Elysia's Grand Demonstration!

As a relatively young member of the Dark Lord's inner circle, Elysia's new department was constantly under fire. Often times quite literally as her fellows decided it was best to sabotage her efforts to preserve their own status. Far be it from her to try to bring a bit of mirth to the dreary lands surrounding the Dark Lord's home. Even if she had evidence of foul play, Elysia would easily find herself outmatched by the Dark Lord's closest advisors.

So, she decided that rather than play the game of intrigue, Elysia would elevate herself using what she knew best. Tickling. There were none in her much smaller sphere of influence that she could trust with this task, so she would undergo it alone. Her target had to be well-known in dark circles without being directly connected to the Dark Lord himself, as an open attack against her master's underlings would easily end in her demise.

In her pursuit of the true potential of tickling, Elysia found herself in near-constant need of new subjects. Ones that weren't worn out from petty things like a lack of food or not seeing the sun for a few months. How selfish could you be? Because of this, she was well-acquainted with the **** traders from the Eastern Lands, and even considered herself a personal friend of the local slaver gang leader, Red Ramona. Unfortunately, friendship wasn't a currency she could spend in the Dark Court. She sent word that she would need a dozen of the usual stock, and made haste to the meeting location. There were several abandoned villages on the fringes of the Dark Lord's territory, monuments to his relentless cruelty to anyone who didn't bend the knee. For what it was worth, though, they made excellent meeting places for shady dealings such as this. Away from the Dark Lord's direct influence, and much farther away from honest folk and do-gooders.

Ramona was a tough, imposing woman that towered over most at 6'0''. She would typically arrive alone, save for the servants she had transporting the 'cargo.' Her easygoing nature was going to be her downfall. Though it was strange to hear back from her so soon, she had an abundance of slaves to pawn off. The ongoing fighting with the orcs created quite the refugee crisis in Northern Jorn, and the morally bankrupt Ramona just couldn't help herself.

What Ramona wasn't aware of, though, was the leader of the Azure Fang clan's involvement in the drop-off. In contrast to the stout, muscular woman stood a short, meek-looking woman of Eastern descent. The Azure Fang weren't known in these parts, but across the Ocean they held the underworld beneath an iron boot. With total dominance came stagnation, and had it not been for an anonymous benefactor paying for their transport they would never have made a foothold. Elysia was this phantom donor, using most of her accrued wealth for this final gambit. Power allies in the underworld, however far away, would surely have its benefits and she intended to reap them.

"Oy." Ramona drew her sword, pointing it at the unexpected guest. "This is a private meeting, short-stack. Take a hike before I take it for you, huh?" She demanded.

"Do you Westerners let just any overgrown mutt swing a sword around, you'll put your eye out." The stranger snapped back, drawing a blade of her own. It was curved, much like a scimitar, but much thinner and almost glossy-looking.

"I don't fancy your chances, Ramona." Elysia called out from the shadows, lurking just out of sight for either of the two gang leaders. "She's killed more people than you've ever enslaved."

"Come out, shadow stalker." Ramona demanded, looking back and forth, trying to spot her. It was beginning to dawn on her that she'd been set up. The sound of a struggle echoed from behind her, as one-by-one her retinue of backup fell into a trap set by Elysia. Some of them were knock-out traps, designed to merely incapacitate. Some were... less merciful.

"Oh gods! Nonono-gyaahahahahaha!!!" A shrill female voice cried out, familiar only to Ramona. One of her cronies had stepped into a Tickle Trap (patent pending)! A miniaturized device that took advantage of ancient magic to send the victim into hysterics, often times manifesting simple magical objects to prod their most sensitive areas. Unfortunately, she only had one of them operational, so she had to hope that was enough of a distraction to get closer. The rest of her traps were tripwires, and simple snares to buy her more alone time. Ramona was easily twice her weight in muscle, one wrong move and she'd have more things to fear than the wrath of the Dark Lord.

"What is this?" The Azure Fang's leader appeared just as confused as Ramona, and she was far less amused. These were the antics of a child and their caretaker, not a hardened criminal. "Very well, first blood will be mine, then!" In a flash, she had closed the distance between herself and Ramona, taking a swipe that she only narrowly avoided, earning herself a small cut on her shoulder. "Hmhm, you're faster than your waistline might suggest-" A sword cleaved downward, hard, interrupting the rival leader's quip and knocking her to the floor. The blow had missed by was followed quickly by a shoulder-tackle.

Elysia heard the commotion and panicked. If Ramona actually took her down, she'd lose two allies! She sprinted from the shadows as Ramona was prepared to plunge her sword into the dazed leader of the Azure Fang. "I'll be sure to send you home in as few pieces as possible, you- mmm! Mmmm... mhmhm..." Ramona felt something cover her mouth and nose, filling her airways with a burning sensation. Like ****, but far stronger.

When Ramona finally gave in and slumped over onto the floor, Elysia fell backward and let out a sigh. "I must apologize, that was n-"

"Save it." The opposing leader said, inspecting the **** woman and nudging her with a foot. "I had the situation under control."

"Yes, you did, but you were about to kill my biggest asset." Elysia countered. "Have your underlings transport her to the location I've specified, and you'll be free to clean up the rest of the Crimson Blades." She assured her.

"...that's it? You've delivered us a mess half-cleaned. Is it customary to greet an esteemed guest in such a poor fashion?" She countered, taking a few steps toward Elysia without hesitation. "Because I could leave as silently as I arrived, no?"

The tinkerer let out a huff. "You're right, of course. Join me in the court of the Dark Lord in a fortnight, and I'll see to it that you're rewarded. Until then..." She passed a cold-feeling coin to the gang leader, who eyed it suspiciously. "This is a mark of my... ahem, modest estate within the realm of the Dark Lord. It will allow you free passage into his lands. You'll find them remarkably barren and full of places to hide things best left unfound."

For the first time, the Azure Gang's leader smiled. "You drive a hard bargain, but I accept. I have little to lose and my superiors already expect me to fail. Our endeavors in the Western provinces have never panned out." She was honest, perhaps to a fault. "If we're to be business partners, we'll stop using code names. My name is Ritsuko."

Elysia had called in every favor within the court, and even gotten the Dark Lord himself to attend. The Dark Lord's gladatorial was full of every foul noble, shady business person, powerful gangster, and ne'er-do-well she could have possibly thought to invite. Today, though, they would not watch wanton bloodshed and slaughter... but a demonstration. Elysia's gambit to show them all the potential of her Department of Tickling, and how even a laugh could strike fear into the hearts of their foes.

Ramona, the gang leader from before, lay **** upon a table rack. She had been brought there almost directly from the encounter Elysia had in the abandoned village. Her wrists and ankles were bound, and just as she began to stir the entertainment could begin.

"Lords, Ladies... Ghouls, and Goblins..." Elysia began, but when no one laughed at her quip she quickly carried on. "Ahem, right. I understand the skepticism and doubt cast upon me and my new department. But I've earned the Dark Lord's esteem as much as anyone in attendance!" She asserted, slapping Ramona's left boot and waking her up fully.

"Huh?! Hey, what the-" While she struggled, Elysia continued her speech. "Before you is someone with which we have had many dealings. But you all know better than I, today's ally is tomorrow's enemy. Someone gets a bit to comfortable..." To accentuate this she began to remove Ramona's boots, followed by her thick woolen socks. "They believe themselves invincible."

Ramona began to thrash against the restraints, but they were freshy forged out of dark iron. Even an ogre would struggle to free itself from such restraints. "Oy! Hands off my boots. I'll make you lick 'em clean, shadow-stalker!" She growled.

"Red Ramona." Elysia presented. "Big, tough, mean... admirable qualities, to be sure." Baring the woman's feet so brazenly made her feel a bit uneasy, suddenly thinking of what it would be like to be in this position. She would sooner die then let that happen. "Ahem, um..." That thought had cost her the rest of that speech. "...let's just get on with it, then! She would balk at traditional interrogation methods, wouldn't you? What's an ounce of pain compared to the life of a mercenary slaver?"

"You're damn right, I'd-" The gangster's back-talk was silenced by an object being unceremoniously crammed into her mouth... her own sock!

Elysia laughed at the genuine look of shock and disgust this caused. "Oh, you're too much fun, Red. I'm going to miss these little chats of ours." With the temporary silence, she slowly waltzed down the table rack, running an index finger over her mostly-clothed torso, legs, and down the length of her instep. "Today, my sinister cabal of friends, we will be exploring the surface of Applied Tickling. Because, yes, it can be more than a childish game!"

Ramona's brow furrowed as she vehemently tried spitting out the sock. Being unable to bark back insults only seemed to enrage her further. Her scowl turned into a look of horror as she felt her feet start to fall asleep, the telltale tingle, followed by... wait. "Mmmhmhmhmhmph!!" She grumbled out muffled laughs as Elysia's manicured nails went to work on her toes. One hand held them back while the other raked away. It was far worse than going numb, Ramona was being tickled! "As you can... clearly see..." Even using her whole body's weight she was still being jostled around by Ramona's flailing ankle, doing all it could to keep the tingling at bay. "...when the feet of most individuals spend a day... sweating." Ugh, she didn't even want to think about hygiene right now as the foot made contact with her face on occasion. "...they become... more sensitive!" The sound of cloth being spat out followed by a guffaw of laughter came next, a convenient demonstration.

"Yohohohohou gohohohodamn bihihitch I'm going to kihihihill you ahahahahah!!" Ramona shouted, a pained grin **** upon her as she had no recourse against someone she previously thought of as an ally. With no way prepared to restrain the woman further, Elysia settled on a spider-tickle with both hands across either sole. They were certainly large enough to accommodate this at a size ten! "GrrhraHAHAHAHAhahahahaHAHA!!" She created an almost rhythmic laugh as she skittered her fingernails from the toes, down the arch, ending at the heel, each spot more or less sensitive than the last. Such variety could only send the tough woman down a spiral of laughter. Each attempt to free herself was more panicked, as the reality of her situation set in... as she saw the dozens of faces watching with various levels of interest. One face, the Dark Lord's, was obscured by a hood and his interest was unknowable from his rigid posture.

"Of course... the target's soles aren't the only place worth exploring." She relented, not wanting to be bucked from the savage woman she had captured. From her belt she procured a knife, and began tearing into the gangster's tunic. "Oy-oy-oy-oy-oy!!" She practically snarled. "Get your forsaken hands off my shirt!" Ramona thrust her entire body, back and forth, using every ounce of strength she had and finding it to be inadequate. Eventually she cut through enough layers to find ribs, and her hand was quick to dart beneath the cloth to test this. "Aaaiiieee! Eeeheheheeheee!! Oh my fuhuhuhucking.... aaahahaheeheheeheee!!"

Elysia grinned, happy to have found another spot so quickly. "Observe the difference in her laughter. Her feet, while sensitive, were toughed by her occupation and poor hygiene. For those of a hardier disposition we must look to the upper body. Ramona's ribs, for example, were quite the spot."

"Fucking... pervert!" Ramona's voice was starting to falter, her glare was as much out of fear as it was out of hatred. Her stark red hair had become disheveled, falling into her face and making her look downright feral from a certain angle. "When I... when I get out of here..." She said through gritted teeth, already feeling the next ****...

"Sweetheart, by the time you're free, you'll love the Dark Lord more than I do... if such a thing were possible!" This time, she was met with a small amount of laughter and an acknowledging nod from the Dark Lord himself. Well, she couldn't see his face, but it definitely looked like he chuckled! It was enough to boost her confidence, at least, and tear open the tunic right along the seam to the underarm.

"Again, we find a place that can have... questionable hygiene. But this is a perfect time to segue into the use of tools!" Elysia procured a pouch from her belt, from which she pulled the signature tool of the trade... a feather. Small, rigid, with soft bristles. A feather she plucked from one of the Dark Lord's flock of ravens. "Why dirty our hands all the time, when our avian familiars can provide us an all-in-one tool?" Her demonstration would follow, swiping the feather to and fro against the bared armpit.

"Gyahahaha... aahaha... qu-quit that shihihihit!!" Ramona groaned, each movement starting to feel sluggish. Her adrenaline and exertion had taken a toll already. "Look, shadow-stahahahalker... whatever tr-troubles you hahahahave with me..." She wasn't given a moment's reprieve, **** to **** down a laugh for a meager few seconds to speak. "Slahahahaves! As mahahahany as you want!" She blurted, not earning her freedom but getting a reprieve as Elysia spoke up again... and began clapping.

"Bra-vo, Ramona. We've only just assembled the Dark Court and you're already bargaining for your freedom!" Elysia observed. "Observe how one of the toughest criminals in the underworld buckles beneath me, and her physical strength easily dwarfs mine!" Ramona's midriff earned a break as her tormentor returned to the bared feet. An otherwise non-noteworthy box resting between Ramona's ankles began to light up as the tinkerer ran her palm over the surface. It was slowly covered in dark, sinister runes, said runes morphing into more familiar shapes. A comb... and a hair brush.

"I don't need to lay here and be ogled by your "Dark Council" of Cretins!" Ramona bellowed, unable to see what was going on from her prone position, barely able to crane her neck enough to see Elysia.

"You need to learn your place, Red." The dark tinkerer replied, coldly. Several of the Dark Council had begun paying attention, her guest from the Eastern provinces was in attendance as well. Seeing Ramona reduced to a gibbering beastial state in mere minutes was quite amusing to her. She didn't like bullies, which was why she eyed Elysia with caution as well. "I've kept you all waiting long enough, I suspect. I certainly did not invent the art of tickling. No, I merely aim to perfect it! From a small boon of the Dark Lord's power I have created these devices. Simply put, they are the only companion a tickler should need. It can manifest objects, or conduct a session on its own, allowing for a wide array of applications!" She muttered the incantation, and the foggy shapes materialized into a dark crystalline structure resembling a hair brush. "Your warm-up is finished, dear Ramona..." Elysia prepared for her grand finale, the performance that would solidify her place in the Dark Court... and demonstrate to her new ally what can happen to those who fall out of her favor.