The cross rose, taking Miyoshi with it, and then sank into the hole by its base. Miyoshi was hanging now, groaning as her weight came down on her arms. It wasn't long before Chiyo joined her. The soldiers stood around them, making comments about how sexy they were while they struggled to breathe properly and wondering what their chances were of getting one of them for the night.
Another task called upon them and they left, leaving the Chiyo and Miyoshi to their fates. Yumi labored against the ropes holding her to the post, but she may as well have been nailed there. Barely a few minutes had gone by and already it was too much, but there was literally nothing Yumi could do to lessen any of their suffering. Nothing but wait for the longest day of her life to crawl torturously by.
Taiko rested her back against the boulder, waiting for Minoru to return. She trusted the stone to hide her from the sentries on the walls of Ishi-jo Fortress, which now rose overhead. It was only the encroaching darkness brought by the setting sun that let her get this close- close enough for Minoru to find out what was going on inside and report back to her.
Aka pressed against her legs in turn, scanning the land around them in silence. He was clearly anxious about their plan, but he was dedicated to seeing it through. Kuzuno was lucky to have him as her friend.
Taiko adjusted the hood of her new cloak around her head. The punnydins had made it for her while she slept. It would blend in well enough with the terrain surrounding the fortress, but it was important to her plan for another reason. She tried to treat it well, knowing that she would need its cooperation later.
"I'm back."
Taiko jumped when Minoru appeared out of thin air, stepping into visibility as if he had just walked through an unseen door.
"Jeez," she said. "You scared me!"
"Sorry. I saw all of your villagers. They're still locked in the outdoor cages; that part should go smoothly. Your friends, though-"
Taiko didn't like the sound of that, but she wasn't going to lose focus so easily.
"Tell me."
"They're in bad shape. He hasn't been treating them well, and I doubt they'll be much help once you get to them."
"Don't underestimate them," said Taiko. "They're strong, all of them.
"I mean it," he said. "You're the one underestimating what they've probably been through."
"Then I'll see for myself. Nothing's going to stop me from saving them."
"What about Kuzuno?" asked Aka. "Have you found that magic thing?"
"Yeah, it's in the keep."
"Great! I can go right after it!"
"Aka," said Taiko, "Remember what we talked about. Sticking to the plan means that we can all help each other out as much as possible. No being a little sneak."
"Alright," he said, adding "weirdo" under his breath.
"Hush!" said Minoru, "They're coming."
Taiko settled down and listened as a column of men approached the boulder. The path that led up to the fortress gates passed nearby by it, and once the men had followed it past them Taiko risked a peek around the side.
She recognized the men- they were the ones that she fought on cliff; the ones that her, Chiyo, Miyoshi, and Yumi defeated before Akio appeared to turn the tides. Perhaps they'd been looking for her; if so they were coming back empty handed. They reached fortress gates just as the sun dipped below the keep, casting a deep shadow along the path and leaving only the area around the gates lit by the glow of burning oil. The captain shouted a password, and the doors began to open.
It was time to move. Taiko ran out, stopping just as she reached the edge of the light and throwing her hood off to show her hair.
"Hey!" she shouted. "I see the loser who couldn't catch me is slinking on home. It's too bad you weren't man enough to get your job done."
The captain's face went red with rage.
"Get her!"
His men broke toward her, intent on obeying. Taiko sprinted back down the path, back into the darkness. She clapped her hands and crossed her arms with her fingers pointing out.
"Hide me, cloak!"
She threw herself against the face of the cliff and pulled the cloak around her. Even once the soldiers got close enough to her that they should have seen her they only ran past, straining their eyes to see where she might have disappeared to. More men were following them out of the fortress. Between the darkness, the shouting, and the rush to follow her before she got away, nobody seemed to notice the fox darting up the path and through the open gate.
So far, it was all going well. Once the path was clear, the soldiers spreading out and combing the area below, she used her next spell.
"Vine's grip!"
Taiko put her hands on the cliff face and started to climb. Even without good handholds it was easy, and she was able to cling to the sheer rock without any trouble.
"More to the right," said Minoru.
She couldn't see him anymore, but she followed his guidance and kept moving. When she reached the wall proper her spell worked just as well, although the lanterns along the top put off enough light that she would be spotted if she wasn't careful. The cloak couldn't quite make her invisible.
"Wait," said Minoru. "Now!"
She climbed as fast as she could, making it to the top at a spot where nobody was looking. She was near the keep, and once she was down the other side of the wall she rushed to it and started climbing to an open window.
"Hey, over here!"
Taiko's heart froze for an instant before she realized that it was Minoru. A trio of soldiers who might have spotted her were now directed somewhere else, and she scurried up the side of the wall to the waiting portal, just as the spell on her cloak faded away. She sighed in relief, and it was only a moment before Minoru appeared beside her.
"Don't relax yet. You need to get to the cellar now. Go through that door, take a right down the hallway, down the stairs, and then another right. They'll be an archway with more stairs leading down. I'll whistle when each part is clear."
"Right."
Minoru vanished again. Taiko waited intently for her signal, and when it came she ran without even looking, trusting in her new friend. Soon she was pressed against a door at the bottom of the second stairwell. She could hear a man talking on the other side.
"She's firm isn't she? I'll bet she's tight, too. Aren't you? We'll find out once I get you to my room."
Her friends were on the other side, and stealth wouldn't be an option anymore.
Taiko took a deep breath, threw open door, and screamed.
"They're in the castle! Tomiko's men are in the castle!"
She didn't even have time to get the lay of the room. A soldier drew his sword and rushed past her, barely giving her time to step aside, and two other men followed him. They yelled something from the top of the stairs that Taiko didn't have time to listen to. There was one man left in the room, and he wasn't moving. He cocked his head, his face concealed behind a mask, and Taiko knew that her ploy had accomplished as much as it was going to.
She threw the door shut and quickly cast a spell on it.
"Hold fast, door!"
Taiko turned around to face the man again. The men outside started beating on the door, having figured out what was going on, but it didn't matter. They wouldn't get through until the spell wore off.
Now that she had a moment to take stock of the cellar she was shocked by what she saw. Miyoshi was kneeling on the ground. She was completely naked. Rope was woven around her chest, binding her arms and pressing deeply into her bare skin. She was staring back at Taiko in stunned disbelief with a wooden bar wedged between her teeth. Chiyo was naked as well. She was hanging from her bound wrists, her toes barely touching the ground, and she was gagged the same way.
Taiko was appalled; what were these men doing to them? They both looked like they were in as awful shape as Minoru said, with glassy stares and slow, feeble reaction. But they weren't her biggest problem right now- the man in the mask was.
The man approached her with a
whip in his hand, ready to fight. Taiko ducked as the tip of the weapon cracked above her, scrambling to keep out of its path. He advanced on her steadily, and with nothing else to defend herself with she ripped off her cloak and threw it at him, trying to dive past him while he caught it.
The man was faster than she expected, and the whip wrapped around her ankle, pulling her leg out from under her. She hit the floor face-first, and by the time she could roll over both of her feet were tangled in the whip. He hauled her toward him, reached down, and grabbed her by the throat. Taiko wrestled with his arm, but he was surprisingly strong and he had better reach than her.
Something collided with him. It was Miyoshi. She was barely able to stand, and was doing little other than leaning against him now. It was no more than a distraction, but it was enough for Taiko to get her fingers on his mask.
The man screamed when she pulled on it. It was an almost inhuman sound, startling Taiko so badly that she lost her grip. The man lurched back, holding the mask to his face, and retreated into another room. Taiko wasted no time in getting her feet free. She expected him to return any moment, but soon the only sound was the pounding on the door. Miyoshi moaned softly, lying on the ground next to her. Taiko had found two of her friends, but the fight was nowhere near finished.
Yumi climbed the stairs, step by step. There were too damn many of them. She was on her way back to Akio's room, as he had promised that morning, and her legs burned with every step she had to climb.
She'd spent all day out there in the courtyard, bound to that post. She'd been the lucky one. Chiyo and Miyoshi had hung from their crosses from the early morning to sundown. Every one of their groans or sobs wrenched her heart and made her stomach tie itself into knots. Yumi felt weaker than she could ever remember being, both physically and spiritually. She didn't know if either of them would ever forgive her. She just hoped they would survive.
Akio was waiting in his room. Yumi fell to her knees in front of him, too tired to stand. No, it was more than that. She was too tired to fight him anymore. Her pride had crumbled after watching her friends cry in agony for endless hours.
"You know what is expected of you," he said.
"I swear to obey and serve you, my lord and master, without question or hesitation," she said, this time with nothing by humility in her voice. "I kneel to you as your property, to be done with as ever you please, for as long as I live. May your will be my only thought, and your satisfaction my only desire."
She wasn't just saying the words. She meant them. She was submitting to him, for real. It wasn't by choice, but speaking the words out loud made her feel a grim acceptance of his power over her. Her will to resist was gone, and she was ready to suffer the final humiliation of him taking her virginity.
Akio grunted in approval.
"It's too bad you couldn't be this pliant earlier. You'd be more rested for your first night of having a cock inside of you."
He circled behind her, kneeling down so that he could put his arms around her and fondle her chest. She did nothing to resist. Her breasts were sensitive, and she was surprised by how her loins responded when he touched them. She bit her lip, stifling a moan that wanted to come out of her throat. Yumi gasped when he ran his fingers down to her pussy.
Akio chuckled.
"For all of your spirit in refusing to accept your place you certainly are getting wet in a hurry. I supposed you'll be putting all of that energy into your sexual performances now."
Yumi knew what she was feeling now. What she'd felt every time she'd been on her knees in front of Akio. She was aroused. Mentally she was repulsed by the thought of having his dick inside of her, but her body craved it. He was a monster- cruel and uncaring- but he was also bold and strong. She didn't understand why- it didn't make any sense, but now she couldn't imagine being fucked any other way.
She didn't feel relieved when he stood up and let her go. She was on edge, and if her hands hadn't been tied she would have put her own fingers to her pussy to replace his.
"She's filthy; take her to be washed, then bring her immediately back."
Akio turned away, going to tend some papers of his that were sitting on a desk. The soldier who'd brought her to him took her by the hair to make her stand again. She was furious now. Akio had not only found a way to force her to submit to him, but he'd somehow made her lust for it.
Once again one of the soldiers was putting his hands on her, shoving her in the direction he wanted her to walk. The little snot doing it now wasn't quite up to placing her under the same spell that Akio had, and when he took an opportunity to feel her breasts for himself she let all of her anger out on him. She turned, using strength she didn't know she had, and put her knee in his groin.
Watching him fall was the most satisfying thing she'd done in a long time. She immediately knew that it was going to cost her.
Akio was already to her. He threw her back into his room, too violently for her to keep her balance. She stayed where she fell, praying that she could mollify his anger if she offered herself up for punishment. To her surprise, he froze, almost seeming to forget her. Then she heard it- yelling from outside. Something was happening in the courtyard, and a moment later alarms starting ringing, both outside and from inside the keep.
Akio turned sharply to look her in the face.
"Now what? How have you managed to create a disturbance in my domain this time?"
He was angrier than she'd yet seen him, and the thought of what he might to do her when he'd already tortured her so severely while no more than mildly displeased terrified her.
"I don't know!" she said, "I've been tied up and gagged all day! I have no idea what's going on!"
Akio ripped a familiar box from his shelf. He rolled Yumi onto her stomach and straddled her back.
"Please!" she said, "I just want you to fuck me! I can't take not having your cock anymore! Whip me first, to punish me, but please fuck me!"
Yumi didn't know how convincing she sounded, but appealing to his sexual impulses looked like her only hope.
"I have played around with you too much already. I admit that I find your strength alluring, but I've been a fool to let you keep it and put my operations at risk."
"Don't worry, you'll get your fucking, and your lashing too. But first I'm going to do something to make you more manageable. Then, after I've dealt with whatever this little uprising is, and after I've fucked you to exhaustion, I will let every man at Ishi-jo fuck your throat, one by one, non-stop, even if it takes an entire week."
Akio opened one of the jars and dipped his brush in it. A black, tar-like substance coated the bristles. Yumi recognized the smell, and remembered Ikumi.
He took her hair and stretched out her neck, uncovering the back of it. She felt the tickle of the brush on her skin, but Akio's strong grip kept her still. He finished his writing and let her go, carefully putting his brush away. When he stood he took her by her arms and put her on her knees.
Yumi immediately fell over. She felt weak- weak beyond any mere state of exhaustion. She knew it was whatever he'd written on her. She wanted to sit up, but her muscles didn't have the power to do it.
"You-" said Akio, pointing to the soldier. "Watch her. She should be no trouble to handle now, not even for you."
Akio grabbed his sword and marched out of his room, not giving Yumi another thought. The soldier, leering to show his intent of getting his revenge on her, walked over and knelt next to her. His hand hit her across her face, and he laughed at her limp attempt to respond. Yumi felt his hand on her thigh, and she realized that she'd probably have to taste his dick before long. She had no doubt about Akio going through with his threats.
Aka scurried from one patch of darkness to the next. The courtyard was relatively well-lit, but shadows still found places to settle, and he joined them while he watched the commotion.
About half of the soldiers who had been in the courtyard had run out of the gate. Most of the other half took to the wall, peering into th
e darkness beyond to try to figure out what was going on. Only a few were left still on the ground, but Aka was cautious of being spotted anyway. It was fun to see them all in a panic over one woman yelling a few insults at them. Humans and their strange sense of 'pride' always puzzled Aka, but it made for good entertainment, at least.
One more dash took him to the cages. The villagers had noticed that something was going on, and were murmuring nervously to each other. Aka quickly spotted the fat one- 'the Mayor'. He looked kind of like a moron, with a red little face and a bushy mustache.
"Hey, chubby," hissed Aka, getting as close as he could to him. "Down here."
The man jumped, and if the cage had been less packed he probably would have fallen over.
"What! Who? Did you just speak to me?"
"Yeah, and keep it down! Does this look like something you want the guards to be watching? Listen, there's this woman out there name Taiko who's trying to spring the lot of you, but she needs help. You need to keep enough of the guards busy long enough for her to get to her friends, since they're the ones who can actually fight."
There were worried looks among the villagers. Aka didn't need Minoru's report to have his own doubts about whether they'd be in fighting condition or not, but as long as the villagers did their part he would be able to get to his real objective. Aka hoped for the best for Taiko and her friends, but he couldn't let worrying about them get him off-mission.
"I know what to do," said a man from the same cage as the Mayor. He was in much better shape than the fat little hairy man, and Aka would have given him decent odds against a soldier if he was armed.
"Get the cage open and I'll give you the time you need."
"Great, wait here and don't draw any attention to yourselves."
Aka still needed the key. The man in charge of tending the cages wasn't far off, and he was too busy paying attention to the wall to watch his prisoners. Aka had no trouble sneaking up behind him. Getting the keys mean lifting them off of a hook on his belt, which meant rearing up on his hind legs. It wasn't the most graceful position for him, but he managed, and carefully trotted back to the cage.
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