World of Chaos: Chapter 4
#4 of World of Chaos
Warning: this particular chapter of World of Chaos is particularly violent, and deals with rape and death. While difficult for me to write, it shows the horrifying reality of a brutal world filled with monsters, and monstrous persons. I strongly believe in treating people with kindness and dignity, and condemn violence for violence sake. The scene in question is story important for the development of a certain character. If you are offended by graphic scenes of gore and/or violence and rape, you should not read this story. If you are under the legal age, you should not be reading this story.
Aatu
The moon went through a full cycle, and still we traveled. The northern pines and spruce of the packlands gave way to open tundra, which eventually gave way to aspens and meadows. I was certain only that we were moving southwards, by the rise and set of the sun.
After the first week of my capture, I finally succumbed to hunger, and was forced to eat the spoiled meals provided. I did so grudgingly, knowing that it was better to retain some strength and health, rather than starve.
Every day, our company was joined with more men, and more caged creatures, as different in shape, size, and coloration as possible. I saw polar bears, elves, men, snow cats, kobolds, and even a frost giant. Each caged or bound in chains, like me, against their will.
It was strange, I had always only felt kinship with my pack, as they were family, and the only thing I've ever known. Despite this, I couldn't help but feel a small bond with those who peered from behind iron bars, as they themselves glanced around with the same dread reflected in my own eyes.
One night, a new group arrived late, four men leading a fifth in chains. I had grown used to the constant stream of new captives, and hardly paid attention as they chained him by the wrists to a large oak that overlooked our encampment.
After a kick to the stomach, they left the man alone, attracted by the warmth and merriment around the large bonfire at the center of camp.
The man was bound about four paces from my cage. Clad in leathers that smelt faintly of caribou, he wore a short dark beard, and long, shoulder-length hair. He had strange blue symbols spiraling up his bare forearms, disappearing under his leathers.
He gave me a smile and nod when he caught me eyeing him.
I growled, circling in my cage before lying in a ball at the farthest corner from him.
I heard a faint chuckle from the man, but ignored him.
The next morning, the usual meals were prepared, though to my surprise, we did not continue onward to wherever our destination was. We remained camped on the border of a large forest to our northwest, and a sprawling plain to our southeast.
While I choked down the usual rotten mystery meat, I caught the man watching me. I tried my best to ignore him, my growling stomach more important at that moment.
That's when I heard something I did not expect. He spoke, not in the human tongue, but my own.
"Easy, friend, You're far from home." he said as he rested against the tree, wrists still bound.
I paused, glancing up at him suspiciously. He was smiling.
"You're a young pup, aren't you?" he asked, a smile on his lips.
It was then I realized that I had just reached my seventh moon. I should have helped on my first real pack hunt. The real mark of adulthood. Yet, here I was, bound and trapped, never to undergo my coming of age.
I just growled in response, returning to my meal.
"I understand, friend. You don't know me. Hell, you probably have never had any experience with men before now, and this has been a rather negative one, I imagine. Not all men are fiends like these." he spat glaring at a passing by guard.
"My name is Fornvarr."
I refused to look up from my meal. Part of me desperately wanted to reply. To speak in my tongue to someone who would understand. It had been more than a month since I had spoken to anyone who would acknowledge my words. Even so, he was a man, clad in the skins of others, trying to claim fellowship. Sure, he was a captive like me, but it was men that my father had warned me of. Men who my people struggled against. Men who captured me.
I answered him by facing my rump in his direction.
"Well, I need something to call you, considering you are going to be my companion in misfortune while we are here. Perhaps Isslund? It means Winter Moon in the tongue of my people.
Still ignoring him, I finished my meal then drank heavily from the bowl of water.
"I'll take your silence as acceptance then. Isslund it is, until you decided I'm worthy of your real name." he laughed.
He was silent for a long time. I watched as the sun rose high in the sky, before beginning it's decent. Our captors still showed no sign of moving camp.
I heard strange whispers coming from Fornvarr's tree. Curiosity got the better of me, and I glanced over.
He was saying something under his breath, and before long, a large grey squirrel emerged from the canopy above him. He was glancing up at it, grinning widely. The squirrel hopped down next to him, chattering noisily. He would whisper back, obviously communicating with the critter.
He was certainly a peculiar human. I caught him glancing up at me, and smiling. The squirrel followed his gaze. I growled, sending the squirrel cowering behind Fornvarr, drawing a small chuckle from the man.
Night fell, and still we remained in the camp at the border of the plain lands. I curled up in my usual corner, attempting to find sleep, despite the restlessness that plagued me.
Ciara
Far below in the distance, the city of Drifa sat nestled in the shadow of the Sutvald Mountains. It was the last major city before the wilds of the northern frontier opened up into a tract of largely unexplored terrain.
" 'spose we could indulge ourselves just this once on an inn with a feathered bed?" Camden asked hopefully.
We had been weeks on the road in that very same unexplored northland, and despite my preference for the wilds opposed to the crowded cities of men, even I had to admit a night on a feathered bed sounded appealing.
"Our last job didn't exactly pan out. I'm afraid we don't have enough gold to afford such luxuries, and hope to resupply." I told him.
He gave a loud sigh.
"Besides, I doubt any inn with feathered beds would cater to the needs of a snow cat." I added.
Aklys made a strange throaty noise.
"Very well. The Bitter Boar it is." Camden replied.
The Bitter Boar was a small inn near the outskirts of town that catered to travelers and frontiersmen mainly. They were appealing because their rooms for rent allowed for a variety of strange creatures. We had seen everything from bears to bats. Few questions were asked about our business in town, and our feline traveling companion was typically lost in the sea of strange beasts that flooded the proprietors stables. This made the inn an ideal place to stay on our resupply and job search missions in Drifa.
The downside was that the inn had a particular scent of moldy cheese about it at all time, and their food and service was somewhat, sub par. I guess that's what you get for paying a silver per night.
We arrived at the inn on the northern border of town by midday, finding it barren. That was unusual, especially this time of year, as travelers and explorers gathered to be the first beyond the borders. Exploration and artifact recovery had been quite a business the last few years, what with the academy paying good gold for any and all Old Kingdom relics. Of course, it had been before the increased slaver activity out of Skera and Manir.
Entering the dimly lit tavern, we caught sight of the owner, a large, burly man by the name of Marvin Greenwald. The man grinned as we shut the large door behind us, Aklys trotting in beside us. As a rule, most inns would take offense at beasts in the dining portion of their establishment, but the Bitter Boar was different. They had entire menus dedicated to pets. If you feared animal based disease, the Bitter Boar was not your establishment.
"Well met, my little friends!" Marvin bellowed from behind the large bar.
"Faired well, I hope, Marvin?" Camden asked, grinning.
"Been better. Business slower than usual. But let us not talk about that. What can I get ya? Usual?" he asked.
"That would be great!" Camden replied.
"How long will you be in Drifa this time?" he asked as he filled two large goblets and a wooden bowl with ale.
"Hard to say. Long enough to resupply, and hopefully find work, if there's any to be had." I replied, taking out six copper pieces, and standing on my tip toes to place them on the bar-top.
"Work's tough lately, what with them slavers about. I hear King Jaris plans on sending riders north to help patrol the frontier." Marvin stated, bringing our order to a small, halfling sized table.
"I'm sure he's hoping to absorb the southern Sutvalds into the kingdom. Has been rather keen on it for years, anyways." Camden said, scooping up the massive goblet with two hands.
Aklys sat at the table, lapping at her bowl he placed before her. On our first stay at the Bitter Boar, Camden had been adamant that the cat get her own ale, insisting she wanted one.
"Fat chance. The Sutvalds have been kingless since the Old kingdom fell, and I'll wager it will remain so. Doubt any of the southern kingdoms are really cut out for governing us anyways. All they want is our iron and silver mines." Marvin growled.
The Southern stretch of the Sutvalds, along the frontier, were largely ungoverned in the traditional sense, with a king ruling over a kingdom. Instead, it was lead by various counsels of elders, mayors, and sheriffs that gathered to decide what was the best for each individual town or hamlet along the border. It had been so for as long as any could remember. The territory was highly sought by various southern kings, however, due to the mountains resource rich terrain.
Only one attempt had been made at outright conquest, and that had failed horribly as the harsh snows of winter halted them in their tracks.
The only real power in the region that resembled any traditional kingdom was the elvish city of Rainhaven, and that was located even further north, in the river valley that opened to the great expanse of the northern sea, and they mainly kept to themselves. Elves didn't seem to concern themselves with the issues of the world. Not anymore.
"I tend to shy from the politics of men." I stated, grinning. "too complicated for a simple lass like myself."
Marvin laughed heartily.
"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, provided that silver keeps flowing, of course." he winked.
He passed us a large, rusty key, with _28_hammered into it, our usual room. Finishing our ale, we thanked him again, before retiring to our room for the evening.
The next day, I set out to the market square, hoping to find the random relic hunter, or dungeon delver who sought a guide or Old Kingdom scholar. Either one in these professions could draw a decent pay, if they were any good. My brother had studied the history of Ryze and the Old Kingdom of Feraldis extensively in the academy, and I myself had plenty of experience in the wildlands of the north. Together, we were highly sought after, despite our small statures. At least, that was typically the case.
I had left Aklys and Camden at the inn that morning, fully expecting them to play more of their wild and sexual games, as they usually did when they had the room to themselves. To my surprise, however, I saw my brother entering a small shop that sat on the edge of an alley. Aklys was nowhere to be seen, unusual for those two, even in a town that frowned upon walking the streets with large predators. The carved oaken sign hanging beside the door red "The Bound Book: Baubles and Trinkets."
Curious, I crept to the window, peering through the wavy glass. My brother was talking to a red robed human about something, though I could not make it out. The man disappeared into a backroom, returning moments later with a leather-bound book. My brother tugged out a few of his scarlet hairs, passing them to the man, who in turn gave him the book. I quickly dove into the ally, crouched behind a small stack of crates as my brother left the shop..
He was definitely up to something, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
I waited about ten minutes, before entering the shop myself.
The robed man at the counter glanced up at the opening door, then down at me as I walked through it.
"Not everyday I get a halfling in my shop, and here today, two tiny red-headed fellows visit. What can I do for you miss?" he asked.
"the halfling who was here a few moments ago. What did he want?" I asked.
"Ah, I'm afraid my customers business is a private matter, though judging by your shocking similarity, I would assume you're his sister? Perhaps you could ask him?" he replied.
"Very well. Thank you for your time." I said, turning to leave.
"While you're here, could I perhaps interest you in a love potion?" he asked, holding up a small vial.
"No thanks." I replied, pulling the large door open.
Stepping back into the street, I decided Camden could wait. Our first priority was work, though It was difficult to shake the unease I felt.
Camden
I grinned to myself, gripping the large tome as I hurried down the marketplace. It was bound in heavy, dark leather. It's pages were blank at the moment, but I intended to change that.
I didn't know why I kept the decision to resume my magical study from my sister. Perhaps it was fear of failure. Few mages were self taught, due to the complexities of magical law, but I already had a foundation to build from. Furthermore, I had Aklys.
Even so, the academy had many stories of prideful mages setting off on their own, only to meet horrible fates at the hands of a spell gone awry.
As I made my way back to the inn, I noticed I was being followed. Half-Orc, by the look of him. He was dressed in a fine silk tunic, with a curved scimitar strapped to his hip.
I picked up my pace, turning towards the main street that lead north of Drifa. Sure enough, the half-orc followed.
I called to mind one of my few memorized offensive spells, a simple bolt of magical force. I only had a few rare occasions to use such spells, but I feared this would be one of those occasions.
Just as I was passing an alleyway, he broke into a run, charging me with drawn scimitar.
I whipped around, chanting the spell from memory. A bolt of bluish energy fired from my hand, striking the half-orc in the chest.
He tumbled backwards with a snarl. I smiled to myself, readying another bolt, when another form stepped out from the alley. I whipped around to blast him instead, but it was too late. A large club swept down, sending the world into darkness around me.
Rekkdyr
I gripped my bastard sword tightly, rage coursing through my entire body. Through the oaken gate I could make out the two small forms cowering in the center of the arena. Two humans no older than sixteen, completely nude, gripped each other tightly, tears running down their cheeks at the jeers from the crowd.
The half-ogre guard laughed behind me.
"Better hurry, Sir Gnoll. Krell is one of our more violent combatants. Never shy's from a chance to put his dick in something, Either, no matter how small the hole may be. Watched him rape Tarin for a good hour straight. You remember Tarin, right? Minotaur who liked big axes? Took him a good month to recover." the guard chuckled.
"...You saw him better one of the most ferocious combatants to ever grace our humble arena! A beast with honor to rival most knights! Sir Rekkdyr Trollsbane!" the voice of the announcer called from overhead.
Unable to stifle my bestial growl, I clenched my teeth in fury. I was no knight.
The guard behind me laughed again. The gate opened, and I was thrust forward into the arena.
"Now, a creature born of violence, and revels in it's blood! Krell, the crocodile monstrosity!" The opposite gate opened wide, and a a large reptilian humanoid stepped out. He was completely nude, except for a leather harness on his torso that strapped two falcata swords to his back. The falcata had a forward curving blade, with a heavier point than base, making it ideal for chopping and hacking. Krell had no visible genitalia, save for a slit between his legs.
Now, I was an average size gnoll at about 7 feet. This creature towered over me, standing at least 8 feet tall. His hands and feet sported wicked looking claws, and his elongated, crocodile like jaws were filled with razor-like teeth.
His grin was full of malice as he rushed forward immediately, diving towards the two humans, a young boy and girl.
I propelled myself forward, bringing my bastard sword to bear.
He drew both blades from his back, swiping my attack aside with one swing, the second blade clipping my ear painfully as I dodged to his right, swinging across again for another attack.
He danced aside, easily avoiding the attack. I drove forward, thrusting low, only to be met with a swift parry. I was forced to dodge another swipe from the twin blade.
It was there that Krell went on the offensive, swiping and chopping from every angle with an unmatchable ferocity.
I was forced into a defensive dance, parrying and dodging, narrowly avoiding losing a limb at every turn.
A few times, the crocodile monster managed to land a minor hit, and soon, painful lines of red traced through my fur.
Every time I managed a hit, my blade bounced harmlessly off his hard scales.
After a rapid flurry of swings, he gave a mighty roar, diving forward suddenly, crouched on all fours, before slamming forward with a sudden headbutt, catching me in the jaw.
I tumbled backwards, stars filling my vision as darkness consumed me.
I felt a painful tearing in my chest. Blinking away the spots in my eyes, I saw Krell, massive jaws closed tightly around my torso. A vice-like force was clamping down on me, blasting the air from my lungs. I slashed out with my sword, but the swing was awkward, because of the angle, and the weakness in my limbs. The blade just glanced off the crocodiles scales. If he felt any pain, the beast didn't show it, as he continued to crush down on my chest.
Reptilian claws lashed out in response to my attack, tearing painfully into my sword arm, the other slashing out at my face, ripping deep gouges through my cheek, exposing my hyena-like teeth.
I managed a gasp of pain as the last of the air in my lungs were expelled, before darkness took me. I'm unsure how long I fought against it.
A cry of absolute terror, and another of pain, drew me from the darkness as I struggled to breath. I couldn't see through the blood filling my eyes.
I drew a filthy hand across my vision, trying to clear the red from the world.
Panting heavily, I managed to roll onto all fours. I glared up seeing the most disgusting sight before me.
The crocodile's cock had fully emerged from his slit, thick as my wrist. He was forcing it's tapered tip into the young girls tiny virgin hole with brutal force, causing her to scream in agony, as inch after inch ripped her open painfully.
My vision began to darken again, unconsciousness threatening to take me once more as I struggled to draw breath.
I growled in denial, refusing to give in to pain.
The crocodile growled fiercely, slamming his entire length into the young girl, before pinning her to the ground, pumping her full of his seed.
I struggled to stand, wobbling on uneasy legs, I braced myself with my sword.
The crowd roared, drawing the crocodiles attention back to me.
He gave a wicked smile, pulling himself free from the tiny girl, dowsing her in a shower of his cum.
She fell from his cock, and lay motionless in a puddle of his cum, blood and semen oozing out of her stretched hole.
I growled, stumbling forward, a weak swing easily side-stepped by the unharmed crocodile man. He jumped forward, slashing out with a quick claw, gashing my sword arm again.
My blade dropped to he arena floor as Krell circled around, kicking out at the back of my knee with a clawed foot.
Dropping to my knees, Krell walked behind me. I felt a powerful fist hammer down onto my back, blasting the air from my one good lung.
I collapsed to the arena floor, gasping. He crouched beside me.
"I'm not to kill you, gnoll. I'm to break you." He whispered in a deep, raspy voice. "Now, watch as you fail to save these two humans."
He drove one of his blades through my leg, pinning it to the arena floor, drawing a weak gasp of agony from me.
He returned to the girl, who was whimpering in her puddle of cum. I tried to push myself up, but my arms refused to answer.
He scooped up his other discarded blade, then pulled the human up by her hair, drawing a wail from the poor girl.
He glanced at me with a grin, ensuring I watched, as he drew his blade across the ravaged girls throat. Her body fell completely free from her head, showering him in her blood.
"No!" I growled weakly, coughing up blood of my own.
Krell laughed, tossing the decapitated head before me.
The girls face was locked in a cry of agony.
I clenched my eyes shut, wishing the pain would kill me.
My stomach churned violently, and I vomited a bloody bile all over the arena floor.
Krell pulled the human boy to him, violently backhanding him across the face.
The young lad tumbled to the ground dazed. Krell pulled him back to him, rolling him over to his back and spreading his legs. The tip of his massive crocodile penis pressed up against the human's anus. Krell gave a bestial growl, slamming forward, penetrating the boy with a feral roar.
The boy roared in pain, drawing a crazed cheer from the crowd.
Never in all of my existence had I ever wished for death so desperately.
I clenched my eyes shut, but the sounds of the boy's cry burned themselves into my ears. I had failed.
Rough hands pulled me up, tearing my leg free from the pinning blade. Krell forced his other falcata into my uninjured hand.
"Now, You will have the honor of ending this miserable wretches life!" he growled, forcing my head toward the young boy, who was lying on the arena floor, asshole agape, blood and semen flowing freely.
"N-no!" I managed, fingers dropping the blade.
Krell roared, backhanding me harshly, before forcing the weapon back into my hand. Gripping my entire hand in his fist, he pulled me forward, hacking the human again and again.
I punched out with my torn arm, but he just kicked me back, letting the sword drop from my fist.
It was too late, however. The boy was hacked to a bloody pulp, and the crowd roared in glee.
I collapsed to the arena floor completely, tears filling my eyes. If only I had been stronger or faster. If I had trained harder. My one good hand clawed at the mud of the arena floor.
The crocodile monster pulled me up to my knees, crouching down to my level, fat cock still bobbing free from his slit.
"There is no place for honor here." he whispered, pushing me to my back. He took a long, reptilian claw, and sliced off my tunic and trousers, exposing my nude body, much to the delight of the audience.
I tried to crawl back, my left hand brushing my discarded bastard sword.
Krell grabbed my furry legs, pulling me closer to him.
With every ounce of strength I had remaining, I pulled my sword around, thrusting forward, my swords point tearing through the monsters cock, and slidng deep into his slit.
He stumbled backwards, a horrifying roar erupting from his chest, as I collapsed to the muddy arena floor, darkness consuming me.