(EmmaGear)
WARNING: This story contains violent crushing scenes that may not be suitable for people aged 17 and under.
Ostrheinsburg Castle, a large castle that stands deep in the woods of Mittelbirge,
Germany. The castle was once known to be impregnable, and consisted of a quadruple
fortress. The castles lord however, died in a war many years ago, and shortly after,
the castle was raided. Any soldiers contained within were executed, and the women
and children were taken prisoner.
Years of thorough plundering has left the castle largely bare, thieves leaving behind
only that which they could not take. The floors remain royally carpeted and many
large iron decorations, too heavy to steal, were spared. Once a proud castle, it
has become nothing more than a ruin of death, that most sane people dare not visit.
Voices though, can be heard occasionally, proving the castle hasn't been abandoned
by entirely, though the deeds of anyone remaining can be nothing but malevolent.
"They're small, smaller than I thought they would be." A gloomy feminine voice remarked.
"I don't know, I kinda like them this way!" A remarkably similar voice replied happily.
"Whatever. Can't I just kill them already."
"No! I have to find a new follower among them!"
"Then I can kill them?"
"Not if I get to them first!"
"Fine." The gloomy voice muttered.
The jolly voice giggled lightly. "Ok! Here we.... GO!" she shouted and kicked
open the wooden door.
Spread around the musty floor was a handful of unconscious women. Nine in all, they
were different in appearance and dress, making for a varied group except for the
one glaringly obvious trait they all shared.
Uniform among the unconscious women was size, or lack thereof. Each standing to
their full height would still be outclassed by an outstretched index finger. Even
spread out as they were they covered a pitifully small area of the floor.
"Enough sleeping!" the happy voice shouted while banging a large metallic ring against
the door frame. "I'm ready to play now!"
The obnoxiously loud noises coming from the doorway slowly brought the group back
into consciousness slowly. Groggy moans and complaints about headaches quickly gave
way to a cacophony of sharp gasps as the situation revealed itself to them.
Filling the doorway rather nicely was a young woman. She didn't look to be much
more than five feet normally, but with the readjusted sizes taken into account,
she proved to be an awe-inspiring colossus of a woman. Her messy brown hair was
put up in pigtails, and her pale skin shone brightly through the doorway. She wore
what looked to be only the most revealing bits of a red ensemble that had been decorated
with many feathers around the neck and knees.
Her violet eyes watched from above, gleaming with a twisted happiness over her prey.
"Ok, so, Soul Edge-" she began.
A cry of shock quickly sweeps through the crowd.
"I WAS TALKING!" the giantess shouted and a hush washed over the crowd. A thin smile
crossed her lips at the power even her voice held over them. "Anyway, Soul Edge
is getting too hungry for me to keep it sated alone, so I've gathered you all here
today after many murderous days of work to recruit a nice little helper. That clear?"
She asked sweetly, though her sharp glare betrayed her true feelings.
"Good." She said simply, licking her lips in anticipation. "Now I believe it's time
we all got introduced. I'm Tira, and from what I've le-"
Tira stopped quickly as she felt her forehead grow hot. Her face contorted in pain
for only a split second before the pain was gone.
Tira's shoulders slumped, her head turned to the ground at her feet and she took
on a very dazed look.
"Who you are doesn't matter." She said slowly. "If you don't prove useful, then
I'm going to kill you." Tira added deliberately as she scanned over the confused
crowd.
"You came all this way just to die." She called out, her eyes focusing on the girl
adorned in pale green.
The pitiful woman backed up slowly as Tira quickly moved in, the floor vibrating
beneath her steps. It was only a scant few seconds from the words leaving her mouth
that they were acted upon. Tira's well-worn boot was hoisted into the air before
it slammed into the wooden floor raising a plume of dust and gore from the edges
of the footwear.
"Did it hurt?" Tira asked as the rest of the group backed away from a clearly already
dead woman. "Tell me it hurts." Tira said to nobody in particular, savoring every
word.
Pleased with the way things were currently going, she then turned her attention
to another girl in crowd, this one with short white hair and an outfit so revealing
it hid less than it displayed. Tira's gloomy face looked over the girl with disdain
and quickly noticed her defiant expression.
"I'll make you regret you're alive..." Tira began and took a step towards the ivory
haired woman before her forehead felt as if it were on fire again. As earlier, the
searing pain lasted but a moment and Tira stood up straight again.
"Oh we've already lost one! Master's not gonna be too happy if she ended up being
the perfect applicant!." Tira cried loudly as she turned to examine the bloodstain
soaking both into the dusty wood and the sole of her own boot.
"Oh, you're so lucky..." She said watching the blood drip from her sole longingly.
"You got to die so peacefully!" She added happily before placing her foot on the
floor again and grinding it once more.
"Well, no use dwelling on the dead." Tira laughed. "It didn't feel like her soul
was tainted by Soul Edge anyway, so it was probably okay to kill her! Now, YOU,
on the other hand..." she announced, turning her attention back to the silver haired
woman.
"You... I can sense it in." Tira said slowly as her lips curled into a huge grin.
"Let me think, you name was... Isabella, wasn't it?" She asked herself while deep
in thought. "Yes.. I think that was it. Isabella Valentine, though I'm sure you'd
prefer to go by the name Ivy, right?"
"Yes... I go by Ivy." She cautiously said, looking up at her insane captor the entire
time.
"Ok! Ivy! Let's get straight to it! Do you swear your entire being and soul to Soul
Edge, and assist in the gathering of souls so it can remain well fed?" Tira asked
as if it were just regular conversation.
"No!" Ivy shouted defiantly.
"What?!" Tira shouts back, looking genuinely shocked at Ivy's refusal. "But I can
sense it within you! Surely you want to know what its like to have more of these
delicious souls!"
"No." Ivy repeats before looking back up to yell at Tira. "I did not ask for the
despicable Soul Edge to be running through my veins." Ivy clenches her fist as she
remembers the circumstances.
"Aw, that's too bad." Tira stated flatly, though she didn't look at all disappointed.
"Oh well, guess I can kill you now!"
Ivy took a step back and unsheathed her sword, holding it up in clear defiance of
Tira's orders.
"I thought I stripped all of you of your weapons before moving you in here!" Tira
whined as she moved her hand down to Ivy's level.
Expecting an attack, Ivy retaliates by swinging her sword forcefully. The short
sword would normally not have had a chance of reaching Tira's probing fingers, but
at the halfway point her sword vibrated for only a moment before separating into
many links, resembling a great whip that came very close to Tira's gauntlet covered
hands.
Pulling her hand back for a moment, she cursed her own stupidity over leaving any
of the potential applicants armed. Though the bladed whip was tiny it could still
cut her if it managed to extend past her forearms where her iron gauntlets ended.
"Finish her already. Time is being wasted." A voice called to Tira from inside her
own head.
Smiling, Tira moved her hand closer to Ivy again, this time using her index finger
to try and lure her into attacking. "Here kitty, kitty." She said with a sneer.
Infuriated, Ivy swung her whip-sword again, not noticing the flash in Tira's eyes
as she did so.
"Gotcha!" Tira announced joyfully as she curled her finger around the weapon until
it was drawn taut. A quick yank upwards and Ivy was now being held up to Tira's
scrutinizing face by her own blade.
"There we go! You're a naughty one aren't you?" Tira cackled madly. "Naughty children
must be punished you know..." She added deviously, her eyes glowing as she spoke.
Ivy, too angry for words merely made every effort to free her sword from Tira's
gauntlets. Her legs kicked furiously, trying to gain some momentum to free herself,
but the whip was stuck in Tira's finger so deeply she couldn't extricate it.
"Now... how do I punish you...?" Tira asked herself not even paying attention to
Ivy's ministrations as she stared into space, deep in thought. "Well, even if I
did accidentally ruin it earlier, I've always been a fan of just stepping on things.
Not sure what came over me earlier but I'm sure I'll keep that part of me distant
while I do it this time." Tira said, expressing her thoughts aloud.
Ivy paid little attention to Tira's words, she had long since learned that the only
way to get anything done is through actions, and she planned to act the instant
an opportunity presented itself, even if she had to create the opportunity herself.
"So it's settled, I'll just step on you like a common bug!" Tira said happily. "I
do enjoy stepping on tiny bugs without my boots, so I may even take them off for
this, feeling a life end in that way is so much more enjoyable than a quick painle-"
Tira continued before she clutched her head again.
Less than a second later her shoulders and head had slumped down so she was no longer
looking Ivy directly in the face.
Lifting her head with an apparent effort, Tira gazed upon the struggling Ivy with
an unreadable expression.
"...You deserve the most painful death imaginable." She said and, leaving her finger
curled over Ivy's blade, she lifted her up as high as her arm could stretch.
Tira tilted her head back slowly, getting only about halfway before it seemed to
fall back from its own weight. She opened her mouth wide, ropes of saliva stretching
and breaking as she did so.
Ivy redoubled her efforts, but refused to allow the monstrous girl, who seemed to
have undergone a change of heart, the satisfaction of seeing her panic visibly.
The mouth below opened and it was as if a pit straight to hell was opening directly
beneath her. A blast of hot air emerged from its depths, the humidity bothering
Ivy. Though she tried to ignore what was going on beneath her, the hot tongue emerged
from the depths, resembling a great beast intent on making Ivy it's prey.
"Are you afraid?" Tira mouthed slowly, determinedly.
White-hot rage built within Ivy. She had seen horrors that would drive most men
mad, and this insane giantess was nothing compared to what she's faced. Her face
turned into a grimace as she could clearly see she was making no progress in retrieving
her weapon.
Looking below her again, the tongue seemed to dance in midair before licking the
lips again. Wanting to avoid the fate that awaited her below, she tried a far more
desperate plan to free herself.
Removing one hand from the swords hilt, she reached up and grabbed a higher part
of her weapon. She fragments of sword that made up the whip dug into her hand for
the briefest of moments before cutting into the skin of her palm.
Biting her lip so she showed no sign of pain outwardly, Ivy began her slow, painful
climb. Her hands were searing with pain, and it took all of her willpower to continue
the climb.
Tira however, was not impressed. "What a pain." She said, bored with the entire
spectacle. Twisting her wrist about slightly, she saw Ivy cry out in pain as her
grip faltered and she slid down the blade, its once clean edges now streaked crimson.
Though Tira clearly wanted to deal some level of pain to Ivy, even the new development
did nothing to lift her mood. Ready to end it all, she opened her mouth wide again,
and began to lower the bleeding woman hanging from her weapon inside.
Ivy wasn't sure how she had managed to grab the swords hilt and actually stay on,
but she had done it and her now cleanly sliced hands, slick with blood, made holding
on much more difficult. Reverting back to her previous plan of trying to get momentum
while holding the safe hilt, she found her plan disrupted before it could even begin.
The horrible mouth below opened again, seemingly calling out to her, wanting her
to allow herself to be eaten.
Tira never let go of Ivy's weapon as she lowered the now panicking woman into her
mouth. Ivy's legs kicked erratically and it produced little more than a tickle against
Tira's tongue.
Lowering Ivy until she could feel the kicks deep in her throat, Tira made her final
move. She bared her teeth before snapping them shut on the annoying whip-sword.
At normal size the whip had been incredibly durable, even able to lift monstrosities
like Astaroth, but with it's greatly reduced size came a hefty reduction in durability
and Tira's teeth were all it took to snap the blade at that point.
Within Tira's mouth, Ivy felt as if she had entered a truly hellish place. The entire
surroundings were horribly wet and the thought of what lay in its darkest depths
did little to ease Ivy's fear. The light that had filtered through the open mouth
extinguishing all at once caused Ivy's heart to skip a beat.
A faint snapping sound was heard above and Ivy spiraled downward. Her one safety
line had been cut and she found herself in what she could only assume was Tira's
terrible throat. She was forced downwards, despite all efforts to pull herself up.
The struggle was one-sided, and ended in Tira's favor all too quickly.
Tira traced the little woman's journey in her throat by pressing a finger to her
neck. Once the struggling female passed the throat into the stomach, where she would
meet her eventual demise, Tira removed her finger, looking at the remaining warriors,
who all seemed to shocked for words. Though it had appeared very much like she enjoyed
eating Ivy, Tira's face was gloomy as ever and she scanned the remaining recruits
with disdain.
Examining them all in turn, Tira remained ever watchful for any familiar faces,
and she found one. A woman clad in white with a laurel wreath adorned on her pretty
blonde head. Before Tira could fully remember where she was sure she had seen the
woman however, her head throbbed again.
Both hands pressed to her temples, only a couple seconds passed before Tira focused
on the girl again, her gloomy air replaced with a happier one, complete with a great
grin.
"Aha! There she is! Abandoning her children after having traveled all this way
again! You're a horrible mother, sheesh!" She nearly shouted..
Horror coursed through the woman's veins as she finally began to recognize the giantess
holding her captive. She could clearly remember the woman having broken into her
home and kidnapping her daughter, with the intent to sacrifice her to Soul Edge.
"And your name was... Sophie? No no no.... uh, Sophia? Yes! That's it! Sophitia!"
Tira asked quizzically. "Yes, Sophitia. So-Called Holy Warrior of the Gods, specifically
Hephaestus, God of the Forge. Doesn't look like all that godly service is doing
you any good now, is it?" Tira cackled, displaying her knowledge of Sophitia.
Trembling inwardly, Sophitia held her ground as her eyes darted around the room,
searching for a way out. It seemed like the mishap with Ivy had been just that,
a mistake. Sophitia knew very well that she had been disarmed, and could see no
one nearby who still had anything to defend themselves with.
"But, I suppose there's always a chance you could have turned on Hephaestus like
a good kitty, so lemme ask you the same question I asked the delicious Isabella.
Will you renounce your Gods and pledge servitude to our Master, the great Soul Edge?
I can see things going a lot smoother for you if you die." Tira asks, ending with
a mischievous wink.
"No!" Sophitia shouted, louder than expected.
"No? What a surprise." Tira answered to herself, bored. "Not like I wasn't expecting
that from someone so holy and mighty as yourself."
Sophitia remained hopeful that she would be spared given Tira's bored manner of
speech.
"Not even gonna bother asking a second time, let's just kill you and move on." Tira
replied. Though her voice clearly marked her as annoyed, her lips turned upward
slightly and a glint of joy appeared in her eyes when she mouthed the word, "kill"
"No! Please! I'll do a-" Sophitia began.
"You'll do anything, yeah yeah, that's what they all say." Tira acknowledged with
a thoughtful nod. "But... I like you. We've got a bit of history, you and I" she
reminisced.
"Tell you what. We'll work something out. I won't grow you back, but if you can
service me properly, I'll keep you as a pet of my own!" Tira offered with a great
smile.
"A-Anything!" Sophitia shouted in response, though she was having second thoughts
over what being a pet of someone like Tira would entail.
"Great!" Tira replied and jumped in happiness, shaking the floor a bit as she landed.
"Let's get straight to it then!"
With a great thud, Tira landed on the floor with her backside and stretched her
legs out until they were only inches away from Sophitia. Tira moved her feet back
and forth a bit, knowing the gory remains of the woman she inadvertently stepped
on would slop about as she did so.
"Ok! Now I'm gonna need you, the great and powerful holy warrior to service the
lowest part of me, or I'll tear limb from limb!" Tira glowered as she bent over
to pull off her worn, brown boots.
With a grand tug, Tira's right boot popped off her foot and Sophitia began having
second thoughts. Tira emitted a soft, almost incomprehensible groan of relief as
her now bare foot felt the musty, but still immeasurably cooler air of the room
they were contained in.
For Sophitia, the surrounding air immediately grew hotter and more humid when the
boot was slipped off, given her close proximity to the waving foot before her. Beads
of sweat form on her forehead, partly out of anxiety, but mostly of the humidity
increase from the air. Sophitia looks down at her own feet, getting a better idea
of the tiny scale of her own toes, in comparison to the stupendous feet towering
above her, the toes at the highest point, each looking bigger than her.
Her feet betraying her minds intention to stay put, Sophitia steps back slowly as
Tira's bared soles move about before her, seemingly fanning themselves off. Looking
around again, Sophitia knew that there was no other option. Where Ivy failed, she
would succeed, and save herself and as many of Tira's victims as she could.
"Having second thoughts?" Tira asked with a sinister smile, having noticed Sophitia's
unintentional retreat. "It's ok. If you refuse to renounce your gods and serve me,
I'll just kill you and then your daughter will be all that much easier to take later!"
Sophitia's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her daughter. She had been planning
on doing the unthinkable, destroying Soul Calibur with the power of Soul Edge. Her
daughter, having been tainted by Soul Edge, would then be safe from everyone who
intended to destroy it. Sophitia would give anything for her daughter's sake, and
just hearing the vile woman mention filled her with rage. Rage she knew, unfortunately,
that she could not act on, because subservience would be required to spare her daughter.
"No. I will do anything you ask of me." Sophitia replied solemnly.
"Ok!" Tira almost shouted. "Now, for your first act as my servant, I want you to
make my sore feet feel better. I've had to run a lot these past few days, catching
you all." Tira motioned to the remaining people, though none of them acknowledged
it.
"Hmph." Tira frowned at the remaining group. "You'll all get your own in due time."
she mused.
"Anyway, get to it." Tira ordered lazily and set her feet upright before Sophitia.
Thinking about it briefly, Sophitia figured that a massage would be the best thing,
as her husband had demonstrated on her when she would return from a long journey.
Rubbing her hands together in preparation, Tira got closer to her immense target,
the air growing musty as she did so.
Choking back her feelings of disgust, Sophitia shot both her hands forward and grabbed
onto the flesh wall before her. She knew she wouldn't be able to reach high beyond
the heel, so she ignored that part and focused on the lowest part of Tira's feet.
The skin was soft and pliant, easily giving way to Sophitia's ministrations, much
to her surprise. Putting all her force into the job task she was given, Sophitia
very quickly grew tired of her work, but continued, ignoring the sweat stinging
her eyes.
Tira however, was very clearly bored. "Hmm, very mediocre... this won't do... nope,
nope." She said to herself as she seemed to be more interested in the walls around
her than Sophitia. "I guess I have enough time to head back and take her daughter
before I finish her off..."
"N-NO!" Sophitia screamed frantically.
Amused over the outburst, Tira raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well you're not trying very
hard for someone who supposedly cares." she yawned. "But! I suppose if you, oh,
I don't know... KISS" Tira shouted louder than she intended. Pausing a moment
to compose herself she continued, "my feet I can leave her alone."
Tears streamed down Sophitia's face, joining the sweat from both her own forehead
and Tira's feet as she swallowed hard and pressed her lips into the warm sole quickly.
A myriad of horrible thoughts and flavors invaded her lips as they pressed into
the pliant sole repeatedly.
"Ooh." Tira said in surprise. "That's not very good, but it's a step up from terrible."
She laughed.
Sophitia forced all bad thoughts out of her mind and kissed the foot towering over
her like a lover, and pressed her hands into different parts of the heel the entire
time, hoping that it would all work in her favor.
Tira smiled coldly. "Yes, that's exactly where your pretty body needs to be. Worshiping
your superiors, but not the gods of Olympus, for even they are below my feet!" she
laughed and flicked Sophitia away with her left foot.
"Now, between the toes." Tira grinned cruelly.
Climbing to her feet with a pained expression, Sophitia thought of nothing but her
daughter as she moved to the spot between the big and second toe to shower it with
kisses.
"Hmph, maybe your daughter would kiss between my big toes better." Tira growled
as she wiggled them about, painfully pressing Sophitia between them briefly. "Or
maybe my toes will just enjoy lips that aren't old and worn out."
Sophitia's face twisted painfully as her daughter was mentioned again, but continued
giving it her every effort.
"Hm. It does indeed feel like you've come to accept the truth. The gods you once
worshiped were always playing second fiddle to my feet after all. Even the greatest
of Hephaestus's weapons could do little against my toes, and what of you, little
warrior of the gods? Bugs to insects is what you are to me, and I think I've reconsidered.
I don't need a servant as lowly and unworthy as you." Tira told Sophitia conversationally
and lifted her foot high into the air.
The sole lowered slowly and Sophitia merely fell back before she could run. She
backed away on her hands and knees. The now dusty sole descended with little regard
to Sophitia's relative position and bits of dirt rained down on her.
Sophitia only cried out when the sole pressed into her from above. The sole was
still unnaturally soft and she felt it mold to her own bodies shape. The moment
was short lived, as it pressed down cruelly and she felt her entire body begin to
creak before there was a series of excruciatingly painful snaps. She felt her clothing
grow wet and a nauseating feeling overcame her for a second before she vomited,
forming a large puddle of blood around her.
Tira lifted her foot and looked over the broken woman before her bemused. Her once
clean white outfit was now streaked red, and her hair appeared to be soaking in
the puddle near her head. Overall, Tira felt the red streaks were a great improvement.
"Toys are most beautiful right before they break." she said casually before placing
her foot onto Sophitia again, who seemed to be going into spasms. The cool blood
tickled Tira's sole and she considered suffocating Sophitia underfoot, to squeeze
a bit more enjoyment out of it, though the pleasant thought quickly left when she
felt more snaps, these having happened inadvertently.
Tira smiled down at Sophitia, though she knew the pathetic woman couldn't see it,
before she lifted herself to her feet. Carefully balancing herself, Sophitia felt
the entirety of Tira's weight press onto her before crumpling into nothing.
Not even stopping to gloat over her toys passing, Tira instead turned to the remaining
group who had been watching open mouthed at the spectacle and focused on one girl.
She had blonde hair like Sophitia, though it was much shorter, and looked to be
on the verge of tears.
"Oh goody! I've found a new toy to play with!" She happily said and stomped her
way over to the blonde girl. "Now you were..."
Tira squinted as she looked at her from her full height, not bothering to pick her
up or crouch for a better view.
"Ah! Cassandra!" She announced, happy with herself. "Alexandra. Cassandra Alexandra,
that is. Sister to Sophitia Alexandra."
At that, Tira lifted her bloodied sole so it hovered above Cassandra for a moment,
before settling it back on the floor.
"The recently deceased Sophitia Alexandra, that is." Tira smiled. "Well, will you
take up the job your sister declined? Ready to pledge yourself to become my assistant
and help me feed the ravenous Soul Edge?"
"Yes!" Cassandra yelled nervously.
Tira raised an eyebrow, having sensed the anxiety in her voice, even from her full
height.
"Oh? You do, do you?"
"Yes! I will do everything in my power to ensure Soul Edge is properly fed!" Cassandra
shouted clearly.
Though she was agreeing to it, Cassandra figured that if she just agreed and was
brought back to normal, she'd have a chance to fight off Tira and put an end to
this horrible situation. She craned her neck upwards to look for any bit of a reaction
from Tira.
"Well, I suppose you're in then! That was fast! I guess the two of us can just dispose
of the rest of these bugs and move forward from here!" Tira happily announces.
Cassandra's eyes grew wide with happiness. Her bluff had worked and she'd have a
chance to disable Tira before anyone else could be harmed.
"Now, to grow you ba-" Tira started, but was interrupted by a burning in her forehead
again. She clutched both hands on her head but just as quickly as they met to ease
the pain, they lowered themselves again. Again, Tira's upright expression drooped
downward, and her back hunched over slightly, as if her own arms were weighing her
down.
"That's enough!" Tira bellowed down to a now outwardly frightened Cassandra. "I
sense you're not being entirely honest..." Tira added.
Cassandra was horror-stricken. The plan had been going so well, but she knew by
now what to expect when Tira clutched her head as she just did, and sure enough,
her posture fell as if being weighed down, and she spoke in a much slower voice.
"Before anything else happens, you need to prove that you're not a worthless bug,
by proving yourself superior to some of these other bugs." Tira said slowly, as
if pacing herself.
A quick examination of the thinning crowd, and Tira decided on her helpers.
"You..." she said, pointing at the only other blonde girl, who took a step back
in surprise.
"...and you. Come closer." Tira announced with a grimace pointing at a thin girl
with short brown hair.
"Now, you two. Setsuka and Chai Xianghua. One of you seeks revenge, and the other,
to destroy Soul Edge." Tira glared as she pointed an armored finger at the two.
Setsuka and Xianghua looked at each other, trying to anticipate Tira's next move
and what she may have planned for them. She appeared to be signaling for the pair
to approach Cassandra, so they followed her fingers obediently.
Cassandra, looked to her sides and saw the two girls approaching. Her mind was set
at ease, knowing that she had two allies if the situation spiraled out of control
again. A simple nod to both Setsuka and Xianghua confirmed the trio were all thinking
the same thing.
The motion was not missed by Tira, who merely grunted.
"You three think you'll be able to stick together?" Tira asked before focusing on
Cassandra specifically. "Forget them, I'll keep you company, until you're
destroyed."
A cold shiver ran down Cassandra's spine. Idle threats were one thing, but Tira
had shown herself to be fully capable of acting on her murderous comments. A mounting
sense of dread filled Cassandra when, upon tilting her head to ensure her allies
were still nearby, she saw she was seemingly alone.
A warm glow filled Tira as she pointed a finger down at Xianghua and Setsuka.
The glow illuminated Tira's very skin so it was visible even through her iron covered
arms. The heat seemed to exit her body through her extended fingers, and her eyes
blazed crimson with the effort. The entire process ended quickly, and when Cassandra
almost unnoticed head tilt yielded no results, Tira knew the reason.
"They're smaller now."
Cassandra jerked her head back into Tira's direction, not expecting her to speak
during her moment of inattention.
"To prove your willingness, your first sacrifices have been prepared. Chai Xianghua
and Setsuka." Tira growled. "From what has been discovered on you, Cassandra, you
appear to be fond of making use of your hind quarters to deal damage, am I correct?"
Embarrassed, Cassandra's face grew hot and her face turned red as she remembered
having finished off more than one opponent with her backside.
Dropping to her knees, Tira got a closer look at Cassandra, who could no longer
hide her bright blushing face. Tira's lips curled into a sneer as she saw the miniature
Greek girl shrink back in anxiety from her now much closer face.
"Your face is all the confirmation I need." Tira rasped. "Now get to it."
Cassandra turned around, trying to figure a way out now that Tira's huge face was
watching very closely. She quickly spotted the two even more minuscule girls hiding
behind her, seemingly shaken by Cassandra's footsteps on the ground.
Giving the two a sly, unseen wink, she hoped they'd follow her lead and trust her.
Tira watched, waiting for Cassandra to get it over with impatiently.
Stepping directly before the two, Cassandra had to hold back a laugh as she saw
their reaction to her steps in a closer proximity. Her boots towered over the two
and she figured they had been made as small in comparison to her, as Cassandra herself
was to Tira. Craning her head back, Tira's cruel face continued watching, and Cassandra
briefly wondered what the view must have been like to Xianghua and Setsuka below.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Cassandra decided to act on her plan. Using
her comparatively huge boots, she herded the two closer together. Giving them another
confident wink, she turned to face Tira.
Looking Tira directly in the eyes, Cassandra lowered her butt down as slowly as
she could. Slowing when she felt the two girls bodies settle into the squishy flesh
of her rear, she put her plan to trick Tira into action.
Laying her palms flat on the floor, Cassandra used the strength of her arms to support
the weight of her body. She could feel the scrambling bodies beneath her, but she
hid this fact from Tira's oppressive gaze.
For Setsuka and Xianghua, the now exponentially larger world was an incredibly dangerous
place. Nearby was Cassandra, her booted feet capable of crushing them as Tira's
had been. And speaking of Tira, the distance showed Tira's still bare feet, towering
over even the titanic Cassandra. Tira dropped to her knees soon though, and seemed
to address Cassandra specifically. When Cassandra looked down to the two with a
wink, their figured they would have to do whatever Cassandra had planned, as she
didn't appear to want to harm them intentionally.
This was of little relief when she lifted her skirt a little to sit on them. The
weight wasn't as bone crushingly bad as they had feared it would be, but breathing
was still a chore. Their limbs gave their best effort to lift up a bit more of Cassandra's
bum, but it didn't seem to help as the delicate, all encompassing flesh only seemed
to absorb the efforts.
"I have done as you asked!" Cassandra shouted, putting forth an effort to keep her
voice steady. "Both of 'em are dead, now can I grow back and become a servant to
Soul Edge?" She asked with nervous anticipation.
Tira seemed to have grown bored of waiting for Cassandra, and decided instead to
pass the time by drawing crude scenes of death in the dust on the floor. Cassandra
called out to her right as she finished drawing a noose, and Tira listened to what
she had to say.
"So they're both dead now?" Tira asked.
Cassandra moved side to side a bit, giving the illusion of grinding them into the
ground, but really allowing them both a small gulp of air. Their conflict with her
skin seemed to slow, and she took it as a sign that the two had managed to get enough
to breathe for the moment. Cassandra grinned naughtily at the inhumanly large face
keeping watch over her, hoping Tira would take the bait.
"I'm starting to like you. Now stand up, I want to see how dark their blood is."
Tira asked in a vicious tone, licking her lips as she pronounced blood.
The whole world seemed colder and Cassandra felt her heart skip a beat at the order.
She hadn't been planning on being asked to stand and display the results of her
handiwork to Tira. Her hands shook but she miraculously kept her palms flat on the
floor, keeping the compressed girls beneath her alive.
"I-I enjoy it though!" Cassandra shouted.
"Enjoy what?" Tira sharply replied.
"Th-The feeling! Their blood under me feels good, can't I stay sitting and enjoy
it a bit longer while you grow me back?" Cassandra pleaded.
Tira's upper lip curled into a smile at the words.
"I'm starting to like you. But if you don't stand up you're taking away from
MY fun. Now stand up or you'll be dead before you know it."
"Can't I have just 1 more minute?" Cassandra asked sweetly as her heart pounded
so loudly she feared Tira could hear it.
The smile that had only barely been on Tira's face disappeared now as she stood
to her full height. Cassandra was showing promise, so Tira knew full well she couldn't
kill her yet, but she was beginning to get very annoying.
Jerking her right leg outward just a bit, Tira flicked Cassandra with her big toe.
There was very little force behind it, barely enough to even call it an attack,
but it had been enough to force Cassandra to roll over. With a domineering glint
in her eyes, she decided to pin the helpless girl beneath her toe for a moment.
The tickling beneath her was pleasing, but time consuming. Knowing she had to get
the job done with quickly, she removed her foot, leaving Cassandra prone on the
ground.. A dead body would be much more pleasing to the eye than a vulnerable girl.
Squinting, Tira searched her eyes over the spot Cassandra had been sitting for a
minute. She couldn't immediately see any blood spots, and her fist tightened as
she saw a bit of movement where there should have been none.
As Tira's great toes flicked Cassandra to her side, she felt her heart rate increase
to almost painful levels. The situation is rapidly going out of control for her
and she figured the least likely plan was all she had left. Running.
For Setsuka however, things had already taken the worst possible turn. Caught beneath
the tiny Cassandra's right cheek, while an even more immense Tira was interrogating
her was quite the bad situation. When Tira flicked Cassandra with her toes however,
forcing all of Cassandra's weight to focus on her right end, things got deadly.
Fortunately for Setsuka, death came quickly. The skin compressed all around her
once more, though with a far greater degree of intensity than it had when the plan
was to keep her alive. Fueled by a natural survival instinct, Setsuka raised her
arms in an effort to stave off the invading weight. Not even holding long enough
to give her confidence however, Setsuka's arms were forced downward, and snapped
from the odd angle they had been at to lift the crushing weight off her. Trying
to scream in pain, Setsuka found her mouth instantly filled with more smooth skin.
All thoughts of having set out on a journey for the sake of revenge left her mind
as survival became the forefront of her every effort. They proved to be in vain
as the weight finally settled, Setsuka having perished within a second of Cassandra's
weight shifting.
"You lied. One of them still lives." Tira said in a monotone.
Clearly feeling her luck has run out, Cassandra climbed to her feet and ran for
the door. She knew very well that Tira could catch up to her in only a moment, but
her frantic mind figured the head start she would get from surprising Tira would
carry her to safety.
And so she ran. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, urging her onward, faster.
Her feet pounded the ground beneath her, and she quickly noticed sticky drops hitting
the back of her legs. A realization that it was likely the remains of one of the
two she planned on saving hit her like a ton of bricks and she stopped running for
a moment. Turning back she saw Tira's toes, having not moved from their previous
location, and nearby, what looked like a spasming Xianghua, tiny enough to fit beneath
one of Tira's nails.
Guiltily, Cassandra ran her hand across her backside, her hand feeling the still
wet blood spot on her back. Bringing her hand to her face, she saw it a bright red.
Setsuka's body had amounted to literally nothing beneath her crushing bum, and that
is exactly what Cassandra was to Tira. The thought renewed her terror.
Xianghua thought she had gotten the better end of the deal when, after Cassandra
had been knocked over, the weight was removed from her completely. She lay there
a moment and breathed open mouthed as deeply as she could. She had always taken
the ability to breathe for granted, but now that it had been deprived of her, if
only for a minute or so, she could enjoy even the musty air near Tira's feet as
well as she had once enjoyed the mountain air.
She knew Tira's mighty face was focused directly onto her, likely checking to see
if she had actually been killed as ordered. She didn't care however, as she slowly
began to feel herself return to normal. Hoping to help Cassandra now, she kept as
still as possible, but Tira's shaking voice announce that Cassandra had been lying
broke her confidence. Laying still, she hoped maybe Tira would assume she had suffocated
and hadn't noticed her gulping down air greedily only a moment earlier.
Just as quickly as she had began playing dead however, she felt the floor shake
mightily several times. Turning her head slightly, she immediately saw the cause.
Cassandra had climbed to her feet and was running directly at her.
Though she screamed shrilly at the sight, it would never be heard as Cassandra ran
nearer. Deciding a plan of action would be best, Xianghua examined her vicinity.
Tira's toes still lay near, and a crazy idea ran through her mind. If she could
get to Tira's toes and hide under or around them, she would definitely be safe and
have a high chance of surviving the whole thing.
Resolving herself to her plan, Xianghua planted her arms on the ground, preparing
to lift herself and run to Tira's toes, but the plan was forcibly ended before it
began, as Cassandra's pounding boots came closer and just grazed her own minute
legs.
Pain shot through Xianghua's entire body as Cassandra's boot stomped hard, the edge
of the sole catching only one of Xianghua's feet. The resulting quake and thunderous
sound drowned out any sounds of her tiny bones bending and crunching all at once.
Stars shot through her eyes and she felt as if she might go into shock as the immense
weight continued bearing down on her already crumpled foot. When Cassandra's boot
removed itself from Xianghua, it took the diminutive foot with it, leaving Xianghua
with a useless leg.
The horrifying sight of her own leg frightened Xianghua more than anything thus
far. Painful spasms wracked her body, and she wanted to do nothing more than lay
on the ground until help arrived.
Stretching an arm out in front of her, she pulled herself forward. She knew help
wouldn't come, possibly ever. She didn't know where she was going, delirium may
have been the only thing guiding her, but she knew she wanted to get as far away
from her current location as possible.
Tira's still bare foot was rising over Cassandra, casting her in deep shadow. Though
she had indeed spotted one speck of blood in the area Cassandra had been sitting,
she was furious over the fact that there weren't two as ordered. An almost unnoticeable
bit of movement on the remaining girls area seemed to attest to that.
Even if she had successfully taken out both her targets, Cassandra now clearly intended
to run, another sign of disobedience worth execution in Tira's book.
Heel hovering over the place she had seen the tiny bit of movement, Tira tracked
Cassandra's movements with her sole, making sure both of her failed assistants were
beneath her at all times.
Overcome with a musky darkness, Cassandra quickly realized she was still in the
most dangerous place possible. As if she had never paused, adrenaline pushed Cassandra
forward again, trying to get her out of shadow, and into the light.
Looking to her right and left, Cassandra saw a quicker way out by pushing in a different
direction. Filled with hope, she stopped, changed direction, and ran as quickly
as her feet would allow. Her heart sinks as the foot above seems to twist to accommodate
her direction change, but it almost seems too late. Bands of light above show she
is below the toes now, and from there she would have at least survived one step.
Though the bands of light were dull and muted from within the castle, they shone
like a beacon from beneath the impenetrable shadow of Tira's foot. Cassandra could
almost hear the light calling to her. She was directly beneath the toes now, and
in the small space between the big and next toe when she screamed.
Like twin guillotines, Tira clamped her toes together and held Cassandra in place
firmly. All courage and willpower having left her body, Cassandra feebly beats against
the toes, pounding her fists on the smooth, strong nails as she struggled to escape.
She feels herself lifted up slightly by the toes and her body is twisted painfully
for a second. A quick series of pops and snaps breaks the silence as Cassandra's
torso slumps over onto Tira's big toenail, dead.
Sighing, Tira shakes her foot slightly, tossing the tiny corpse off it. It's a comparably
clean kill, she notes as she feels no wetness between her digits. Sliding her sole
to the right a bit she scans the ground for her much smaller victim, and quickly
finds her in almost the same spot she had last noticed her.
Scoffing at her worthless attempts to escape, she twists her foot back and lowers
her heel on the almost invisible woman crawling on the floor. Tira's frown deepens
as she doesn't even feel the squelching sound of a life ending beneath her, instead
only feeling the hard wooden floor again.
Xianghua had covered her ears, trying to block out the sound of Cassandra's demise,
as she herself was also bathed in a fragrant shadow. It did little to block out
the symphony of crunches and cracks, muted as they were by the toe flesh and her
ears being covered though.
Pulling herself along as best she could was getting her almost nowhere fast, her
ghastly wound slowed her down considerably, and she almost wished Tira would just
kill her and end the pain already. Wishing and having it happen though, were two
wildly different concepts and when she found herself bathed in radiant light, only
to see Tira's smirk seemingly miles above, she found she feared death all over again.
Shadow replaces the short-lived moment of light and the heel of Tira's foot situates
itself high above Xianghua. Her entire life seems to flash before her eyes as she
watches the heel lower. The bare foot's colossal size is beyond comprehension. It
looks to be large enough to crush even the largest buildings in all of China effortlessly,
much less a single woman.
Suddenly, Xianghua finds herself at home. She is standing with the Emperor, who
appeared to be very glad to see her again. Much to her surprise, her mother, father,
and even a woman claiming she was her long lost sister also greeted her with open
arms. She wonders if the entire ordeal she had been going through was nothing more
than a terrible nightmare, brought on by Soul Edge.
A piercing scream shatters the peace though, and Xianghua clutches her sword tightly,
looking for the cause. A woman seems to be pointing up to the sky, and Xianghua
follows her finger, dropping her sword at the sight.
Tira's foot is hovering over her entire village, casting it in the same haunting
shadow. Xianghua felt helpless all over again, and turned to her family and the
emperor, who were already running.
It was no use. The blind, uncaring foot bore down on the tallest buildings, cracking
them at their very foundations and forcing them down. Great plumes of smoke rose
from the wreckage of these buildings and lowered her visibility greatly. It only
lasted a few more moments, and Xianghua watched as her loved ones were compressed
into less than nothing beneath the mighty sole. Xianghua herself was soon also experiencing
its crushing weight firsthand, and as she screamed in helpless pain, she felt her
head compress to the ground as the entire world around her ceased to exist.
Scowling, Tira can't even see the bloodstain the girl left on her foot.
Stomping her foot on the ground in anger over being denied enjoyment, she looks
at the crowd remaining. Or rather, as she came to realize with a start, the three
remaining. Cursing herself for being overzealous in breaking her toys, she decided
a much more forward approach would be needed if she were to find anyone useful in
the small handful remaining.
Bending over quickly, Tira scoops up the last 3 and scans over them quickly. An
exceedingly busty Japanese girl in an extremely tight outfit, the other two, girls
of seemingly equal height, one from Southeast Asia, the other, France.
Looking over the three didn't show Tira anything she needed to know, so she focused
her mind for a moment. Her eyes glowed an incredibly bright red, and she looked
over the three again. The busty ninja seemed to have an honorable soul, though given
what Tira knew, it would probably not work in her favor. The second in line seemed
to have a soul of... purity. Tira stuck her tongue out as if she had just filled
her mouth with something very bad. Ignoring the second girl she focused on the third,
and her last chance at finding someone useful in this group.
The third young woman had a soul of... loyalty. Tira's head turned up a bit at this
as she concentrated further. "Loyalty and what?!" She thought to herself, but found
she wasn't able to find anything else out.
Excitement courses through Tira's veins as her eyes return to normal and she asks
the third girl a simple question.
"You-You're not human anymore, are you?"
She didn't answer.
Tira's face broke into a huge grin.
"Do you want to join me?" She asked, abandoning all formalities in her eagerness.
The red haired girl looked up and nodded her head slowly.
Tira's body was so filled with happiness that she felt her heard burn for a moment
before her turning upward. She smiled toothily at the young girl she held in her
hand.
"So, Amy, right? Amy Sorel. Sorel only being the name given to you by your foster
father." Tira recited before frowning. "But he's run out on you hasn't he, and you
haven't seen him for a bit?" She followed up with a grin.
"Yes..." Amy responded finally.
"Well, no matter, you've got me now, and unlike that vampiric fraction of a man,
I'll be here for you!" Tira happily explained as she placed Amy on the floor
and pointed a finger at her again.
No sooner had Amy been placed on the ground that she felt herself rising up again,
her size being restored quickly. The sensation was empowering, and it felt
as if she were leaving behind all her fears and weaknesses. Though her full height
was still a bit shorter than Tira, it was mountainous in relation to her previous
height.
Tira pats Amy on the head softly with her gauntlet covered hand and turns her attention
to the only tiny remaining victims.
"Taki and Talim. Both of you seek to destroy Soul Edge, and while today's events
may have been enough to sway your decision, you're gonna have to say goodbye now!"
Tira happily stated.
Amy looked down at the two with a mounting sense of excitement.
"But, to welcome my new partner, I'm gonna need one of you..." Tira trailed off.
"And I think it should be... you!" She announced, having picked Taki.
Separating the two into different hands, Tira held the one containing Taki to her
face, to address her directly.
"Now, I'm going to let my lovely assistant here, Amy, get rid of you, to sort of
welcome her to her new life. As much as I know we both would love to squish you
between my soft, yielding toes." Tira paused and looked at her toes wiggling in
excitement. "I'm sure Amy is a little more anxious to get a hold of one of you,
so have a nice trip!." She happily shouted and opened her hand, sending Taki to
the ground.
Dropped from a height that nauseating would have been a nightmare for most people,
but Taki had trained in ninjitsu her entire life. A fall like this was dangerous
yes, but far from fatal for someone of her skill. As she dropped past the bellies
of both giantesses, she spread her body out, to slow her descent. Her smaller weight
meant she already fell slower, and by spreading her body to create more air resistance,
she found she landed on the floor completely unharmed.
Before she could make any other movements however, Amy's unforgiving boot came down
on her like a ton of bricks, cutting off all sensations from the waist down. Taki's
eyes seemed to widen in shock over Amy's incredible reaction time, but, not one
to allow anything to catch her off guard, she turned her body as much as the space
sticking out from the cold black boot would allow.
Reaching into her gauntlets, she pulled out a pair of concealed, poison tipped daggers
she had in cases of emergency. Rearing her arms back with all her might, she plunges
them into the toe of the boot and collapses onto her back, looking up at Amy's face.
Amy had a thin smile on her face, seemingly amused by Taki's struggle for survival.
Unlike the smile Cassandra had given Setsuka and Xianghua before their unfortunate
demise, there wasn't a shred of warmth or kinship in Amy's cold smile. She showed
no signs of being affected by the poisoned daggers as well, worrying Taki.
"Stupid." Amy mocked.
Taki clenched her fist in rage as the shoe lifted off her. She was free, but only
for a moment as the shoe came down again, this time catching the rest of Taki's
tiny body beneath it's thick sole.
As Amy had been watching Taki fall, she raised her leather boot over her, planning
to kill her in one swift strike. Taki had landed in an unusual position however,
and Amy's seemingly well aimed stomp only caught her bottom half. The crunching
of her lower half happened so quickly it both sounded and felt like it had happened
as a singular note.
Initially annoyed with her mostly missed attack, Amy smiled as she watched Taki's
frantic escape attempts, jabbing a couple of tiny daggers into the thick leather
of her boot. It was all stupid, and she made sure Taki knew of it as she lifted
her boot again.
Catching the rest of Taki beneath the step this time brought a great smile to Amy's
face. "Does it hurt?" She asked, not expecting an answer as she slowly ground the
helpless woman into paste. The tingle of power that ran through her was immensely
gratifying, and she replayed Taki's final moments over and over in her head for
at least a minute. The helpless struggles, her soles firmness, in comparison to
Tira's cushy soles. The cracks as her body was crushed indiscriminately beneath
her.
A pat on the back brought Amy back into reality.
"Nice kill." Tira smiled.
Amy didn't acknowledge Tira's kind gesture, instead turning to look at Tira's
other hand, where Talim was still being held tightly.
"What are you going to do with her?" Amy asked with genuine curiosity.
"Hm?" Tira questioned as she looked over the tiny Talim still in hand.
Feigning a cute smile, she rubbed a finger along Talim's exposed belly, and purses
her lips in her face.
"I dunno, I was hoping to keep a pet out of all this." She said with a smile, carefully
rubbing Talim's belly, trying to make her laugh.
"Oh.. okay. I suppose that makes sense." Amy says, her disappointment obvious.
"Yeah. Don't much see the point in killing them all." Tira says while she slips
her boots back on one-handedly, her blood stained soles rubbing off inside her boots.
"Yes. You're right." Amy sighs.
Her boots back on, Tira stands to her full height again.
"I'm glad you agree." She says happily, and in an instant she's grabbed Amy's chin
and forced her mouth open. Being careful not to injure Amy, she shoves the terrified
Talim into Amy's mouth, and holds Amy's mouth shut with both hands.
Tira's face is completely insane as she orders Amy to eat the girl.
Not fighting it, Amy swishes the tiny body around her mouth for a moment, soaking
it in her saliva thoroughly before she swallows it down as loudly as she could manage.
Another rush of power fills Amy's entire being as she enjoys the crazed Talim sliding
down her throat slowly, but surely. The moment is over all too quickly as she loses
the feeling in her throat and can only vaguely feel movement from within her stomach.
Talim had ceased her struggling in Tira's hands as she was poked rather roughly
by her iron covered fingers. Though Tira had been unmerciful before, her liking
to Amy seemed to change her, and she seemed at least a little bit kinder.
As Tira announced her plans to keep Talim as a pet, she began to work out ways to
hopefully convince one of the two to return her to normal, seeing as she was helpless
without any sort of a weapon.
Talim notes Amy's sigh of depression at Tira's refusal to hurt Talim, and is relieved
briefly. During the terrible killing of Ivy and Sophitia, Talim had gone to comfort
Amy, seeing she was the only one there younger than her, and the only other young
woman in a group consisting mostly of much older women.
She had considered Amy her equal, but this was of little reprieve as Tira rudely
opened Amy's mouth and shoved Talim within. Inside the mouth of a girl she had once
considered equal, now huge beyond measure and powerful on levels Talim couldn't
even hope to comprehend.
Being swished around the mouth, Talim felt the saliva coat her, only dripping off
her in thick strings, matting her hair to her body. The tongue beneath rumbled as
Amy appeared to be enjoying Talim's flavor very much. The girl she had considered
her equal.
The swallow was as loud inside Amy's mouth as it had been to Tira outside. Talim
felt herself tumbling head over heels into a tight, wet tunnel. She felt herself
compressed on all sides as she fell for a few moments, landing in a vast empty chamber.
Knowing where she now lay, Talim resigned herself to her fate.
After Amy swallowed loudly, Tira traced the lump in her throat with her finger,
following it until it vanished into her chest.
"Just a little bit of a surprise test." Tira explains.
Amy nods expectantly.
"There'll be plenty more where that came from today. We can do whatever we want
to the souls that Soul Edge doesn't seem fit to consume you know." Tira tells Amy
with a grin.
"Is, Is that why it's so hungry? A picky eater." Amy asks, smiling.
"Yeah pretty much." Tira laughs. "Well, I think it's time we leave this place, your
weapon is one of the ones in this room." she explains, leading Tira to a room full
of discarded weapons.
Searching for only a moment, Amy finds her beloved rapier, Albion among the weapons,
and carries it with her as she walks back to Tira.
"Well, when do we get started?" She asked.
"Hmm.. I dunno!" Tira answered happily before her forehead grew hot again.
"Wolfkrone Kingdom." Tira gloomily said. "The king has gone mad and the young woman
ruling in his stead is gathering troops to attack this place and destroy Soul Edge.
We are to go and stop their leader, Hildegarde von Krone from doing this."
Shuffling through the castles great halls, Amy followed closely, feeling as if she
had someone to depend upon again, someone who she hoped would never abandon her
again.
The pair finally reached the dilapidated castle gates and stepped out onto the cool
grass, as the sun set before them. As they left the castle, the lives that had been
lost there for their own joy and satisfaction would never dwell on their conscience,
or bother them again.
The setting sun empowers the name of Soul Edge!
The two disappeared and their evil spread throughout the world.
Their names are not recorded in history, but the story lives on.
Transcending history, and the world,
A tale of souls and swords, eternally retold.
END