The Fattening Harem

[Borghen]

Very good descriptions! I always appreciate an athletic woman who assesses her weight gain: her reactions, her thoughts, her expectations... This is so far my favorite chapter! 🤩 Not to mention the final cliffhanger.

On a side note, the layout of this compound isn't 100% clear. The starters are gathered in a cave and Zaiva exits through the roof, that's clear. But why are the orcs chasing her in the courtyard? She should be safe above them. Am I missing a step?

[>_< 0_0]

On 11/15/2023 at 3:03 AM, Borghen said:

Very good descriptions! I always appreciate an athletic woman who assesses her weight gain: her reactions, her thoughts, her expectations... This is so far my favorite chapter! 🤩 Not to mention the final cliffhanger.

On a side note, the layout of this compound isn't 100% clear. The starters are gathered in a cave and Zaiva exits through the roof, that's clear. But why are the orcs chasing her in the courtyard? She should be safe above them. Am I missing a step?

Well see... the orcs don't need to catch Zaiva on the roof for her to be finished. If they can so much as get a clear view of her and find out who she is, there's nowhere she can go at that point because she can't find a way out of the Starter Resort. Besides that, the resort's layout is rather beautiful in my imagination and I'm tempted to draw it for everyone to look at.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Three

               The kilted-orc stared me down, a strange look crossing her face that I couldn’t discern in the darkness. The glint of white around her pupils was reminiscent of a nocturnal beast cornering its prey. I stared back, a dozen escape plans and fighting techniques racing through my mind and utterly extinguished by that indiscernible look in her eyes. I was finished. Even if I escaped – even if I beat her into submission – I was finished! I was wholly at her mercy, my fate decided by whatever words she spoke next!

               “Turn around.”

               Her words were cold and felt like knives under my skin. I’d been looking at her through the mirror’s reflection, but now I slowly turned around till I was facing. I may only have only torn through my pigskin to reveal cleavage and upper thighs, but with the way her eyes traced down my whole body, I felt fully naked.

               The kilted-orc prowled her way towards me, every step a heavy thud against the tiled floor. She was circling me now, positioning herself behind me, but I dared not move. My body was tingling and as I stared down towards my freshly-exposed breasts, I found their tops riddled with goosebumps. I was petrified, waiting for a blow that could strike at any time.

               “Move.”

               Move? What did this sword-sworn veteran want with me? I couldn’t do anything except obey. Heart racing, I slowly stepped forward.

               “Out the door.”

               I followed her order and stepped outside into the cold night air.

               “Walk.”

               Onwards I went, acutely aware that no other orcs were in sight. Only the sound of the kilted-orc’s booted footsteps disturbed the silence. We were at the edge of the courtyard now, approaching a path that trailed deeper into the Starter Resort and up the mountainside.

               “Left.”

               Now we were on that winding, uphill path, surrounded on both sides by square, sandstone living quarters. The path turned to stairs as it progressed, and I stumbled more than once as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Faintly-flickering, rectangular orange glows betrayed the outlines of shuttered windows – the only sign of movement.

               Onwards I climbed, the stairway steepening as the structures began to stack upon one another. At last, the stairs ended, for we’d reached the face of the mountain – but the path continued. A rope ladder hung from a small structure carved into the mountain – the highest in the resort.

               “Get up.”

               I began to climb. Rope ladders were always difficult, and I found myself swinging as I worked towards the open hatch. To my surprise, I felt the ropes stiffen and stretch taut as the kilted orc climbed after me. She was clearly not giving me any chance to escape. If only I knew how! But every scenario I could think of ended ill for me. It was enough to make anyone panic.

               But not I.

               I was Zaiva, an esteemed, near-legendary assassin more capable than five sword-sworn orcs combined. I’d slain mermaids while drowning, climbed the highest walls, and even ridden a flying wyrm by the hilt of my blade wedged deep into its chest. This fear in my soul was an expected foe I knew how to deal with. My moment  of opportunity would come, and when it did, I would channel this fear into my fists. Yes, my moment was coming…. It had to…

               But for now… I went through the hatch and into what looked like a bedroom. I looked about and searched silently for anything I could use against my captor. What I found was a simple dwelling with sparce furniture. War trophies and memorabilia were scattered all over, from a rack of foreign coin on the dresser to a hollowed skull on a small desk carved into a mug. A mount display of a full set of orcish armour in the corner gave me hope of finding a matching weapon, but alas, there were none.

               So focused I was on escaping, I didn’t notice the kilted-orc entering the room behind me and locking the hatch until it was too late. Now I was truly trapped, locked in a high perch with no way out.

               “Get in the bed.”

               I stiffened. Her voice was different than before – less guttural and smoother akin to a conversational tone. Yet somehow, she had never sounded so dangerous. To have a vicious sword-sworn that had shown no signs of humanity suddenly speak so quietly defied the order of the world itself. It was terrifying.

               “Bed. Now.”

               The subtle barb in her tone goaded me back into action. I approached the bed and suddenly realized the ramifications of her command. Was I to lie upon the sheets or slip under the covers? I opted to sit on the side and face her directly. There was something very wrong with all this.

               She turned sideways to light more torches in the room with the one that had been burning by itself. Her keen eyes shot cautiously toward me all the while, that strange, hungry look glinting within them. As the flames flickered, shadows contorted and shook across the room.

               “So we’ve got a drow here,” she said as she mounted the torch back in its slot. “Been a while since I’ve seen one… what’s your name, dirt elf?”

               “Zaiva,” I swallowed as I found my mouth dry. “No last name.”

               Slowly, the kilted-orc turned to face me, grinning ghoulishly and revealing a jagged double-row of cragged teeth.

               “Zaiva…” she approached, towering over me. “That’s a drow name alright. I heard your kind name their firstborn after themselves.”

               “Perhaps.”

               “Don’t lie to me. I know… and it happens your name is familiar to me.”

               I didn’t answer. The glint in the orc’s eyes wass burning now, dangerously hot like the sun itself. I feared she would strike me, but like a sunset, she turned slowly away, walking towards the set of armour.

               “I am a sword-sworn,” she said thoughtfully. “Servant of Sultan Ibrahim and chained by honour. With unfaltering courage, I have committed to putting my sultan’s enemies to the sword for fifteen long years. I’ve razed, raided, and enslaved countless races and peoples. Elves, dwarves, halflings, other orcs, humans… but only once have I fought drow.”

               She lifted the helm off the mounted display and stared into its eye sockets. It was a grizzly mask of a helm, a crude patchwork of leather with two straps hanging low on either side of a bare muzzle per orcish tradition. Also per tradition were multiple ropes of hair coiling back from its top – the hair of shaven enemies.

               “It was ten years ago,” she inspected a rope of white hair like my own. “We were raiding a magma chamber and followed it to a vast volcanic lair – the lair of a drow duchess named Zaiva. The screams as we torched it all… oh, what a glorious night… you remember it too, don’t you?”

               “No…”

               She sprung upon me in an instant. Suddenly, I was shoved back against the bed with her mounting my waist. With one hand, she held my throat and with the other one held the orcish helm by that silvery rope of hair.

               “Do you recognize your father’s hair!?”

               “No! No!”

               “The hair I scalped from his head? Do you remember your mother screaming as we beat her to her knees as you stared at me from your pathetic hiding space in the porous rockface before fleeing in terror?”

               “No! No, I can’t! I can’t!”

               She suddenly released my throat and lay the helm upon her head, yanking it by the long flaps till her eyes and teeth were all I could see.

               “And do you remember this face? Do you? Look at it! Remember looking back for a last glimpse of your old life only to see me staring back? It was I who enslaved your parents, Zaiva! I, Lesh-gotha, of the Grizzly Clan, Gunnery Sergeant in Wolf Unit Epsilon, took your parents and possessions – and now I have you. Your body is mine – mine!”

               The kilted-orc named Lesh-gotha reached down to her belt and retrieved a stick of what appeared to be cinnamon, but was a pale yellow colour.

               “You see this?” she held it in front of my face and my nose caught a whiff of some sickly-sweet odour. “This is Brennar’s Bark – the active ingredient for Milking Potion. It’s diluted in gallons of fluid before being used on cattle. Just this strip is enough to turn a soft drow like you into a pair of leaking milk-sacks.”

               Lesh ran her free hand across my shoulder and groped greedily at my freshly-exposed cleavage.

               “Now you’re to eat this bark and your breasts will swell sorely. It will take time for them to grow, for they will need to be properly watered and fed. That purple juice you saw in the kitchen will take care of that. And then? Then you’ll grow into a pair of tits so huge you could never run even if you wanted to, and then you will truly be mine – my own personal drow-cow – and you’ll never see the sun again – much less the Harem. What say you?”

               I said nothing, for I was too focused on snaking my leg around hers. Too late, she sensed trap I’d lured her into with my feigned frightfulness, and with a buck of my hips and twist of my body, I was suddenly atop her, our roles completely reversed.

               “Off!” she snarled. “Get off – no!”

               But she was powerless to stop me – me, not a helpless beggar as she’d thought, but a trained assassin. Too late, the huntress realized she’d been hunted. Now my fingers made quick work around her own, prying the Brennar’s Bark from her grasp and shoving it down her snarling throat – fist and all.

               “Swallow it, boot,” I used the slur used by commanders of the sword-sworn for the first time. “I’m not taking my fist out till I feel you do.”

               Recognition flashed in her eyes, and with it, primal hatred of the masters who had enslaved her kind so long ago. She resisted, but the bark was crumbling away, dissolving into her saliva.

               As she squirmed and gnashed her tusks around my hand, I leaned close, eyes inches from hers.

               “My mother used to beat me as you’d beaten her,” I said in a low, level tone. “And my father did worse – when he was home. Yes… I remember that night well – the first night of my freedom; the first night I tasted blood; the night I killed two orcs in their sleep and discovered I was good at it. Yes… you remember their deaths too. I can see it in your eyes.”

               Lesh bit hard upon my hand to the point of drawing blood, yet still I showed no mercy. The bark was near-completely dissolved, and its effects were starting to show as her nipples pricked and hardened against her clothes.

               “You sword-sworn are all the same,” I mocked her. “All talk and attitude. It’s been near thirty-two years since you won a real war and that was with the help of the army. Glorified raiders the lot of you.”

               Lesh growled, but it came as a faint gurgle. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the tips of her nipples began moistening with milk. The bark’s effects were truly quick.

               “You can be louder than that,” I taunted. “But you can’t… can you? What would happen if you were seen fraternizing with a starter like my, hm? And this bark… surely such a rare, potent ingredient must be worth a fortune you can’t afford – unless it was stolen.”

               Tsking, I lay a hand over her moistened breast and gave it a squeeze. “Now these are primed to grow nicely. You’ll no doubt find your appetite will increase as your lean, muscled body becomes a milking heifer, and with every bite your breasts will swell ever larger, fatter, and milkier. Dare you try to hide it or stop it? Who knows when it will stop, but whatever happens, you could always run away…”

               When I removed my hand, Lesh was seething yet silent. She knew I was in control now.

               “Now you listen here, boot,” I dismounted her and made my way to the hatch. “I’d toyed with escaping this hell resort of yours, but as you can tell, I burst my pigskin. I have a better plan: I’m heading back to my Pen and getting some sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll do your thing and take me away to wherever stuffers go – and if you so much as breathe wrong, I’ll tell everyone what you did tonight.”

               With that, I slipped down the hatch and left the kilted orc named Lesh-gotha to ponder her imminent fate.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Four

               At last, I returned to the Pen’s roof and stifled a yawn. It had been a long, productive night and all I could think of was laying down and getting whatever precious time sleep I could. Yet it seemed I wasn’t the only one so inclined, for as I peered down into the Pen from the roof, I found Cinder had fallen asleep!

               “Cinder…” I grumbled to myself. “How do I get inside now?”

               The half-giantess had curled her body halfway around the fire, her pale, white skin flickering orange in the warm firelight. It was useless to try waking her now.

               I had only one choice remaining to me: it was time for me to jump. The fall wouldn’t be an issue; I’d trained for years how to leap long distances without breaking any limbs. No, it was the sound of my landing that gave me pause. How many would stir at the sound of it? Was there a chance I could stick the landing silently? It was useless to speculate. I would have to leap before I looked, as the old saying goes.

               And so, with a light jump, I landed in the white ash next to the fire – the softest place I could land. The ash muffled my landing, but plumbed into a dusty cloud that mushroomed to the ceiling. I couldn’t help myself from wretching as the ash swirled  around me like a genie released from a bottle.

               It wasn’t long before the whole room was gagging. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear their cries.

“Gods…” Seerah’s voice wheezed. “What happened?”

“I can’t see!” said another.

“It’s ** us!” Victoria’s voice cried-out. “Who’s turn was it? Who was on firewatch?”

“Ah’m sowry…” Cinder stifled a cough.

Victoria struggled to even breathe before answering. “You dumb oaf!” she interrupted herself with a sneeze. “What did you do?”

“Uh…”

“Did you try to blow into – achoo – into the fire?”

“I sowrt of fewll into slumber…”

“Ugh, it’s everywhere!”

I heard all this wretching, hacking, and more, yet only now did I begin to glimpse the outlines of the other starters rolling around the floor. The ash was finally beginning to settle.

“Ohh, it’s all in my hair!” Victoria whined. “And this is all so ridiculous – utterly ridiculous! And it’s all because some giant oaf rolled her giant ass into the –”

“Wait, Vicky,” Seerah’s outline peered through the smoke into my direction. “Who’s that?”

“What?” Victoria pried ashy strands from her face to look.

“That woman there… hello! Who’s standing by the fire?”

“I don’t see what’s so important…”

“Look! Look at her outfit! It’s all yellow! And… and… it’s Zaiva! Oh, look everyone, look! Zaiva’s bursted! She burst!”

My ashen cover blown, I had no choice but to step forward with all the pride I could muster and own the situation I’d literally fallen into.

“It is I,” I set my hands upon my half-exposed hips. “And yes: the ash was my fault. I…”

“Ohh, so you burst in your sleep!” Seerah clapped her hands with delight. “I’m so proud of you! Your thighs must have exploded out of your pigskin and churned all that ash into the air. That makes sense!”

“I…” I was awestruck at my luck. “Uh… yes. That’s exactly what happened.”

Now the whole Pen was abuzz with excitement. Girls gathered round me, grabbing and pawing at my new garb like I were some legendary hero returned to life.

“She’s different from the others,” said one groping admirer.

“Yes,” said another as she touched every bit of bare skin she could reach. “The chest has parted like the first girl, but her thighs… the thighs are new…”

“And it’s yellow,” said yet another. “Her pigskin turned yellow!”

I stood in their midst and let them prod and pet me, unsure how to act. I’d been so sure I’d been caught escaping, yet it seemed the cover of the ashy plume had saved me. Only Cinder knew where I’d been, and it seemed she was too awestruck with my new outfit to care – as was everyone.

There were, however, two girls unfazed by my transformation. One of them was Victoria, who gawked at me with her arms folded in disbelief.

“How?” she asked me. “Why? Why you and not me?”

I stared back at her, basking in attention, and smiled. “Do you truly want to know?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Do you truly wish to know the secret?”

“Please! Just tell me already!”

I paused, revelling in my power over her. Dare I tell her anything? Even I was still unsure quite how it happened. I noticed now that everyone had fallen quiet, waiting for my reply.

“It’s easy,” I shrugged. “It’s not gaining weight that counts. You have to want it.”

“That’s it?” Victoria blinked and glanced left and right as if she could find a better answer. “But… I do want to gain weight – I need to. I want to get in the Harem!”

I shrugged again. “Are you so sure? Maybe you’re fooling yourself.”

“I’m not! I will burst – I swear it! Just tell me how you did it already!”

“You just don’t get it.”

“Rrgh! You are just…” she stomped her foot. “Ooh!”

Before more drama ensued, Seerah stepped between us. “Let’s get to bed. Every problem’s easier to solve when you sleep on it.”

“Let’s,” Victoria unfolded her arms and tugged at Cinder’s arm. “Come on, oaf. Let’s get to bed. Come on, Zaiva! You’re sleeping with us.”

I couldn’t argue with that, but as I slipped through the dispersing crowd, my eyes caught sight of the other person not in awe of me. There: behind the crowd of gawkers, was Gnobbo. She stared blankly onwards at me, stiff and unmoving, until – with a twitching eye and quivering fingertip – she pointed at me with all the menace her cat-sized body could muster.

Before the sea of bodies closed between us, I grinned and smooched the air in her direction.

[Borghen]

4 hours ago, &gt;_&lt; 0_0 said:

There: behind the crowd of gawkers, was Gnobbo.

Hasn't she been caught in the courtyard?

[>_< 0_0]

On 11/22/2023 at 12:56 AM, Borghen said:

Hasn't she been caught in the courtyard?

After we hear Gnobbo fall off the roof, we hear the orcs give up the search because they mistake her for a pureblooded gnome pest, which are endemic to the region (it is the Valley of the Gnomes, apparently). Gnobbo got back in the Pen. How? It’s a mystery.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Five

               Perhaps I shouldn’t have agreed to join Victoria for sleep. While we had been sleeping together for days – along with Cinder, Gnobbo and Aniya – Victoria had ulterior motives tonight, and those motives were revealed as I lay on the cusp of finally falling asleep.

               “Zaiva…” I felt her nose nudge against my cheek as she whispered into my ear. “Are you awake?”

               It was a good question. The night’s adventures had left me weary and barely able to respond to her. It was so tempting to ignore her, to fully embrace the warmth of her body coiled against mine as the two of us sank into the soft inner-thigh of Cinder the half giantess, but my own body betrayed me with a long, slow breath that all beings do when waking. I felt her thigh stiffen between my own in anticipation of a reply. Surely she knew I was listening now. I’d have to placate her before I could sleep in peace.

               “Yes,” I whispered back.

               “Good,” she replied, her body flexing restlessly against mine. “The others are sleeping. Now you can tell me the secret.”

               “Secret?”

               “Yes. The secret to bursting, of course.”

               “Oh, that…” I sighed and felt my chest rise and press against hers. “It’s not a secret. You have to want it. That’s all.”

               “But I do want it,” she insisted. “So why haven’t I burst?”

               “Because you don’t truly want it.”

               “Zaiva,” Victoria hugged me tight. “Why won’t you tell me? I know we didn’t meet as friends… I guess I may have come across as a little rude as well… but I’ve been your friend ever since, right?”

               “You have?” I asked, bemused by her attempt to manipulate me.

               “Yes. Everyone hated you when we first started, calling you ‘Deep Purple’ and talking behind your back, but I always called you Zaiva – didn’t I, Zaiva?”

               “Perhaps… yes, you did do that, didn’t you?”

               “So you can tell me the secret so we can go together – please?”

               “I told you everything I know.”

               “But there must be something else to it. Some trick or stray thought…?”

               Her pestering was getting bothersome. I would gladly show her how to burst if I could, but in spite of my advice, she was still snug in her pigskin. Perhaps this was why the orcs hadn’t bothered to tell us either. It seemed wanting to outgrow the pigskin with all your being was something you had to discover for yourself. How had I done it? I remembered staring at my curves in the mirror, exploring their growth, thinking of…

               “When Aniya burst,” I said thoughtfully. “She told me to think of her…”

               “What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense.”

               “It didn’t make sense to me either, but it does now. It’s the key to everything.”

               “How?”

               “Vicky, do you love me?”

               “Um… I look up to you. I value your opinion.”

               “Good…” I lay my hand on her belly.

               “W-what are you doing?”

               “I like your belly,” I gave it a rub. “Got a nice little bulge to it. I can’t wait to see how big it can get… do you like it when I rub you like this?”

               She didn’t answer, but her chest was trembling. I felt her abs relax beneath my palm, releasing their hold on her middle. It was just like my experience just before bursting, and yet… nothing. Victoria hadn’t burst.

               “Oh well,” I patted her stomach. “You’ll grow into it. We should sleep.”

               “But –”

               “I’m tired. Try to think about what I said. Focus on my hand while you do; I’ll be holding you all night.”

               With that, we settled into one another and closed our eyes, ready for sleep at long last…

 

               …Only for me to be roused from sleep once again. Something had popped in my sleep so loudly, it made Victoria buck in my arms.

               “Hrmm! Mm!” she mumbled nonsense as she woke from a dream. “Gourd…”

               “What?” I groaned.

               She squirmed and twisted in my arms like a snake before stiffening suddenly. “Oh. Oh! Wake up, Zaiva! It’s happening! Everyone! Everyone wake up and look at me!”

               “Oh god’s damnit all…”

               Victoria was too lost in the moment to care about what I had to say. So ecstatically enthralled wwas the girl, she was arching her back and thrusting herself against my body. My attempts to free myself failed, for her hands gripped my wrists like pincers, and her eyes rolled in their sockets like she were receiving a dark vision from Vul himself.

               “Hhuuhhghr…” her voice was low and guttural, an expression of pure, bestial pleasure.

               If that weren’t enough, Cinder shifted away from under me and my head slammed into the ground.

               “She’s doing it!” someone said with awe. “That girl’s actually doing it!”

               “Victowria’s buwrsting!” Cinder clapped her mighty hands together with joy.

               “Go Vicky!” Seerah cheered. “Yes! You got this!”

               The girls gathered round, nearly stepping on my face in their excitement. Their cheers and claps were as deafening as they were annoying, but there was nothing I could do with Victoria mounted atop my waist, humping mindlessly.

               “Look!” Seerah was hopping as she pointed at Victoria. “Her pigskin! It’s turning yellow!”

               “She’s wike Deep Puwrpul!” said Cinder.

               Gnobbo said nothing, but cackled manically at my expense, no doubt revelling in the fact that I’d gotten physically stuck twice in a single night.

               All this and more had turned what I’d hoped would be a brief yet peaceful slumber into a sleepless nightmare. The whole Pen was now echoing with cheers, each cry an affront to my weary ears – yet to Victoria, they were invigorating. For the first time since entering the Starter Resort, she had earned the praise and adoration she so desperately yearned for. I saw now that her mindless humping was not, in fact, mindless. She was revelling in her brief bout of attention, making a show of her transformation in front of everyone – on my body!

               “Hah!” she spread her arms wide and groaned as her pigskin split and revealed deep cleavage. “Hahh! Oh, it feels so good!”

               “Good job, Victoria!” Seerah clapped. “We’re so proud of you!”

               “I think it’s done now…” Victoria paused thoughtfully and inspected herself. “Looks like I turned into the same shape as you, Zaiva.”

               “Oh, so you finally noticed me?” I snapped.

               Victoria didn’t, in fact, notice me. “I got this window for my chest and… and my thighs are out too! Oh, I feel so much better now that I can move again.”

               “Then you can move off of me.”

               She stared blankly at me “Huh?”

               “I said off! All of you, back! Is it too much to ask to get a good night’s sleep?”

               Victoria was visibly shaken by my outburst. Her shoulders slackened and her eyes sparkled with fat tears, all excitement gone from her. “But you.. I thought…”

               “Get off of me right now!”

               She dismounted me in an instant, turning her back on me and running into Cinder’s embrace.

               “Just go back to sleep…” I groaned.

               One by one, the girls eased back onto the ground and returned to rest, although there remained some small group around Victoria whispering away and patting her on the back while she buried her face into Cinder’s bosom. Some part of me felt there was something significant about all this – some mood in the room I couldn’t quite sense – but I was too tired to dwell on that. Sleep was all I cared about, so I curled into myself and immediately drifted asleep – alone.

[Enigma67]

Man this series is so good, it sucks I caught up cause now im gonna be waiting for the next chapters.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Six

               “Wake up! Get up right now!”

               I heard the words, but I wasn’t awake. My body was still paralyzed by sleep. Only the discomfort of my bare thighs against the dirt floor roused me to a state fit to struggle to my feet, but I grumbled all the while. Dirt had found its way under my pigskin where it hugged around the middle of my thighs, and it felt nigh impossible to pick each gritty crumb back out.

               The sight of the Kilted Orc named Lesh-Gotha entering the Pen jolted me to attention. She was storming into our midst just as she always did, her kilt swishing with every heavy step of her muscled legs, and her fists were tightly-clenched and ready to swing, but such details were unimportant to me. All I cared about was her chest. Those two subtle mounds tucked away beneath her leather uniform were like dormant volcanoes, poised to erupt and burst free with a splash of milk hot as lava. There was no sign of any changes now, but it hadn’t even been a full night since she ingested the cursed bark.

               Lesh’s narrow gaze sliced through the crowd like a sword, but she paused briefly when her eyes met mine. I stared back, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of my lip. Would she hold the stare, or would she turn away? I opted for a better option: I turned my gaze down toward her breasts, looking for any signs of change,. Could it be that her nipples were already beginning to moisten? It was impossible to tell. Regardless, she turned away with a sneer and pretended nothing was amiss. The moment was over in a heartbeat.

               Lesh was standing over Victoria now, who looked cluelessly upwards with a proud smile on her face. That smile faded when she realized there was no hint of compassion or appreciation in the orc’s cruel face.

               “Write them up, scribe,” she growled. “Starter Vicky: Breasts and hips. Type: Hourglass – and…” she turned to me again. “Starter Deep Purple: Breasts and thighs. Type: Hourglass.”

               There was a dead silence in the room. Gone was the excitement from last night, replaced with a tense, stiff atmosphere. No one besides myself knew why Lesh was so dangerously livid, but they could see clearly that it would be wise to hold their tongues. Even I felt a chill down my spine as she stood before me, staring directly into my eyes.

               “You know what happens next,” she told me. “Standby outside the door and wait for an escort to the weighing room.”

               She was so close, I could feel her breath on my newly-bared chest, but that made me realize something I’d never consciously pondered before: she was shorter than me. All this time, I’d either been far away or sitting, but now – standing fae to face – I was towering over her. It shouldn’t have been so surprising being 6’8,” yet here I was, looming over her – and with that, our roles reversed. Now I was in control. Now I obeyed her instructions not because I feared punishment, but for my own pleasure. I wanted to be around Lesh as long as I could. I wanted to see her suffer.

              

               I stood solemnly outside the Pen with only Victoria for company. The other starters had been herded into the weighing room first, as I should’ve known they would. We had always been weighed first thing in the morning, so why would two burstings disrupt that? And so, here we were, standing in silence, saying nothing.

               The courtyard spread across my field of vision. I remembered vividly that first chaotic night when we’d been forced to strip our old clothes and abandon them in the dirt there, never to be seen or worn again. It felt like ages ago. Would I still fit in them if I tried? The thought made me chuckle. Who cared if I didn’t fit back into those old rags?

               “What’s so funny?” asked Victoria.

               I chuckled again. “Just picturing you in your red robe you came here in.”

               “Oh,” she shifted awkwardly on her feet. “It was my best outfit. If I’d known they’d take it away from me, I’d…” she took a long, deep breath and lay a hand low over her navel. “I thought they wanted me to gain weight. Why is everyone so mean to me?”

               I finally looked in her direction nd found she’d turned her back to me. She was fidgeting with the yellow fabric around her thighs with her head hung in shame. The sight of how wide her newly-freed hips were shocked me for a moment, but my surprise quickly faded into thoughtful musings. Perhaps I’d been too harsh on her? But what was I even thinking? She’d been humping me while I was trying to sleep! Still… I was stuck with her for the indefinite future. I should console her for my own good…

               I reached for her arm… only to be interrupted by the starters being herded back outside. I hastily withdrew my hand before anyone noticed. The moment was over.

               “Stop looking around!” one of the orcs snapped. “They’re not with you anymore! Nobody cares!”

               Several starters that were looking toward us quickly looked away before they got in trouble. Cinder was the last to turn away, being slow as usual. It struck me, then, that this would be the last time I saw them all, for some wouldn’t burst fast enough and be expelled. Would I ever see Cinder again? Seerah? Gnobbo?

               Such thoughts ended abruptly as Lesh broke away from the group, a second orc at her side. She was as sour as ever, but there was something different about her companion. There was a glimmer in her green eyes, almost mischievous, like a cat about to toy with its food.

               “I’m surprised you came, Lesh,” the orc spoke casually as she approached us. “I thought you hated sending stuffers off? So you said you’re not hungry, right? Didn’t want to go to the chow hall?”

               “Yes, Veng. I just said that.”

               “Well, that’s too bad, cause it looks like this girl’s brought the whole bakery.”

               Lesh and Veng were standing before us now, the latter smiling as she looked into Victoria’s eyes.

               “Uh…” Victoria blushed as she cringed from the attention, no doubt fearing the worst. “Me? Bakery?”

               “Ourah, stuffer,” Veng uttered the sword-sworn battlecry casually as a form of greeting. “What’s your name, belly-girl?”

               “My name?” Victoria was so nervous, her legs were shaking. “My name is Victoria.”

               “Tight. And what’s yours, purple one?”

               “Zaiva,” I replied cautiously.

               Lesh took a step forward to get between us. “Bet you two think you’ve made it, huh? Don’t expect to get buddy-buddy with me. Veng: let’s get them weighed already.”

               “Don’t worry ‘bout her,” Veng eased herself next to Victoria and gently held her upper-arm. “She won’t touch you, but as for me…well, what’s this? Got some squish on your arms? You got a big future ahead. Now let’s get you two on the scale – one last time.”

[Batman76]

Just caught up today and dang what a ride.  V having chub on her arms already is a nice preview 

[>_< 0_0]

17 hours ago, Batman76 said:

Just caught up today and dang what a ride.  V having chub on her arms already is a nice preview 

And now you get to catch-up all over again

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

               When the four of us entered the weighing room, I was ready to fall into routine. I was taller than Victoria, which meant I’d be loading the coloured balls onto the left end of the scale as she sat patiently on the right, but even as I got into position, Veng stopped me with an outstretched hand.

               “No need to burn through your energy, fat one,” she told me with a wink. “you’ll need it where you’re going.”

               Veng proceeded to load balls into the scale one by one, leaving me nothing to do but lean back against the wall and watch. Lesh happened to be doing the same, and I couldn’t help but notice she had her arms folded over her chest.

               “The fuck you looking at, boot?” she snapped at me.

               “Oh nothing… did you walk through the shower this morning? Your chest looks a little damp.”

               The not-so-subtle jab silenced her, but her partner didn’t seem to notice.

               “Funny you mentioned the Shower, ‘cause you’re going there soon, so you can standby for that… not literally, Victoria. You just keep sitting on that scale and act heavy. Jest a bit more… well, look at you! One hundred fifty-one pounds! That’s a twenty-four pound gain since you got here. See? I told you a big future’s ahead of you.”

               “Oh…” Victoria blushed and even cracked a smile. “I shall do my best.”

               “You next, Zaiva. On the scale; let’s go. You’re a big girl, so this ‘bout to be good.”

               I stiffened, slightly undignified. “I’m not that big,” yet, I added mentally.

               “You’re tall is what you are. Are we sure there’s only one half-giantess in this starter batch? Either way, the taller you are, the harder it is for the pounds to show – and lemme tell you, your thighs are looking plump. Aight, you settled on the scale? Kill-bodies…”

               “Are…” Victoria fretted. “Are we expected to kill bodies? Like, food?”

               “No, crazy!” Veng looked amused. “It’s just words. Hold still, Zaiva, I’m weighing you.”

               Veng said they were “just words,” and I was familiar with sword-sworn slang, but there was something else she’d said that had stuck with me: “plump.” Were my thighs truly plump? I stared down at my lap as the scale slowly lifted me into the air. They didn’t look plump to me, but days of large meals had made them thick. They had room to squish and bulge now that my pigskin had bared their upper halves, and sitting down had made them seem even wider. They lay plush together as I sat on the scale, two smooth, purple loaves of bread that bulged widest and highest about two-thirds of the way towards my hips from my knees. I ran a hand over that bulge, feeling-out my newfound width. This shape was curious to me. Victoria was an hourglass like myself, but wasn’t she slightly different? A quick glance in her direction confirmed my suspicion. Victoria’s thighs were thick, but they didn’t bulge as prominently as mine did. In fact, her lower curve crested further-up her body – at her hips where the pelvic lobes sat. the fact that her pelvis was just underneath changed the way her curve was developing, leaving a little dip on her hip…

               “Twenty-two pounds,” Veng’s voice cut my pointless musings short. “That puts you over two hundred pounds.”

               “Two…” my heart was pounding. “Two-hundred pounds?”

               “I told you, you’re a big girl – but you’re not a fat girl yet. You got a big frame to pack all those pounds on. That just means you got to eat more than the others. You think you can do that?”

               “I… I eat as much as I can already…”

               “Trust me, where you two are going is going to make this place feel like –”

               “Enough,” Lesh snapped. “We don’t talk about the next stage. Now, if we’re done, I’m off…”

               “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Veng smiled.

               Lesh stared at her. “You don’t expect me to eat the farewell feast, do you? I told you I’m not hungry.”

               “No… but the other sword-sworn will. ‘Lead by example’ – or some shit.”

               Lesh opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by her own stomach betraying her with a low, ominous rumble.

               “Come on, girls,” Vesh took me and Victoria by the arms. “You’re officially stuffers now. We’re going to the sword-sworn’s chow hall to feed you some real food.”

[Borghen]

Lesh has it coming. 😏

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Eight

               “I must say…” Victoria smacked her lips after she swallowed her food. “This is the best roast duck I have eaten since the Crown-Prince’s birthday last year.”

               I was barely listening to her, for there were simply too many distractions in the room. The sword-sworn chow hall was small and had no glass tables or benches for passerby to ogle our ever-widening haunches, but it compensated with modest splendour befitting a seasoned sword-sworn unit. Ribbons adorned mahogany walls, interspersed with commemorative bronze placards. Centred amidst it all was an enormous seal depicting an orcish helmet and wo crossed swords. Just above it, a portrait of the Sultan stared soullessly at the rest of the room.

               “You like that?” Veng asked me.

               I stared dumbly at her. “Oh… yes. The duck tastes good… but there’s a lot less food here than I’m used to.”

               “That’s cause this meal isn’t meant for stuffing you – you’ll get plenty of that later. This meal is for pleasure. Speaking of which… Lesh?”

               “Hrm?” Lesh had been staring miserably at her plate of untouched food.

               “I think we’re ready for drinks. Why don’t you pour some ale? The youngest sword-sworn serves the oldest.”

               I gave both orcs a curious look. “Lesh is the youngest? I didn’t expect that.”

               “Well,” Veng winked. “She says she’s the youngest.”

               “Here,” Lesh forced three pitchers across the table to us. “Drink up.”

               “Aren’t you forgetting one?” asked Veng with a smile.

               “Don’t…” Lesh muttered. “Fine. Fine. I’ll have one – only one.”

               “Hydrate or die,” Veng nodded. “Let’s drink to that…”

               “Yes, let’s!” Victoria said eagerly.

               We leaned over the table and clinked mugs. I took my first swig of alcohol in ages. Perhaps it was good, but I cared more about how Lesh reacted to it. I was looking at her now a she paused hesitantly with the mug masking her face. Her narrow, hateful eyes caught me staring, but I didn’t look away. It was only when Veng started looking as well that she finally took her first fateful sip.

               “That’s good shit,” Veng stated proudly.

               “It’s just ale,” Lesh muttered.

               “Maybe you just need to finish it,” I smiled knowingly at her. “Just to make sure.”

               “The drow is right!” Veng slammed her fist on the table. “We should chug this and… the fuck are you doing, Vicky?”

               Victoria, it seemed, hadn’t even tasted her ale. Instead, she was pushing her mug in neat yet noisy little circles across the table.

               “This is how you taste fine drink,” Victoria insisted. “You have to swirl it a bit… gets the flavour out.”

               “Uh huh…” Veng squinted incredulously.

               “Next, you smell it – like this. Your nose kisses the glass three times like it’s a long-missed lover. Three sniffs: one quick ‘peck on the check,’ followed by a longer ‘peck on the other cheek,’ and finally… a long whiff… sniff…”

               “And then you drink it…” Veng insisted.

               “Next, you spill the top off the drink onto the floor – the worst part of the drink is always scumming the top…”

               “Just drink your drink, crazy! Everyone finish your drinks right now!”

               At last, we all drank our mugs dry. I’d never been a guzzler, but this ale was smooth enough to give me no trouble. Ironically, it was Victoria who nearly gagged while chugging. As for Lesh, it seemed that first sip had awakened a deep thirst within her she could no longer deny. She gulped greedily, her mug tilting ever-higher till its base was pointed skyward-only for her to slam it down on the table. I smiled, for it seemed she was mad at her lack of self-control.

               “Well,” Veng smirked as Victoria stifled a cough. “What does our drinking expert think? Did it taste like ale?”

               “Ahem,” Victoria masked her cough with her hand. “I should hope so – not that I’ve had any before. It has a… real earthy, gritty texture to it with a hint of… milk? Is there milk in this? It smells funny.”

               “Perhaps the milk smell is coming from somewhere else,” I said with a subtle nod in Lesh’s direction.

               “Enough of this,” Lesh snapped. “Veng! Tell them. Tell them before I eat – till I throw this plate, godsdamnit.”

               Veng smiled to herself before answering. “Alright. Have it your way. Ladies, lean-in a little bit and I’ll tell you what happens next: you’re going back to the showers, you understand? Remember that cave where you went through a waterfall?”

               “Yes,” Victoria nodded.

               “Tight. What’s gonna happen is you’re gonna be loaded in a couple coffins and sent downstream to the sea. From there, you’ll beach onto –”

               “Did you say coffins?” Victoria’s eyes were wide and panicked.

               “Cork coffins, yes. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. Cork floats.”

               “But—”

               “Hold all questions to the end and lemme finish. You’re gonna land on an island, got it? When you wake up, find your way to the cliffside villa. You’ll know it when you see it. Don’t worry how you’ll get to it; everyone finds their own way. Got it? Questions?”

               I folded my arms and leaned closer. “About those coffins…”

               “Yes,” Victoria was panting now. “Why? Why not boats?”

               “That’s the best part,” Veng replied. “The island’s location is a secret, so… you’re going to sleep on the way there.”

               “I can’t sleep in a coffin!” Victoria gasped. “I’m… I’m claustrophobic!”

               “Oh, yes you can,” Veng smiled. “In fact… I bet you’re feeling tired already. Perhaps you wondered what ingredients we had you harvesting on the Farm? Well, one of the products of your work was sleeping potion.”

               “Sleeping potion…” Victoria wheezed.

               “Yes. You’ might notice you’re feeling… oh. She’s asleep already.”

               “Sleeping potion…” I felt my tongue slurring the words. “When did… we…?”

               “Simple. All I did was wash your mugs with the stuff. You’ll sleep the whole journey and be on the island before you know it.”

               “Good riddance,” growled Lesh.

               Veng slowly turned towards her partner and grinned. “Oh, you thought,” she said.

               “Excuse you?” Lesh stared back at her.

               “You think I wouldn’t notice the Brennar’s Bark gone missing? I’m the deputy quartermaster! I count shit twice a day!”

               “You fucking… I didn’t…” Lesh tried to stand and stumbled.

               “Come on, Lesh. I know how the bark works. I don’t know why you’d do this to yourself, but you’re already starting to show.”

               “Show… what…?”

               “And it would be a real scandal if a sword-sworn starts growing like some dumb cow… or should I say, starter? That’s why I washed your mug in sleeping potion too. That’s right! You’re going to the island!”

               “Fuck… you…”

               With those final, parting words, Lesh fell face-first into the table. Veng rose to her feet and lay her hand on her comrade’s shoulder.

               “Goodbye, Lesh. Thanks for the promotion,” Veng turned her gaze to me, though I could barely tell as my vision began to blur. “You’re a big girl, Zaiva. That’s why you’re the last to fall asleep. But you’re a big girl in more ways than one. Where you’re going… well, take care of your friend over there – and keep a close eye on my friend as well. Aight?”

               Veng said something else after that, but my head grew heavy and my eyes closed. My last thought before succumbing to slumber was how uncomfortable the fork was between the tabletop and my chin.

[Borghen]

On 12/2/2023 at 3:33 PM, Borghen said:

Lesh has it coming. 😏

And How!

That's even better than I had expected.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Thirty-Nine

               I was in the training yard again and I was naked. Sweat glistened across my dark purple skin like moistened river rocks. It was an all-too-familiar experience and yet… something was wrong. My round, full breasts had grown rounder and fuller, resting heavily against my chest, and a nervous brush of my hand across my belly found it to be soft and smooth, protruding like a new mother just beginning to show.

               I gasped when I looked-up, for I wasn’t alone. All along the fence-line, hundreds stood, staring at me. No… not hundreds. Thousands. The whole Scorpion Order was here, watching me.

               With rising dread, I turned and twisted to see them all. I felt my cheeks fold and squeeze against each other with every shift of my thick thighs, and my legs rubbed against one another. I was surrounded; there was no escaping their judgement.

               “Help!”

               Except… they weren’t the Scorpion Order. They were the Starter Girls. They were staring at me with fear in their eyes. They were scared of what was sure to come – our fate to be sent to the Sultan’s Harem. I could hear Victoria crying out even now…

               “Help meee!” she cried-out again. “Let me out!”

               My eyes twitched… and I found that they were closed. I was awake now… it had all been a dream.

               I groaned and tried to stretch the sleep out of my body – only for my elbows to hit wood on either side of me. It made me blink in confusion. Odd… my eyes were open, but there was only darkness.

               “Is there someone out there?” Victoria’s voice was close, but muffled. “Hel-lo? Someone get me out of this coffin!”

               Coffins! Of course! My memory of the events prior returned with crystal clarity. The dinner, the betrayal, the island… and now I was trapped in a coffin on some unknown beach.

               Or was I? I shifted my weight within my corkwood tomb. Surely, we wouldn’t be put into something with no way out. The wood itself was tight (and certainly waterproof), but its edges felt rough, as if they could be easily pried-open. I pounded my fist against the roof above to test that theory, and was rewarded with a slim crack of light.

               “Who’s there?” Victoria squealed. “Zaiva, is that you?”

               “Shut up,” I snapped.

               “Oh, thank the good gods you’re here! Can you help me? I am in need of assistance.”

               I punched the coffin again. Cracks formed where my fist landed, revealing a bright, summer sun that hurt my eyes.

               “Zaiva? What’s going on out there?”

               “I’m punching my way out. You should do likewise.”

               “But I can’t see…”

               I punched harder and my fist thrust clear through the cheap, thin wood. The hot, noonday sun blazed directly overhead. I was blinded once again, but I was free.

               Hence, I emerged from the wreckage of my corkwood coffin.

               “Ahh,” I sat upright and stretched my arms with a yawn. “Finally… oh…”

               Too late, I saw that the coffin was equipped with a simple bronze latch that opened from the inside. Oh well. At least I enjoyed punching my way through a problem, for once.

               It was a tropical paradise. Sandy beaches shone white from horizon to horizon, and palm trees hung low from an overgrown cliffside laden with coconuts.  An intact coffin lay on the sand at an angle just to my right – along with a broken one to my left.

               I winced at the sight of the broken coffin. Its wood lay splintered in all directions as if it had exploded from the inside-out, and worse, various leathers lay I a heap just beyond the reach of the frothing waves. I knew those garments all too well: Lesh was near – and apparently naked. Why? Perhaps she was attempting to swim off the island…

               “Zaiva!” Victoria cried-out from within the single remaining cork coffin. “Did you find a way out? Could you be so kind as to get me out?”

               “There’s a latch inside,” I said. “Feel around for it.”

               “Um…” the coffin bumped and budged slightly. “Where?”

               “Hold on…”

               Victoria began complaining, but I tuned her out because I spotted someone swimming in the waves. I squinted, for the mysterious figure had reached the massive crest of frothing water that was ringing the island. My traumatic experience with killing a mermaid had taught me the layout of shallow shores well. Those waves marked the dropoff point, where the ground underwater descended to unseen depths into the black sea where the sun couldn’t shine. The whole might of that mighty sea was crashing into that wall, churning into deadly waves high as homes. To attempt fighting those waves was unthinkable – and yet…

               “It’s Lesh,” I muttered. “Those green cheeks bobbing in the waves can’t be anyone else.”

               I heard the coffin’s lid spring open with a bang and a gasp, but still I ignored it – even as Victoria emerged and sidled up to me.

               “Ah! Fresh air! What is this place? Did you say Lesh was with us?”

               “I did. Look,” I nodded towards the waves. “See that naked orc struggling out there?”

               “Good heavens! It’s Lesh! But… why is she out there?”

               “Trying to escape back home, no doubt.”

               “But… she can’t swim through that! No one can!”

               “Exactly. Looks like she’s drowning.”

               “Drowning?” Victoria gripped my arm and squeezed as if she were the one in mortal danger. “You can’t let her drown, Zaiva! You must save her!”

               “Me?”

               “Well, I can’t swim, so it’s only natural.”

               “I’m not about to drown myself trying to save anyone. All we can do is watch.”

               And that’s exactly what we did. It was surreal how tranquil and pleasant the island paradise was when someone was on the brink of death. Victoria moaned and gasped with each crashing wave over Lesh’s flailing body, yet I could only think of how the orc had treated me before one final, failed betrayal. Perhaps it suited me that our rivalry would end this way. Out of the corner of my eye, two crabs sidestepped into the crashing froth to evade a swooping seagull. Even in paradise, violence came naturally.

               “Look!” Victoria tugged my arm and pointed. “I think she passed-out! She’s… she’s floating back to us!”

               “How lucky,” I said neutrally. “Usually the riptide takes you at that distance.”

               Lesh was indeed floating back to shore. With limbs limp and head lolling beneath the water, it was only the natural buoyancy of her melon-sized breasts keeping her afloat. I frowned to myself, for things had become complicated. How would Victoria react if I killed her? how would Lesh react if I didn’t? There was no time to think of such things, for Lesh was already beached halfway to shore. Victoria rushed ahead, splashing in ankle-deep froth to the orc’s side.

               “She isn’t breathing!” Victoria yelled. “Zaiva! Zaiva come help me save her!”

               I approached as Victoria dragged Lesh by the armpits to the dry sands. I stared down at her, unsure of my next move. Dare I kill her? It would be easy. All I had to do was lay a hand over her chest – just so – and wait…

               But then Lesh sputtered to life. Mouthfuls of salty seawater spewed forth from her mouth down her heaving, green chest as she gagged and gasped for air.

               “You saved her, Zaiva!” Victoria gushed. “You saved her!”

               Lesh’s coughing subsided, her face settling into confusion. “You… saved me?”

               My eyes widened. What had I just gotten myself into? Victoria was doting on me as if I were some kind of saviour. Even Lesh was gripping my forearm with a mixture of reverence and disbelief.

               “I… of course,” I gripped Lesh’s hand and helped her to her feet. “We need to work together to survive this place.”

               This situation, it seemed, would work.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty

               Together we set out across the beach and sought a crack in the cliffside that could lead us into the island’s shady interior. Alas, what gaps we found were too overgrown and steep to dare crawl through – especially with our skin gaping through our pigskins (and in Lesh’s case, her exposed legs under her leather kilt).

               So it was that we tread our way down the sandy white beach, with the waves rolling to our left, the cliffs looming to our right, and trees hanging heavily overhead with a bounty of fruits never seen before. It was one such fruit that Victoria had plucked from the sand and proceeded to dust lightly as we continued our slow, casual treading.

               “Well, at least we won’t starve here,” Victoria mused as she eyed the round, white fruit.

               “Are you sure you can eat that?” I asked.

               “Oh, don’t be like that,” Lesh said with the faintest hint of malice in her voice. “Go ahead, Vicky. Eat up. How’s it taste? Feel any different?”

               “Mm!” Victoria’s mouth was already full, having carved a wide bite from the mystery fruit, revealing juicy, yellow innards within it. “It’sh good! Sho good!”

               “I guess that checks out,” I said thoughtfully. “They wouldn’t send us somewhere dangerous, right Lesh?”

               “I’m not a fucking stuffer, so I don’t know shit about this place,” Lesh said firmly. “All I know is we box y’all stuffers and float you downstream… so what’s our beer snob think of the taste? Try to describe it in one breath this time.”

               Victoria swallowed and smiled thoughtfully. “Hm… crispy. There’s a fizzy texture when you bite it that reminds me of sparkling wine.”

               “So it’s good?” I asked.

               “Oh, it’s good – here, have a bite.”

               I reached for the white fruit she was holding-out – only for Lesh to snatch it away.

               “Uh, fine… whatever,” I grumbled.

               Lesh bit greedily into the fruit, her tusks sinking deep and tearing chunks away She glared defiantly at me, no doubt eager to fight for any excuse. Victoria, meanwhile, looked as if she were unsure whether to complain or run in terror.

               I glanced warily at the two girls, contemplating the building tension and weighing my options. A fight would be entertaining, but I deserved my peace and quiet after so much hardship, and so I patted Victoria on the shoulder and smiled at her to console her.

               “No big deal,” I told her softly. “She didn’t eat that feast with us, remember? Come on. There’s more fruit out there.”

               With that, we set out once more, two stuffers following the beach with a sword-sworn orc stuffing her face just behind us.

 

               There were, in fact, plenty of fruits to feed upon. The first white fruit was followed by countless more, as well as coconuts, bush-fulls of berries, a bizarre ground-fruit that looked like a giant pinecone, and a dizzying myriad of edibles of every colour imaginable. Plenty abounded all around us, and our hands and mouths were never empty for long.

               It seemed that our journey had become a culinary adventure. With each newly-discovered food, Victoria would take the first cautious bite. This suited me, for I wasn’t in a hurry to be poisoned again, and I could tell Lesh felt the same, but as the day wore on, such caution became a formality. It seemed nothing on this island was dangerous. In fact, the fruits we found were the freshest, most delicious we’d ever had – so much so that we never stopped eating.

               It was only as the sun began to set over the blazing, orange sea that we stopped for shelter beneath a tight cluster of palm trees. None of us knew how to kindle a campfire, but with the air so hot and humid, it was almost a relief that night had finally come – almost, for it was getting too dark to find more fruit.

 

               “Ooh…” Victoria slumped against a palm tree, the sunken sun outlining the swollen crest of her belly. “I didn’t realize how much we’d eaten today. Look how stuffed I am.”

               “We?” Lesh leaned against another palm tree with her arms folded over her tits (no doubt to hide the fact they were leaking). “You two may have stuffed your faces, but don’t think I’m like you.”

               “But didn’t you eat the same as us?” asked Victoria.

               “Doesn’t matter,” Lesh’s arms squeezed tighter over her chest. “No one gets fat on fruit. It’s mostly water… the fuck you looking at, Deep Purple?”

               “Just looking for a couple melons,” I replied.

               Lesh seemed ready to pounce upon me, but before that could happen, Victoria raised her hand.

               “Um, I was wondering something,” Victoria grunted slightly to angle herself toward us. “Why are you with us, Lesh?”

               I stiffened, for it was only then that I realized how clueless Victoria truly was. Of course, I couldn’t simply explain to her my midnight walk that had resulted in Lesh’s current condition, but then again, neither could Lesh. To do so wouldn’t just be unbearably embarrassing for her, it would rob her of what little dignity she had left.

And so I held my tongue. I was curious to see what excuses and lies she told, for the truth would eventually come out – straight through her shirt.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lesh snarled. “I was betrayed – stabbed in the fucking back. When we reach the villa, I’m finding a way off this island and you’ll never see me again. That’s all you need to know. Now hit the sack and get some sleep.”

“Let’s,” Victoria replied, satisfied. “Hopefully this bloating is gone by morning… um…”

I felt her staring at me even though the sun’s light was gone. “What?”

“Can we…?” she reached for me with open arms. No doubt, she yearned to be held.

“Too hot,” I replied. “I’m still sweating from our walk.”

“Oh… then perhaps…?” she turned to Lesh.

“Go to sleep!” Lesh snapped.

Victoria quailed at the harsh tone and curled into a ball, holding herself as best she could.

 

Stars still sparkled in the sky when I was awoken by Victoria’s voice once more.

“Zaiva…” she whispered with barely-contained panic. “Zaiva…”

I turned wearily toward her – only to gasp wide-eyed, my weariness forgotten. There, crawling across Victoria’s lap, the faintest hint of a most hideous creature shown in the moonlight.

“H-help…” Victoria squeaked. “It’s c-cr-crawling on me…”

My shock ebbed from my veins with every deep, rattled breath as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The creature’s hardy skin became clearer to me and a passing memory returned to me of a tall tale shared by a far-traveling assassin back at the fortress: a tale of the most fearsome armoured sea creature to crawl across the sands.

               “Coconut crab,” I whispered. “Gods… it’s bigger than I thought.”

               “Shh!” Victoria begged. “You’ll make it angry.”

               The poor girl tried desperately to blow air at the crab’s face, but in vain. The crab was creeping closer, its pincers getting ever-nearer to her breasts… her round, coconut-sized breasts…”

               “Hey,” Lesh stirred angrily from her sleep. “Someone better be dying to wake me up like – what the flying fuck is that?”

               Victoria moaned as the crab continued its crawl across her body. She was on the brink of screaming – until Lesh kicked the crab into the dark void of the night. A faint splash was the last I heard of the creature.

               “Fucking hells!” Lesh kicked a rock for good measure. “Can’t even sleep right…”

               Victoria screamed and pointed towards the churning sea. When I followed her gaze, I felt my hopes for a full-night’s rest were extinguished. The beach was crawling…

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-One

               “The crabs!” Victoria moaned. “They’re everywhere!”

               “Yelling won’t do any good,” I chided her. “They have no ears.”

               In response, she hugged me by the waist and held me close, no doubt acting the part of the princess in need of rescue she so desperately wished to be.

               “How shall we ever escape them?” Victoria pressed her head slightly between my breasts to look me in the eye. “I don’t want those foul things violating my body again. What if they pinch?”

               “Fire might scare them off,” Lesh mused. “One of you’s got to know how to start one. Vicky? Deep Purple? Tell me you can get a fire started.”

               “Start it with what?” I asked. “I can barely see my fingers, much less any kindling.”

               “Fuck,” Lesh kicked a palm tree (and I heard something skitter deeper into the darkness). It seemed a new thought came to her, for she gripped the trunk and gave it a shake. “That’s it… we climb.”

               “Can’t,” I replied.

               “Well, that’s too fucking bad. I’m not helping you up.”

               “That’s not it. These are coconut crabs. I’ve heard tales of these beasts. They climb trees like spiders and snip coconuts – or anything else they find.”

               “Do they eat people?” Victoria asked as she squeezed herself tightly against me.

               “Hey,” Lesh stared past my shoulder. “Look over there; we got a new problem.”

               I turned and stared down the beach and instantly found what she was looking at. An orange light was hovering over the sands – a lantern bouncing and shaking with every step of its wielder. The light shone dimly across the sands, revealing a multitude of black, dog-sized crabs lumbering clumsily away from the trespasser on their domain.

               Lesh looked nervous as she watched the lantern’s steady approach. “We should move before we’re spotted –”

               “It’s a rescue!” Victoria blustered. “Hey! Hello? We’re over here!”

               The figure holding the lantern paused, listening from its island of flickering light. There was an overhang on the upper rim of the lantern that blocked light from shining upwards toward the figure’s face, but from what I could see, the figure was a woman and her bare-thighed, skintight outfit was white.

               “We’re over here!” Victoria yelled louder.

               The woman raised the lantern higher for a better look at us – and inadvertently giving us a better look in return.

               “Vicky?” said the familiar voice. “Is that you?”

               “Aniya,” I stared in disbelief. “I can’t believe it…”

               “It’s Aniya!” Victoria was so relieved, she nearly forgot the crabs and had to stop herself from sprinting toward our saviour. “Uh… Aniya come hither! We need your assistance!”

               “I don’t think you’re in danger, but aight,” Aniya approached our hiding spot between a cluster of palms (though she had to sidestep several crabs). “Hey… is that you, Zaiva?”

               “It’s me,” I replied.

               “It is you!”

               Abandoning all caution, Aniya rushed across the sand and into my arms. The lantern singed my back when it swung from the force of her embrace, but I hardly noticed.

               “So you thought of me after all,” Aniya heaved a happy, blissful sigh as she nestled her head into my chest. “I was hoping you’d figure it out.”

               “Um, yes,” Victoria hovered by my side, slightly indignant at being left out. “And I thought of her, if you know what I mean.”

               “Who wouldn’t think of Zaiva?” Aniya was unfazed by Victoria’s jealousy. “I mean… look at her! Look how round and plump her thighs have gotten – and her boobs… they’re like a pair of purple coconuts. No wonder you got a crab issue. So what are you two doing sleeping out here?”

               “Two?” Victoria looked around. “Hey… where’s Lesh?”

               I turned to look back where the disgruntled orc had been standing, but was greeted by darkness. Lesh was gone.

               “Who’s Lesh?” asked Aniya.

               “It’s a long story,” I said neutrally. “A better question is what are you doing on the beach this late?”

               “Eh… that’s also a long story. Why don’t I take y’all back to my place? We can talk about everything there – everything.”

               “A place?” asked Victoria. “you mean you found the Villa?”

               “Just come with me and see,” Aniya began walking. “It’s not far.”

               With no better options, I followed the newfound accomplice with Victoria close behind – and surely, just out of site, Lesh was stalking us as well.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Two

               “I can’t believe you really punched out of those coffins,” said Aniya after I finished my story. “Isn’t there a button or latch on the inside? I forget now.”

               “You could say I like to punch away my problems,” I replied loud enough for any eavesdropper to overhear – and then, still louder: “Physically.”
               “Oh, speaking of problems, where’s Lesh? You still haven’t told me why she’s here in the first place.”

               “It’s a long story,” I deflected the question. “We can talk about it later when we get to this ‘house’ of yours. Also, why were you roaming the beach at night if you didn’t know we were here?”

               Aniya turned back to grin at me, her face flickering from the torchlight. “I was actually out looking for crabs.”

               “Crabs?” Victoria gasped. “Whatever do you mean by that? You couldn’t possibly be wanting to eat those atrocious creatures.”

               “Eyup,” Aniya smirked before turning her attention back to navigating past the dark swarm of crawling beasts. “And nut just any crab but the biggest, juiciest crab you’ve ever seen. There’s an albino crab somewhere out here, and I couldn’t help but notice crabs like the dark.”

               “An albino coconut crab?” I frowned. “What difference does its colour make?”

               “It aint just big, it’s juicy,” Aniya chuckled. “Apparently all the white food on this island is blessed to be very delicious and filling. Some local god or goddess is probably doing it, but I dunno… anyway, we made it to the plank-path. We’re almost there!”

               Aniya had brought us to a cleft in the beach likely formed by a stream small enough to be dammed by a sand-dune left by the high tide. I noticed nothing else but lumbering coconut crabs and bleached sea shells interspersed with half-buried driftwood – till I realized the driftwood lined-up in rows like some kind of pat that led into the treeline. At last, Victoria and I had come across a way deeper into the island.

               “This island looks big, but you could probs circle around it twice in a day,” Aniya scuffed some sand free of the half-hidden path. “Come on. You’ll love his place.”

               I followed her steady pace with Victoria close behind. The jungle enveloped us in a sinister darkness filled with the sound of a million rustling leaves, and more than one hanging vine slapped my face. Only Aniya’s shapely black body silhouetted with her flickering orange torchlight gave us comfort. She was like a lighthouse in the fog, a guiding beacon that would take us to our new, secluded home. I caught myself staring at the breadth of her hips gently gyrating with every careful step up the driftwood path. Was she bigger than before, or did the bursting of her pigskin simply give her flexing cheeks room to breathe?

               So captivating were my thoughts that I didn’t realize that the path was beginning to rise. A careless step forward had the planks of driftwood bobbing slowly like waves in the sea with a resounding, ominous creaking. My arms shot out from my sides of their own accord, but found nothing to hold. A quick glance downward confirmed my suspicions: this “plank path” wasn’t a path at all – it was a rope bridge.

               “Whoa, easy there, Zaiva,” Aniya chuckled over her shoulder. “You’re a lot heavier than you used to be.”

               “I’m not –” I caught sight of my thighs flexing for balance and found them to have an extra inch of squish than I expected. “I’m not that heavy.”

               “Well, you’re definitely taller than me, which means you’re bigger and can rock this thing like an earthquake.”

               “Aniya?” Victoria called with fright in her tone. “I can’t find the handrails. Could be so kind…?”

               “Nope,” Aniya replied. “No handrails. Don’t worry; we’re almost there.”

               Aniya resumed her way up the rope bridge with a spring in her step and a bounce in her cheeks. The light from her torch seemed to fade, but I realized it was because the ground and jungle canopy were pulling away from its revealing glow, leaving nothing to look at – nothing, that is, except Aniya’s flexing cheeks.

I had no choice now but to stare straight ahead, and as the bridge rose into the air, Aniya’s flexing haunches were right before my face. She was pacing herself as we rose ever higher and the bridge rocked ever more dangerously. She would glide a foot across the planks, thighs brushing softly against one another before firmly planting it with a quiver of flesh that pulsed up her inner thighs and into her cheeks. The gentle sway of her hips dominated my vision glowing warmly in the torchlight till it was all I saw. It was almost hypnotic… but reality snapped me to my senses when something pressed into my ass.

“Mmph!” Victoria’s mouth was muffled with her face between my cheeks.

“Gods,” I growled. “Victoria!”

Her hands slapped their way across my body before settling at my waist so she could regain her balance. “Guh,” she pulled her face free. “Slow down… please, I beg of you…”

Aniya barely glanced back when she replied: “Just do what I do: put one foot in front of the other – like, literally in front. Pretend you’re a jester walking a tightrope during autumn festival.”

“I am no fool,” Victoria snapped before squeezing my waist tighter with a whimper. “Please, Zaiva… I don’t want to fall… who knows what’s below?”

“One step at a time, girl,” Aniya cooed. “Just hold onto each other and you’ll be fine.”

“Don’t,” I muttered.

Either Victoria didn’t hear me or didn’t care. She was wrapping her arms around me now, burying her face deep into my lower back – and burying her fingers into my stomach. I stiffened at her touch, for it was making me realize for the first time that I had a belly. It wasn’t that noticeable – else I’d have sensed it earlier – merely a slight padding that oozed around her fingers. A plush coating of fat had found its way around my middle, burying the abs just within. It was enough to send me into a rage but I merely grit my teeth and sucked it in. Hopefully no one noticed – and hopefully my new pounds would settle elsewhere from now on.

Our climb continued, and as it did, the rocking subsided. We were approaching the end of the driftwood bridge, and as I looked onwards at Aniya’s ass, a view of leaves and wood came into view just beyond. I could hardly believe my eyes. A great wooden house had been built upon the wide branches of a mighty tree, with spacious rooms splayed-out in all directions. Wooden planks ringed the contours of the house like balconies, and more rope bridges stretched to yet more houses upon more trees unseen in the darkness beyond.

“A treehouse,” Victoria gasped. “Lots of tree-houses… oh, how splendid! It’s like those villages the high-elves build on the reservations! Seerah told me all about those.”

“Nah,” Aniya smiled at us as she opened the front door. “These are way better – have a look.”

Without warning, Aniya dunked her torch flame-first into a bucket behind the door. Victoria yelped and hugged me again, but her fear of the darkness was unfounded. High up in the rafters beyond our reach was a dazzling canopy of hanging moss glowing a dim hue of green and blue, coating the cozy interior with just enough light to trace the outline of well-hewn furnishings.

“No fire in the wooden house,” Aniya shrugged. “And no yelling either; the other girls are sleeping in the next house over. I asked if they felt like hunting for crabs, but… I guess they were full.”

“So this is the Villa,” Victoria walked around me and sat in a cushioned chair.

“Yeah, about that…” Aniya made her way to a large, octagonal table and leaned into it. “This aint it. The real Villa’s carved into this big cliff overlooking a lagoon deeper in the jungle.”

“Oh?” I asked. “If this isn’t the Villa, why waste any time getting there?”

“Perhaps she’s gotten too comfortable here,” Victoria rubbed the armrests of her chair. “I must say, I’m tempted to follow her example.”

“Basically,” Aniya knocked her knuckles on the table. “We’re stuck out here for awhile to fend for ourselves – and our instructions are carved into the surface of this table right here.”

I approached the table and leaned curiously over it. “I can see something written,” I squinted. “But this light is faint… it’ll take time for my eyes to adjust.”

“I could just tell you what it says,” Aniya replied. “You want the long or short version?”

“Short,” I told her.

“Well…” Aniya leaned closer, her teeth glowing faintly under the light of the moss. “Basically… we’re not heavy enough to get in. We gotta get bigger – a lot bigger.”

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Three

               “Right…” I frowned with a hand drifting over my middle. “So we need to get bigger to enter the Villa. That makes sense…”

               “No it doesn’t,” Victoria insisted. “Aniya, can you tell us the long explanation next?”

               “I mean,” Aniya stretched her back and held the pose, twisting gently. “It’s getting’ late… plus, Zaiva owes me a little convo if you know what I mean…”

               “I do not,” Victoria pouted.

               Aniya chuckled. “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Come on, Zaiva. I’m taking you to my room.”

               With that, the dark elf took my hand and tugged me into an adjoining bedroom. Like the room before, this one was lit by glowing moss hanging from the ceiling. A potted orchid on a dresser added a warm, orange glow to the room.

               All details in the room, however, paled in comparison to the roped contraption by the window where a bed should be. It reminded me of the rigging on ships used by crew to climb sails, except this thing was tied to two tree trunks growing through either end of the room. Whatever it was, Aniya was climbing into it.

               “What?” she smirked as I stared at her reclining on top of the mesh of ropes. “You never used a hammock before?”

               “I should’ve known not to expect a real bed after all this time,” I sighed.

               “Climb in,” Aniya spread her arms toward me. “I want us to whisper secrets to each other.”

               Her words jarred my thoughts back into focus. We may have found ourselves on a tropical island, but we still had a mission to kill – and eavesdroppers could be anywhere.

               “You don’t think Lesh could have followed us, do you?” I asked as I carefully propped one foot into the netting between her legs.

               “Naw,” she gently gripped my upper arm to help ease me in. “only way up here is that creaking plank path. We’d hear her trying to get here from a mile away – if she even dares try it without a light.”

               “So we only have Victoria to worry about.”

               “Yea,” Aniya wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a light kiss on the lips. “So hurry up and finish jumping-in. I have something to tell you.”

               It was easier said than done. I may have nearly finished getting in the hammock, but the moment I pulled my remaining foot off the ground, the whole thing swayed so violently I thought we would flip onto the floor. Apparently, Aniya saw it as her chance to squeeze my body tight against her own.

               We lay there for some time, the hammock rocking us back and forth like a cradle. I was acutely aware that the only thing holding us from a painful drop to the floor was a net of creaking ropes, though I couldn’t see it. All I could see was Aniya’s mouth smiling as the breathed warm air inches from my face.

               “You were saying?” I whispered as casually as possible.

               She licked her lips before reaching one hand to the back of my head to nudge it sideways so my ear was at her mouth.

               “I’ll start with good news… we can take these pigskins off now.”

               “Truly?” I raised an eyebrow.

               “Well, maybe not now since we’re so tired, but tomorrow I’ll take you to the beach for a good bathing.”

               “Fine,” I eased myself into her little body and felt her thighs squirm against me. “But that sounds irrelevant to what I’m sure you were about to tell me.”

               A suspicious creak sounded from the next room. I glanced toward it and saw nothing, but knew better than to think we were alone. Surely, Victoria had an ear to the door.

               Aniya tugged my head back to her. “Do you still have it? That flower you picked for me?”

               I inhaled long and deep, for I was pleased to discuss the flowers that would poison the Sultan. At last, our mission was being discussed – if only in subtle allusions not understood by others.

               “Of course,” I tapped my collar where I had kept it hidden. “Though it’s dry and brittle now.”

               “Good,” she leaned closer, so close that I felt her lips brushing my sensitive elven ears and made them twitch. “There’s glass bottles in the house. Tomorrow, we’ll take two of them to the beach. When we strip, we’ll put the flowers inside before bathing in the sea. That way, we’ll preserve them to consummate our bond.”

               I smirked. “Consummate our bond… I like the sound of that –”

               We were interrupted by a rude rapping at the door. “Ahem,” Victoria’s voice was miffed. “May I come in? Are you decent?”

               Without waiting for a reply, the spoiled woman opened the door and barged-in. She froze when she saw us tangled together on the hammock.

               “What…” she bristled with jealousy. “What is that? What are you even doing?”

               “Sleeping,” Aniya replied contentedly.

               “I… no,” Victoria shook her head. “No I refuse. I will not hang from the wall like some silkworm! Aniya, where’s the bed? The real bed?”

               “I mean…” Aniya shrugged. “There’s another hammock in the next room…”

               “I will not sleep hanging in the air!”

               “You should… the critters can’t get you if you’re in a hammock.”

               A strange noise emitted from Victoria’s throat. “… what sort of critters?”

               “Crabs…” Aniya replied thoughtfully. “… really long bugs… I might’ve seen a snake yesterday…”

               “Well, in that case I… I suppose… may I sleep with you?”

               “No,” I said quickly.

               But Aniya spoke quicker. “Sure! I missed you both so much.”

               “Are you sure about this?” I asked. “We’re all heavier than we last met.”

               “S’all good,” Aniya replied as Victoria began to hop in. “Me and the other girls shared this hammock when we first got here, so you can trust these ropes will hold us.”

               “I’m actually more concerned about you laying underneath us.”

               “Aw, so you care about me? Thanks girl… but I actually prefer being at the bottom.”

               I was mulling the meaning of those words when Victoria awkwardly eased herself into the hammock. She was less nimble than I, and much shorter, which forced her to hop on one foot and pounce on top of us with such force I thought we’d all fall out. Instead, we were swaying like a rowboat caught in a storm.

               “Eep!” Victoria squealed and squeezed my waist as she pressed her body into my back.

               “You’re good,” Aniya soothed her by laying her hands over hers. “We’re good. It’s all good.”

               “It won’t stop swinging,” Victoria moaned. “What if it snaps? What kind of lunatic would invent a giant spider web like this?”

               “No idea, but you don’t need to worry ‘bout that.”

               “I can see the floor. How am I supposed to not worry?”

               “Don’t look at the floor. Focus on Zaiva.”

               My ears twitched at the mention of my name. “What about me?” I asked. “What are you two doing?”

               “Feeling you up, of course,” Aniya replied. “Now Vicky, do what I do. Take a deep breath and hold. Hold it… and let it out. Now you got your hands on Zaiva’s waist, right?”

               “Right,” Victoria replied with her fingers gripping a small band of fat on my sides I hadn’t realized I had.

               “Good. Reach around a little more and hold her belly.”

               “Stop,” I snapped. “What are you two doing?”

               “Trust me, Zaiva,” Aniya squirmed a bit under me to free her own hands to fondle me. “This is nothing compared to what we did in the Pen. Just sit back and let the swaying hammock rock you to sleep.”

               “I’m scared of the swaying,” Victoria gripped my stomach in fright.

               “Aight, I’m getting back to you Vicky,” Aniya’s hands found their way to my belly as well. “You focus on this stuffed gut Zaiva’s got. Think of how warm and smooth it is against you palms.”

               “Yes… I can feel it. So round and smooth… it’s like a roasted zucchini.”

               “A what?” I grumbled.

               “You like zucchinis, Zaiva; I’ve seen you eat them,” said Aniya. “And speaking of eating, you must’ve been eating good today. You’re stuffed as a hog. What did you eat today?”

               “We ate fruits on the beach,” Victoria answered for me, her happiness overcoming her fear. “Fruit grows everywhere here! All kinds… red fruit, green fruit, orange fruit… but my favourite was the white fruit.”

               “White fruit?” Aniya’s whole body flinched with excitement. “No way! You actually found blessed fruit! You’ll have to show me where you found them tomorrow.”

               “You don’t think they’re truly blessed, do you?” Victoria’s legs fidgeted just behind my own.

               “Oh trust me,” Aniya patted my stomach. “Anything white on this island’s way more sweet and fattening than you think. Like, me and the girls found some albino oysters the other day and I swear I felt my ass gain a couple inches overnight. How many did you eat, by the way?”

               “There were so many… I don’t even know,” Victoria mused. “Oh, how marvellous! Did you hear that, Zaiva? We’re going to gain –”

               “Yes, yes,” I growled. “I heard everything. Now can you two stop squirming against me so we can sleep?”

               “I’m sorry, Zaiv,” Aniya said quietly. “I sorta forgot you barely slept tonight.”

               “Yes, we’re truly sorry,” Victoria lay her head against my back with a sight. “I hope you have it in your heart to forgive us.”

               Aniya and Victoria sighed with a long, expansive inhale that became a collective yawn. I couldn’t resist to follow suit, and soon the three of us were yawning together, our bodies settling into one another like a litter of blind pups.

               “I missed nights like this,” Aniya whispered. “All of us cuddled together, feeling each others’ chests rise and fall… I can almost hear your heart beating, Zaiva,” she sighed again and lay her head against my breast. “I missed y’all.”

               I didn’t answer, for I was too tired and annoyed that we were losing precious time for sleep, but then again… were we truly losing time for sleep? There would be no wakeup call here; no orcs would barge through the door. Here, on this mysterious island none knew of, we were free…

               Free… the word rang through my very being and had my entire body shivering. We were free. I was free. My whole life, I’d served others’ whims: my mother, the Scorpion Order, my country, the Sultan, the Sword-Sworn orcs… but here there was no one to serve, no duties to fulfil, no metaphysical chains reining me in. Free… not a battle cry, nor a national slogan, but truly free – intoxicatingly free.

               Such feelings swirling within me were enough to lift my spirits like never before. Elated, I wrapped my hand around the back of Aniya’s head and gave it a kiss. Her long, elven ear flicked at the touch of my lips, and I knew that she was sleeping, and so I committed to do the same.

               There we slept, three free spirits in paradise, sleeping without a care in the world, awaiting the morning sun.

 

               “Wake up! Hey, wake up!”

               I was instantly roused – as were my fellow hammockers. A wakeup call? Were we back in the Pen? Surely, this was a nightmare… yet the two girls shoving their way into the room were as real as the girls I was wedged between.

               “Hey, Pixie,” Aniya groaned and stretched the sleep from her body. “Lydia… Bobette. W’sup…?”

               “Aniya…” Pixie frowned. “Wait, is that Deep Purple and…?”

               “What about it?” I asked.

               “Unimportant!” Bobette interrupted. “There’s an orc out there!”

               I was suddenly wide awake. Lesh was back.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Four

               I shared a knowing look with Aniya and Victoria before giving a reply to the three intruders in our room.

               “So you three saw an orc,” I said as neutrally as possible.

               “Why are you acting so calm?” Pixie slapped her thigh in frustration before pointing outside. “We saw an orc woman – an orc. Don’t you get it? These boar-toothed brutes are on the island! What if they harass us and call us names and – it’ll be like the Starter Resort all over again!”

               “I don’t want to go through that again,” Bobette moaned.

               “What do we do?” asked Lydia.

               I stretched my body against the hammock to get the last hints of fatigue out of my limbs. The sun was shining through the fluttering leaves into our window, leaving a square of light sparkling on the opposite wall. It had been the first good rest I’d had since my mission had begun – so good, in fact, it was impossible for me to feel concerned for anything at all.

               “First of all…” I yawned. “I need Victoria to get off of me.”

               “Oh,” Victoria shifted and jumped-off my back, sending the hammock into a wide, entrancing swing. “Excuse me.”

               “That’s more like it,” I eased myself to a sitting position before setting my feet down on the wooden floor and standing erect. “Now I can actually think…”

               “This is serious, Deep Purple,” Pixie insisted with a stomp of her foot that made the softness on her belly quiver. “Don’t you remember how the orcs treated us – treated you?”

               “Oh, I do,” I replied. “But she’s just one lost orc that drifted ashore with us.”

               “Wait, you know her?” Pixie’s mouth hung wide as a fish’s.

               “No,” I lied, feeling too lazy to explain Lesh’s situation again. “Anyway, where did you see her? Is she still around?”

               The three newcomers looked at each other, wordlessly hoping another would speak first. Finally, Lydia stepped-forward. “I think I saw her first. I was laying in my hammock when I turned towards the window and saw… I saw her perched in a tree branch like a jaguar… looking at me!”

               “And she was naked!” added Bobette. “Not a shred of linen on her! It was so scary!”

               “I screamed,” Pixie nodded with fear in her trembling voice.

               I, however, cocked a sly smile. “Naked, you say? Did she happen to have big tits?”

               “She did have big tits!” Lydia exclaimed, still fearful. “Round, green tits the size of Pixie’s head!”

               “Oh, that’s not so big,” I was grinning ear to ear. “Even so, she must’ve outgrown her clothes. How quaint…”

               “Wait…” Lydia eyed me suspiciously. “I thought you said you didn’t know her?”

               “I don’t. Let’s say we saw her last night. I never forget a pretty face – or chest.”

               “But what’s an orc doing here, anyway?” Pixie asked.

               “I bet there’s a bunch of orcs,” Bobette mused, the flame of conspiracy blazing within her eyes. “They must’ve built these treehouses for us to find and now they have us surrounded – watching us.”

               “But why would they do that?” asked Pixie.

               “I don’t know… to mess with us? Maybe it’s some sort of test.”

               Frustrated, I shook my head and lay my hands on their shoulders goad them to silence. “Now look,” I stared down at their fretful faces. “We can guess all day about what this orc’s up to, but how about we discuss what you actually know instead? Victoria and I just beached yesterday and Aniya tells me there’s instructions inscribed on a table in the main room. Step aside and let me have a look at it.”

               Aniya had remained on the hammock for the entire conversation, but perked immediately at the mention of her name. Now, as I made my way to the table, she hurried after me like a loyal pup.

               “Uh, about those instructions…” Aniya yawned before rushing after me. “Hey, wait up…”

               But I was already at the table. I lay my hands upon its dark, dense wood, brooding over the words carved into its sides for the first time.

               “These aren’t instructions,” I tapped my fingers against the table. “They’re gibberish.”

               The words wrapped their way ‘round the edges of the octagonal table, each corner inscribed with a different phrase.

               “Live, laugh, love,” I read the first corner. “What’s that even mean?”

               “Keep reading,” Aniya suggested. “Walk around it to read the rest.”

               I did so, slowly walking with a hand tracing against the inscriptions as Victoria followed closely behind.

               “Eat, drink, be merry…” I felt my annoyance growing with every step. “Red, white, and gold… apple, pear, hourglass… milk, honey, and albino… eat, sleep, and grow… till your cups… overflow…”

               There remained nothing more. Somehow, I was more confused than when I’d started. Aniya smiled slyly at me when I turned to her for help again.

               “Tried to tell ya,” she said innocently.

               “That’s it?” I slammed my palm against the table. “These are the instructions?”

               “More like clues,” she shrugged.

               “This can’t be all we’ve got to go on. Nothing on her makes sense.”

               “I can’t complain. We spent all that time in the Starter Resort being watched and worked to the bone, but we’re not starters no more. We’re stuffers and we got a whole island all to ourselves. If our instructions don’t make any sense, that just means we get to stay longer and I’m honestly alright with that.”

               “But why send us to an island in the first place?”

               “Eh… I don’t wanna question it.”

               “Aniya,” I was losing my patience. “We can’t stay here forever. We need to get to the Harem as quickly as possible, you understand? So I need you to help me solve this cryptic message.”

               Aniya was unfazed by my temper. In fact, she seemed to glow with pride. “I already have.”

               “Then tell me!”

               She shared a look with her three co-inhabitants before taking my hand. “It’ll make more sense if I show you. Come on… we’re gonna show you the Cups.” 

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Five

               “Is it just me, or did we gain some weight last night?”

               I turned to find Victoria staring at me expectantly. We had set-out with Aniya and the others on a trek through the jungle, and I could hardly glance back at Victoria before returning my attention to the narrow, winding dirt path trailing over gnarled roots, sprawling ferns, and overgrown boulders. The jungle leaves pressed us from either direction like walls, so much so that we had to hike single-file. Unfortunately, Victoria was behind me.

               “I think we did,” Victoria insisted as she swept a massive leaf away from her face. “Yesterday when I followed you up that rope bridge, I could see your hip bone on either side of your waist, but now… now there’s no hip bone at all – only soft bulges.”

               I rolled my eyes, but I feared her words rang true. They certainly felt true: my thighs were brushing against one another much more vigorously than yesterday, and I was beginning to experience an entirely new sensation I was not comfortable with: chafing. My thighs – my firm, muscular thighs – had grown pliably-soft. I could hardly bear dwelling on such things, so I opted instead to call for Aniya before Victoria made more unwelcome observations on my expanding figure.

               “Aniya,” I spoke firmly. “How much farther? And what exactly are these ‘cups’ you speak of?”

               “They’re cups,” Aniya replied as she sidestepped an uprooted tree. “Like, remember the words on the table? ‘Eat, sleep, and grow till your cups overflow?’ Well, it’s referencing literal cups.”

               “Uh, actually,” Pixie called from the very back of the procession. “I think they’re more like giant bird-baths.”

               “A bird-bath for the bird brain,” I couldn’t resist the verbal jab. “Whatever they are, what’s the purpose of overflowing them?”

               “It’ll make more sense when you see them,” Aniya said once again. “We’re nearly there, anyway. See? This path’s starting to incline. We’ll reach the mountain’s cliff-face where the Villa is before you know it.”

               The path was, indeed, ascending, and it was wreaking havoc on my chafing thighs. Sweat beaded on my gleaming thighs as if it were raining, and the skin felt ready to burn. Still, I showed no weakness, for I could never withstand such public shame. Only Aniya’s promise that the hike was nearly over gave me comfort.

               A stray glance past the shimmering tree canopy betrayed the cliffside’s presence. Dense jungle foliage had masked it from our gaze until now as we hiked beneath its looming height. Like the sandy beaches, it shone blindingly-white in the morning sun, yet as I peered more closely, I could see an imperfection in its white face: a wide gap filled with finely-sculpted walls and towers like a mouthful of grinning teeth.

               “You see it?” Aniya pointed at the gap. “That’s gotta be the Villa they told us to look for – they told us we’d know when we found it, right? Only problem is… this cliff goes all the way ‘round the mountain, so there’s no way up – ‘cept for the Cup Room, that is.”

               Aniya pointed to the base of the cliff as it came into view and I let my eyes follow where her finger pointed, but what I saw sent chills down my spine. Did my eyes deceive me? A huge door hewn into the cliff flanked by two humanoid statues? Such craftsmanship could only be for one thing: a place of worship for some unknown deity.

               I eyed the statues as if they could spring to life in an instant. It wasn’t that I expected such a trap – golems needed joints to move and these statues were hewn from the cliff itself as a single, unbroken piece – my concerns were far greater: what manner of god, goddess, demon, demoness, or thing had this place been made for? The statues’ features offered clues. They were humanoid in shape, yet also feline, wielding claws on their fingers and fangs in their maws. Their pointed ears and whiskers almost seemed to twitch and prick with life, and the swishing curves of their tails denoted action without acting. Such beings were unlike any race I’d ever seen, but were they evil or benign? Either way, any temple that was abandoned was never a good omen.

               “You good, Zaiv?” Aniya glanced at me, sensing my unease.

               “I’m fine,” I replied. “Just… chafing.”

               “Well, we’re almost inside. Come on…”

               One by one, the girls followed Aniya through the door until I was the last one remaining, yet still I hesitated. There was something about the eyes of the statues that gave me pause. They seemed to glimmer as if alive. They surely were not golems, but I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched…

               “You coming, Zaiv?” Aniya called softly. “It’s all good; I’ve been in here already.”

               I stepped through the door… and my fears doubled. The Cup Room was a vast chamber ringed with inscriptions in an unknown tongue. Centred in the chamber were three massive stone basins, each half filled with water and painted around their rims: one red, one white, and the last one yellow. Grooves carved in the floor spidered their way from the basins toward the far end of the chamber, where another stone door blocked our progress deeper into the mountain.

               Aniya spread her arms and back-stepped toward the basins. “Welcome to the Cup Room,” she smiled. “I discovered it.”

               “I saw it first,” Pixie muttered.

               “Yeah, but I was the one who solved the puzzle,” Aniya slapped the side of the white basin as she turned to me once more. “So what do you think, Zaiva? I can tell when you’re thinking.”

               “These aren’t cups,” I said sombrely. “They’re sacrificial altars.”

               “More like… offering goblets,” Aniya stepped onto the lip of the white basin. “Check this out: we got three cups in three colours that happen to match our outfits. Each one is partially-filled with water.”

               “’Red, white, and gold…’” Victoria was getting excited as a schoolgirl. “Ah! And then ‘apple, pear, and hourglass!’ The cups match the colours of our pigskins!”

               “Right?” Aniya nodded. “And don’t forget the next two lines: ‘eat, drink, and grow, till your cups overflow.’ This is it! These are the cups! Now watch this…”

               Aniya dipped a single foot into the water, followed by the other. She shivered for a moment before crouching low, submerging as much of herself as she could while still eyeing us with a mischievous grin.

               “Look!” Victoria pointed. “The cup is starting to glow! Magic!”

               I, however, was uneasy. Magic in an abandoned temple? We were playing with fire. “How’s it feel?” I asked Aniya.

               “A little cold, at first, but can’t complain,” Aniya stroked the water with her arms and paddled her feet. “The cup’s just glowing to show it’s being used right. Now, you see how the water level is a little higher now? We need to make all three cups overflow to open the next door, and to do that, we need to get fat. I’m sure of it.”

               Even as she finished her presentation, I was scheming how to avoid such a fate. Having a pair of fat tits complimented my figure, but the price was simply too great. I was bound by duty to kill the sultan, and I needed to be ready for that opportunity when it came. I needed to stay as fit as possible, yet my gods-damned thighs were already chafing!

               “I have an idea,” I said. “Let’s all get into one cup at a time. We can get them overflowing in a third of the time.”

               “Yeah, we tried that,” said Aniya. “Lemme show you what happens when you do that. Pixie? Wanna get in the bird-bath with me?”

               Pixie muttered some curse to herself, but she complied with hardly a flinch as she slipped herself into the cup. No sooner had she settled by Aniya’s side, the cup stopped glowing.

               “I guess two girls is too much for one cup,” I noted dryly.

               “Nah, that aint it,” Aniya rubbed Pixie’s shoulder. “Pixie’s just the wrong colour. I’m a white pear and she’s a red apple, you know? But if you match the colours to the cups, things get interesting… hey Lydia? You still there? You’ve been real quiet lately.”

               The high elf named Lydia had been whispering unheard words to her friend Bobette when Aniya’s call startled her, but quickly recovered, visibly eager to participate.

               “Yes?” she asked.

               “You’re a red apple, right? Go ahead and take a dip in the red cup – you too, Pixie.”

               Slowly, the two girls in red pigskins positioned themselves onto the rim of the red cup. The rest of us watched them with bated breath, anticipating another display of magic, however subtle it may be. The white cup began glowing once more, an omen of what was to come. Then, with a splash, squeal, and another splash, Pixie and Lydia got in the red cup – and its rim began to glow.

               “So you see how it is,” Aniya said. “We can put as many girls as we can fit into the cups so long as the colours match. Water level’s barely moving now, but I’m sure it’ll get easier to raise it as more stuffers beach onto the island.”

               “So it would seem,” I said cautiously, pacing between the two glowing cups to look for signs of hexes or curses. “But we haven’t solved the whole riddle yet. For instance, what’s the significance of ‘milk, honey, and albino?’”

               Aniya stood herself-up in the midst of her cup, stretching lazily as water dripped from her elbows, breasts, and chin. “Well, obviously we gotta eat and drink them. We already found albino food – and in case you didn’t notice, they’re real fattening.”

               “Quite,” I grumbled, my chafing thighs still touching one another.

               “So… finding that milk and honey is our next goal.”

               “Where? There’s no hives or herd animals in sight.”

               “I’m sure we’ll find some if we explore – and speaking of exploring, I want to show you this amazing bathing spot we found. The water on these cups is too cold to strip in, see…”

               “Wait,” Victoria’s mouth was gaping. “We can strip?”

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Six

               Aniya’s bathing spot was a secluded lake halfway up the mountain. I was eager as we climbed towards it, anticipating a shorter, climbable part of the cliff I could use to skip the Cup Room altogether. All my hopes were dashed at the sight of a roaring waterfall crashing upon smooth boulders on the far end of the lake. What could have been a scalable cliffside was rendered dangerously slick. Not even the calls of a thousand parrots, cicadas and other unknown creatures could lift my spirits.

               Aniya either didn’t notice my bitter mood or didn’t care, for she nudged me till I looked down into her eyes.

               “Way better than the Shower, right?” she winked. “I call it the ‘Hot Shower’ ‘cause the sun keeps the water warm.”

               “Warm,” I scoffed. “My chafing thighs don’t need anymore heat after that damned hike.”

               I was upstaged by the sound of Lydia and Bobette hurriedly-stomping their way to the water’s edge.

               “Hot Shower!” Bobette cried before dunking headfirst into the depths.

               “Wee!” Lydia followed suit with a splash so violent that it sent water into my face.

               “By all the gods…” I wiped at the mud-tinged droplets  from my eyes – only for a wet pigskin to slap against my face. “Be more careful damnit!”

               The two girls paid me no heed, bouncing lightly against the lakebed with their breasts bobbing like buoys on the waterline. Even though I knew they’d stripped, the sight of their bare skin was shocking. I’d forgotten what nipples even looked like…

               “Come in the water with us!” Lydia splashed water towards me.

               “Yeah,” Bobette followed suit. “The water’s fine.”

               I nearly stormed after them when a pair of chubby cheeks swung past my face – Pixie’s cheeks. Damned moron was swinging naked on a vine.

               “Crystal ball!” she cried as she released the vine, grabbed her toes, and body-slammed the lake like a rock.

               Once again, I was soaked. Once again, I was ready to storm into the lake, but I hadn’t even taken a step when Aniya gently lay a hand on my chest.

               “We’ll be right there, girls,” Aniaya called as she sidled-up to me. “I have to teach her how to strip. Zaiva? You nervous? You’re shivering like crazy.”

               “More like trembling,” I clenched my fists. “With rage –”

               Aniya quickly silenced me with a finger to my lips. “It’s alright, Zaiv. This I the cleanest water you’ll ever find. It’ll wash your skin of anything.”

               She tapped the side of her collar and I suddenly knew her true intentions. We weren’t here to enjoy yourselves or even bathe. We were here to store our deadly ingredients safely without danger of mixing them and dying in the attempt.

               “Hang on, Zaiva,” Aniya slipped away for a moment. “I got something I want to show ya.”

               “Do you want me to close my eyes?” I asked with a hint of impatience.

               “Too late; take a look!” Aniya stepped back into view with a coconuts in each hand. “Wanna hold my coconuts?”

               “I… what? You want me to drink from them?” as I spoke, she placed them in my hands and I found them lighter than expected. “You hollowed these out… they’re empty.”

               “Uh huh,” Aniya took hold of my hands and walked me back toward the lake. “Keep holding them. I’ll show you what they’re for once we’re deep enough.”

               Like a horse led to water, I followed Aniya’s guidance into the lake with no intention of drinking. My experiences with water had never been pleasant, and were it not for the sake of the mission and my sense of duty, I would never have stepped-foot into the mysterious murk. Yet as we stepped deeper into the lake and the waterline rose around us, I was pleasantly surprised. The water was, indeed, warm – nearly hot – and was clear enough to see the rocky bottom, though only a shimmering hint of it. I winced when I felt the water touch the bare skin on my thighs, and the feeling of water trickling past the nethers between my legs forced me to freeze for a moment.

               “S’all good,” Aniya chuckled. “You’ll get used to it… just don’t drop my coconuts…” she leaned-in for a whisper. “We’ll need them to store the flowers.”

               “Isn’t this too obvious?” I whispered back. “Doing this out in the open with everyone looking at us?”

               “They’ll just think we’re drinking with the coconuts. Besides,” Aniya nodded her head towards shore. “I think they’re distracted.”

               I followed her gaze and found that the girls were, indeed, distracted. Victoria was the sole, remaining among us who hadn’t entered the lake. She was standing on a tall boulder now, stiffly holding her legs together as the rest of the girls chanted for her to jump.

               “Well then,” I smirked. “That’s the most useful thing Victoria’s done.”

               By now, we were chest-deep into the lake – rather, I was chest-deep and Aniya was bobbing to keep above water.

               “This is why I had you hold them, big girl,” she explained. “Now we can get to business.”

               With great care, Aniya reached into her collar and retrieved a handful of wilted, dry flower petals and dropped them into the left coconut. I did likewise and put mine into the right coconut.

               “Most of the toxic juices are dried-up at this point,” Aniya said. “But that’s nothing a little lake-water can’t fix.”

               Something long brushed over my thigh and I nearly jumped before I realized it was her leg. The other leg quickly followed, wrapping around my waist as she brought herself close – so close our chests were rubbing together. She was mounting me.

               “What next?” I asked.

               She took hold of a coconut and tossed it ashore. “Throw it back. Go ahead – the inside is sticky, so the flowers won’t spill.”

               I did so and managed to hit the first coconut with my impeccable aim. Impressive. I let myself smile with satisfaction. “Now how will we smuggle those into the Villa when we –"

               “Shh…” Aniya put her finger to my lips before kissing me. “I don’t want to talk about the poison, the Sultan, or anything about the mission. For now, I want you.”

               I stiffened. For the first time, her touch made me uneasy. “What do you mean?”

               “I want you. I want to feel your body against mine – truly against mine; flesh to flesh for the first time.”

               “Oh,” I inhaled awkwardly as I felt her reach for the back of my neck. “Of course. We must keep-up the ruse…”

               Aniya suddenly stared at me in disbelief. “Zaiva… I love you…”

               “Of course you do. Now, let’s get on with it.”

               Now she looked hurt. “I… I thought you… did you think it was all an act?”

               “Of course it’s an act. We’re on a mission to kill the Sultan, are we not? We can’t let the others suspect our true intentions.”

               She opened her mouth, but only aching croaks came out. All the while, I stared solemnly at her. Why was she so distraught? Did she not have a sense of the importance of our mission? Was there any semblance of appreciation of the gravity of the situation we were in or the consequences we could suffer from failure?

               It was only as the first beading tears flowed down her face that I suddenly realized that it was I who hadn’t understood. All those countless moments in the Pen together, whispering sweet nothings to each other, it had never been a ruse. It was real – her love was real. How had I never noticed? I had bed plenty of bodies in my career, man and woman alike, so surely I would sense love and affection. Or would I? Had I ever bad someone for more than pleasure? Had I ever loved anything other than my deadly trade? No… no, I had never loved another because I’d never been loved. Visions of my evil mother returned to haunt me… the flames… the snarling face of the first orc I’d killed… the hollow joy known as vengeance…

               Vengeance. A childhood of trauma had poisoned my soul far more than I ever imagined, for my first great love had been the feeling of killing those who had burned my home, and all the rest of my life I had chased that feeling, loving a profession that would never love me in return…

               A snapping twig had me looking-up with a start. There, crawling from the underbrush, was the must buxom, naked orc I had ever seen.

               “Fuck,” I pushed Aniya aside. “It’s Lesh.”

               The other girls finally noticed the intruder. Those in the pool dipped low to mask their nudity as Victoria (still clothed and high on the rock) pointed at Lesh.

               “It’s the orc! She’s back!”

               “No!” Aniya cried. “The coconuts!”

               Too late, I realized the snarling orc’s true objective. That bitch had spied on us and learned of our mission! Now she was after our poison!

               I was already rushing out of the lake when Lesh snatched the two coconuts and dashed back into the jungle as quick as her bare feet and bouncing breasts would let her.

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Seven

               I sprinted through the jungle at breakneck speed. Leaves whipped my body and roots snatched at my ankles, yet instead of frustration, a bestial thrill overcame me. For the first time since my mission began, I was hunting my pretty – yes! At last, I was an assassin again! Now I felt my cares and worries melting away, replaced with the singular urge to chase the naked orc rushing through the jungle just in front of me. Nothing else mattered – not the chafing between my sweaty thighs, not the violent bouncing of my cumbersome bosom, not even the sound of Aniya running close behind – only the thrill of the chase.

               My target – Lesh Gotha – crashed her way through the underbrush with slow and lumbering steps. Her breasts had already been straining the seams of her old leathers the day before; now they had grown so rapidly I doubted they could be stuffed into her old outfit even if she tried. Their round bulk swung side to side so ferociously I could see them from behind, each as big as her head if not bigger. The Brennar’s Bark I’d forced down her throat was quickly transforming the once-hardened warrior into a bovine parody of her former self. I grinned between panting breaths at the amusing sight. No wonder Lesh had revealed herself so recklessly. Had she waited another day, she’d barely be fit to run at all. This would be an easy chase.

               Or so I thought. Lesh’s body was slower, but her mind was still quick. I was nearly in arm’s reach of her when she reached an unseen cliff, leapt into a vine, and swung into another before sliding to a small gap in the jungle canopy below. I skidded to a stop, nearly falling to my demise and merely falling on a sharp rock instead.

               I rubbed my bruised ass with my blood boiling. Damn that orc-woman! I couldn’t follow her without snatching the same vine she’d used for her daring escape, and I couldn’t snatch it till it stopped swinging!

               I’d hardly begun getting to my feet when Aniya caught-up with me. “Where did she…” she asked breathlessly. Her keen eyes caught sight of the still-swaying vine and leapt instantly for it.

               “Wait!” I reached-out to stop the dark elf, but she was already sliding her way down to the overgrown grove – straight towards a patch of rustling reeds where Lesh had vanished into.

               “Vull, take them all!” I punched the nearest tree in a fitful rage. I had to wait even longer for the vine to swing my way. Aniya reckless rush ahead had stopped my chase cold in its tracks!

               With nothing better to do, I brushed my ass free of grit and winced as the cheeks wobbled like jelly. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on my growing body or Aniya’s feelings; I needed to focus on the mission. So it was that I peered over the cliff’s edge to assess where I was going. Trees thickly covered the land as far as the sandy beach – a sea of green within a sea of blue. A gust of wind had the leaves rustling in waves, but I knew better than to dive-in – the twigs beneath the surface would not hold me. The grove where Aniya and Lesh had landed was the only safe landing zone, though the reeds growing there were tall enough that I’d lost sight of them both.

               My planning was cut short by a resounding scream.

               “Zaiva! Zaiva help me!”

               No time to lose. I took a leap of faith… and my heart nearly stopped as I hung helplessly in the air. The vine was swinging away from my reaching fingers. I was falling… falling faster… and at last I felt my sweaty palms grip the vine. It slid as I struggled to hold it. I was swinging the wrong way. I lost control… and I fell into the grove with a resounding splash.

               “Gods fuck-damnit!” I snarled as I struggled back to my feet in waist-deep water. Reeds and lily pads surrounded me on all sides. Now I knew why no trees grew in this “grove:” it was a swamp.

               “Zaiva!”

               They were behind me. Aniya lay upon a massive lily pad the size of a table, shivering with fright. Behind her loomed Lesh, standing waist-deep in the water with a cracked coconut in each hand poised to slam upon my partner’s heaving chest.

               “Eyeballs, you,” Lesh glared at me with murderous intent. “One more step and your girlfriend gets some.

               I sighed. “What makes you think she’s my girlfriend?”

               “Cause you haven’t moved,” her mouth looked hideous the way she smiled with every tooth and tusk revealed in full. “Now ears, drow,” the word was a curse in her throat. “I heard everything. You picked flowers to kill my Sultan with, is that right? You eat my food and sleep in my Pen on my pay all so you can assassinate the man we do it for? So fuck me, right?”

               “Fuck you, Booba,” I used the first nickname I could think of. “No really: fuck you. You kill my partner there and what do you think happens to you next?”

               “Try me, purple bitch, I fucking dare you. Unlike you, I don’t need flowers to kill again. I will rip your neck from your gods-damned spine – shut up!”

               Overcome with emotion, Aniya had been whimpering beneath the threat of death. She silenced herself quickly, not daring to say a word. Not a muscle on her moved – save for her eyes slowly turning to me.

“Now you’re gonna tell me who sent you to kill my Sultan,” Lesh whispered. “Do it now.”

“No one,” I lied.

“Bullshit,” she hissed like an animal. “Deadly poisons are state secrets. No street urchin or elven fugitive would know how to mix two flowers like these – none. So who was it? Which country sent you crawling into Del Nazzour? Shar? You look like a Shari. Or maybe some rogue drow witchking? Abdul? Ahmet?”

“None,” I lied again.

She stared upwards at me past the ridges of her brows. “Maybe your enslaved mother, then? She send what’s left of her clan on a little vengeance plot? Is that it? You think she’ll ever be free again?”

“She can die for all I care.”

It was then that I first saw it: a shimmer in the reeds just behind Lesh. Something was in the water and whatever it was , it was large and it was closing-in on her rear. It seemed I wasn’t the only one hunting for orc today. I struggled not to stare at it too long, for it this thing attacked her, it would be my chance to save Aniya and our mission. I just needed to stall for time.

“So what’s your angle?” I asked her without looking away from her eyes. “you think you’ll be let back in the Sword-Sworn ranks if you stop us --?”

Lesh slammed one of the coconuts’ contents onto Aniya’s chest with such force it knocked the air from the dark elf’s lungs.

“I’m asking the questions!” Lesh barked. “You got one chance to tell me who sent you before I poison this elf and drown you, so tell me… who… sent you?”

“Zaiva!”

The call came from the cliff above us. Lesh craned her neck and I twisted ‘round to find the rest of the stuffers watching us from the summit. Victoria stood before them, pointing frantically in our direction.

“Zaiva, look out!”

Too late, Lesh realized Victoria was pointing behind her. She’d only begun to turn when the swamp behind her bulged and burst like a geyser. Within the watery plume emerged a murky, blue shape – a shape that reached-out with two humanoid hands and snatched Lesh by the cusp of her cumbersome breasts.

“Nymph!” Lesh cried.

Then the nymph suplexed the orc into the water with a splash so violent I had to wipe my eyes. When I could see again, the swamp-water was barely rippling and birds I hadn’t realized were silent began to chirp again.

“Zaiva…” Aniya croaked from the giant lily-pad.

I waded to her side. She lay on her side now, curled in pain and fighting back tears.

“That thing…” she groaned. “The nymph…”

“Gone – for now,” I replied calmly. “I’ve seen a Nymph or two before; they’re not dangerous unless you defile their sanctuaries.”

“A-are the legends true? Is Lesh going to be…?”

“You speak of nymphomania?” I chuckled. “Maybe she’s doomed to a day of fucking, maybe drowning,” I pulled a hand from the swamp and sneered at the algae coating it. “But let’s not get bogged in the details. We’re safe now.”

Aniya winced and seemed to laugh, but was actually crying harder. She sniffed tears back and looked glumly into my eyes. I could tell she was attempting to mask her emotions behind a façade of professionalism.

“The coconuts… I’ve failed… I lost them…”

“I never cared about them.”

“O-of course… I can find other ingredients. There’s mushrooms and – and orchids –”

I put a finger to her lips. “That can wait. You never asked me how I feel.”

She barely had time to open her mouth when I clasped my own against it. She inhaled deeply, seizing hold of my arms as if she were drowning. My arms wrapped around her in turn, and I leaned-in, half kissing, half carrying her as the lily pad began to tip and sink, but I cared not. I cared not about the swampy water, the girls on the cliff, or even the nymph that had vanished as soon as it appeared. Only the heat of Aniya’s soft, damp body breathing against mine mattered now. She loved me… she loved me. Me! An orphaned drow fighting alone against the world. Why? I dared not question it.

When we finally drew back to look into one another’s eyes, she was panting.

“I thought…” her tongue was thick and heavy in her mouth.

“I thought of you when I burst, didn’t I?” I brushed some algae from her face. “Come on. Let’s join the others. The mission can wait.”

With that, I scooped her off the remains of the lily pad and began wading towards shore with the girls cheering from the top of the cliff… or were they yelling?

[>_< 0_0]

Chapter Forty-Eight

               It took some time before we were close enough to the other girls to hear what they were yelling about. Not one of them were brave enough to swing down the vines into the swamp, but then again, Aniya was still recovering from Lesh’s vicious attack, which meant we couldn’t climb the vines to them. Hence, we traced the cliffside through the jungle till it smoothed to a gentle slope and we could walk together again. By the time we did, the sun hung high at its zenith. All of us were in high spirits after our victory – all, that is, except Victoria.

               “You called?” I asked the glowering woman.

               Victoria didn’t answer me, which surprised me. Was she… pouting? Over what? I meant to ask her, but Aniya saved me from that indignity by doing so herself.

               “You good?” she asked, still cradling her left breast where Lesh had struck it with a cracked coconut. “You look a little out of it. Wanna talk about it?”

               Somehow, this irritated Victoria more. She turned her head, folding her arms tighter across her chest – so tight that her breasts nearly popped from their confines. Even Lydia and Bobette were perplexed by her behaviour.

               “So…” Bobette said cautiously. “We saw something from the cliff while you were dealing with that naked orc.”

               “The water nymph,” I nodded, relieved that the awkward silence was broken. “That’s what took her. Not a common sight, but not unexpected in the wilderness.”

               “No, not that,” Bobette shook her head.

“There were girls out there,” Lydia said excitedly. “Three or four of them peeking from the underbrush on the far side of the swamp! They were watching you.”

Aniya chuckled as much as her bruised ribs would let her. “More girlfriends,” she nudged me with a smile. “Bet they’re new stuffers that beached last night. Must’ve been wandering around the island ever since.”

“Why didn’t they greet us at the swamp?” I asked.

“I think they were too scared of that orc to step in that swamp,” said Lyida.

“And the nymph!” Bobette chimed-in.

“Hells, I know I was,” Aniya found my hand and squeezed it. “Either way, we should go find them.”

“Let’s go, then,” I sighed and gave my thighs a muffled pat that sent gentle shockwaves through their bulk. “I’m not getting any less chafed; might as well embrace it.”

“Embrace the suck,” Aniya agreed. “Come on, y’all. Vicky? You coming?”

Victoria was shuffling her feet when Aniya called her out. As hesitant as she was irritable, I was unsure if she’d budge, but suddenly she stomped ahead of us with her head held high.

“Vicky?” Aniya asked, but in vain. She shrugged at me and followed after her. With no better option, I followed close behind and sensed the others close behind.

 

We followed Victoria through the jungle to the far end of the swamp. It was here that she and the others had seen the mysterious girls peeking through the underbrush at us, but if they’d been here before, they were long gone.

“No sign of them now,” said Pixie.

“Wait, look!” Aniya stooped low and picked-up a fruit from the ground, presenting it proudly to me.

“A mango,” I recognized the fruit instantly. “Looks like someone bit into it recently – they have good taste.”

“And they just left behind a perfectly plump one too,” Aniya held the mango before herself thoughtfully. “Vicky, can you believe that?”

“My name is Victoria,” she snapped.

“… would you like a mango in these trying times?”

“I will not settle for sloppy seconds, thank you very much.”

“Eh…” Aniya took a massive bite from the mango with one hand and wrapped her arm around me with the other. “What you looking at, Zaiv?”

“Tracks,” I brushed her away and knelt close to the ground. “At least three sets of them – going that way,” I pointed directly away from the swamp deeper into the jungle.

“Ah! Lucky!” Aniya spoke between greedy mouthfuls. “If they go straight… mm… they’ll be at the beach… way easier to spot there…”

“Then let’s stop wasting time and be off,” Victoria began walking. “Come, Zaiva.”

Slightly offput by Victoria’s bitter mood, I nearly refused, but we only had one place to go and one thing to do, so I relented. At least Aniya was in good spirits again.

 

The dirt path we travelled was narrow, but only because it was lined with food. Berries and roots coated the ground on either side, tree-branches laden with ripe fruit hung invitingly before our faces, and even the path we tread upon was partly-carpeted with creeping vines whose leaves crunched sweet odours with every footstep.

Such a bounty did not go unnoticed. Not one stomach amongst us wasn’t growling – not even my own – and I realized that this was the first time in at least a month that we’d missed breakfast! It was natural, then, that we began sampling the island’s bounty without a word – and what a bounty it was! Mangos and bananas, papayas and oranges, all graced our palates. But there was one fruit that overshadowed them all, a fruit so large, so mysterious that even Victoria was snapped back to her senses.

“What is that?” Victoria gaped in awe at the gently-swaying monstrosities. She reached for the nearest one – a dog-sized growth resting against a tree trunk – and flinched at the first touch of its bizarre surface.

“It’s all green and wrinkly,” Pixie sneered in disgust. “I don’t like it.”

“But can we eat it?” Bobette rubbed her stomach as she stared curiously at it.

“You’re mad,” Lydia stated firmly. “That thing is as big as your torso – big as Zaiva’s torso.”

“Exactly,” Bobette smacked her lips. “This is how we’re going to overflow those cups.”

“What if it’s poisonous?” Lydia prodded Bobbette’s soft love handle. “Where would you be without me? You’re too greedy for your own good.”

“It’s edible,” I said. “I’ve heard tales of this fruit. Biggest unenchanted fruit in the known world.”

“So we can eat it,” Bobette swayed her hips without a care in the world. “What’s it called, Deep Purple?”

“They call it….” I frowned when I realized she used my cursed nickname. “Jackfruit.”

“Well, it’s about to be called Bobette-fruit,” Bobette positioned herself under the Jackfruit, but stopped short of leaping for it. “Uh… can someone boost me? I can’t quite reach it.”

“Might not have to,” Aniya nodded towards the beach. “Check it out: we’ve got company.”

I followed her gesture towards the beach. There, splashing through a breaking wave, were three slightly-chubby girls: an elf, a human, and a half-giantess.

“That’s Cinder!” Pixie leapt into the open and waved her arms. “Cinder! Cinder it’s me! Cinder!”

The lumbering half-giantess froze. Slowly, she turned to face us and let loose a cry of joy. Just behind her, the elf did the same.

“Aniya!” said the elf.

“Seerah!” Aniya called back.

Suddenly, we were all rushing out of the treeline to meet our old friends. Even I found myself lost in the moment. Time seemed to slow to a standstill. Every footstep, every splash of the ocean against our ankles, every last detail was burned into my eyes. I could see the new dimples grazing Seerah’s cheeks, the freckles on Cinder’s forehead, the wobble and quake of their thighs, there was not one feature that escaped my notice. They were here – my friends were here, and I hadn’t even realized that’s what they were! A missing piece of my soul had returned to me, and my heart blazed with happiness. I laughed – I actually laughed…

And then something rustled within Cinder’s cleavage. A little hand emerged, followed by a little head. My laughter stopped instantly, replaced with shock and utmost outrage.

Gnobbo had come.