Through the Fungus Forest

Something about the fungus forest alarms you, but you tell yourself that such thoughts are unworthy of a Sister of the Burning Rose. Your mission is too important to waste time on a long detour, and the concealing cover of the eerie mushrooms might actually be safer than the open road. Aegis shies away from the edge of the forest at first, but you spur him forward.

Water drips throughout the cavern, forming stalagmites that rise between the fungi. The sound of these drips and the gurgling of the distant stream fills the cave with distorted echoes. Sometimes, you think you hear distant voices, laughter or moans, but there’s no way to be sure, and you tell yourself that it’s just a trick of your mind. Still, you keep your sword ready.

You negotiate your way around a thick cluster of stalks, and stop dead at what you see. There’s a small clearing beyond, and in its centre lies a flat rock, carved with pictograms. And on that rock is sprawled a woman. It’s hard to judge colour under the phosphorescence that lights the cavern, but she seems to have pale skin and blond hair. She is completely naked apart from metal bands around her neck and ankles. Chains link these bands to hoops driven into the rocks. They are loose enough to allow her some movement, but short enough to keep her legs spread wide apart.

The woman doesn’t seem bothered by her situation. Her face is tranquil, with her head thrown back and her eyes closed. One of her hands rests between her thighs, idling toying with her blond-thatched pussy. A strange, sweet scent hangs in the air.

Your first instinct is to rush forward and break her chains, but you hesitate. After all, this woman can hardly have ended up this way on her own, and something about this whole situation makes you think it’s a trap. On the other hand, no matter how urgent your mission is, you can hardly bear the thought of leaving this helpless woman to whatever her fate may be in this strange underground realm.