The Hunger of the Crimson Queen - Chapter 2
 
 
The Mansion of the Arkano household was an elaborate oddity among the more traditional styles of buildings with the area of its residence. Vudrani curves and fixtures dominated the environment while numerous statues of exotic animals and warriors from the far eastern lands played the role of silent watchers as the squadron of gray maidens approached the structure. Light glimmered inside a jovial atmosphere of decadent festivity. Adjusting their helmets, the Maidens prepared themselves. However, instead of being greeted with armed guards, the smiling face and welcoming arms of Glorio Arkano greeted them. Allowing themselves to relax, they ended into the decadent and opulent mansion. After some time, they were invited to head into the dungeons to retrieve their target. It seemed so easy. “Of course the arkanos family would have set up a trap for us. I hate This stupid spinning labrinth.” Magdalene cursed as she held back the monstrous Dark sphinx with her shield. Her companions we split between assisting her in melee, healing themselves, or hurling spells at the monstrous creature. “Anything you can do to stop this thing from shredding me is most appreciated.” Felrah, the tiefling mage, unleashed another surge of magic, a bolt of lightning that dissipated immediately upon impacting with her. “Damn things resisting my spells.” The creatures savage claws bit deeper into the shield, before suddenly stopping, its claws pulling back, as Magdalene steadied herself to her feet, the massive paws lifting from shield. The creatures eyes a glow as they glanced across, to see a dark haired and dark skinned woman gesturing towards the dark sphinx, her voice resounding with power. “You shouldn’t kill them Sivit. These people might be exactly what we need in this current situation.” The maidens studied their savior with great care. “Who are you?” the woman smiled, her eyes glinting with a very predatory cunning. “My name is Meliya Arkanos, though at this point even a fool could likely grasp that my brother is hiding far more than appears.” Morag staggered back from the wall she was slammed into prior. “Your Rahksha’s. The queens mage revealed as much.” the woman smiled, her features taking on those of a fox. “Well then, I suppose we can be more open in our intentions. I need your help. And no doubt you are going to need mine...” the maidens tightened their grips on their weapons. "And why should we trust you? You could be working with your brother to kill us." The gears in the labyrinth shifted as the mechanisms were turned again. "Because at this point, I doubt you have any other choice to survive."
 
The muffled moans and pleading cries of the women vibrated through Ileosa’s body, the flickering candle light rippling like water over the queens bare skin, the shadows dappling the curves of her belly. Nearby her bodyguard stood watching her, her gaze drawn towards the beauty of her form with a mixture of intense attraction and a gravitational revulsion. with a regal soft hand, ileosa patted the bed. “Come my dear Sabina. Will you not join me?” The guard shifted nervously. “It would be a poor decision to set such a precedent. Besides, I have been wondering about something.” Ileosa caught her gaze, and as if reading her mind, responded. “Your concerned about the direction my rule and person has taken. Rest assured, I am aware of the risks. But consider the necessity. I have seen visions night after night, each more vivid and harsh than the last. I see the city in discord, and a group of traitorous figures turning a cruel blade upon me, murdering me. There is only one course to prevent this dark fate. I must become stronger, and prevent these traitors from completing their task.” Sabina came closer to the queen, taking her hand. “I am sorry. Had I known the stress that you were under…” the queen's hand stilled her lips, then she removed the blank faced helm, revealing the scarred face beneath. “I know you understand. For now we are not simply a queen and her bodyguard. You are my companion, my lover. And the sensations that we have should be shared to between us in equal fashion.” A hand reached a special clasp on Sabinas armour, the heavy plate falling away as the queen gently pulled her lover onto the bed, eyes burning with passion. Reaching to the side, she gestured for a group of women to step forward, eyes glazed with magical charms. “I know you have been skipping meals today, so I thought perhaps these folk could help fill that emptiness inside.” Sabina stared at the sight, mouth starting to water as her stomach let out a growl. Her mind knew it was wrong...but...she felt her hands reach out towards one of them, her jaws part...and such sweet supple flesh filling her mouth and gullet. Heavy swallows began as ileosa watched in approval, a smile playing on her lips as her bodyguard let herself become the Final resting place for these women, as one by one the others followed the same path of the first. As the last reached her destination Sabina moaned, her body falling back under the sudden change in weight, and hands almost instinctively caressing her bulging stomach, the queen climbing atop her as her hands weaved a spell. Their stomachs softening and erupting with the sounds of loud gurgles, masked only by their own passionate cries as Ileosa and Sabina fucked the night away.
 
 
A crowd of gathered onlookers cry out the lines of ‘murderer’, ‘King Slayer’, and ‘traitor’. The young artist shivers in her prison clothes as she is led to the block. The queen watches with a satisfied smirk as she gives the order. “Off with her head.” the executioners hands grasp her and drag her into position beneath the long knives razor edge, yet before her head can be severed, a voice calls out as a flash of steel strikes the executioner's shoulder. A man in a hood, mask and cloak rises to the stand and strikes her bonds free. With the words ``Down with the queen.” hanging in the air, as the hero of the people, Blackjack, strikes down the executioner and drags her free from the stage. She runs with him, her heart racing as they clamber the hanging banner of the queen's castle and the pair launch themselves from the walls. Then suddenly red silhouettes are upon them. Figures grasp the pair and in seconds overpower them. The relief and feeling of freedom replaced by fear, despair and dread. Scenes change quickly soon they are before the queen throne, bound and in chains. The queen rises and glides over to her, taking her face in her hands. “Foolish child. To think you could escape me. No matter how long your allies and friends search for you, they will never learn what really happened to you.” the queens smiling face takes on a sadistic grin before her mouth spreads open wide, her jaws engulfing the artist's head. Her fingers explore and hook behind the artists rear, forcing an involuntary gasp to erupt from her mouth. With fluid effortless motions, the queen pushed Trina into her maw, savoured for several minutes, then swallowed. Her neck bulged as the unfortunate rebellious artist passed down her gullet, her stomach stretching to accommodate the woman's figure. A belch resounded from the queen’s lips, as the royals hands pressed and rubbed into the artist’s skin. “Ah...such a delicacy. And a perfect method of execution”. From beneath the skin, the squirming of the artist began in earnest. Her eyes glancing around wildly, before being drawn to her skin, her body was softening as the tyrant’s laugh resounded within her body. “Oh my little morsel, you see what is occurring to you. Soon enough all that you are and were, that will be taken into me. As for your Foolish rescuer, I am sure the leader of the red mantis will enjoy him”. Trivia could feel herself fading, the heat was overwhelming, the sound of loud gurgles resounding in her ears, for a moment she was seeing through the queen's eyes as a figure in red armour consigns the hero blackjack to a gastric fate of his own.
 
 
Trinia awoke with a start. Her panicked gaze flitted around as she realised she was awakening into another potential nightmare. As if materialising from her dreams, the same masked and armoured figures were looming over her. Panic provoked her muscles to move for freedom, but soon her body felt the sudden sharp shock of pain followed by a tingling of magic. Everything seemed to grow larger in her vision, as an armoured hand snatched her from where she was struggling to comprehend what was occurring. The hand deposited her into a container, a transparent prison of glass, where beyond the giant figures talked amongst themselves, a constant rocking and swaying leaving her unable to regain what footing she could have used to escape. Voices resounded from the figures. “For someone who managed to escape the city with numerous patrols of the Korvosan guard, she was remarkably easy to catch. Still, I won’t say providence never delivered us nothing. Alright...the rest of us prepare to greet those would be heroes, Kanala here will deliver our little bottled bard back to korvosa. Journey should take at most a month to complete.” Trinia panicked… beating against the glass with her fists, but to no avail. The lurching sensation of movement occurred again as she was handed over. A woman with red armour and pale green eyes took her into her bag. Darkness surrounded her. The bag swayed as her carrier walked for the closest form of access back to korvosa. The city of Kaer maga. Trinia had passed through there on her way to take refuge in the cinderlands. Her experience had left her dazed and confused by a city that seemed to be nearly always in motion. How strange it felt to be passing back through again, only on her way towards certain death. She curled into a ball as the sounds of the hustle and bustle of hundreds of creatures of various races...some benign, some wretched, and some truly monstrous. The swaying motions lulling her towards sleep. A sudden lurching and a slam roused her from her slumber as bright light surrounded her. Not daylight, but more the illumination of a nearby lamp. Like a startled mouse she turned and saw her location, what appeared to be the inside of a tavern. Massive tankards were being quaffed by giant figures with pointed ears and slender frames, while a similarly sized lady attended a pole with the style and grace of a Calistrian acrobat, her overly generous bosom heaving and bouncing, and the pink flushed features of one already deep into her cups. Her captor was similarly drunk, the massive bag Trinia had been carried in was on the chair nearby, while the drunk assassin was experimenting with the various potions, adding some to her drink then taking a swig from her tankard. But importantly for Trinia...the assassin was distracted, and Trinia was stable enough to try and find purchase. Years of navigating the rooftops, rafters and narrow alleys had given her a talent for finding ways up to the openings where few holds could be found. With the drive of a person with little to lose...she propelled herself to the cork blocking her escape, planting her feet to stop her decent. Carefully she eased the cork lose, and worked her way atop her glass prison, but as she did so, the assassins arm struck the bottle and she was flung to a vial which tipped, toppling both the artist and its contents into a multi hued beverage. The alcohol dumped her reflexes and vision, her body tingling as she clumsily swam for the surface as she was soon feeling the feeling of movement once more, she only caught sight of a pair of lips before...a dark moist feeling of flesh surrounded her, her body bombarded with saliva and jostled around on the tongue before...it tipped. A loud gluck of a swallow throbbed in her ears as she was dragged down a fleshy slender gullet and dumped into a chamber filled with fluids that tingle at her skin, dark and the sound of various gastric noises, her new captors heartbeat throbbing in the darkness, movement jostling and sloshing her around, with only the energy to register a loud if feminine belch before she blacked out.
 
 
Staggering into her room at the inn, bag haphazardly stuffed, Kanala had enjoyed her evening celebrations. She had enjoyed the performance of that dancer and the ales had left her tingling from head to toe. A pity her captive wouldn’t get to taste a drop...though if she was going to be heading to korvosa in a week's time, a last drink for her couldn’t hurt. One last taste of liquor to numb the senses… before she would be subsisting of water till she was personally handed to the queen. Kanala felt her mind turn to visions rich with perverse thoughts, hot scenes of the queen sadistically tormenting the helpless bard before consuming her forever. She grinned as she reached for the bottle with her tiny prisoner...before her grin mutated into a look of terror. It was empty...the stopper was on...she was sure. Her mind raced back through the blur. Something had tipped one of her potions… as with gears suddenly greased with dread she realised what had done that. Her package was missing, and it would not be hard to figure out who would take the blame. Visions flooded her mind of the consequences intermingled with warped visions of her fantasies before, only with her former prisoner replaced with her. She shuddered at those visions as she resolved herself. She had nearly 21 days. After that...nothing would keep her visions from coming to pass. As Desna robbed her of consciousness, Kalana prayed that her dreams would be without night terrors.
 
 
Themara arrived home late, as usual. Her night had overall felt remarkably pleasant, her tips had been slightly higher yield than most, with a sizable reserve of gold to help keep her in house and home for another month or so. That cocktail had been a real game changer, the flavour so unique and the feeling in her stomach made her all tingly inside. She would need to ask the barkeep about it the next time she went in. Helping herself to a simple dinner of mashed potato and root vegetables with some leftover stew. Her tummy seemed to feel unusual as the food arrived in her belly. The curious sensations that provoked another belch from her lips. Downing some wine to settle her stomach, the tired elf stretched and settled beneath the covers of her bed. As sleep claimed her consciousness, strange dreams manifested. Sensual images of the gods engaged in various acts of consumption, bellies swollen with prey danced before her eyes as the night rolled towards the dawn of a new day.