the closest to the city and seemed like the best idea.”
“What did you do, though?” Seren asked, glancing around. She realized she didn't have the pack the Madreleans gave her-- that was all their food and water, and Athos wasn't carrying anything either.
“Teleported us.” Athos gave her a sympathetic look. “It's what the medallion does,” he said, tucking it back under his shirt, “But it only does it once. It was a good thing we had it, though, you were about to die back there.”
Seren sighed, thinking back. Allowing the Ruptsurians to capture her and do testing on her-- likely concerned with tickling her to her wit's end, if the other things that had been going on were any indication. Somewhat wearily, she looked up at Athos, who, from the look of things, was attempting to get his bearings and orient them in the right direction. “So which way to the fire cathedral?” she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
“East.” The Cholseri responded after a moment's pause, stretching his arm out and pointing in the direction the sun was moving away from. With that information, Seren determined that it was already heading into the evening.
“Let's go then.” she announced, standing and beginning the slow trudge eastwards, towards what she hoped was the right direction.
Their journey would be a quiet one. For what must have been a couple of hours, Seren was quiet. When Athos would attempt to spark a conversation, usually asking her to just chat, or talk about herself some, or crack a joke, or even to discuss the scenery, which was rapidly becoming more plateaued and barren, mountainous even, she would decline to respond, leaving the silence awkward enough to slice through with a knife. It wasn't long before she started to feel the effects, though-- pretty consistent walking combined with not having any food or water to speak of made her well, parched, in the least. Her stomach grumbled and growled here and there, and from the slight grunts coming from Athos, he was feeling it, too. She was determined, though, and kept her mouth shut. They were going to get to the fire cathedral if it killed them.
The alternative, it seemed, was being tickled to death, so this was the lesser of two evils, if she wasn't...well, tickled to death somewhere along the way.
Truthfully, it was all a little ridiculous to her. Why did this entire continent seem to consist of and thrive on tickling the daylights out of people? Scratch that, tickling the daylights out of just her? She needed a little time to think, after the whirlwind rush from the past couple of days' events, but it wasn't looking like that was an option.
Just calm down, Seren. They're not hurting you. She thought to herself. Of course they weren't hurting her, but they were tickling her, and-- And what? After those pixies, you pretty much determined that you had a fet-- No. She wouldn't admit that much, not yet. Even thinking about thinking the word was making her blush. She could have said with absolute certainty that whoever she'd been before she'd been to Ruptsura, she didn't have...this strange fascination.
And just as she thought about not thinking it, her mind drifted off to thoughts of hundreds of fingers dancing over her skin, drawing giggles and laughter from her, making her squirm...
She shook her head. Insane, she determined, breathing a little hard as they kept walking. She chanced another glance over to Athos, who was looking similarly tired. Great, so they would die out here with no food or water in sight for miles. This would be wonderful.
Luckily, from off to their right, she started to hear the soft padding of footsteps-- hooves, if she was guessing correctly. Turning her head, she would see that she was. The creatures that approached them looked more human than anything she'd seen so far, and even that was stretching it.
Half-man on top and half-goat on bottom, they wore nothing other than what looked like necessary clothing-- for weaponry, water, and survival. There were three of them, walking in a triangular formation, the one up front the tallest and darkest-haired of the bunch, not to mention the most well-built. As they got nearer, Seren could see the twisted ram's horns on their heads, and Athos's whisper behind her confirmed her suspicions.
“Satyrs. They're tricky,” he continued, “Keep your guard up. They are demons.”
“Hail!” The closest satyr called, holding one arm up, the other occupied by a rather sharp, curved blade. “Traveler!”
“Just keep walking.” Athos urged silently. Seren frowned.
“What if they have food? Water?” she asked, almost snapping.
“They're demons.”
“So were the Madreleans, but they helped me out--”
“It's not the same!”
“Don't tell me what to do.” she snarled, whirling around to face the satyrs. She heard Athos give a large sigh from behind her. “Hey!” she called back, waving to the satyrs in return.
They picked up enough speed to get within range. “Greetings.” the foremost satyr smiled, a warm, welcoming smile. “We don't get guests often. Where are you headed?” He sheathed his weapon, and the other satyrs followed suit. One of them smirked a little.
“East.” she replied, a little vaguely. She wasn't stupid, she knew. She smiled a little to herself, proud of herself for not giving up all her information. “I seem to have lost my provisions, though, perhaps you can help me?”
“Of course.” The satyr responded, his voice smooth, almost sultry. He reached out a hand towards Seren, who took it after a short hesitation. She glanced back to Athos, who was looking more than frustrated with her.
“We shouldn't be going.” he told her aloud, giving her a pointed look. She glared back.
“So,” the satyr continued, looking oblivious to Athos's comment. “You're thirsty, hm? Hungry, as well?”
Seren nodded, a little enthusiastically. He chuckled.
“Kilmos, will you help the lovely lady back to camp?” he asked, raising Seren's hand up towards one of the other satyrs, who bowed and turned, allowing her to clamber a little awkwardly onto his back. When he stood, his muscles rippled under her and she could feel the strength of his legs pushing them up together.
“Just so you know,” Athos said, crossing his arms as the satyrs regrouped, “They can't see or hear me. None of the demons can. But you're getting yourself into a whole lot of trouble, and I don't know what for.”
True to what he said, the satyrs completely ignored him, taking off at a run while carrying her, which surprised her a little. Athos was left to hurry along behind, but he started off at a run as well. His movement was nowhere near as fast as the demons', but they didn't travel for more than a mile or so before she saw where they were headed.
The satyr camp wasn't much more than a few leather-made tents stretched over thick, wooden planks and beams. Piles of hay and other farm-tool looking items lay strewn about, and no more than seven more satyrs milled about, glancing up as they returned. What looked like a decently bustling conversation for them fell silent when they saw Seren perched atop one of their kind, and they congregated to meet the small group.
“She's thirsty,” the leader said, in a large, booming voice that startled even Seren as she was sliding off the one named Kilmos's back. “And hungry. Get her a meal. Now,” he added when they hesitated to speak amongst themselves. Murmurs of 'Yes Chief Aknan' were scattered around between them when they dispersed.
She was guided over to a log surrounding the fire pit in the center of the tents, and promptly brought water in a bowl, which she took large gulps from, having to stop and cough before she remembered to breathe. The sun was going down, and the satyrs moved quickly. The chief, Aknan, crouched near the fire pit after another satyr tossed down a pile of logs, and Seren watched as a jet of fire shot from Aknan's fingertips to ignite the logs on contact. Her eyes widened a little, and she glanced up to look around for Athos, her heart beginning to pound a little, nervously.
Just as the satyrs set a large plate of meat over the flame, Athos was rounding the last hill. Upon seeing her, he hurried closer, seating himself near her and breathing hard. “What the hell was that about?” he asked. “No, wait, don't tell me,” he responded, keeping a wary eye on the satyrs milling about. “They'll get suspicious.” He reached forward, as if to take the bowl of water, paused and glanced around to make sure there was no one else watching, then downed a few big gulps. “Just listen to me. You're stuck here now, until I can dismiss them. Don't run-- they do have knives, and bows, and that will stop us pretty quickly. They're going to feed you, looks like.” Athos told her, nodding towards the food. “We'll get a meal. They'll do what they want with you later, and you'll have to take it until I dispel them. That one,” he added, sounding a little concerned while he pointed at Aknan. “Is a lot stronger. You remember when...” he sighed. “When the pixies got you to orgasm? It drains a lot from you, and in turn makes them more susceptible. If it comes to that point, I'm sorry.”
Seren felt guilty. This was her fault, after all. Some of her guilt absolved when she was brought a plate of berries and nuts to snack on while the meat cooked, and she slipped over half of it to Athos, who ate carefully. Luckily, with all the satyrs walking around, he wasn't seen eating here and there. The meat was brought to them and they had what was viably a feast for her alone, but a filling meal for them both.
After they ate, it was dark, and the satyrs were starting to settle down. Although they continued to shoot her odd glances here and there, they began to sing and dance around the fire pit, a couple of them playing flute-like instruments. Aknan, grinning, came to sit next to her, heavily, making Athos scramble out of the way. He offered her a mug to drink from, which she accepted.
“Fantastic food, hm?” Aknan asked, patting Seren on the back. She slowly drank from the mug, then drank a little heavier when she found it to be sweet, and a little thicker than water. It burned the back of her throat just a bit when it went down, but it wasn't enough to keep her from drinking, until about half the mug was gone. Aknan chuckled.
“It was great.” Seren responded, setting the mug down next to her, behind Aknan, so he wouldn't notice Athos gently pick it up to drink from. She glanced back to the fire and had to blink once more-- her vision took a second to catch up to her. She giggled, in spite of herself.
Aknan chuckled, good-naturedly. “I suppose you'll be heading off in the morning. Glad we could help you for the night.”
There was a slight cough from behind them and Seren resisted the urge to turn and look at Athos.
“This is heavy alcohol.” he hissed into her ear. “You're going to get drunk.”
...Well, that was true. She was already feeling it. Her world began to sway as she watched the satyrs dancing around and Aknan rested his large hand on her back again. “You're going to help us tonight, though.” the satyr told her, gently pulling her up to her feet, which she was a little shaky on. “Take your shoes off for me.” he told her, gently supporting her as he helped-- well, almost pushed-- her into getting barefoot.
Before Seren knew it, she was dancing with the satyrs. Her head was spinning, but she felt lighter than air as she spun and swayed with them, their fingers trailing across her body here and there, causing her to jump a little, as it tickled just slightly. When the music began to slow, she found herself spinning into Aknan's arms as he laughed.
“Whoa, careful,” he said, his voice sounding a little darker. “Come with me.” He led her, stumbling a little, trying to catch her mind back up to where her body was, aside to a contraption that she could barely tell what it was. “Sit,” he told her, guiding her to sit down, and pulling her legs up before she fathomed what was going on. The next thing she knew was that her bottoms were tugged off and so was her top, leaving her in just her padded underclothes the Madreleans had provided her, and strong arms were holding her wrists and ankles.
“H-hey, what---?” she began, finally gaining control at the moment she could see her feet being locked in stocks and feel her arms being pulled up over her and locked similarly, exposing not only her soles, but the rest of her body as well. Athos had been right. She would have to put up with this. In addition, her legs were spread out far enough that the panties she had on barely covered her crotch, leaving a lot out in the open.
“Truly,” Aknan the satyr spoke as he walked around behind her, “We have been sent a gift. Clean her feet,” he called out to the other satyrs, who seemed happy to oblige him, four of them returning at once to crouch at her feet, water bowls and brushes at the ready.
“N-no...” she protested quietly, remembering the cleaning she'd been given before. Her pleas went unheard as the satyrs dipped their brushes into the water, raising their arms up and beginning to scrub at her feet.
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it wasn't, but Seren exploded into laughter virtually instantaneously. “Ahahahanooo!” she gasped, squirming and writhing and giggling. The stocks she was in held fast, and the ticklish agony had only just begun. There was no pattern-- the brushes, each only about as large as a toothbrush, scrubbed endlessly over her soles and heels, up past the balls of her feet to under her toes, and even between them. “Plehehease stop!” she insisted, to no avail despite her curling her toes, shaking her hips, throwing her head back.
“Well isn't that bothersome?” Aknan asked as he walked down to her feet, grasping one and pulling her toes back gently. From behind the stocks, she couldn't tell what he was doing, but she felt her big toe being tied to the wooden frame itself, followed by her other four toes. In a matter of minutes, her other foot had undergone the same treatment-- now, no matter how much she tried, there was no wrinkling or curling of her feet at all. “Better.” he said off-handedly, waving his hands to the satyrs, who set their brushes down. “Clean.” he commanded again.
Seren, who'd given only a few moments to catch her breath, started up her stream of giggles again when she felt their tongues slipping and sliding in and out from between her toes. “No! Ahahanooo!” she squealed, shaking her upper body as much as she was allowed. “It's too much ahahahaa!” she insisted as their rough, goatlike tongues circled under her toes and over her feet.
“You're going to be here a while.” Aknan crooned in her ear. It was then that she felt what he was doing. The backs of his hands, just as furry and soft as his lower body, were rubbing very gently against her sides, up and down, monotonously but surely.
“Eeyahahahano!” she giggled, the contrast of the soft, gentle tickling at her sides with the torturous, rough tickling at her feet. “It tickles stooohahahop!”
“That's not in the plans.” Aknan told her gently, moving his hands up to brush under her arms, causing her to squirm and laugh. He paused for another moment, reaching behind her to unhook her bra and tugging it off her, her breasts falling free and bouncing a little when she shook. Aknan's fingers slipped around her body, scribbling and wriggling right under her breasts as he curled his head around to lick as the other satyrs were, but under her arm.
Seren was laughing harder, now, unsure if she'd been tickled this badly yet. Just as soon as it began, however, it stopped, and Aknan was standing to address the camp. “Take my place,” he announced to the other five satyrs that seemed dying to join. Without hesitation, they rushed up to her shaking, squirming body, their fingers finding whatever piece of ticklish skin they could.
Seren was in hysterics. With four at her feet, another at her underarms, one on each of her sides that reached around to her breasts and stomach, and one taking each of her legs, from her knees to her thighs, she could say with certainty that nothing had been this intense thus far. “Stooohahahahop!” she begged, but it didn't matter, they kept tickling, kept torturing her.
It felt like it went on for days, but it only continued for realistically the next twenty minutes or so before she felt something different. Aknan had crouched, and had placed himself between her legs at the stocks, looking up at her. A single finger rested on her body, just above her panty line, and she felt that now-familiar warmth building up inside of her. Unlike before, when it was a gradual build, though, this was quick, sudden. Within moments, Seren found herself at the edge of her orgasm, and in a moment, everything was silent.
At this point, nothing else was going on but Aknan and herself. The finger on her body started to lazily draw back and forth, just at the edge of her panty line, right at her hips. It tickled horribly, his finger feeling like it was on fire against her skin as she squealed and squeaked in response. She managed to get her eyes open long enough to see Athos across the camp, his body bathed in a white glow. Aknan, the satyr chief, was the only one left. He wasn't seeming to see this, though- his eyes were trained on her face, his gaze burning into her.
Both his fingers began to dance at that point, over her hips, and down between her legs. As they reached down further, she squealed in new surprise as the line between her thighs and ass was tickled gently, finding yet another sensitive spot on her. Aknan seemed to catch on, and his fingers began to tease mercilessly at the part of her ass he could reach, making her laugh and giggle breathlessly from having spent the last half-hour almost constantly doing so. After a bit, he let up, and returned his finger to her hips, where she could feel her orgasm right at the edge again. “Yes.” he said simply, and his finger slid down to over her clit, pressing in firmly.
Seren screamed when she came, her orgasm powerful as it reached her in waves. Almost instantly, Aknan disappeared, just as the other satyrs had, and Seren was left there with her arms above her, a little sore, still giggling and gasping for breath. “I-I'm sorry...” she breathed when she saw Athos approaching.
Athos shrugged while he started to undo the bindings that held her arms over her. “Don't worry about it.” he told her.
“So...” she began as she rotated her wrists to get the blood flowing again, her heart pounding, “You're not mad at me?”
“You won't do it again, right?” Athos gave her a pointed look.
“N-no...”
“Then we're fine.” he said as he unbound her feet, giving Seren her shoes to put back on. “Just listen to me, alright?” he asked with a chuckle. “It's fun to watch you, but I know it's a little torturous as well. At least we have a camp to rest at for the night.”
Seren shook her head, walking around to get the rest of her clothing, then turning to look at the fire. “You think it'll be alright to leave that up for the night?” she asked as Athos gathered a few things together and took a couple more bites of food. Her head was still spinning, which she chalked up to still being drunk. Athos nodded, so she waved at him, ducking her way into one of the tents to fall asleep on the bed inside.
