Tales of a Tenderfoot: "The Vixen and the Hound" Part Two (Adult Fantasy TK Story)
“A Test Worth Passing”
When Nate awoke he quickly discovered he was in a forest.
A strange forest of toadstools instead of trees. This was the Elfling Realm, he thought as he studied his surroundings. The Mushroom Wood to be precise. He had read about this place in the History of the Realms.
He was resting on a toadstool covered by a larger one which was basically hiding him from sight. He had his gear and his weapon. He realized Vivian must have been planning this even before she began to train him.
He felt a bit betrayed in the sense that Vivian would put him through such a test but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that for Vivian this was a step that went directly against her nature. She was a loner and he was asking her to be part of a team. She needed to know if he was up to the challenge or not.
He nodded to himself. He was ready and he was ready to defend himself and Vivian against any enemy.
He rolled out off the toadstool and landed gently on the ground.
“Stealth and cunning,” he whispered to himself trying to get himself in a zone.
He needed to find her and that he knew how to do very well.
Nate was good at finding things.
He was the guy you went to when you lost your keys. He was no fun playing 'hide and go seek'; he'd find anyone anywhere and fast. “Where's Waldo?”... piece of cake. He could not explain it. He was simply good at it.
Here however, it was different.
It was better yet.
He sniffed in a deep breath of fresh forest air. The different scents and aromas registered in his head and he knew where Vivian was. He followed her scent and found very slight signs of movement. Broken twigs and boot prints that were barely perceptible gave her direction away as much as her scent.
She had passed through her almost an hour ago. He cursed himself for being such a deep sleeper. Had he been awake sooner, perhaps he would already be upon her.
There was no sense crying over spilled milk, he reasoned.
He continued to track Vivian and he figured they were deep in the Mushroom Wood. There were Elfling patrols roaming through the Wood, but he evaded them quite easily.
Vivian had tried to shake his scent. She traveled over running water and circled back on her own trail to try and confuse him. He was not fooled and where he lost her scent, he was still able to figure out which way she had gone. It was taking her longer to try and lose him than it was for Nate to recover her trail and make gains on her.
She was his better in many respects, but not in this one. She might be the most stealthy and sneaky of the Realmswalkers but he was the best to track her down.
He finally found her. She was in a clearing where there was only one huge toadstool in the center. Vivian was trapped in a net that held her suspended from the ground near the huge toadstool. The trap was so obvious and so simple that Nate was certain that she had deliberately stepped into it.
Three small Elflings stood around her. They had her bola in their possession. She acted a bit helplessly and her acting was actually horrible and quite pathetic. But seemed to please the Elflings to hear her beg and protest.
The Elflings were just as he had read. The dark pupil-less eyes. Small and thin and with pointed ears. They were dressed in gay clothes soft slippers.
“I say we tickle her now,” said the smallest Elfling, a female.
“I say we drag her back to the Elfling King's palace now,” a larger male with dark hair said. “There's a tense feeling in the air in the Wood today.”
“We'll fetch a nice price for this one. Animus pay quite well, indeed,” the taller female with dark hair said. “But we should get an opportunity to play with her I think.”
“I'll kick the first one of you who even dares,” Vivian shouted defiantly but still trying to maintain an air of fear.
“The Vixen has some claws,” the taller female said smiling. “I like that.”
“I want her feet, Gabrielle,” the smaller Elfling said to the darker and taller Elfing female.
“Seniority rules, Lea,” Gabrielle said. “I get the feet, Serge chooses next and you choose last.”
Lea pouted, but did not protest.
“Very well,” Gabrielle said. “Now that that is settled we can move on. I have a bag of mushroom spores that are very rare. Spores of the Feeble Mind. It took me weeks to collect them but I have more than enough here for our Animus captive. They will erode her willpower until she is a slave that will obey our every command. The effect will wear off after a while, but in the meantime she will kiss the toe of my slippered foot if I so desire it. She will endure all forms of torment and demand more. And when we are finished with her, she will carry us back to the Elfling King's dungeon where we will turn her in for a pretty penny!”
Nate had heard enough.
He took a dart of the red fletched type and prepared to attack the Elflings. He could paralyze one, try for another and maybe get all three before they figured out what happened to them.
But before he could draw his breath he heard words of magic being shouted and some small black pebbles being thrown into the clearing.
The clearing exploded with a growth of vines which grew thick and wrapped around the Elflings trapping them and keeping them still.
Three Animus entered the clearing and supervised their handiwork. They were three Animus with different heads. Uncommon heads, Nate thought recalling want he had read. There was a snake headed Animus, a cheetah headed Animus and a rabbit headed Animus. All females. All garbed in spellcaster robes. They seemed bold and quite sure of themselves.
Nate held back his attack feeling unsure how to proceed.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” asked the rabbit-headed Animus.
“Three little mice, Mema,” the Cheetah headed Animus said licking her lips sensually. “Trapped with no place to go.”
“And one big fat moussssse,” the Snake headed Animus said staring with her lidless eyes at Vivian.
Vivian did not act afraid anymore as she had done before the Elflings. She was dead serious and that worried Nate. These were Animus spellcasters. He recognized their robes. They were powerful Avengers; the type Vivian had rubbed against the wrong way on many an occasion.
“Vixen is wanted in Animus for more crimes than I could care to remember,” the Rabbit-headed Animus named Mema said. “Lord Xavis would pay a hefty reward for her. The others are little fish. We can throw them back into the sea and hope the grow up to be worth the effort.”
“This prisoner is ours,” the larger female Elfing said defiantly, “and if you have not noticed, you are in the Elfling Realm and it is your heads that are worth a fortune here.”
“The Elfling King is free to come and raise any complaint he has against us,” Mema said rolling her eyes, “but until he does your heads and the heads of the Vixen are ours.”
“Not to mention your feet,” the Cheetah said removing the Elfling's slippers with lightning fast speed and tickling their soles rascally.
They laughed instantly as the Cheetah tickled from foot to foot fast enough to keep them all laughing at once. Even Gabrielle, who was furious, could not help but to break a wide smile and laugh with wanton abandon. The tickling was playful though. Like a cat taunting a mouse.
“Thissss one is a dangeroussss one,” the snake Animus said focusing on Vivian. Nate could see that Vivian was trying to cut herself free without alerting the Animus.
“Busssssy, busssssy,” the Snake headed Animus said noticing Vivian's work on the net and pulling free a star tipped wand from her robes. “Need to keep thissss one one under control.”
Nate did not hesitate. He shot his dart at the snake headed spellcaster's neck and the dart flew true. The snake was paralyzed with her forked tongue hanging out.
“What do you mean, Samma?” Mema asked turning towards Vivian and stepping in front of Samma. Nate could not get a clean shot. Instead he turned to the Cheetah headed Animus and just as he was about to blow, Mema shouted.
“Ambush, Nebai!” the Rabbit headed Animus called after discovering their predicament. She rolled out of the way and sought cover.
The dart flew past Nebai as she moved out of the dart's path like a bolt of lightning. She dived behind the mass of vines and Elflings and was completely out of Nate's view.
These were Avengers, they would not be easy game.
“What direction?” Nebai hissed at Mema. He did not hear the reply but he figured they were signaling in his direction.
“If you give up now, we'll go easy on you,” Mema said in his direction. They knew where he was.
He scrambled stealthily to the right and he hurried as he heard a spell being cast.
A cloud of green gas erupted over the Elfings in the direction where he was only a moment ago.
He watched the Elflings as they fell asleep.
“Did you get him?” Mema asked Nebai.
“No,” the Cheetah answered.
Mema cast a spell. She cast it hard and barked the words out. Another groups of vines erupted and engulfed Vivian. She struggled and protested but the vines covered her mouth.
Both Animus were out of sight hiding behind the vines. They were rather skilled. More than Nate imagined. He thought to rush their position but he'd have to expose himself before hoping to get a clear shot.
“We know you are out there,” Mema said. “Take a look at your friend.”
Nate watched as the vines grew a bit more and covered her nose as well. Her eyes went wide as she realized she could not breathe.
“She'll suffocate in a few minutes,” Mema threatened. “You can't attack us and we cannot attack you. Time is on our side. Give up and we'll go easy on you.”
Right, Nate thought. There was no way he or Vivian were getting away by giving up. Of that much he was certain.
Nate kept moving trying to flank their position but the vines were growing now all around his targets. Mema's shape he could sort of make out through the vines. But where was the fast one?
It was then he heard a deep breath being drawn behind him and a slim but hard arm wrapping tightly around his neck.
“You'd hear spellcasting if I tried to attack you with a spell,” Nebai snarled to his ear as she tried to strangle him. “But this is silent. You'll pass out in just a moment.”
Nate could not breathe, but the sleeper hold was defective. He had just enough time and space to avoid that sleeper hold getting properly applied. Had he evaded that hold, he'd surely be down and out with no idea of what had hit him. But now he'd pass out from lack of oxygen any moment if he did not react. He tried to hit his captor with the blowgun but it was difficult and she had him in a dominating position.
The world was going black and he scrambled though the darts in his cartridge grasping wildly for one, any one. His fingers felt clumsy and useless but after a few moments he could get a dart in his hands.
He pricked her face with a dark just as he was about to pass out.
“No, not like this...” Nebai whispered drowsily. “I don't want to....”
Her voice trailed off and she released her hold him. She curled herself into a small ball on the ground fast asleep.
“She's blacked out, my friend. She has only a few moments left. Decide!” Mema shouted referring to Vivian who he could see had already blacked out. Much longer and there would be no hope for her.
Nathan had no choice. He had seconds to prepare and he could only find one dart in his hand. The dart with pink fletching.
“Ok, okay, I'm here,” he said out loud stepping out with his hands held up. “Let her breathe.”
Mema conceded and the vines moved from Vivian's nose allowing her to breathe.
Vivian breathed in air wildly as she slowly recovered.
“A Tenderfoot...” Mema said surprised. “A resourceful one at that. How unexpected.”
She threw some seeds at Nathan's feet and spoke words of magic. The vines grew from the seeds and wrapped around his arms and legs lifting him into the air and squeezing the air out of his lungs.
“A daring one to attempt to ambush three Avengers,” Mema said.
“No attempt,” Nate said. “I ambushed you. Pretty good, I'd say.”
“I'll let you talk. You are no spellcaster. Just a lucky Tenderfoot. This is quite a haul. I'll have some Enforcers come in so we can take you all away, but not before we have some fun with you.”
“You said you would go easy on us if I surrendered.”
“I lied,” Mema said. “You, of all of them will get it worse. We'll tickle you. All three of us. Samma's forked tongue on your feet, Nebai at your underarms and you neck, and I will take care of the rest, she said drawing near him and shifting the vines so as to position his torso close to her face.
She opened his cloak and shirt and scratched his bare belly as he laughed uncontrollably. He kicked out and struck her side lightly with his boot.
Mema would have ignored it had she not felt a pin prick. Her eyes went wide as she saw at the tip of the boot a dart with pink fletching wedged into the leather of the boot.
“Checkmate,” Nathan said smiling.
Mema eyes went wide and she started to giggle weakly, then she began to laugh and then she broke down into gales of screams and laughter than echoed throughout the forest. Tears streamed down her white furry cheeks as she twisted and turned on the ground.
She finally grew quiet and a red gem appeared above her head.
The vines loosened and he and Vivian fell gently to the ground as they were easily cast off now that their spellcaster was senseless.
Vivian pulled off what was left of the net and ran to gave Nathan giving him a warm hug and a kiss.
“Close but well done,” she praised. “Sneaky and cunning.”
“Partners?” Nate asked holding out his hand.
“Partners,” she said smiling and shaking his hand firmly. “Now let's tidy up here.”
* * * * *
There was an abundant amount of vines around. They did not disappear but they were no longer animated. Vivian and Nathan tied up all the Animus and the Elflings while they were still unconscious. He prepared to gag them as well, but Vivian stopped him.
“They are dangerous spellcasters,” she said, “but there are better ways than gagging to keep them from casting their spells.”
Vivian placed an iron ring on the right big toe of each of their captives.
“A circle of iron makes magic impossible,” she said.
Nate nodded. He knew from the books he read how cold iron kept magic in check.
They worked fast and even so, they had just finished with the last knots as the victims woke up. They were all belligerent and angry with the exception of Mema who was still groggy after her ticklish ordeal.
“Let's start with the Elflings,” Vivian said. “Quick and efficiently. We don't have that much time.”
Vivian went after the Elfling male in the middle.
Nate felt a pang on jealousy as she placed her nails on his soles and tickled him.
Nate shook his head clearing away the poisonous thoughts. She was being clinical. Enjoying herself no doubt, but in no way affectionate. Not like when she tickled him.
He almost chuckled to himself. Imagine him, Nate, wishing a woman's tickling fingers were on him instead of someone else.
How had times changed. He shook his head wistfully and got down to work.
He started with the smallest of the Elflings with the smallest feet. She did not protest or complain as the other did. She smiled as he prepared to tickle her.
“My name is Lea,” she said. “These are my cousins Serge and Gabrielle. You don't have to tickle us. We know when to side with the winners.”
Serge was laughing uncontrollably next to her.
“What's your name?” she asked stalling.
“The Hound,” he said automatically without thinking. He liked the way the name sounded and how it tasted on his lips.
“Any last words?” he asked.
“Yes,” Lea said pleased to have an opportunity to stall a bit more.
Nate ignored her effort to speak again and tickled her earnestly on her feet. It was the first time her tickled anyone like this other than Vivian. Even at home he could never tickle even the most ticklish girl without getting tickled himself.
Bondage is your friend, he thought to himself.
Lea laughed loudly and helplessly next to her cousin. Her feet were different than Vivian's. The toes were smaller and the big toe was much bigger than the others. She curled her toes tightly and grasped at his fingers with them which was something he had not experienced before.
Like a fingerprint, every persons ticklishness was different. He silently decided that he was going to enjoy being a Realmswalker and he'd tickle as much as he possibly could.
He worked fast on the Elfling shifting to different spots and finding her best spots quickly. It was just like playing hide and seek. He knew how to search, and even the most cleverly hidden spots came easily to his attention. He found her upper ribcage near her armpits to be an exceptional spot to be combined with her feet. She screamed and laughed as if she enjoyed the tickling while Nate was quite convinced she hated it. He enjoyed having this power over her and he could see why many Realmswalkers became fearsome ticklers.
Nathan glanced at Vivian to see how she was doing. She had finished the Elfling male off tickling his inner thighs through the thin silken fabric of his pants with a whirlwind of sharp nails. He screamed madly for a few brief moments and then passed out. Vivian took the red gem that appeared on his forehead and moved onto the other Elfling female.
“No, don't you dare!” Gabrielle warned Vivian as stepped in front of her. “We can make a deal. Split the reward. Plenty for us all. If you tickle me you will not get away with it, I promise!”
Vivian only smiled as the commanding and angry facade crumbled and the Elfling woman laughed childishly. Gabrielle had long slender feet and long toes. They did not curl as Lea's did but the effect was just as devastating as she laughed without control.
Nate smiled and poked Vivian tauntingly at her side making her twist and yelp as she worked.
“Get to it,” she scolded playfully smiling up at him. “We need to finish quickly before a patrol catches us and we both end up in stocks in the Elfling King's Dungeon.”
Nate nodded realizing the danger and stepped over to the Animus.
The Nebai and Samma looked at him with hateful eyes. Mema was still shellshocked.
He started with Samma. She was reptilian which he thought he should have found repulsive, but strangely he found her exotically attractive. He lidless eyes were emerald green and bright. Her face was delicate and of beautiful contours. Her body has hard and athletic. Her mouth was human but the tongue inside was forked in a way he actually found sensual.
“You don't have to do thisssss,” she said softly in a sultry and entrancing voice. “You can let usssss free....”
The eyes sparkled and he had trouble concentrating. All he could see were those deep green eyes that seemed deep as the sea.
Vivian tickled him from behind digging deep into his ribs.
He came to his senses in a wave of laughter.
“Concentrate on those feet,” Vivian said. “Not on the eyes. She can mesmerize you without magic.”
Nate shook his head and focused on the feet. They were nice feet. Very white with the nails painted black.
“Look up at me,” Samma pleaded feeling nervous as Nate took her heels in his hands. “You do not have to do thisssss.”
Nate's hands went to her feet and she thrashed so violently that she thrust her bound feet up and down and out of Nate's grip.
“Get on top of that one,” Vivian suggested as she worked on Gabrielle who was in tears already. “She's the thrashing type. She'll kick an eye out if you let her.”
Nate nodded and hemounted Samma placing all the weight of his body on her legs. He then pressed his knees against her thighs to keep her tighter yet. He then leaned over having a perfect view of the tops of her feet.
He watched her toes twitch with cruel anticipation before gingerly placing his fingertips on her soles. She thrashed out once more as his finger tickled the tender soles. His seemingly invincible grip was not as strong as it seemed but it sufficed to keep her under control and properly tickle her soles. He gave those sole his utmost attention caressing her toes and arches and heels. All was violently ticklish. The slightest touch required he hang onto her for his very life as she bucked wildly. She was strong and struggled savagely as she screamed and laughed herself into ticklish wreck.
After several minutes she suddenly stopped struggling and Nate's tickling no longer had any effect.
He rolled off and looked back at the shiny red gem on her forehead.
Vivian had finished Gabrielle earlier. The poor Elfling girl lay spent with her tangled sweat drenched hair sticking to her forehead.
Vivian radiated pride. It was like seeing a child walk for the very first time.
“Well done,” she complimented. “One left. Care to share?”
The both turned to Nebai who growled at their approach.
“I'll skin you both alive,” she said.
And that was all there was to say. She would not waste breath pleading for quarter that would not be given.
“Only if I can take the credit,” Nate said playfully.
“Fair enough,” Vivian said sitting down and wrapping her arms around the Cheetah headed Animus's legs.
Nebai did not last even half the time of the others. Vivian raked her fingers on Nebai's feet and she released a shrill scream so unlike her deep growl that Nate could not help but smile at the irony of it.
He refused to be outdone by Vivian, so he went quickly to work on Nebai's torso tickling viciously where he could find the sweetest spots. Nebai was a screamer and not so much a laugher, but he enjoyed toying with her. Each spot elicited a different tone and pitch of scream. Her belly made her scream deep and wide while her underarms provoked the highest pitch screams he had ever heard. It was sort of like touching the buttons on a control panel or playing a musical instrument.
Nebai quickly succumbed and both Nate and Vivian observed their handiwork.
Six villainous ticklers lay on their backs tickled senseless.
Vivian collected the red gems from each victim and any gems they had themselves in their possession.
“What about the magic items?” he asked.
“Leave them,” she said. “They'll choose new owners. If they wanted us, we would have felt a tug already.”
“And what do we do about them?” Nate asked wondering what to do with their adversaries.
“Help me untie the Elflings,” Vivian requested.
Nate did as he was told. They were still very tired and exhausted from the ordeal but they did not complain.
“Listen up,” Vivian said. “You get to walk. Just a few conditions. You never saw us. You don't know who we are. The Avengers came along, you disarmed them and you took them captive. No other details.”
The Elfling seemed to understand but were puzzled at what Vivian was saying.
“Just to make sure even you three don't both it up....” she took the bag of mushroom spores and cast a handful of the spores in each of the faces of the Animus.
“Cut them loose,” she asked Nate who quickly obeyed.
“I am your mistress now,” she said to the three Animus. “Bow down before me.”
The three Animus immediately went to their knees and bowed down before her.
Vivian smiled from ear to ear.
“You three cannot resist my commands. You will march down to the Elfling King's Dungeon. You will stop for no reason whatsoever. Such is my command. Obey!”
The three Avengers walked on after the other towards where Nate assumed the Dungeon was.
“Well, after them, I say,” Vivian ordered. The Elflings collected themselves and dashed after the three Avengers but not before collecting the magic items left behind by the Avengers. Gabrielle took the star tipped wand, Serge the bag of seeds and Lea took the ring that Nebai wore and admired it on her finger before turning back to run after her Elfling companions.
She looked back at Nate and winked before she disappeared into the forest.
“That will keep them happy and quiet,” Vivian said throwing the bag of gems over her shoulder. “The Avengers in the Elfling King Dungeon makes certain they don't come after us for payback. No one makes a big fuss out of it and we get clean away.
“What do you think?”
“I think you enjoyed too much having the Avengers bow before you,” Nate said with a smile as he tinkered with a dart placing the tip against his blowpipe and making some small neat notches.
“Maybe I should have saved some of those spores for you,” she remarked her eyes teasingly narrowing at him.
“I will bow down before Mistress Vivian whenever she so desires it,” he said dropping to one knee and bowing his head chivalrously.
“Okay, enough of that, Hound,” she said pushing him to the ground in mock retribution. “What are the notches for? Explain.”
“Mema, Lea, Samma and Nebai,” he said showing off one notch for each of his tickled conquests.
“Think you'll fill the blowpipe up?” she asked. “That's quite a long blowpipe and quite a few notches.”
“I'm up to the challenge. Are you?” he asked.
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership,” Vivian said beaming.
“I know so,” Nate said.
They walked together away from the forest eager to see where their feet would take them.
To be continued....
Next: Versus the Tickle Scourge!
“A Test Worth Passing”
When Nate awoke he quickly discovered he was in a forest.
A strange forest of toadstools instead of trees. This was the Elfling Realm, he thought as he studied his surroundings. The Mushroom Wood to be precise. He had read about this place in the History of the Realms.
He was resting on a toadstool covered by a larger one which was basically hiding him from sight. He had his gear and his weapon. He realized Vivian must have been planning this even before she began to train him.
He felt a bit betrayed in the sense that Vivian would put him through such a test but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that for Vivian this was a step that went directly against her nature. She was a loner and he was asking her to be part of a team. She needed to know if he was up to the challenge or not.
He nodded to himself. He was ready and he was ready to defend himself and Vivian against any enemy.
He rolled out off the toadstool and landed gently on the ground.
“Stealth and cunning,” he whispered to himself trying to get himself in a zone.
He needed to find her and that he knew how to do very well.
Nate was good at finding things.
He was the guy you went to when you lost your keys. He was no fun playing 'hide and go seek'; he'd find anyone anywhere and fast. “Where's Waldo?”... piece of cake. He could not explain it. He was simply good at it.
Here however, it was different.
It was better yet.
He sniffed in a deep breath of fresh forest air. The different scents and aromas registered in his head and he knew where Vivian was. He followed her scent and found very slight signs of movement. Broken twigs and boot prints that were barely perceptible gave her direction away as much as her scent.
She had passed through her almost an hour ago. He cursed himself for being such a deep sleeper. Had he been awake sooner, perhaps he would already be upon her.
There was no sense crying over spilled milk, he reasoned.
He continued to track Vivian and he figured they were deep in the Mushroom Wood. There were Elfling patrols roaming through the Wood, but he evaded them quite easily.
Vivian had tried to shake his scent. She traveled over running water and circled back on her own trail to try and confuse him. He was not fooled and where he lost her scent, he was still able to figure out which way she had gone. It was taking her longer to try and lose him than it was for Nate to recover her trail and make gains on her.
She was his better in many respects, but not in this one. She might be the most stealthy and sneaky of the Realmswalkers but he was the best to track her down.
He finally found her. She was in a clearing where there was only one huge toadstool in the center. Vivian was trapped in a net that held her suspended from the ground near the huge toadstool. The trap was so obvious and so simple that Nate was certain that she had deliberately stepped into it.
Three small Elflings stood around her. They had her bola in their possession. She acted a bit helplessly and her acting was actually horrible and quite pathetic. But seemed to please the Elflings to hear her beg and protest.
The Elflings were just as he had read. The dark pupil-less eyes. Small and thin and with pointed ears. They were dressed in gay clothes soft slippers.
“I say we tickle her now,” said the smallest Elfling, a female.
“I say we drag her back to the Elfling King's palace now,” a larger male with dark hair said. “There's a tense feeling in the air in the Wood today.”
“We'll fetch a nice price for this one. Animus pay quite well, indeed,” the taller female with dark hair said. “But we should get an opportunity to play with her I think.”
“I'll kick the first one of you who even dares,” Vivian shouted defiantly but still trying to maintain an air of fear.
“The Vixen has some claws,” the taller female said smiling. “I like that.”
“I want her feet, Gabrielle,” the smaller Elfling said to the darker and taller Elfing female.
“Seniority rules, Lea,” Gabrielle said. “I get the feet, Serge chooses next and you choose last.”
Lea pouted, but did not protest.
“Very well,” Gabrielle said. “Now that that is settled we can move on. I have a bag of mushroom spores that are very rare. Spores of the Feeble Mind. It took me weeks to collect them but I have more than enough here for our Animus captive. They will erode her willpower until she is a slave that will obey our every command. The effect will wear off after a while, but in the meantime she will kiss the toe of my slippered foot if I so desire it. She will endure all forms of torment and demand more. And when we are finished with her, she will carry us back to the Elfling King's dungeon where we will turn her in for a pretty penny!”
Nate had heard enough.
He took a dart of the red fletched type and prepared to attack the Elflings. He could paralyze one, try for another and maybe get all three before they figured out what happened to them.
But before he could draw his breath he heard words of magic being shouted and some small black pebbles being thrown into the clearing.
The clearing exploded with a growth of vines which grew thick and wrapped around the Elflings trapping them and keeping them still.
Three Animus entered the clearing and supervised their handiwork. They were three Animus with different heads. Uncommon heads, Nate thought recalling want he had read. There was a snake headed Animus, a cheetah headed Animus and a rabbit headed Animus. All females. All garbed in spellcaster robes. They seemed bold and quite sure of themselves.
Nate held back his attack feeling unsure how to proceed.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” asked the rabbit-headed Animus.
“Three little mice, Mema,” the Cheetah headed Animus said licking her lips sensually. “Trapped with no place to go.”
“And one big fat moussssse,” the Snake headed Animus said staring with her lidless eyes at Vivian.
Vivian did not act afraid anymore as she had done before the Elflings. She was dead serious and that worried Nate. These were Animus spellcasters. He recognized their robes. They were powerful Avengers; the type Vivian had rubbed against the wrong way on many an occasion.
“Vixen is wanted in Animus for more crimes than I could care to remember,” the Rabbit-headed Animus named Mema said. “Lord Xavis would pay a hefty reward for her. The others are little fish. We can throw them back into the sea and hope the grow up to be worth the effort.”
“This prisoner is ours,” the larger female Elfing said defiantly, “and if you have not noticed, you are in the Elfling Realm and it is your heads that are worth a fortune here.”
“The Elfling King is free to come and raise any complaint he has against us,” Mema said rolling her eyes, “but until he does your heads and the heads of the Vixen are ours.”
“Not to mention your feet,” the Cheetah said removing the Elfling's slippers with lightning fast speed and tickling their soles rascally.
They laughed instantly as the Cheetah tickled from foot to foot fast enough to keep them all laughing at once. Even Gabrielle, who was furious, could not help but to break a wide smile and laugh with wanton abandon. The tickling was playful though. Like a cat taunting a mouse.
“Thissss one is a dangeroussss one,” the snake Animus said focusing on Vivian. Nate could see that Vivian was trying to cut herself free without alerting the Animus.
“Busssssy, busssssy,” the Snake headed Animus said noticing Vivian's work on the net and pulling free a star tipped wand from her robes. “Need to keep thissss one one under control.”
Nate did not hesitate. He shot his dart at the snake headed spellcaster's neck and the dart flew true. The snake was paralyzed with her forked tongue hanging out.
“What do you mean, Samma?” Mema asked turning towards Vivian and stepping in front of Samma. Nate could not get a clean shot. Instead he turned to the Cheetah headed Animus and just as he was about to blow, Mema shouted.
“Ambush, Nebai!” the Rabbit headed Animus called after discovering their predicament. She rolled out of the way and sought cover.
The dart flew past Nebai as she moved out of the dart's path like a bolt of lightning. She dived behind the mass of vines and Elflings and was completely out of Nate's view.
These were Avengers, they would not be easy game.
“What direction?” Nebai hissed at Mema. He did not hear the reply but he figured they were signaling in his direction.
“If you give up now, we'll go easy on you,” Mema said in his direction. They knew where he was.
He scrambled stealthily to the right and he hurried as he heard a spell being cast.
A cloud of green gas erupted over the Elfings in the direction where he was only a moment ago.
He watched the Elflings as they fell asleep.
“Did you get him?” Mema asked Nebai.
“No,” the Cheetah answered.
Mema cast a spell. She cast it hard and barked the words out. Another groups of vines erupted and engulfed Vivian. She struggled and protested but the vines covered her mouth.
Both Animus were out of sight hiding behind the vines. They were rather skilled. More than Nate imagined. He thought to rush their position but he'd have to expose himself before hoping to get a clear shot.
“We know you are out there,” Mema said. “Take a look at your friend.”
Nate watched as the vines grew a bit more and covered her nose as well. Her eyes went wide as she realized she could not breathe.
“She'll suffocate in a few minutes,” Mema threatened. “You can't attack us and we cannot attack you. Time is on our side. Give up and we'll go easy on you.”
Right, Nate thought. There was no way he or Vivian were getting away by giving up. Of that much he was certain.
Nate kept moving trying to flank their position but the vines were growing now all around his targets. Mema's shape he could sort of make out through the vines. But where was the fast one?
It was then he heard a deep breath being drawn behind him and a slim but hard arm wrapping tightly around his neck.
“You'd hear spellcasting if I tried to attack you with a spell,” Nebai snarled to his ear as she tried to strangle him. “But this is silent. You'll pass out in just a moment.”
Nate could not breathe, but the sleeper hold was defective. He had just enough time and space to avoid that sleeper hold getting properly applied. Had he evaded that hold, he'd surely be down and out with no idea of what had hit him. But now he'd pass out from lack of oxygen any moment if he did not react. He tried to hit his captor with the blowgun but it was difficult and she had him in a dominating position.
The world was going black and he scrambled though the darts in his cartridge grasping wildly for one, any one. His fingers felt clumsy and useless but after a few moments he could get a dart in his hands.
He pricked her face with a dark just as he was about to pass out.
“No, not like this...” Nebai whispered drowsily. “I don't want to....”
Her voice trailed off and she released her hold him. She curled herself into a small ball on the ground fast asleep.
“She's blacked out, my friend. She has only a few moments left. Decide!” Mema shouted referring to Vivian who he could see had already blacked out. Much longer and there would be no hope for her.
Nathan had no choice. He had seconds to prepare and he could only find one dart in his hand. The dart with pink fletching.
“Ok, okay, I'm here,” he said out loud stepping out with his hands held up. “Let her breathe.”
Mema conceded and the vines moved from Vivian's nose allowing her to breathe.
Vivian breathed in air wildly as she slowly recovered.
“A Tenderfoot...” Mema said surprised. “A resourceful one at that. How unexpected.”
She threw some seeds at Nathan's feet and spoke words of magic. The vines grew from the seeds and wrapped around his arms and legs lifting him into the air and squeezing the air out of his lungs.
“A daring one to attempt to ambush three Avengers,” Mema said.
“No attempt,” Nate said. “I ambushed you. Pretty good, I'd say.”
“I'll let you talk. You are no spellcaster. Just a lucky Tenderfoot. This is quite a haul. I'll have some Enforcers come in so we can take you all away, but not before we have some fun with you.”
“You said you would go easy on us if I surrendered.”
“I lied,” Mema said. “You, of all of them will get it worse. We'll tickle you. All three of us. Samma's forked tongue on your feet, Nebai at your underarms and you neck, and I will take care of the rest, she said drawing near him and shifting the vines so as to position his torso close to her face.
She opened his cloak and shirt and scratched his bare belly as he laughed uncontrollably. He kicked out and struck her side lightly with his boot.
Mema would have ignored it had she not felt a pin prick. Her eyes went wide as she saw at the tip of the boot a dart with pink fletching wedged into the leather of the boot.
“Checkmate,” Nathan said smiling.
Mema eyes went wide and she started to giggle weakly, then she began to laugh and then she broke down into gales of screams and laughter than echoed throughout the forest. Tears streamed down her white furry cheeks as she twisted and turned on the ground.
She finally grew quiet and a red gem appeared above her head.
The vines loosened and he and Vivian fell gently to the ground as they were easily cast off now that their spellcaster was senseless.
Vivian pulled off what was left of the net and ran to gave Nathan giving him a warm hug and a kiss.
“Close but well done,” she praised. “Sneaky and cunning.”
“Partners?” Nate asked holding out his hand.
“Partners,” she said smiling and shaking his hand firmly. “Now let's tidy up here.”
* * * * *
There was an abundant amount of vines around. They did not disappear but they were no longer animated. Vivian and Nathan tied up all the Animus and the Elflings while they were still unconscious. He prepared to gag them as well, but Vivian stopped him.
“They are dangerous spellcasters,” she said, “but there are better ways than gagging to keep them from casting their spells.”
Vivian placed an iron ring on the right big toe of each of their captives.
“A circle of iron makes magic impossible,” she said.
Nate nodded. He knew from the books he read how cold iron kept magic in check.
They worked fast and even so, they had just finished with the last knots as the victims woke up. They were all belligerent and angry with the exception of Mema who was still groggy after her ticklish ordeal.
“Let's start with the Elflings,” Vivian said. “Quick and efficiently. We don't have that much time.”
Vivian went after the Elfling male in the middle.
Nate felt a pang on jealousy as she placed her nails on his soles and tickled him.
Nate shook his head clearing away the poisonous thoughts. She was being clinical. Enjoying herself no doubt, but in no way affectionate. Not like when she tickled him.
He almost chuckled to himself. Imagine him, Nate, wishing a woman's tickling fingers were on him instead of someone else.
How had times changed. He shook his head wistfully and got down to work.
He started with the smallest of the Elflings with the smallest feet. She did not protest or complain as the other did. She smiled as he prepared to tickle her.
“My name is Lea,” she said. “These are my cousins Serge and Gabrielle. You don't have to tickle us. We know when to side with the winners.”
Serge was laughing uncontrollably next to her.
“What's your name?” she asked stalling.
“The Hound,” he said automatically without thinking. He liked the way the name sounded and how it tasted on his lips.
“Any last words?” he asked.
“Yes,” Lea said pleased to have an opportunity to stall a bit more.
Nate ignored her effort to speak again and tickled her earnestly on her feet. It was the first time her tickled anyone like this other than Vivian. Even at home he could never tickle even the most ticklish girl without getting tickled himself.
Bondage is your friend, he thought to himself.
Lea laughed loudly and helplessly next to her cousin. Her feet were different than Vivian's. The toes were smaller and the big toe was much bigger than the others. She curled her toes tightly and grasped at his fingers with them which was something he had not experienced before.
Like a fingerprint, every persons ticklishness was different. He silently decided that he was going to enjoy being a Realmswalker and he'd tickle as much as he possibly could.
He worked fast on the Elfling shifting to different spots and finding her best spots quickly. It was just like playing hide and seek. He knew how to search, and even the most cleverly hidden spots came easily to his attention. He found her upper ribcage near her armpits to be an exceptional spot to be combined with her feet. She screamed and laughed as if she enjoyed the tickling while Nate was quite convinced she hated it. He enjoyed having this power over her and he could see why many Realmswalkers became fearsome ticklers.
Nathan glanced at Vivian to see how she was doing. She had finished the Elfling male off tickling his inner thighs through the thin silken fabric of his pants with a whirlwind of sharp nails. He screamed madly for a few brief moments and then passed out. Vivian took the red gem that appeared on his forehead and moved onto the other Elfling female.
“No, don't you dare!” Gabrielle warned Vivian as stepped in front of her. “We can make a deal. Split the reward. Plenty for us all. If you tickle me you will not get away with it, I promise!”
Vivian only smiled as the commanding and angry facade crumbled and the Elfling woman laughed childishly. Gabrielle had long slender feet and long toes. They did not curl as Lea's did but the effect was just as devastating as she laughed without control.
Nate smiled and poked Vivian tauntingly at her side making her twist and yelp as she worked.
“Get to it,” she scolded playfully smiling up at him. “We need to finish quickly before a patrol catches us and we both end up in stocks in the Elfling King's Dungeon.”
Nate nodded realizing the danger and stepped over to the Animus.
The Nebai and Samma looked at him with hateful eyes. Mema was still shellshocked.
He started with Samma. She was reptilian which he thought he should have found repulsive, but strangely he found her exotically attractive. He lidless eyes were emerald green and bright. Her face was delicate and of beautiful contours. Her body has hard and athletic. Her mouth was human but the tongue inside was forked in a way he actually found sensual.
“You don't have to do thisssss,” she said softly in a sultry and entrancing voice. “You can let usssss free....”
The eyes sparkled and he had trouble concentrating. All he could see were those deep green eyes that seemed deep as the sea.
Vivian tickled him from behind digging deep into his ribs.
He came to his senses in a wave of laughter.
“Concentrate on those feet,” Vivian said. “Not on the eyes. She can mesmerize you without magic.”
Nate shook his head and focused on the feet. They were nice feet. Very white with the nails painted black.
“Look up at me,” Samma pleaded feeling nervous as Nate took her heels in his hands. “You do not have to do thisssss.”
Nate's hands went to her feet and she thrashed so violently that she thrust her bound feet up and down and out of Nate's grip.
“Get on top of that one,” Vivian suggested as she worked on Gabrielle who was in tears already. “She's the thrashing type. She'll kick an eye out if you let her.”
Nate nodded and hemounted Samma placing all the weight of his body on her legs. He then pressed his knees against her thighs to keep her tighter yet. He then leaned over having a perfect view of the tops of her feet.
He watched her toes twitch with cruel anticipation before gingerly placing his fingertips on her soles. She thrashed out once more as his finger tickled the tender soles. His seemingly invincible grip was not as strong as it seemed but it sufficed to keep her under control and properly tickle her soles. He gave those sole his utmost attention caressing her toes and arches and heels. All was violently ticklish. The slightest touch required he hang onto her for his very life as she bucked wildly. She was strong and struggled savagely as she screamed and laughed herself into ticklish wreck.
After several minutes she suddenly stopped struggling and Nate's tickling no longer had any effect.
He rolled off and looked back at the shiny red gem on her forehead.
Vivian had finished Gabrielle earlier. The poor Elfling girl lay spent with her tangled sweat drenched hair sticking to her forehead.
Vivian radiated pride. It was like seeing a child walk for the very first time.
“Well done,” she complimented. “One left. Care to share?”
The both turned to Nebai who growled at their approach.
“I'll skin you both alive,” she said.
And that was all there was to say. She would not waste breath pleading for quarter that would not be given.
“Only if I can take the credit,” Nate said playfully.
“Fair enough,” Vivian said sitting down and wrapping her arms around the Cheetah headed Animus's legs.
Nebai did not last even half the time of the others. Vivian raked her fingers on Nebai's feet and she released a shrill scream so unlike her deep growl that Nate could not help but smile at the irony of it.
He refused to be outdone by Vivian, so he went quickly to work on Nebai's torso tickling viciously where he could find the sweetest spots. Nebai was a screamer and not so much a laugher, but he enjoyed toying with her. Each spot elicited a different tone and pitch of scream. Her belly made her scream deep and wide while her underarms provoked the highest pitch screams he had ever heard. It was sort of like touching the buttons on a control panel or playing a musical instrument.
Nebai quickly succumbed and both Nate and Vivian observed their handiwork.
Six villainous ticklers lay on their backs tickled senseless.
Vivian collected the red gems from each victim and any gems they had themselves in their possession.
“What about the magic items?” he asked.
“Leave them,” she said. “They'll choose new owners. If they wanted us, we would have felt a tug already.”
“And what do we do about them?” Nate asked wondering what to do with their adversaries.
“Help me untie the Elflings,” Vivian requested.
Nate did as he was told. They were still very tired and exhausted from the ordeal but they did not complain.
“Listen up,” Vivian said. “You get to walk. Just a few conditions. You never saw us. You don't know who we are. The Avengers came along, you disarmed them and you took them captive. No other details.”
The Elfling seemed to understand but were puzzled at what Vivian was saying.
“Just to make sure even you three don't both it up....” she took the bag of mushroom spores and cast a handful of the spores in each of the faces of the Animus.
“Cut them loose,” she asked Nate who quickly obeyed.
“I am your mistress now,” she said to the three Animus. “Bow down before me.”
The three Animus immediately went to their knees and bowed down before her.
Vivian smiled from ear to ear.
“You three cannot resist my commands. You will march down to the Elfling King's Dungeon. You will stop for no reason whatsoever. Such is my command. Obey!”
The three Avengers walked on after the other towards where Nate assumed the Dungeon was.
“Well, after them, I say,” Vivian ordered. The Elflings collected themselves and dashed after the three Avengers but not before collecting the magic items left behind by the Avengers. Gabrielle took the star tipped wand, Serge the bag of seeds and Lea took the ring that Nebai wore and admired it on her finger before turning back to run after her Elfling companions.
She looked back at Nate and winked before she disappeared into the forest.
“That will keep them happy and quiet,” Vivian said throwing the bag of gems over her shoulder. “The Avengers in the Elfling King Dungeon makes certain they don't come after us for payback. No one makes a big fuss out of it and we get clean away.
“What do you think?”
“I think you enjoyed too much having the Avengers bow before you,” Nate said with a smile as he tinkered with a dart placing the tip against his blowpipe and making some small neat notches.
“Maybe I should have saved some of those spores for you,” she remarked her eyes teasingly narrowing at him.
“I will bow down before Mistress Vivian whenever she so desires it,” he said dropping to one knee and bowing his head chivalrously.
“Okay, enough of that, Hound,” she said pushing him to the ground in mock retribution. “What are the notches for? Explain.”
“Mema, Lea, Samma and Nebai,” he said showing off one notch for each of his tickled conquests.
“Think you'll fill the blowpipe up?” she asked. “That's quite a long blowpipe and quite a few notches.”
“I'm up to the challenge. Are you?” he asked.
“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership,” Vivian said beaming.
“I know so,” Nate said.
They walked together away from the forest eager to see where their feet would take them.
To be continued....
Next: Versus the Tickle Scourge!
