mother

Meanwhile out in the harsh desert, the sands remained still save for the sprinklings of dust kicked up by the wind every now and then. The commotion caused by the great serpent remained relegated to the night and the day seemed more peaceful. Until suddenly the peace was disturbed by a small explosion of sand sent forth by a body leaping out from under a pile they'd been buried under. Daelana rose from under the dunes as yellow grains poured from atop her head like a fountain. She gasped at the air, finally able to get full breaths after staying a whole night still as stone under the earth the great serpent had kicked over them.

She turned and saw another breathing form under sand. She went towards it and grabbed it, pulling it out of the ground. It was Christina who burst out under Daelana's pull, clutching her arm and catching her own breaths. Once pulled from her sandy tomb, she coughed and crawled across the ground, taking in as much air as she could. Daelana stayed standing, surveying the landscape but seeing nothing to warrant immediate caution.

"How... how long has it been?" said Christina.

"At least through the night," said Daelana, "We must've gotten knocked out after that damned scaly beast sent waves of sand crashing over us."

"We were almost buried alive!" said Christina, "How much longer do we have to endure this place?"

"We still have a goal and a lead," said Daelana, "We have to keep going East and find that city. It's the only chance we have."

"Fine," said Christina, "Anything but this desert. Oh, what I would do for a bath, or even a bucket of water to get all this sand off of me!"

Christina steadied her breathing, preparing to get back on her feet once she had readied herself. To her surprise, Daelana reached her hand down to help her up. Christina had expected her to let all her teammates carry their own weight. But Daelana had a gentle look on her face as she offered Christina help. Christina grasped her hand and let herself be pulled to her feet. Daelana looked her in the eyes and nodded.

"Ready to go?" said Daelana.

"Yeah," said Christina.

With that confirmation, Daelana didn't hesitate to start marching East once more. Inspired by such spirit, Christina followed with equal haste. The two walked side by side towards Ardaan-kel.

***

Angelica was led down into the dungeon. As she struggled relentlessly against the grip of the guards dragging her, her attention was grabbed by the sounds of anguish surrounding her. As she descended into the dark, torchlit caverns of the dungeons, only pain could be heard. The cracks of whips followed by feminine screams and moans. The cackling of men as women’s voices cried out in pain and pleasure in equal measure.

It became worse as Angelica was dragged by rooms with open doors and caught glimpses of what was inside. In one room she saw a man with a flog big enough to be used on a horse, using it to tan the bottom of a girl tied by her hands to the ceiling. In another room she saw a short man laughing incessantly as he took a lit candle and let its hot wax drip onto the breasts of a woman tied to a table. Worst of all, she saw in another room a woman tied to a post as a man held her ass outwards while another man prepared a red hot brand and approached her rear. Angelica was brought out of sight but could still hear the girl scream along with the sound of searing flesh. Angelica was horrified, both of the pain of the women around her and what awaited her own body.

Angelica was brought to the closed door of a dark cell. The door was wooden with naught but a small barred window on it peering into the blackness inside. A guard opened the door and she was unceremoniously thrown inside. As she hit the hard floor, the door slammed shut and a lock could be heard latching it closed.

“She’ll be with the next batch,” said the guard outside, “Once she’s cleaned, we’ll have our fun. You in there! Look after her and get her ready for cleaning!”

Angelica was a bit dazed but looked around, not sure who the guard was talking to. Then out of the dark, a woman in rags came towards her. Angelica was startled and shifted away from her but the woman put her arms out harmlessly.

“It’s okay sweetie,” said the woman, “I won’t hurt you.”

The woman came closer so that she was illuminated by the faint light peeking through the barred window of the door. Angelica looked at her and wondered if the light was playing tricks on her because the woman’s skin under the light was green. She had black hair and a friendly face as well as large breasts and plump thighs. She put her hands gently on Angelica and pulled her closer. Angelica was caught off guard as the woman’s touch seemed genuinely caring.

“My name is Olga,” said the woman, “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I… I’m Angelica,” said Angelica.

“What a lovely name!” said Olga, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. It may seem bad now, but in time you won’t have a care in the world!”

“Uh, sorry but… are you green?” said Angelica.

“Why yes!” said Olga, “I’m an orc.”

“An orc?” said Angelica, “But… you’re a woman.”

“Indeed I am sweetie!” said Olga.

“But orcs are only men I thought,” said Angelica.

“Ah, you must not come into contact with the other races too much my dear,” said Olga, “No, we orcs have women the same as any other race.”

“But why?” said Angelica, “Aren’t you grown from mud or something?”

“Oh my, you really don't know!” said Olga, “Well you see, when an orc man and an orc woman love each other very much…”

“Okay I get it!” said Angelica, “Sorry, it’s just… where I come from orcs don’t really… do that.”

“It seems a little silly to think that, doesn’t it?” said Olga.

“Maybe,” said Angelica.

“Here, you must be awfully tired,” said Olga, “Come closer.”

Olga knelt beside Angelica and took her in her arms, guiding her head down to her thighs. Angelica almost protested but her touch was so soft that she didn’t want to. Soon, Olga laid Angelica’s head in her lap as she stroked her gently.

“What are you doing?” said Angelica.

“I find that this helps soothe the other girls too,” said Olga, “The girls consider me the **** mother. You can think of me as such too if it helps.”

Angelica didn’t want to be distracted from the severity of the situation, but did admit that her current position was nice. She didn’t make any attempts to move.

“Are you comfortable, love?” said Olga.

“What… I… what… I mean… I guess… yeah… kind of…” said Angelica.

“That’s good,” said Olga, “Stay here as long as you like.”

Angelica stayed still and stared at the darkness while her head was lightly stroked. Each touch of Olga’s soft hands lulled her deeper and deeper into a state of bliss as her head sunk further into the warm pillows of her thighs.

“How did you find yourself here dear?” said Olga.

“Well,” said Angelica, “I guess I trusted someone I shouldn’t have.”

“I’m sorry about that,” said Olga, “I hope you find that it’s not too bad after a while.”

Angelica felt great comfort as she rested her head upon the stranger’s lap. It suddenly occurred to her that this was the best she had felt for a long while now. It confused her all the more as she looked down at the thighs she laid on and saw the green skin, reminding her that it was an orc she found comfort in. She shifted irritably.

“Something wrong dear?” said Olga.

“It’s just,” said Angelica, “Are you sure you’re an orc?”

“What a silly question!” said Olga, “Believe it or not I used to be a great orc warrior who took many heads! But those days are over and now I am a mother, not to my own child but to the slaves here.”

“You have a child?” said Angelica.

“My daughter,” said Olga, “Yara is her name. A beautiful child, my pride and joy. Unfortunately I was not as strong as her and was taken here, away from her. Thankfully she held fast and did not join me in bondage.”

Angelica looked up at Olga. “Is she looking for you?”

“I don’t think so,” said Olga, “I was not strong enough for the tribe. Surely she wouldn’t care about a failed warrior like me. But she is happy where she is and I am happy where I am. All is right in the end.”

“What?” said Angelica, “How can you say that? Don’t you want to see her again? Don’t you want her to rescue you?”

“Ah,” said Olga, “I would like to see her again. But more than that, I want her to follow her own path in life. If that means she never lays eyes on her poor mother again, so be it. I have found my path, here helping girls like you adjust to slavery.”

“You… you want to be a ****?” said Angelica.

“It’s never about want dear,” said Olga, “I simply am a ****. Nothing will change that, and I have discovered it not to be entirely painful. What could be better than accepting your place in the world?”

“No!” said Angelica, lifting herself off of Olga’s lap and staring her in the face, “You can’t just accept slavery! It was not your choice! It was **** on you by others!’

“Tell me, sweetie,” said Olga, “Did anyone in your life ever tell you a path you should take? Did someone ever tell you that you were born to do something? That you had a higher calling? How did you respond? Did you reject it, or were you happy to know that you had a destiny?”

“I…” said Angelica, “Yeah I’ve heard something like that before…”

“Tell me, child,” said Olga, “How is that different from slavery?”

Angelica looked shocked. “That’s completely different! Destiny is a beautiful thing! Slavery is abhorrent and dehumanizing!”

“And yet both set you on a path that you must obey and can’t escape from,” said Olga, “So if one can find fulfillment in destiny, why not in slavery?”

"But... but slavery is painful!" said Angelica, "It is dehumanizing and humiliating! It only exists to make you suffer!"

"Tell me, dear," said Olga, "This destiny you talk of, what was it?"

Angelica hesitated as she thought back to her glory days and was reminded of how much she had lost in such a short time.

"I... I was supposed to be a hero," said Angelica, "I was supposed to save the world. I did save the world. That was my destiny. But now..."

"Is being a hero not painful and humiliating?" said Olga, "Are you not meant to struggle, bleed, and be humble all at once? Are you not meant to value the lives of others more than your own and suffer for them? Are you not a **** to the world?"

Angelica slouched down, completely unsure of what to say back. As someone who always held true to the power of destiny, she hated how much sense Olga made. The question of what if she was a **** to destiny this whole time was so prevalent that Angelica seemed to exert real physical effort to get it out of her head. She wanted to ignore it so badly, the gnawing doubt that she had been infected with. But she simply could not.

“Why are you asking these questions?” said Angelica, “Why are you making me think like this? Why is everybody making me think like this?”

“Because it’s a far worse thing to rail against existence itself and doom yourself to forever suffer from wanting what can never be,” said Olga, “I want to help you see the beauty in what you have.”

Olga put a hand on Angelica’s shoulder. She pulled her in and embraced her. Her supple skin felt warm on Angelica’s bare back. She felt truly protected and safe.

“You know, if it were my world I would’ve probably had to kill you on the spot,” said Angelica.

“Now why would you do that?” said Olga.

“I guess because you’re an orc and I wouldn’t have known you were good,” said Angelica, “And I guess it would’ve been part of… well, my destiny.”

“Seems like a rather cruel destiny to make you slaughter someone based only on their appearance,” said Olga.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” said Angelica.

Angelica stayed in her arms, content in her warm embrace. She wanted to stay for longer, but the two of them were interrupted by the door swinging open. Angelica snapped back to reality as she saw guards standing at the door. Olga stood up, bowing politely to the guards.

“The cleaning batch is up!” said the guard, “Olga! Get your sweet ass out here and help get these girls clean!”

“Right away, master,” said Olga.

Olga took Angelica by the hand and pulled her up, encouraging her along happily. Angelica complied with Olga but still wasn’t happy about her current predicament. Olga led her out the door. Angelica saw a guard slap her plump ass as she passed by. This caused her to moan and wink at the guard who gave her an appreciative grin. Angelica was disgusted by it all, but she said nothing to Olga.

They were led to a corner of the dungeon. There Angelica was pushed against a wall by a guard. Olga stood by to comfort her.

"Get her ready! Strip her naked!" yelled a guard.

The guards began pulling Angelica's skimpy armor off her body forcibly. She gasped and pulled against them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" said Angelica.

"Just relax, dear," said Olga, "Being naked can be quite freeing!"

Angelica struggled but could not resist as her bikini armor was torn off and she was left naked before the guards. She covered herself and they all laughed at her, making her fume. But the anger left her as she looked behind the guards and was surprised to see a bunch of other girls being led towards her. Tyra, Lila, and Athalia were all being led to the same corner she was in, about to be lined up against the wall beside her. They all met her eyes.

“Angelica?” said Lila and Tyra.

“Lila! Tyra!” said Angelica, “And you…”

She angrily sneered at Athalia who simply scoffed and turned her head away from her. Athalia was still wearing her bottoms, something the guards took notice of.

“Hey, she can’t be cleaned like that,” said a guard, “Get her naked!”

A guard grabbed Athalia and ripped her bottoms off, making her as naked as the other girls. She snarled and grabbed at the lost clothing.

“Hey, watch your hand!” said Athalia, “The devil queen wants me unharmed! Don’t you know I’m part of her devil harem!”

“Oh, great!” said Angelica, “All that work and you end up as just another ****! Brilliant!”

“Fuck off, it was a great plan!” said Athalia, “And I’m still in a more favorable position than you so we’ll see how you feel in a bit!”

“Doesn’t look so favorable from here,” said Tyra, “You’re just as enslaved and naked as the rest of us.”

“You wouldn’t understand the depth of my plans!” said Athalia, “This position shall give me just the leverage I need. You peasants couldn’t comprehend the advantage I have!”

“It’s a lot simpler than that, really,” said Tyra, “You’re just another one of her bitches now. I guess sucking up to whoever is in charge is the one thing you’re good at no matter what world we're in.”

“Excuse me?” said Athalia, “Why I ought to…”

Suddenly icy cold water was splashed on all of them at once from a guard with a large bucket. They all squealed as their naked bodies became wet and cold. They shivered and clung to themselves.

“Why did it have to be so cold?” squealed Lila.

“Fucking hells!” said Tyra, “That’s unnecessary bullshit!”

“You didn’t have to do that, did you?” said Olga kindly to the guard.

“Sorry Olga,” said the guard, “I couldn’t help myself! Besides, they should be as clean as possible. Anyways, slather them in soap Olga! This is my favorite part!”

Olga smiled and grabbed soap from the side. She came up to Angelica and began rubbing soap all over her body. Angelica couldn’t help but moan as Olga’s fingers lathered white foam into every nook and cranny of her body. The guards snickered as they saw her nude body get fondled in such a way.

“Uh… you didn’t happen to find… him, did you?” asked Lila.

“Ugh… no,” said Angelica.

“Maybe Christina and Daelana found him already?” said Tyra, “We haven’t seen them yet.”

“Unlikely,” said Athalia, “The gamemasters would’ve let us know about it. Likely a ringing in our ears or something similar to when someone earns points.”

“All the way out here?” said Tyra, “There’s not even a leaderboard here.”

“I don’t think that’ll stop them from rubbing their power in our faces,” said Athalia.

Olga finished soaping up Angelica and moved on to Lila who covered her body, very clearly scared.

“Aw, don’t be nervous honey,” said Olga, “I just want to clean you. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“O… okay…” said Lila.

Lila was put a bit at ease by Olga’s motherly voice and let her touch her body. Sure enough, Olga very carefully covered her in soap, lathering her big breasts up well and even causing her to moan and stop covering her private parts. The guards chuckled some more.

“All the girls fall to Olga’s touch eventually!” said a guard.

Once she was done, Olga moved on to Tyra. Tyra made no attempt to stop her, but immediately tensed up as she touched her sensitive skin. Tyra bit her lip and tried to hide how she was feeling. But it was impossible to cover the blush on her face as Olga’s caring touch moved up and down her nude body.

“You’re going to pay for that, Athalia,” said Angelica, “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Very scary,” said Athalia, “But you won’t be able to do shit once you’ve lost the competition. But just for that threat, I’ll make sure to use you as a toilet once you’re a mindless ****.”

The two of them seethed in silence as Olga finished with Tyra and moved on to Athalia. Athalia scoffed at her too.

“Touch me only with the utmost care, ****!” said Athalia, “I’m still important around here.”

“You’re a **** too, dear,” said Olga, “You better not act that way before the mistress.”

Olga lathered her body up. Athalia remained sneering but a bit of red showed on her cheeks as Olga touched her. Soon, they were all covered in soap. Olga stood back and the guards took buckets of water once again and splashed them all at once. They screamed as cold water washed all of the soap off of them.

“Fuck, it’s still cold!” said Tyra.

“Fun’s over!” yelled a guard, “Get those three back up the stairs and get them dried and dressed!”

“And the pink haired one?” said another guard.

“Keep her there,” said the first guard, “She’s ours. We’ll have a bit of our own fun with her.”

Angelica shivered from the cold water, clutching herself intensely. But she wasn't so distracted that she missed what the guard were saying. She watched in horror as her three fellows were lead away from her, leaving her on her own, naked, and surrounded by perverted guards who leered at her body with the clear desire to do only the most lurid of things with her. She desperately turned to Olga.

"Please, Olga," said Angelica, "You've got to help me!"

"Honey, there's nothing I can do," said Olga, "But don't worry! You might find that you enjoy it!"