The cavern was certainly not a normal find for these diggers, even though they had tunneled through a great deal of the land during their lives and had come across many different sights hidden below. Instead of having a warm orange glow to it that would be made by torches set by the workers it had an unnatural green hue blooming within, the light coming from a particular source in the middle of the cave. Instead of rocky spires and crags reaching up into the air there were three giant statues of women that stood erect towards the middle of the chamber in a circle, the monuments being made of a dark shiny metal while intricately detailed with the women’s long hair, flowing dresses, and slim etchings of soft glowing green light pulsating all over them. Instead of the ground being made of dirt it appeared to shift into a hard black metal surface that the statues were built upon, the dark steel also having erratic indentations of glowing green light sprawled throughout it. And in the center of the chamber, between the statues that gave off a very unsettling aura, the middle of the rounded steel plateau had a circular platform that was lowered a few inches. It was covered in green interlacing octagons while in the middle stood a small pedestal with glowing green runes embedded within it.
An ant girl looked around at the statues then down at the metal floor, the monster slowly tapping her foot on it a few times before standing atop it. She examined the strange surface then glanced over to see another ant girl tapping it with her fist while watching the green light coming from within the cracks. The girl squeaked then stood up and wound back with her pickaxe, the others in the chamber watching her as she paused for a moment then struck down on the metal surface with all her might. A sharp clang echoed out as the pickaxe’s tip snapped off instantly, the ant girl squeaking in surprise at seeing her tool having broken upon the first hit then looked down in shock to seeing the metal having not a single scratch or dent from the strike.
Other ant girls slowly approached the metal ground before carefully stepping onto it, all of them squeaking curiously while a few others walked closer to the statues. The monsters looked over every part of the strange cenotaph while a few were examining the pedestal in the center. The top of it was smooth and black, offering no reflection or even a glare from the light while the stand’s runes glowed softly now and again as if holding some kind of power within.
One of the ant girls eyed over the strange dais before slowly holding her hand out over it. Her companions watched as she kept her hand held just above the top while she contemplating touching it. After a pause she backed up and shook her head while looking around at the surrounding statues, the girl squeaking a few times before turning to her sisters with a troubled frown. The girls squeaked and nodded in agreement then started leave, stepping off the lowered platform while feeling a chill running down their spines before stopping and noticing of their friends wasn’t beside them. Turning around they saw a lone ant girl standing next to the pedestal still, her eyes set on the top where her hand was held over. The other ant girls squeaked and shook their heads while waving their hands, drawing the attention of others who then noticed the worker standing on the platform as she deliberated whether or not to touch the dais.
After a moment to think about it the ant girl then pushed down on the top of the pedestal and squeaked, the others around her freezing as everyone waited to see what would happen. The ant girl blinked then glanced around before looking down at the top, seeing nothing happening at all while silence filled the cavern. She tapped the dais a few times then pounded her fist on it, a soft thump sounding out while the pedestal remained still. The other ant girls looked to each other curiously then to their sister as she tried pushing down on the top of the stand, not being able to budge it or make anything happen in doing so.
“Hey, psst,” a girl whispered in the monster’s ear. “Hey. Hey hey. Hey. You.”
The ant girl quickly looked around and squeaked, seeing only her sisters standing near the platform while watching her curiously.
“Take off your glove,” the voice whispered. “Hey. Take it off. It won’t work with your glove on. Take it off. Take it off.”
The ant girl looked to her gloved hand questionably then around again while squeaking, the other ant girls then searching for somebody who wasn’t there before turning to their sister with puzzled looks.
“No,” another girl’s voice whispered into the monster’s ear. “Don’t do it. Keep your glove on. That won’t work. Take your panties off. Sit on it. That’ll work. Do it. It’ll work then. It will. Do it.”
The ant girl squeaked in bewilderment as she looked behind at her butt then around at her sisters while squeaking and shaking her head. They again searched the area around the statues with a keen eye but didn’t see anyone else with them, all of them shaking their heads back at the ant girl who rubbed her ear with a troubled frown.
“Don’t listen to her,” the first voice whispered. “Take your glove off. Use your hand then. It’ll work. Wait… no it won’t. Take off your shirt. Press your boobs on it. It’ll work then. It will.”
“No, don’t do that,” the other voice said into the girl’s ear. “You have to sit on it naked. That’ll work. Trust me.”
“No, trust me. Use your boobs. That’ll work.”
“That’s stupid.”
“You’re stupid.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Stupid.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Stupid.”
“I know-” the voice whispered before the ant girl shook her head loudly while covering her ears, the monster squeaking frantically and causing alarm with her sisters. After a pause the girl slowly lowered her hands and looked around, hearing nothing while the other ant girls were watching her worriedly now. She growled then hit the dais, pounding on it with both hands before grunting and looking around in discontent. Without warning her hands were suddenly both held down atop the pedestal while she felt hands grabbing her rear and chest. She squeaked in surprise and looked around to seeing nobody touching her while feeling the strong hands holding her in place forcibly.
“Let’s settle this,” a girl’s voiced dared, this time being heard by all who jumped in surprise.
“Fine,” the other’s quipped before the ant girl’s tunic was suddenly pulled up over her head, the monster watching in shock as her clothing was yanked up then twisted around her arms and bound behind her while the feeling of hands holding them were clearly felt. The girl squeaked in distress before she was shoved over atop the pedestal, her breasts pressing down against the top while her sisters stared in bewilderment.
“Hmm, still nothing,” the voice sighed.
“Told you,” the other mocked. “Now to prove you’re the stupid one.”
The ant girl squirmed around while being held still then felt her panties being ripped right off under her. She squeaked and watched her torn underwear being tossed aside before she was lifted up into the air, legs then spread out, and placed down on top of the dais while staring at her sisters in fright. Her hips were turned around slightly as if someone was trying to press her bottom down even more before she was held still, with all the ant girls staring in disbelief while their sister was sitting atop the pedestal naked with her arms wrapped in her tunic behind her.
“Odd, it’s not working still,” the voice pouted.
“Told you it wouldn’t,” the other sneered.
“Well your way didn’t work either.”
“Yeah, but at least mine made sense. Yours is just stupid.”
“You’re stupid.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Stupid.”
“I know you are but-” the voice argued before the ant girl squeaked wildly and thrashed around, her legs kicking about while her arms tried to wrestle free of whoever was holding her. Her sisters quickly raced over and yanked the girl off the pedestal and out of the grips of the unseen girls. They rushed their shaken friend back into the crowd while the ant girls quickly dispersed from the shrin
e before a few of them ignited explosive sticks from their satchels. They tossed them over onto the platform and jumped back, the bombs then exploding violently with smoke and fire erupting out around the statues. The ant girls regained themselves while watching the smoke drifting around, the haze slowly vanishing to reveal the steel monuments and floor remaining in one piece without so much as a scratch on them. The monsters carefully looked around for any sign of the unknown girls, seeing no bodies or even markings on any of the floors or monuments. The ant girls squeaked quietly then exchanged cautious looks, all of them slowly backing away from the shrine while the naked one in the group clung to her sisters shaking still.
“What in Eden is going on over here?” a third girl’s voice suddenly spoke up.
“We’re trying to make this stupid thing work,” the first girl said.
“I was trying, she was just being stupid,” the second quipped.
“You’re the stupid one.”
“No, you’re the stupid one.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Stupid.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Knock it off, both of you,” the third voice scolded. There was a long pause as all the ant girls stared at the shrine in stunned silence, the ominous glow of the statues along with their unsettling aura remaining constant while a new sense of dread came over the monsters who were now hearing voices coming from nowhere.
“Now then,” the third voice sighed. “What exactly have you tried so far?”
“I used that girl’s boobs on the thingy,” the first voice answered. “Didn’t work.”
“I used her butt,” the other replied. “Didn’t work.”
“Why would either of those have worked?” the third voice demanded. “You two are so stupid.”
“No, you’re the stupid one.”
“Yeah, you. Not us.”
“That’s not how it works!” the third girl shouted. “It’s so obvious how it works, I can’t believe you’re both so stupid that you can’t see it.”
“How does it work then?” the two others asked together.
“With the foot, of course,” the third snootily replied.
The ant girls looked to each other in absolute confusion before one of them dropped onto her back with a squeak then was dragged across the ground by her foot towards the pedestal. Her sisters quickly ran over and grabbed her hand, halting the monster for a moment before she was yanked out of their grip and hauled over to the dais while thrashing about. The ant girl squeaked and shook her head before her boot was pulled off and thrown aside, the girl then watching as her foot was lifted up and set on the top of the stand. All the ant girls looked around in confusion then to their sister who was keeping still in fear of what crazy thing might happen next.
“It’s not working,” the third voice curiously said.
“You’re so stupid,” the first scoffed.
“Totally stupid,” the second agreed.
“No, you two are the stupid ones.”
“We know you are but what are we?” the two childishly retorted.
“Stupid.”
“We know you are but what are we?”
“Stupid.”
The ant girl squeaked loudly and kicked free of whoever was holding her, the girl scrambling back over to her kin who were keeping on guard while having their pickaxes and bombs held at the ready.
“Well if it’s not the boobs or the butt or the foot then what is it?” the first voice whined.
“We’re never going to get this stupid thing to work,” the second pouted.
“There must be a way, we just have to think,” the third proposed.
The ant girls carefully stepped back, all of them growing more worried about the unseen girls and whatever it was they were trying to open. After a long pause the first voice spoke up again and caused extreme terror to come over all the ant girls at once.
“How about we try putting a heart on it?”
The surrounding ant girls squeaked loudly then quickly dashed out of the cave as fast as they could, all of them squeaking and vanishing into the tunnels that they quickly blew up with their bombs to seal off behind them. The echoing bangs sounded off inside the cavern for a while then slowly died down while the rumbling of all the cave-ins gradually ceased.
“That’s just gross,” the second voice retorted. “Why would you think of that?”
“At least I am thinking of something, unlike you.”
“You’re so stupid,” the third sighed.
“I know you are but what am I?” the first sneered.
“Stupid.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“Stupid.”
“Hey,” the second said. “I just thought of something. What if we try using a hand without a glove on it?”
“Without the glove on?” the first wondered. “Pssh, that’s just stupid.”
“I agree,” the third spoke in derision. “Honestly, that has to be the absolute stupidest way of getting this thing to work I’ve ever heard of.”
Chapter 8
Troubling Times
In the world of Eden misfortune could come at any time. Sometimes it would be clear when it would be happening, perhaps being seen beforehand when an obvious crime or tragedy had occurred. Other times it wasn’t known when it would happen yet still expected to at some point, as if it were an inevitable fate that would eventually play out one way or another. And then there were times when trouble would sneak up on unsuspecting souls, either being invisible completely or masked in a deceptive veil. Disaster could always happen to those in this difficult and harsh world, sometimes being too much to handle for anyone by themselves.
Which was all the more reason to have friends nearby when it did.
*****
“It’s even worse than we feared,” Specca nervously said while trembling.
“It’s horrible,” Falla breathed out. “And yet… I can’t look away.”
Star meowed softly while staring with wide eyes.
“I can’t look at this anymore,” Luna whimpered as she turned her head away in sorrow. “It’s too painful to see.”
The four girls stood under the archway leading into the bedroom, all of them having come across two of their mates with one being understandably upset and expressing that by disciplining the other in a way that was flat-out frightening to see.
“I gave you a chance to make peace with her,” Alyssa growled as she paced back and forth, hand clutching her staff while her eyes were set in a fierce glare. “I was lenient with your punishment before and tried to help you. I wanted what was best for you. I was trying to be nice. And what do I get for it? Huh? I’ll tell you what I get; I get a knife in my back!”
“Alyssa,” Specca shakily said, the witch still going back and forth while muttering to herself. “What are you doing to Triska?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Alyssa snapped.
“Executing her in the most malicious way possible,” Falla answered as all the girls looked to their co-mate in question. In the middle of the room was a wooden triangular bench, the slanted sides being colored red with shackles binding a girl’s legs in place on either side which were also tied together around the thighs with rope. The top edge of the bench had a sleek metal covering with a slimy substance spread along it, the pointed edge being sat upon forcibly by Triska whose hips were trembling with her privates being pressed down against the top and onto the slime. Behind her a wooden phallus could be seen plunged into her ass while having a small chain attached to its end, the links going down to a sign that dangled over her left foot that read ‘Very Bad Girl! Do Not Pity!’ written on it. The teen’s arms were tied up above her with rope also being bound around her chest and breasts very tightly, the girl’s nipples having clips on them and red marks on her breasts showing they were struck with a crop recently. The rope was fastened around her hands and leading up to the ceiling to keep her upright and atop the b
ench that she continued to slightly shake on. Her voice was held back by a ball gag in her mouth, eyes wide and looking up with a few tears coming from them, hair tangled and messy, and what appeared to be white candlewax on her chest above her breasts where some of her drool was also dropping onto. The girl whimpered and gasped while her body convulsed repeatedly atop the chevalet, a strained grunt coming from her mouth as she struggled to keep her senses.
“Good lord,” Specca gasped covering her mouth.
“Alyssa… what the hell is this?” Falla cried out. “I mean I love bondage as much as the next girl, but… fuck!”
Star gulped and held a hand over her mouth while her tails were motionless behind her.
“Poor Triska,” Luna whined shutting her eyes.
“Don’t pity her!” Alyssa yelled while striking her staff onto the floor a few times. “Read the sign that’s coming out of her ass!”
“The fact she has a sign coming out of her ass is reason enough to pity her,” Specca pointed out with genuine concern for her co-mate. “Alyssa, what… where did you even get all this from?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I am very worried about it,” Specca nervously argued. “What you’re doing to her is simply-”
“SHE GAVE AWAY ALL MY COOKIES!” Alyssa roared, the room rumbling a bit while Triska hoarsely whined into her gag as the rope around her tightened slightly. “There is no excuse for that! I don’t care if she was trying to be nice to that sand wraith or if she just lost her mind, either way she needs to learn that there are some rules in this home that will never be broken! Never!”
The other girls jumped and trembled nervously before the witch as Alyssa turned her eyes onto Triska, the teen whimpering while trying to hold in her voice as her hips and chest wiggled.
“I’m a very reasonable witch,” Alyssa declared. “I’m very forgiving and more often than not I’m too nice to others. I’ve always been too lenient with you all with our rules, I understand that, but that’s only because I’ve been trying to be nice to everyone to the best of my ability. If you think I enjoy subjecting you all to these punishments you’re mistaken, if there was any other way of disciplining you girls when you misbehave I would of course choose that path rather than this in a heartbeat.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act X Page 26