The First Day (Closed to Invite) Rated Aure

[Lye]

The winds of the Great White Expanse listed lazily across the Seventh Sanctum. The storm that raged in the night quelled to the threat of morning light. Rays of gold and amber spilled across the frozen wastes and over the snow capped buildings nested between the Forgotten Forest and Dagger Peaks. Guards scattered along the perimeter walls stared into dark woods as they shifted in their watchtowers.

In the midst of the Sanctum, heavy steps crushed layers of fallen snow. Lye waded through a waist high bog of white. Puffs of breath escaped his lips. Were it not for the furs wrapped around his body, the frigid elements would sap the life right from his bones. Finally, the assassin king arrived in front of his destination, a small Norse-style home. From its chimney billowed the faint remnants of smoke, and upon it perched several large ravens. Noticing their master, they loosed a murderous cacophony of caws.

The assassin peeled back his hood and tried the handle. As expected, it had been locked. With a prideful snicker he inhaled and and walked forward. His body, plain as day, moved unhindered. Like a specter, he ignored the laws of man's realm and stepped through solid oak. The wood passed over and through him until he stood inside in his entirety.

There she laid. Under a bundle of fresh linen and leg hanging exposed to the cool air, Amari slept. His brow raised at the overturned bowl beside the bed. Cores and pits of fruit lay scattered about and elegant yet revealing attire lay loosely atop the wooden mannequin beside a smoldering hearth. He heard a soft moan escape her and flashed a toothy grin.

With hand outstretched, he clenched it into a fist and jerked it toward himself.

"Get up!" he shouted.

Slumber quickly became surprise as Amari spilled from her bed as if brutally yanked by the neck. Her body hit the cold stone floor and cascaded across until his boots halted her momentum. Her expose body sprawled below him until he reached down and clutched her by the hair. With a struggle, he pulled her to her feet.

Awaking with a swear, "I'm up, I'm ip, I'm up!" She screamed attempting to pull his hands out of her hair.

Amari glared at him, her lips down turned into a pout. Her nude body writhed for freedom.

"Slept well I hope," he mused at the sight of her unkempt hair and the haze of night still in her verdant eyes. "Oh?" commented, noticing a glisten by her loins. His hands plunged down low and slid along her moist flesh. He brought the hand to his eyes, rubbing her essence between his fingers.

"And what's this? A little self discovery in the night?" His brow raised and tone whimsical at both the idea.

She visibly shivered at his touch, her eyes fluttered- and a confused gasp escaped her lips. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." She gasped.

"I-I just ate and slept." She muttered

With a sigh of disappointment, he let her loose from his grasp and turned to the door. He flipped the lock and opened the door inwardly. The bite of winter swept in like a flood, washing over Amari's bare skin. Her vain attempts to cover herself could be heard from behind.

"C-close the door!" she chattered.

"It starts today," Lye cryptically replied. His fingers motioned forward like a military squad leader would to his comrades. Unlike the girl, her collar obeyed, pulling her toward the cold. He himself began to move into the daylight, his shadowy grip tight on her neck and growing taught as distance grew.

[Mari]

Amari was forced to the floor. Her hands reached up to clasp at intangible chains, as they pulled her along. "Wait! Let me get dressed first." She cried out, but to no avail. Lye pulled her through the snow. As the cold ice dragged across her skin Amari bit down on her tongue, holding in a scream of pain. "Ngh..." Every so often she'd make pained noises, she kept on trying to push herself to her feet- finally Amari managed to stand, now wrapping raw red arms around her exposed breasts. She sneezed, sniffling- teeth chattering as the cold threatened to leech the very life from the core of her being. "W-w-why?" She questioned between clenched teeth. The woman tried to rub the warmth back into her bones but failed. She was beginning to feel dizzy. Disorientated, her head heavy. Each light footstep in the snow became staggered, just as she was about to collapse they came upon a log longhouse.

"Ready?" His velvet voice barely hid the sheer lust filled excitement as he pushed open the doors to enter the grand hall. It was vast, but empty, and it did little to relief Amari from th chill. A long feasting table sat in the middle with a second story along the sides and at the back, two sets of doors with a throne made from what looked ivory in the middle, although what animal - Amari couldn't tell, she felt sick, and listless.

She was dragged forward, past the table and the chair- her eyes widened when she saw what looked to be polished human skulls amidst the Ivory. "The hell is that chair?"

With a hard tug, Amari was forced back to her knees. "No more walking." He hissed at her, his tone unamused.

Amari was dragged through the double doors, and down a dark path- further into the earth. The path extended into a cavern, lit by flames. Amari couldn't see much, but could hear the snicker of men.

[Lye]

Torches lined the perimeter of a large cavern. Easily fifty meters by fifty meters wide, carved out of stone, the opening could house the entirety of the Crimson Hand. Several openings and doorways peppered the surrounding walls, leading to locations unknown. As Lye entered, the sneers, jeers, and shouts of at least two dozen men whipped into an uproar. They slammed their fists on tables forming a semi circle on half the cavern nearest the doors. The assassin lord held up his fist and their frenzy hushed into a chatter.

With Amari on all fours, he pulled her behind him with shadowy strings. The collar tightened on her slender neck, begging her to keep pace as her assets remained exposed for his men to salivate over. Lye walked to the center of the room where a single chair and table stood. Atop it, two plates were prepared. One plate had a steaming seared steak, glistening with juices, butter, and herbs. On the side, a mound of fluffy, yellow scrambled eggs. Beside it, on the other plate, a rare piece of decaying meat from flesh unidentified. It stirred with life as maggots writhed within. On the side, two uncracked eggs sat still, the white of their shells marred with spots and a slightly green hue.

"Good morning, everyone," Lye called out with a boisterous voice. The ruffians roared their reply. "Are we ready for some entertainment?"

The room echoed with the shouts of men, hungry for more than a meal or a show. Their lord held up his hand and they took their seats once more.

"Come here," he beckoned to Amari with a yank on unseen chain. Her yelps were swallowed by the cacophony of cat calls and slanderous banter.

The assassin lord pointed to the ground in front of the table. Behind him, too large men stood chains in hand which attached to a set of pulleys dangling from the high ceiling. At the end of those chains, a set of shackles clasped to a person hunched over on their knees with a sack over their head. As his puppet got into position, men once again pounding on tables at the sight of her supple body, he walked to the far wall. Along it, several instruments of torture, weapons, cages, and a massive hearth bellowing fire waited for him. He walked past the racks, the guillotines, the beds of nails, and myriad of improvised devices to a series of knives and daggers hanging from hooks. Lye plucked a simple steel kris from the wall and paced back to the center of the room.

"Here." The serpentine dagger flew through the air and clattered beside her. Lye walked behind the hooded figure and removed the hood to reveal panicked eyes of a teenage boy whose face barely showed the stubble of a man's beard. Lycan purchased a handful of the youth's wavy, brown hair and lifted his head to look at Amari.

"P-please god..." the boy whimpered. "Let me go!"

"This is the son of a banker in Archen that owes us a great deal of money. His name is Jeoffery Van Ortega. His father utilized our services to remove one of his competitors from the mortal coil and now he refuses to pay. Jeoffery here..." Lye pulled on the youth's hair, threatening to pry his scalp from his skull. The boy loosed a crackled yell. "He's a good kid. He hasn't done a terrible thing in his life. From what my contacts gather, he's set to marry a pretty girl in the upper class as a gesture of good will to the Dukes of Salvar."

Lye let the boy go, his head slumping over and tears pattering to the dusty, dirt floor. With a wave of his hand, the Assasin's black magic possessed the Kris beside Amari. It lifted into the air and hovered in front of her as he paced to her side.

"You're going to kill him and send a message to his father," Lye stated with with his cold eyes staring down at her pristine, exposed curves. His face remained flat and menacing.

"Please..." the Jeoffery. "My father will pay..." The boy's voice left his lips is a whimper until the two guards beside him racked the chains taught, pulling his arms over his head with a shout.

"Do as I ask, and you get a reward." He gestured to the hot meal behind her. "Fail and well... you won't like the outcome."

Instead of gesturing to the rotting meat, he grimaced at the girl.

"Today is your first lesson," he spoke softly, thick with ill intent and amusement.

[Mari]

She stared at the small, pristine blade that hovered in front of her. It’s edges glistened in the firelight as it rose and fell. The blade had been sharpened. As if to test it - Amari reached out and lightly ran a finger along it. She winced. A thin trickle of red blood dripped to the floor. The sight of the blood seemed to cause the crowd to grow more excited. “Tch. Barbarians….” Amari muttered. She grabbed hold of the handle, it felt light in her hand. Amari swung it to and fro in diagonal motions. It was easier to use than the rusted dagger she was accustomed to.

Her heart wrenched as the boy, Jeoffery whimpered, still begging for his life. She rose her eyes to first look at Lye, who held the youth fast in place by his hair. Her heart ached at the scene, this poor boy. Her eyes lowered to Jeoffery, who, upon seeing her gaze grew more erratic.

“Please! I’ll give you anything! You’re Amari….right? The girl who went missing?”

Amari blinked, she did not recognise the boy. At all, but he clearly knew her. “Excuse me…?”

Jeoffery continued, his lips twisting up into a feeble smile. “Y-yeh! You were the Duke of L’Olfsden’s kid! The pretty girl with the red hair! I watched you from my window! We were neighbors… We-we-” He heaved, throwing up on himself out of sheer terror.

“You want me to kill him….?” Amari mused quietly, her eyes turning to the fetid food on the table. Was that it? Her punishment was the food she was accustomed to? Sure, it’d make her heave, but it seemed like nothing compared to the life of another. “And my punishment is the food I’ve lived off for the past year? No…that’s too simple for you.”

Amari pushed herself to her feet, the rowdy crowd quietened down, aside from the schlicking sound of some of the men, choosing to please themselves. Her soft footsteps barely made a sound as she breached the gap between them. Amari knealt down beside the heaving, sobbing teen. She brushed his fringe out of his face, then used her forearm to wipe the vomit from his chin. “Jeoffery….right?”

The boy sniffed, and looked up at her his eyes not once leaving hers, despite her nude allure. “Y-yeh. Amari...please, please help me…don’t do it! Don’t do it…”

Amari looked up at Lye, her grip tightening on the dagger. She sounded utterly defeated, tears already stinging at her eyes. “You’re….not going to let him go are you? If I don’t do it, you’ll….” She glanced at the scene behind him - the torture devices, the bed of nails, tools to flay and maim. “You’ll torture him in front of me right?”

Lye responded with a low, rolling chuckle, his voice dark, and Amari knew from his tone that he was telling the truth. “Something like that.”

She set the curved blade beside her and reached out to cup his face in her hands. “Jeoffery Van Ortega.” She stated his name with a voice filled with such empathy and warmth. Her thumbs danced under his eyelids, wiping away his tears. Her comforting actions calmed him, Jeoffery stopped sobbing uncontrollably. “A-Amari...I don’t want to die...please…” Amari glanced away, her voice threatening to break. “I don’t think...you wil live past this day…regardless of my actions.” Her body shook, and her hands lowered to his shoulders, gripping them tightly to stop herself. “I...I wish I could help...but I don’t know if I can. I can’t….I can’t…” She leaned forward, not caring about the vomit and bile that ran down his chest, as she pressed herself against him in a tight embrace. “I don’t want to hurt you...I can’t...but, if I don’t...they’ll do so much worse...what do I do?” She repeated the question in a pained whisper. “What do I do?”

Her proximity to Jeoffrey had an odd effect on him, he seemed to grow more and more calm. His breathing slowed, and he rested his head against her shoulder. “I understand.” He seemed like a completely different boy than he was moments before. “IF you do it Amari, I don’t think I’d mind. Just tell papa and mama I love them dearly, and Elisa, perchance she will now be free to marry the man she truly loves.”

Amari shook her head, burrying it deeper into his shoulder. “Please don’t make me…” she whispered.

“Do it Amari, please.”

With a shaking hand she reached out for the kris, and grasped her shaking hand tightly around it. She pulled away from Jeoffry she didn’t know how to do it, how to do it quickly and painlessly. As if answering her fears he responded, calm, as though he were completely at peace.

“Across the neck, Amari.”

The crimson haired girl nodded. Turning her head away, and, just as easily as she had earlier - sliced the blade across his neck. The metal sliced through skin and tendon, Mari felt it scrape against bone, and in that instant, she yelped and droped the Kris.

Blood spurted forth in a torrental wave, bathing her in the slick, wet, thick wine of anothers life. Amari shivered, wrapping her arms around her body. The golden hue in her eyes flashed, then dimmed, becoming almost transparent. Every so often, they’d flicker - as if trying to realight.

Amari burried her head into her lap, sobbing uncontrollably, repeating apology after apology after apology.

She didn't just kill Jeoffry.

She killed a part of herself.

[Lye]

"Guh..." the assassin exhaled in disgust and disappointment. He ran his hand over his face, dragging is eyelids open and pulling high cheeks down from their bony perches.

"A waste of fear," he muttered now shaking his head, tone rising. "Compassion for the dead. Remorse. Regret..." His fists tightened then relaxed. A heated sigh left his lips.

"Bind her," he commanded. Immediately, the two burly thugs dropped their chains and the corpse slicked into a muddy puddle of his vitae. The men in the room roared with excitement. One of the men wrapped massive hands around her shoulders as she wept while the other unclasped the deceased by hands, then feet. The other hoisted her over to the corpse, her body shaking and head hung low - weighted down for the irreversible sin committed by her own two hands.

The platinum haired sociopath paced to the table and took a seat as the two thugs clasped the wrought iron to her body. Without watching the scene unfold, he took up fork and knife and began cutting into the steak. Juices sputtered from the medium rare meat and spilled out onto the plate.

"And you rationalized it." Lye brought the tender cut to his face and examined it carefully. Behind, Amari's nudity slumped over with the boy at her knees. The two men grabbed the chains and with a firm tug, pulleys hoisted her body horizontal. Her hands pulled to one side as ankles were pulled to the other.

Lye placed the steak on his tongue, the flavor watering his mouth with the same intensity as those two dozen men that watched and began to suddenly undress. He pulled it off the fork with a metallic chime and placed down his fork. With a snap of his fingers, the unanimous sound of wooden chairs being pushed back or toppled filled the room. He swallowed.

Thug after bandit hustled, over one another. Fits were thrown in the fray and bodies it the floor as they struggled to remove their tunics and chaps. Like a stampede, two dozen variously toned, but equally vile men charged the center of the room with their genitalia exposed. Throbbing, twitching, and damp with precum nearly every one.

"As I said," Lye roared over the noise as he cut his steak. "Her mouth, hands, ass, and anything you wish to fuck, but any man that dare attempt to steal her virginity will be fed his cock in pieces before having his head staked outside!"

Burly arms lashed out at her, pulled off by the grip of others. The first of many purchased a position behind her dangling legs and forces them wide. His hairy, pulsating cock pushed against her ass with increasing pressure until it gave way into her. As her mouth opened in reaction, a dirty paw of another thrust her head upon his dick. They fondled her bloody breasts, pinching, licking, and biting at her nipples. Filthy mouths explored her crevices as new, creative folds of innocent skin became a home for thrusting pleasure.

"I do have to admit," Lye added with his maw full of food. "I'm impressed you went through with it." The scrape of his knife screamed against ceramic plate. "I'll be sure to save you some steak."

His mouth grinned wide as he placed another bite in his mouth and set his utensils down. As he chewed loudly, he leaned back in his chair and set his eyes upon her.

"And now I know where you're from..." he hissed.

[Mari]

Amari hung limp, her head down - she felt an incredible pain in her chest, as though it had been ripped apart. What had she done? Would it have been better if she didn’t? “Jeoffrey..” She muttered, even the name felt like bile as it spilled forth from his lips.

He did this

Rage boiled inside of her and erupted as she started screaming at Lye. “HOW CAN YOU JUSt SIT THERE CALMLY?” She tugged on the chain, the amber hues slowly regaining their opaque brilliance once more. “Look what you made me DO!” She clenched her teeth, tears streaming down her face. “You’re a sadistic prick! You’re just sitting there EATING? What the hell?”

The platinum haired monsters response was a quick snap of his fingers, the men that surrounded her sprang forth, his words...Amari didn’t want to be touched by those men. Seconds after their leaders blessing Amari winced, jerking away from a set of teeth that found her nipple, she kept her eyes focused on Lye. Her gold hues almost burning with iridescent rage. Another mouth found its way to her second breast, the two men suckled her as though they were nursing babes, grubby hands clutched at her blood soaked skin. The men didn’t care that she was covered in blood and vomit, they just wanted her.

Still, Amari stared. Livid at Lye.

It wasn’t until she felt the poking and prodding between her cheeks, and then the sudden invasion of her tight, pert ass did she break eye contact, giving a pained yelp. She could feel the heat of the blood, acting as a makeshift lubricant, the girth of the mans shaft as it quickly slid in and out. His hands gripped her ass and used it to swing her momentum.

She tried crying out, but a meaty member found its way into her mouth. Amari’s initial reaction was to bite down, hard. The man swore and quickly pulled away. It just left room for another which found its way into her mouth. Amari could taste a bittersweet liquid, she audibly groaned, trying to pry herself free. Fleshy skin scraped against her hands - and tongues found their way down her neck, her back, and between her legs. The woman began shivering- her body writhing.

She hated this, she hated this.

Yet, her body exploded in heated sensations - where the gentler men touched her body bucked.

The first man who claimed her ass pulled out, and sprayed onto her back, he was ripped back and no reprise was given to the woman. A second dick found its way into her, as he pulled in and out he laughed. “Holy fuck, I think she’s enjoying this.” His fingers found their way to her mound, slicking back and forth her entrance, it dripped, and quivered against his touch. The man quickly came, this time shooting her load into her. Amari gave a mumbled cry, tears stinging her eyes as she felt a hot spray uncomfortably make its way further into her rectum.

“Oh?” The third to enter her ass moaned, and leaned over to spread his tongue across her back. Licking up trails of blood and cum. “Fuck...she’s writhing into me…”

He wasn’t wrong, Amari was bucking into the sensations of their hungry flesh, her own reacting almost in unison. She hadn’t realized that she had sucked on, and subsequently swallowed the juices that flowed from 5 throbbing dicks. The sixth man didn’t thrust into her mouth straight away, his fingers danced over her lips. Small moans escaped. Without any support her head fell forward, her lips parted, panting. “No shit…” He glanced over his shoulder at Lye, who calmly watched the debauchery before him. “Yo, Master. Ya didn’t tell us she was a horny fucker. Thought she was a virgin.” He twisted his head back to her, lifted up her face and guided his cock to her mouth. He shivered, coming instantly as her tongue deftly rolled over his girth.

Amari hung there, for almost an hour, dripping with blood, cum, spit - satisfying man after man, some coming back for seconds. Her own body bucked, heated fires urging her to do the same, to orgasm, and to release - but she didn’t.

Another half hour passed, and there were three men left. One slid in and out her mouth, Amari seemed to be sucking with more vigor than earlier. Another sat on the floor, her breast in his mouth as he suckled and bit her, jacking himself off.

The third positioned himself behind her, rubbing the tip of his cock against the stretched entrance to her ass, it oozed cum- and despite her shivering form bucking toward him, almost begging him to take her - the man looked upon it with distate. He glanced over at Lye, who was focused on her face. His lips twisted into a grin as he stepped closer, allowing his cock to glide along the entrance. He was going to deflower her - her pussy quivered, and Amari gave a long, low, satisfied moan - her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her body begged for release.

Her mouth was free, and she was blasted in the face, it dripped off her, and she panted. Head once again falling to the floor. “P-please….” She muttered. “Why does it feel so good….why…”

That was the only prompt the man needed, he pulled back, ready to ram hard into her.

[Lye]

Grunts and moans filled the air as the percussion of chains met with the treble of slapping flesh. The men had at her in droves, pleasuring themselves after long nights of solitude on the wall. Guardsmen, expendable and without skill, slaked their lust which had built up over weeks, months, even years. As they took their fill from her, they gave her their fill. Seed spilled from nearly every orifice save for one.

"How is she?" the assassin asked, eyes on the food in front of him instead of the depravity in front of him. He plucked a lump of egg off the plate with his fork and slid it into his mouth as Amari tried to cry out with a muffle.

"So." A thrust. "Fucking." Another thrust. "Good!" And a climax.

Lye took one final bite of his savory meal, leaving all but a few tender morsels. He cleaned his mouth with a hand and steepled his fingers as the show commenced. Throughout the depravity, his eyes narrowed into slits. Again, the gold in Amari's irises flashed, then again. As a new man entered her, those eyes flared amber.

"Hmm..."

Then, one simple glimpse from a man as he stepped close to her loins. Head unmoving, Lye's attentions narrowed on the slob as he ran his cock along the valley of her mound. The assassin's lip curled, baring teeth. Amari moaned her pleasure, the man's hips cocked, and that was all Lye needed to make his promise honest to the men. Chair, table, and ceramic fell to the floor followed by the flask of steel and the anguished cry of the foolish.

The assassin's wakizashi moved without resistance as it severed the manhood from his underling. The thug's mouth shot open and with a sift, fluid motion, Lye clutched the dismembered flesh and rammed it down his throat. Those who were still liberally fucking the woman behind him slowed and stopped.

"What did I--!" His dagger plunged into the man's throat, severing cock and windpipe in two. "Fucking say?!" The bladed heel of Lye's boot wept through the air and like an executioner's axe to the block, cleaved the man's head from his body. Skull thudded into the distance and skipped to through the dirt before popping up and into the blaze of the far hearth.

Leg still held high from the blow, Lye watched as the body fell to its knees, then flopped forward in a visceral mixture of semen, blood, and vomit. Gracefully, he returned to an upright position and quickly shot a fiery glance over his shoulder. One man, his dick still firmly inserted into her throat, pulled out as bile spilled forth and she gasped for air.

"Back to your posts!" The master of the Hands roared with percussive intensity.

Nude men of all shapes shook free from their gaping stares. The two men who manned her chains, let free of their grip, dropping the spent girl atop a corpse covered with filth. Some of his men snarled in anger, others scampered to retrieve what close they could find before charging toward the doors in the buck. Grumbles and footsteps faded to the sound of dangling chains, the faint gurgle of a body registering its mortality, and the heated but weak pants of his pet.

Lye exhaled through clenched teeth and cleaned his bloodied weapon upon his vest. The head that rest upon the flame began to bubble and boil, eyes lurching from the skull and severed cock slipping from gaping maw to the embers below. Steel slid back into the scabbard with a snap before the assassin turned to his charge. He paced around her body, thick with the fluids of man, until he knelt where her head lie.

"The hunger of man simplifies them," he stated has his gloved hand scooped under her chin. Saliva and semen dripped over his clutches as he lifted her half lidded eyes toward his own. "Your body stirred them into a frenzy and should you have kept that dagger in your clutches, you may have been able to ward off a dick or two."

His eyes became slits as she still writhed as if wanting more. Her dirty hands reached up and clenched his with a soft moan.

"I can see now that you secretly wanted it. Interesting," he let her head fall.

"You killed a man today at my command," he began as he ran his soiled hand through her hair to get the filth free from his fingers.

"Your form was sloppy and you justified it like a coward." He stood waving his hand over her form. Like small, efficient lock picks, the shadows bent to his will and shackles fell free from her bloody wrists and ankles.

"You will get a reward," he walked to the fire to watch the remains of his former comrade sizzle and sputter.

"Food, water, clothing, warmth, a bed, or a bath..."

He kept his eyes from her, for as stoic as he remained, a small mortal part of him envied his soldiers. The flicker of the fire and oozing skull served to temper the thought back to the darkest corners of his mind.

"Pick one," he commanded.

[Mari]

Amari groaned, her body twitched, the heated sensations began to die down and were replaced with worn pain. She'd been pummelled, plowed, licked, bitten and fucked mercilessly. She hated it, she despised it. Amari hated how ripples of pleasure had been sent through her body, she hated how she almost enjoyed the taste that leaked from every other cock that was forced down her throat. She hated knowing that their slimy hands had invaded her body. She hated it...The only thing she didn't resent - was the pained feeling deep in her chest. The acknowledgement that this, this was what she deserved. How could she possibly call herself a human anymore? She took a life. Granted, it was out of mercy, but she ceased it.

Amari forced her eyes shut. Her jaw hurt, her hips were bruised and her nipples tender. It was nothing...compared to the pain Jeoffrey must have felt. Behind the darkness of her lids, Amari relived the scene, it almost felt as though she had torn through a brilliant beating heart, a flame, that had flickered and died, and all because of her. Amari wondered if this was where she was meant to be, on the floor writhing, twitching between semblances of pain and pleasure. Nothing more than an object. Whatever she was...it wasn't human.

Her eyes fluttered as Lye pulled his hands away from hers, and wiped it in her crimson trestles. The sensation of his fingers gliding effortlessly through her locks, somehow gave her comfort. He pushed away from her and headed over to the hearth, giving her the list of things he promised- but only offering the one for the remainder of the night.

I don't deserve any of it.She thought bitterly. Amari slowly bought herself to her feet, she slipped in the pile of oozing human remains. Her body fell to the floor with a thud, what a pathetic sight. Amari stood again, heading to the warmth of the crackling fire. Approaching Lye she rested her head on his back. "I don't need that..." Her voice cracked, broken, her throat burning from abuse. Her knees buckled, "just...you-" before she could finish her form went limp, face dragging down the mid of his back till it hit the floor In her semi conscious state she managed to brace her fall, she coughed up phlegm, semen and blood alike, trying to bring herself to her feet again. She only managed to bring herself to sit on her knees. The room span, a soft groan escaped her bloodied lips, and her head fell against Lye's leg.

His lip flared, eyes shooting down to her weakened state. He pulled his leg from her and she fell to the ground. With his boot, he brought his weight down on her hand to stir her."Pick..." He ground his heel into her flesh. "One..."

Amari straightened her back, startled by the sudden pain, she drew her hand away. "BATH!" She shouted. "B-Bath." She repeated, the adreneline quickly leaving her. Her head lolled forward. It was evident she was trying so hard to sit, to stand, but she could barely do either.

"Good choice."

Lye knelt down and scooped her up, heading wordlessly out of the cavern and toward the stockhome she had stayed in the night before. Amari was so spent, she barely registered the heat of his chest - nor the soft beating of his heart in her ear. Her body reacted to the cold, twitching and recoiling into the safety of his arms, but Amari herself did not make a sound.

They entered her prison, the windows were boarded up and the fireplace empty. The furniture had been unceremoniously dragged out, leaving scuff marks against the newly polished wood floors. Nearing the centre of the room Lye released her, and let her fall to the floor with a thud.

[Lye]

In the barren room, he left her. The door slammed shut behind him with the hiss and clink of locks. It seemed minutes, but to her, hours. Then, the crunch of weight upon snow neared and the door opened. The assassin entered with a lidded wooden basin in tow. Atop it, several items rested including wash cloths bust also an array of herbs and small vials. The contents within the basin sloshed with each tug until both man and load were inside. He slammed the door behind him, this time locking from inside.

"Come here," Lye beckoned to Amari, her chest barely rising and falling. He set aside everything atop to the floor then stood and began to remove his attire. Arctic furs stained with blood from her body crumpled to the floor. Latches jingled free before his leather vest followed suit soon after his linens. His bare chest exposed, he looked to her, still in a crumpled ball, slightly shivering in the cold.

"I won't ask again." His shadowy grip tightened on her neck and she groaned her discomfort. He snarled and constricted her, but she failed to move more than to weaklys reach to her neck and gasp for air. With clenched teeth, he dismissed his power and stormed over to her.

"The body is stronger than you think," he chastised. He squat beside her and whispered in her ear. "Crawl to me."

He stood and walked back to the basin, removing its lid. Steam billowed from warm soapy water in the chill of the room. With a loud clatter, the lid fell to the floor.

"Crawl to me and be rewarded," his voice rang out stern. "If I drag you, I will not be kind."

Her body stirred, like an injured animal trying to flee. Instead, she desperately tried to pull herself toward him. Her arms shook, legs dead with fatigue. As she inched closer, she left a trail of blood in her wake. Her hand reached up, head hung low and fingers brushed the ridge of the bath before slapping limply to the floor.

Lye's emerald eyes became slits.

"Good enough," he complimented. He reached down and gentler than he had ever been, positioned her so her could lift and place her into the warm waters. Her bare ass and thighs dipped beneath the surface, blood becoming an inky swath as it diluted in clear water. She hunched over bent knees, matted hair cascading over her legs and spidering out in the bath by her hips.

"You lied to me," Lye spoke quietly as he reached for the wash cloths and crude bar of soap.

"You wouldn't take what you wanted at the cost of another's life." He perched behind her and dipped the rag into the water. As he did, something odd caught his eye.

"Yet look at you," he continued. As he spoke he stared at the runic symbol resting square in the middle of her sacrum. The thick crimson ichor of blood slowly beaded and oozed down her back, but the symbol remained pristine and untouched. We're it not for a rolling tear of vitae that vanished the moment it touched her mark, he would has assumed it chance. He reached out with his fingers and gently caressed the skin it rested upon.

"Life...?" He muttered under his breath. Though difficult to make out, the marking contained the symbol for life in an old, ancient script. One that he new since as far back as he could remember but not how he had come to learn it. His mind trembled with curiosity, one he knew could be answered with the help of an old friend. Lye's lips turned into a sneer.

"Your are beautiful," he remarked, out of place. Attentions resumed to her bath and the assassin pressed the warm, soapy rag to her back in gentle strokes.

"But where is your fire Little Red? Don't tell me I've snuffed it out after just one day..." He dipped the rag into the water and instead of making another pass, one hand slid underneath her arm and cupped her tender breast with a squeeze. His other hand slid beneath the waters surface, over her thigh, and pressed against soft, virgin lips.

"Unless you like this." The words escaped his lips just beside her ear. His hot breath raced along her neck on low, velvety tones. "Do you enjoy this, Little Red?"

He sneered as fingers teased at her entranced and hands massaged her bosom.

[Mari]

She tried. Good lord she tried.

Hand over hand she crawled, her body ached and threatened to give out at any moment. Her legs failed her, hips weak from the sexual degradation he had put her through earlier. Bruised and battered - she continued out of sheer will. Wanting to prove the sick and twisted man wrong, wanting to show him that he had not beaten her. Then there was the call of the tub, its edges brimming with steamy water, promising to wash away the evidence of her sins and depravity.

"H-Hah.." She made a triumphant sound as she managed to reach the tub. With a final push of strength Amari lifted her body up, only to have it give out at the last second. Her body fell limp against the hard floor. Dull emerald eyes staring at the side of the polished, wooden tub. I can't even move on my own... Her self hating thoughts continued, why was she still here? Why hadn't he just killed her? He said he wanted to take everything from her, but hadn't he done that by now?

She was lifted with tender care and placed gently into the bath. The blood and visceral human emissions marred the water in pools of crimson. Amari shifted as the water bought life to her limbs. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I did....didn't I?" Amari responded dryly. She forced a laugh as she shifted her head to and fro. "I lied. That boy will never, ever see the light of day, and it's my fault. I want to blame you. Parts of me do. You're...twisted, sick. There's something wrong with you. But..." Amari pressed her head into the water, allowing it to drown her senses in a dull droll. The woman exhaled and a stream of bubbles erupted upon the surface of the murky, pink water. "I still chose to take it, and for that. I'm not even human."

Amari felt the soft touch of the washcloth press against the mid of her back, and drag down. A sensation Amari was oddly used to by now. "You're just going to do something horrible to me again tomorrow aren't you?" Amari asked, lifting her head. "Why bother offering to bathe me? Why be so gentle?" She didn't expect her questions to be answered. Her response was a single word.

"Life...?"

She felt his index finger lightly press against her birthmark. Amari's back arched, and her head was thrown back, the colour in her eyes shifted, and she fell forward again. It happened quickly. "W-what..." Amari twisted her upper half around to face him. "Stop placing your stupid marks and spells on me! The hell was that one? Is it going to turn me blind? Choke me more?"


"You are beautiful."

"And you're a soulless hack..." She muttered, turning away from him. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see his narrow, glinting eyes or the hungry sneer his thin lips were twisted up into. He never gave her real answers, only cryptic words and sentences that often lead to cruel and unusual punishments.

A hand snaked up and clasped her breast, Amari stiffened, worried that he was going to repeat the actions of his fledgelings. Not again...not now... "N...no more..." She tried to twist her body out of his grasp, but his hand followed.

"Nnng..." Amari's body jerked as his second hand dipped and twisted its way to circle her lower lips. Fingers tracing an engorged clit - running down the length of her entrance, teasingly prodding ever so slightly deeper into her, without actually penetrating her. "I- I hate it..." She breathed through clenched teeth. Her hands snapped up, each one tightly wrapping themselves around Lye's arms.

His actions weren't aggressive, and didn't seem to be fuelled by a ravenous lust as the others. Amari parted her lips. She could feel his heated breath against her exposed neck. The sensation caused goosebumps to appear on her skin once more. Do I....enjoy...this...? Amari weakly shook her head in protest, "I-I hate..." Another press into her clit, and another soft moan. "I hate - I hate that I enjoy this..." Amari finally muttered, her fingers digging into the flesh of his arms.

"But it doesn't mean you'll ever win."

And with a quick jerk, she tugged hard on his arms, attempting to pull him into the bathwater beside her. "You need to wash that sadistic smirk off your face." She muttered, attempting to kick away from him.

[Lye]

Like tinder caught flame, her fire returned. Lye felt a rush of swell in his chest and through his veins as his puppet's sharp tongue returned. That mark, her eyes, something connected the two and it thrilled him. This woman wasn't just some discarded trash on the street, she was more. The more he learned, the more he wanted her wrapped around his finger.

"There it is..." He dragged out in hushed tones. "And you do like it..."

Her nails dug into his skin, causing him to inhale through his clenched teeth. A fire of desire laced through his body and prickled his skin. Only on day, and she began to become his.

Or so he thought.

Her sudden return of strength took him by surprise. She jerked his arms, and his balance thrust forward. Lye caught himself on the rim of the tub, avoiding a damp evening until he kicked him away. Body and grip failed, cascading beside her with a slosh of water washing over him. Interest, entertainment, and desire faded to cold, familiar black. Emerald eyes lit ablaze as he shot a glance to Amari and a rolling cackle erupted from him.

"Such fight," he growled. His clawed grip tensed against the damp wooden floor. Platinum locks matted to his face, motes of washed off cum peppering its length. As the steam rose from the water, it looked as if boiling off his heated skin. He pushed up, and wasted no time returning the favor.

Like a monster of inhuman speed, he snapped a hand against her throat. The assassin rose, lifting her from the water and cascading the tub aside. A kneed quickly planted into her stomach, temporarily bringing her parallel to the ground. Her breath fled her lungs with a gasped cry. She tried to mouth another reply, hands clawing at his iron grip and a weak moan escaped her constricted throat.

"Now!" he roared like a demon embodied of the seventh sin. His might bore down on her, slamming Amari into the ground with a wet slap.

"I will break you!" Lye planted his boot into the mid of her back with a fierce kick.

He reached down and grabbed her by the arms. The lean of his muscles tightened his marred skin as he raised her up and charged her against the wall. He pinned her and brought his uniquely hardened skull against hers with a hollow crack. The sharp pain of the blow registered a rush of adrenaline, and he looked upon her with an unsettling snarl.

"I have half a reason to bring every last one of them back in here to defile you until your limbs are broken, hips fractured, and jaw unhinged!"

He slammed her against the logged wall, grip tightening.

"I offer you reward," his hand came across her face with a sharp slap. "And you have the gall to test my strength?!"

"Didn't... you want... fire?" she rasped with lips attempting to turn upward.

Lye's teeth clenched, but his lips turned into a frighting smile. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a chill surged down his spine.

"Just... Giving you what you want..." She muttered between gasps of air.

He wanted her, right there. Still bare, partially cleansed, and near the brink of consciousness, he wanted her. His body ached, his mind screaming to kill her, but his curiosity devoted to making her something more. Her resistance, fight, and lack of fear despite his efforts... he wanted it. Like a wick aflame, trapped in the glass cage of a lantern, he wanted her broken, but alive as she was in this very moment.

"Yes," he laughed. He pressed his body against hers and firmly against the wall. His hips pushed into her, a stiffness in his loins and lips neared her ear. "Give me everything."

She tilted her head to the side, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth.

Amari's body, despite being battered and bruised, seemed to almost welcome the interaction. Her back arched, pressing erect nipples into his wet skin - lips parting as she gave quiet sounds of subdued pleasure. Lye's hand snaked up to her throat, fingers tracing under her spidersilk collar to the back of her head. Amari's breath quaked.

"But you've had enough today," his whisper came. Lye's finger's undid the clasp, pulling off her collar and pushing himself off her. He threw the black, lace choker to the far side of the room as she slid down the wall and collapsed. The assassin stormed over to his attire, fetching it from the puddles of bath water. Without another word, he stepped toward the door and walked through its as though an apparition.

Winter winds bit fiercely at his heated skin and tempered his desire for the girl within. He ground his teeth as nature's whip lashed mercilessly against his damp body. Lye turned toward the door and slid an iron bolt across, preventing Amari's escape. He snapped a lock which dangled shut, preventing his men from taking what was his.

Then, with a heated breath as a cloud from his lips, he waded through icy powder toward his longhouse.

Day one had concluded.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Judgment

Story: 20

I would like to start by addressing the highly risqué tone of this thread. My honest feelings are that you could have achieved the same high-intensity feel without half of the x-rated material, and I do have a point to make on this later, but at the same time I also felt that the work you did between you to put over to the reader the sheer audacity of Lye and the Crimson Hand here was very, very good.

You delivered an engrossing, brutal tale that was thoroughly enjoyable as a ‘stand-alone’ thread, one that I would describe as grungy and one that really gave the reader an insight into the cruelty that Lye and, by extension, the Crimson Hand are capable of. Posts three and four were the introductory example of such, with Jeoffrey being used as a device to both send a message to his debtor father and also break down Amari’s will. On this though, I do have one complaint. Whilst the situation was well utilized, I felt that Jeoffrey’s emotions twisted from utter fear of his impending death to calm acceptance far too quickly. It came across as a little artificial, effecting pacing a little, but this served only as a minor obstacle. The rest of the plot centers mostly on Lye trying to break down Amari into something sub-human, with Amari reeling from the guilt of killing Jeoffrey throughout. This was executed superbly right up to the end, with various sexual encounters and the dominance / submission theme delivering a message to the reader that Lye is in full control, attempting to turn Amari into his plaything. However, I would have liked to know more about how Amari came into contact with Lye and how this situation had developed into what it did. Perhaps there will be more to come on that.

The way you both used the setting for this story worked well and I appreciated how Lye and Amari reacted within their separate and rather distinct worlds and roles. Everything in the story came across as dark, dank, grungy and the environment I imagined paralleled that perfectly. From the use of the shackles and chains to the contrast between the Crimson Hand’s throne room and Amari’s dank, derelict prison. I’ve said before that writers sometimes spend so much time crafting the setting in their posts that they forget to actually interact with it, but you did well to ensure that wasn’t the case here and throughout there was a healthy balance between interaction and description.


Character: 22

The most enjoyable part about this thread was the contrast between the characters and just how well they were portrayed by each writer.
If someone who didn’t know Lye’s character read this thread, almost every nuance, every line of dialogue and action that he took would be consistent with the type of person he is – controlling, hedonistic, intelligent and brutal. Truly he came across as a man to be feared, the only type of person capable of leading a faction such as the Crimson Hand. My complaints are limited to the sheer volume of sensitive material you used as a part of portraying Lye’s darkest side, rather than the actual application of it, as I still firmly believe you could have achieved the same shock factor without the overkill. That said, no-one should have been left in any sort of doubt at the end of the thread as to the kind of person Lye is.

Lye’s contrast here is, of course, Amari. Her dialogue, her actions and the way she tries to deal with her situation are all consistent with what I would expect from someone I her situation. I did feel towards the end (around about post nine) that Amari was starting to suffer from Stockholme Syndrome, so if this was intentional then you achieved your goal here and this served as a brilliant bit of character development. Again, as with Lye, my complaints are about the volume of x-rated material you used and I still firmly believe you could have achieved the same shock factor without as much of it.

Turning for a moment to Amari herself; as a new character on Althanas I believe she is a character with a lot of hidden dynamics to explore and some (but not all) of those extra layers got a chance to shine through here. Getting the reader inside your character’s head requires good communication but also exploration of those subtle nuances that make him or her stand out. What I did see of her fit the overall picture I got of her through your writing but I still feel there is a lot more to come.


Prose: 18

Between you both there were a number of mechanical issues of varying severity. On Lye’s part, the odd typo crept in to the writing and I suspect this is more to do with the pace at which the thread progressed. They didn’t spoil the flow of the read too much, though. On Mari’s, I found quite a few spelling and grammatical errors which interrupted the pace of my read threw me off, meaning I had to re-read sentences to fully understand what was happening. Again, to a degree I can understand why this happened because the thread moved along very quickly, but it wouldn’t hurt to run your work through a spell-check to eliminate as many “silly” errors as you can (things like typos, sentence fragmentation and grammatical hiccups that would usually be picked up in Word).

Speaking as a reader on this occasion, I thought the overall technique you both employed was fantastic. I could really visualize every small detail of each event. Lye, you have a natural gift for bringing everything to life with your vivid descriptions and you gave this thread the texture it deserved with some of your more potent devices.

Like tinder caught flame, her fire returned. Lye felt a rush of swell in his chest and through his veins as his puppet's sharp tongue returned. That mark, her eyes, something connected the two and it thrilled him. This woman wasn't just some discarded trash on the street, she was more. The more he learned, the more he wanted her wrapped around his finger.

This was fantastic to read and this particular quote was one of many sections I could quote.

You both made the thread feel grungy, dark and very atmospheric. I should also commend Mari here for her work as well; though some of your writing contained mechanical errors, the actual technique you employed to pull the reader in and keep them gripped on what is actually happening shows great promise indeed. At no point did I ever feel confused about what was happening and nor was I becoming bored, although perhaps I would advise using far-less sexual imagery as overuse here actually dampened the overall effect.


Wildcard: 6

This thread served a purpose and I believe the story, laced with dark and adult undertones, was delivered well. Whilst there was a controversial air hanging around the content, one which I suspect may open a few debates about the ‘censorship glass ceiling’, as a piece of writing it nailed the shock and awe objective well. However I simply believe there was too much sexual content – not in a PC sense, but in the sense that additional material seemed overwhelming to the actual writing. Nevertheless, a good job by both of you.


Final score: 66


Lye receives 970 EXP and 80 GP!

Mari receives 485 EXP and 70 GP!

Congratulations!

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

All rewards added!