“Daemon was talking to that one ant girl with the really long hair,” Scay remembered. “It was really long and pretty. I really want to wear it. SO PRETTY AND RED!”
“Scay. Focus.”
“Stab.”
“No. Focus.”
“Nrrghmmm sorry,” Scay mumbled rubbing her face. “He and that ant girl were talking about something after he carried you here. I don’t know what-”
“He carried me here?” Tabitha questioned as she stopped moving.
“He carried you here after he healed you,” Forrus sharply explained. “It was only because of him that you lived from your injuries. The rest of us put your precious gold over in that crate, something I’m sure means more to you than what my lord did.”
Tabitha looked down to her body then back to the crate with a blank expression, pausing for a while before rummaging through its contents again with a slight murmur.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen now,” Scay said with a shrug. “We were just waiting for you to wake up so we could go find out.”
“And why were you waiting for me to wake up?” Tabitha asked looking back to Forrus.
“Because I’m your best friend,” Scay whined with teary eyes. “Tabitha, you know how much I care about you.”
“Not you. Her,” Tabitha clarified pointing to the lycan. “Why was she here too?”
“My lord requested one of us remain here to make sure you awoke and that your friend wouldn’t strangle you to death in your sleep,” Forrus muttered crossing her arms. “The others wasted not a second volunteering me for that role before they left with him.”
“Whatever,” Tabitha replied turning back to her crate. “I’m awake now, so you can go chase your tail or sniff out some buried bones.”
Forrus scoffed and walked over to the door, taking hold of the handle before looking back to see Tabitha pulling out her katanas and strapping them to her waist. The neko unsheathed the blades, examined them carefully for any imperfections, and then jingled her bells to open her magic storeroom.
“Tabitha?” Scay wondered as the neko struck her swords behind her and pierced the air. Tabitha remained silent while opening the magic tear, the cat’s eyes remaining locked onto the crate next to her while thinking about something.
Forrus shook her head and left the room, closing the door behind her while Tabitha locked her gateway open with another jingling of her bells. The neko’s lip flinched slightly before she struck one of her blades into the ground then reached into the crate with a growl. She pulled out the hammer she had loaned to Rulo during the fight, her eye focusing keenly on the mallet’s end where she noticed a chip in it.
“Tabitha?” Scay worried as the neko trembled a little with a low yowl. The naga then slowly curled up in her tail with a nervous whine as Tabitha turned to her with a furious glare that was downright frightening to her.
Forrus made her way down a tunnel with ant girls scurrying about in both directions, the monsters merely glancing to the lycan while passing by on both the floor and along the ceiling. Venturing deeper into the nest Forrus followed the path back to where the rest of her group were, taking one turn after another while ant girls continued rushing about with their duties and paying her no mind. She passed numerous tunnels that branched off in either direction while the winding corridor had only a few lanterns lit here and there along the way, something that Forrus didn’t mind as she could see in the dark easily enough, although it did make her wonder who the lights were for since ant girls didn’t need them either.
After a while of walking and having to turn around a few times as she found several dead-ends in the underground labyrinth she came to a large cavern that had been dug out by the ant girls. The cave was illuminated by a few phosphorous rocks that glowed softly along the walls, but mostly by large chandeliers that were hung from above with thick chains. Of course they weren’t typical ones seen in human or monster estates, instead they were simply steel cages fashioned into rings with rocks that were lit aflame inside them. Below the brightly lit ceiling were ant girls gathered all over in many groups, some being seated at tables set up off to the side where crates and urns were kept aside while others were seen on overlooks above the main floor while squeaking at one another in talkative clusters. A large crowd of ant girls was seen squeaking in excitement at something on the lower floor while those above were also watching with cheers and swinging their fists around. Adjoining tunnels allowed more ant girls to enter and leave from all directions, the underground nexus being set up like a crude tavern for the workers to rest, eat and drink, chat, or in many cases get into fights which were breaking out in higher numbers than most taverns had.
“What’s with these ant girls?” Forrus wondered as she stopped suddenly, watching as two of the squeaking monsters tumbled onto the ground before her with fists being thrown at one another. One of the ant girls managed to get atop the other and started beating blood and sweat off the face of the other with sharp squeaks, the surrounding ant girls only cheering her on while lifting glasses in salute and doing nothing to help their fellow monster who was being beaten senseless before them. A few more heavy hits were made before the girl underneath collapsed, the one atop then squeaking loudly while holding her fists up in triumph. She hopped off the beaten monster and walked over to her friends that cheered and handed her a pint with a foamy beverage inside.
“I wasn’t aware ant girls were so barbaric,” Forrus commented as she stepped around the poor girl who was twitching slightly on the floor. Making her way deeper into the crowd of squeaking ant girls she saw two more fights suddenly break out, one involving an ant girl being thrown into a table with a crash while another was hurled over into the wall with a loud thud.
“They’re savages,” Forrus realized.
“Close to it,” Sasha commented. The lycan turned to see the reptile girl up ahead having her large broad sword held over her shoulder while under her foot was an ant girl that was squeaking weakly with a bruised face. Sasha gave the monster a hard shove against the stomach before walking off, the beaten monster rolling onto her side with a groan while nearby ant girls again cheered in approval.
“They are certainly not like most ant girls,” she continued as she and Forrus made their way through a large crowd of squeaking monsters. “They seem to love fighting and testing their strength with those around them. That was the second ant girl I had to beat down simply for being here.”
“I see,” Forrus replied while carefully glancing around. The ant girls they passed took notice of them for a moment with challenging smiles that made the lycan wonder when they might ‘test their strength’ with her. However none did, instead they all resumed watching the same thing ahead of them that Sasha and Forrus came to see when coming up to the front of the gathering.
“Haha!” Rulo laughed while punching an ant girl hard across her face, the battered monster being thrown back into a tumble while two more rushed the orc. “This is kinda fun!”
“Fun?” Forrus questioned as she watched the ant girls taking their swings at Rulo, hitting her shoulder and face with hard impacts that only knocked the grinning girl back a bit before she grabbed one of the monsters by the hair and lifted her up.
“Not bad, bug,” she taunted before punching the ant girl away in the chest. Turning around she swung her fist into the other’s face, knocking her away at equal speed. The two monsters crashed into other ant girls while those around laughed and squeaked in amusement.
“Yeah!” Rulo yelled holding her fists up. The ant girls held theirs up with squeaks and enthusiastic screeches while the three ant girls who faced off against the orc struggled to get back up again. Rulo oinked and shook her hands together above her head in triumph then saw Sasha and Forrus standing at the front of the cheering crowd watching her.
“Isn’t this place great?” she asked. “I’m having a ball here.”
“Like I said, savages,” Forrus flatly repeated.
“We’re just havi
ng some fun,” Rulo snorted. She then took a pint handed to her by an ant girl, gulped it down, then held the monster around the neck while holding the empty glass up high. “I love this place!”
The ant girls squeaked while hopping about as the orc dragged the one she was holding around in a large stride, the monster squeaking with a weak smile on her face as she tried to pry herself free.
“So they love beating each other up for the hell of it?” Forrus asked.
“Not for the hell of it,” Sasha said looking around at seeing three more fights breaking out amongst the underground monsters. “Master explained to me what that lieutenant told him about their nest. They pride themselves on strength very much so. Even the workers need to be strong warriors in their colony. These fights you see happening aren’t being made out of spite, but rather to prove that they’re strong to one another. They appear to do this quite often too, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
Forrus nodded as she looked at the three ant girls who had collapsed on the ground from fighting Rulo. The monsters were now being swarmed by their sisters, with each of the downed fighters being lifted up and held by many of their kin. However they weren’t being resented by their kin for losing, instead their sisters were quickly licking and kissing them wildly all over. The weakened monsters couldn’t even moan in pleasure with their kin pushing their tongues into their mouths forcibly nor could free themselves if they wished to as they were firmly held in place. Their bloodied clothing was ripped off, their bodies were licked all over to relieve the pain and help heal their injuries, and new tunics were being brought over for them to dress in once they were done being tended to by their family.
“What are they doing to her?” Forrus wondered as she saw an ant girl actually eating out her weakened kin, the monster’s legs dangling over her shoulders while kicking now and again.
“They’re easing her pain,” Sasha explained. “Ant girls have saliva that is well-known to treat wounds and give extreme pleasure; they’re using that to heal each other after the fights. Even though that girl lost just now she’s still part of their nest, and as such is cared for when hurt. She’ll likely try fighting someone else again once she’s able to stand to prove herself, that’s their way after all.”
Forrus looked around to seeing the other wounded ant girls they had passed receiving similar treatment from their sisters. It appeared to be forced treatment, evidenced by some of the ant girls holding the arms and legs still of their downed kin while their clothing was essentially ripped off their bodies and tossed aside. With the way the monsters were passionately licking, kissing, and moving their mouths all over their wounded friends it was clear that losing a fight didn’t mean isolation from their nest, however it did mean that they were going to be treated for their injuries no matter what. But there did appear to be a penalty for losing that shortly went into effect afterwards.
“What are they doing now?” Forrus asked as she saw the three ant girls from Rulo’s fight then being held up in the air while they weakly squeaked and shook their heads nervously. Their kin finished licking them all over, taking the pain from their physical wounds away, and then showed mean grins at the losers while holding their arms up above them and spreading their legs to either side. Sasha and Forrus saw the ant girls then groping the losers from behind while a few hands reached down to start roughly fingering both holes of the blushing monsters.
“Humiliating them,” Sasha answered as they watched the three losers squeaking and shaking their heads as they were presented to all their sisters while being fondled and fingered relentlessly. Their breasts were roughly squeezed and pinched, their hips trembled and shook about, their abdomens were scratched repeatedly, and one of the poor girls even squirted as she squeaked with a flushed face. The surrounding ant girls appeared to be laughing while pointing at the losers, all of them squeaking with amused smiles as the detained girls were forced to climax over and over again in front of them in provocative positions.
“Humiliating them?” Forrus repeated as she saw the same punishment being administered to the other ant girls who lost their matches earlier. The monsters squeaked with deep blushes and tried to free themselves to no avail as they were presented to all their kin and fondled by fellow ant girls with lustful grins.
“They value strength,” Sasha reminded her. “The ant girl my master spoke to explained this after we witnessed it for the first time down here. Should they lose a competition they are humiliated as punishment for being weak. Should they not challenge anyone to a fight for over a week they are punished for that as well. These ant girls are trained and encouraged to fight. It’s part of their lives just as much as digging is.”
“They are certainly different from most ant girls,” Forrus agreed as she averted her eyes from two more ant girls squirting in front of their kin while being punished.
“Very much so,” Sasha agreed. She glanced around then turned to the lycan questionably as they walked off into the crowd away from the ant girls who were being publicly shamed. “Where are Tabitha and Scay?”
“The cat’s awake and handling all her gold at the moment,” Forrus scoffed. “I did what was asked by my lord and made sure she lived through her slumber, what happens to her now isn’t my concern in the slightest. I can’t say enough how much I hate having that filthy neko traveling with us.”
“Still, that’s twice she proved useful to us,” Sasha commented with a shrug. “She managed to procure two key fragments for my master and provided weapons for us to fight with earlier. Her reasons for accompanying us may be selfish and dishonorable but it seems to have worked out in our favor.”
“I suppose,” Forrus muttered crossing her arms. “She did claim two pieces of that key for my lord with her conniving and thievery. I still despise having to tolerate her being near us, especially with that horrible scent she has.”
“Can’t be any worse than hers,” Sasha flatly said as they watched Rulo marching about with a fist held high and ant girls squeaking excitedly around her.
“Haha!” Rulo heartily laughed before turning to face the ant girls and tossing her glass aside. “You bugs certainly know how to have fun down here, I’m impressed. Still, I’m a woman of unbridled fire and need more of a challenge than this in a fight. Who here thinks they can take me on?”
A group of ant girls squeaked loudly with daring grins, the monsters smacking fists into their palms and cracking their knuckles as the rest of their kin quickly backed up and surrounded them with cheers and squeaks. Sasha and Forrus stood at the front of the gathering with raised eyebrows at the orc who was flexing her arm and patting her muscle with a proud smile.
“You’re going to need all the help you can get to beat me,” she dared before flexing both arms in the air. “My master taught me to fight better than any orc in Eden, I’m like a super orc! Bring it on, all of you, there’s nobody who can beat me down!”
“Didn’t you-” Forrus mentioned to Sasha before she held up a hand to halt that factual statement while nodding with a dull expression.
Rulo snorted and got ready to battle while the ant girls before her tensed up and prepared to charge. The surrounding ant girls squeaked and hopped about as they watched the match with heated excitement. With another loud laugh Rulo flexed her arms once more before suddenly being struck from behind with a loud whack, her head snapping forward for a moment as she wavered off-balance. Everyone stopped and watched curiously as the orc dropped to her knees with a dazed smile on her face while her head rolled around. Rulo staggered onto her feet and turned around just before taking a hard blow to the face, knocking her onto her rear with a grunt while all eyes took notice of someone standing before the orc with a golden hammer held in her furry hand.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” Tabitha yelled out with such ferocity and power that every single ant girl in the cave halted and turned to look. The extremely furious neko was standing before Rulo while Scay was behind her along with other ant girls who could swear they felt a Dar
ker One’s merciless aura coming from the pissed off feline.
“Wha… Tabitha?” Rulo groaned while her vision slowly focused again.
“What is this? What is THIS?” Tabitha demanded as she pointed to the hammer. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Was that it? Did you think you could get away with it?”
“What are you-” Rulo asked before the neko tackled her to the ground and started beating her relentlessly with the hammer, striking her face and knocking her hands away repeatedly while screaming with a long yowl.
“You chipped it! You chipped it! You damaged my lovely treasure, you filthy, dirty, fucking pig! YARRHHH! You ruined it! Now all its good for is beating the shit out of assholes like you!”
Rulo screamed as she flailed around under the neko, all eyes watching in surprise as Tabitha struck the orc over and over again before winding back for a big hit.
“You’ll pay for this!” Tabitha yelled while holding Rulo’s collar chain. She got ready to bash the orc’s face in before a sharp clang echoed out along with the mallet’s top being sliced off with a flash. Tabitha jumped and looked to the severed handle she was holding then up at seeing Daemon standing over them with his sword held out in his gloved hand.
“Stop doing that to her,” he requested while watching the cat with a cold stare.
“She damaged my treasure!” Tabitha shouted. “Do you have any idea how much it was worth?”
“Is it worth the same as your life? Because if you attack her like that again you will lose yours.”
“But-”
“Get off her,” Daemon ordered holding his blade out to her face. “Right now.”
Tabitha stared at the sword with wide eyes then him before slowly getting up and backing away. Rulo slowly sat up rubbing her face then snarled at the neko with blood coming from her nose.
Chronicles of Eden - Act X Page 32
