mythuslegendahistoria

[mythuslegendahistoria]

The Forest

"At least twenty men have gone missing in the forest." A local man said to Marse. He watched two mothers scolding their sons for playing on the border of the aforementioned forest.

"How many women and children have been lost to the woods?" Marse inquired.

Another local spoke, "None, a child wandered in once and the father went after him. The child came back out, the father was never found."

Marse turned back to the locals, “Then why bother telling the children to stay away?”

“Whatever foul thing is in there, it could change its mind at any day.”

The nearby villagers rightly feared the forest, sensing there was more to these missing men than anything accidental. The locals knew there was sinister, willful intent within the deep darkness of the forest. So did Marse, who decided to halt his journey to aid the frightened souls surrounding it.

“Be warned stranger, you are not the first traveler or warrior who tried to solve this mystery. There are likely many more men who have gone missing there that we do not know about.”

Marse shook his head to the warning, “I’m sure there has been, on both accounts. I am more accustomed to danger than most warriors and adventurers, I assure you.”

Marse was the precise target of desire. He will use it to put an end to this mysterious danger.

In the silence of the forest, the pounding heart will fill one’s ears. The sudden scurries of little animals would send the body into its natural survival reaction. The eerie woods make the hairs of their body stand up. The dark forest was hiding something, so too did Marse, he thought to himself. The unnatural territory already betrayed its intention, Marse’s only hint being his unshaken prowl through it.

The smell of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air and Marse’s nose. The only sounds were that of occasional chirping of birds, scampering of small animals, or the rustling of leaves in the wind. The tall, dense trees casted long shadows on the ground. Hours passed by, Marse found nothing abnormal that attributed to the missing men. He kept pressing on even when the minuscule sunlight that remained had finally disappeared.

Marse’s ears at last picked up something out of place, the distant crackling of a fire. Marse made his way in that direction in silence. As Marse drew near, he heard the hissing of a snake at his feet. Marse immediately stepped away from the snake he could not spot and felt the ground beneath give way to a steep slope.

Marse stumbled and fell. He landed down by a cave and immediately heard stirrings from inside. Marse sat up quickly to face the cave entrance. A lit fire pit created a swaying light, taunting him with flickering light that illuminated the darkness. To Marse’s surprise, two comely women came out. One had dark black hair, while the other had fiery red hair. Priestesses and Druids make a practice out of dwelling in the forest, Marse thought. He had seen and heard of stranger things. Still, he remained wary while willing to extend the benefit of the doubt. Marse was here to resolve issues, not create them.

“Excuse my intrusion. I have been lost and made a false step.”

Marse kept his voice steady and calm. It was partially true, he was lost in what he seeked after all. The woman with black hair saunters to Marse, giving him the glad eye. A look that he recognized and had mixed feelings about receiving.

“No need to be sorry, stranger. You were bound to have an accident wandering in this forest at night. My name is Daisy.”

Marse hears the other woman crouch down to his level and crawl to him. He turned to the red haired woman, she crawled uncomfortably close to him to sit down and whisper to him in a sultry tone.

“I’m Ember, there is no need to be shy, you’re welcome to stay with us for the night.”

Marse looked between the two striking women. There was something off about them, a primal warning inside him. Yet, it was in his best interest to keep the situation cordial. Marse introduced himself properly before moving to the glaring question, “Why are you here in the forest?”

The women looked at each other, and then Daisy spoke. "We live in the forest because it's our home," she said. "We're the guardians of the forest, and we protect it from those who would harm it."

Guardians. Marse could understand that vocation. Being lonely guardians would make many appear strange to the civilized. With some hesitation and gentle interrogation, Marse finally accepted the women's invitation. It was custom of the land to provide hospitality to strangers, and accept it graciously as the stranger. Marse could continue his search when the new day began. 

Marse found it difficult to analyze the attractive women while their words grew more flirtatious and their actions became more of physical advances. Marse felt skeptical for a while, though he had to keep reminding himself that they were isolated women. Seclusion has a way of creating desires in social intercourse. Aside from thoughts of justification, it did not take long for his loins to burn for the captivating women. In time, he succumbed to their seduction. Having a new reason to stay up for the night.

The three bodies were intertwined, basking in the afterglow of the rapture they shared. Marse comes down from the heated exchange and notices a glint in the eyes of the bewitching women. They had a look of hunger and desire. Marse’s instincts told him this look had predatory intent. Daisy encouraged this concern as she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“You know, we have not shown you our true nature yet.”

Marse looked at Ember in front of him, who was licking her lips. Her eyes darkened in anticipation. He felt a danger to their seduction. He looks back and forth between the two,

“What do you mean?”

Marse hears a low hiss coming from Daisy, one that did not sound all too human. He turns to see her lips curl up into a wicked grin.

“We’re hunters, sweetie. And you are our prey,” she says with her voice dripping with desire.

Ember looks at Marse hungrily, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the dwindling fire. The two beguiling women pull away slightly from him, Marse then watches them in surprise as their bodies contort. Their skin mostly turned to scales. Their legs morphed to serpentine tails. Their bodies revealed their true forms; Lamias.

"But we're not going to eat you... at least, not yet," Ember purrs, tracing her finger lightly over Marse’s skin, "We want to play with you first."

Daisy nods in agreement, her tongue flicking out to wet her lips. Revealing newly formed fangs and her long tongue, "And trust us, you're going to love every minute of it."

Marse pulls away from the lamias, recoiling with disgust, “Not yet?! You're going to use me to amuse yourselves, then eat me?!"

Daisy chuckles, a low growling sound. "Oh, do not worry, sweetie. We won't eat you... until we've fully, thoroughly enjoyed you."

Ember slithers towards Marse, her eyes full of hunger. "We want to feel your warmth, your scent, your pleasure-" She raises up and continues her approach. "We want to play with you until we can't take it anymore, until we're absolutely starving for you."

Marse in turn stands up and backs away, “No amount of gratification is worth being devoured.”

The lamias respond with disappointed hisses. They both rose up to close the distance on Marse, their movements smooth yet feral.

"Such a shame, we thought you enjoyed our game," Daisy says.

Ember nods, her expression darkening. "But do not think you'll get away that easily, human. We still need to feed, and you're the perfect prey."

Marse now understood their predatory intent. He made vain attempts to talk them out of it. The two lamias kept advancing at Marse, ignoring his gestures. His bag and weapon were too great a distance away to acquire and act swift enough. Before Marse could attempt action, the two snakes pounced on him and restrained him. Ember bared her teeth in a malicious smile.

“Time to feed.”

Daisy presses her lips against Marse’s lips and invades his mouth. To Marse, it felt like a passionate kiss. Until Daisy bit his tongue off, making him only able to gurgle and groan. Daisy knew what to go for first, suppressing the ability to call out. Muffling any attempts to scream with her own mouth. A nightmarish moment for any human, unable to call for help as they are utterly helpless and at the mercy of their predators. Ember, not to be outdone, takes Marse’s exposed member in her mouth, a repetition of earlier intercourse. But instead of delectation, Marse felt a sharp, intense pain. 

Ember proceeds to bite it off, chewing on it with groans of delight. Marse writhes in torment as blood oozes from his wounds, knowing the experience of prey torn apart by vicious predators. Daisy and Ember stood over Marse, their eyes glinting with satisfaction.

"That's the end of the game, little human," Daisy says, licking her lips.

Marse closed his eyes, trying to fight back against the suffering in vain. A game? This is how they view their actions? Familiar emotions replaced and blocked out the throbbing of his wounds, anger and resentment only he knew the history to. Marse bore witness first hand to what the missing men had experienced. It was time to strike back. 

To the shock of the lamias, Marse’s body glowed fiery red in the locations he had been harmed. Daisy and Ember backed away as he stood up, a newfound perturbation in their hearts they never knew existed. Marse spits the blood out of his mouth at the serpents, making them recoil in surprise. Before the lamias’ eyes both of his bodily tools regrew. Daisy and Ember look at each other with confusion and horror. The lamias nearly jumped when Marse spoke with a new, more malign voice.

"You're right, the game is over. I found who is responsible."

Daisy and Ember’s eyes widen, beginning to perceive that they are the ones being hunted all along. Marse advanced towards them, the lamias backed away at the same pace but dare not try to flee. The monstrous women’s instinct of flight had never been used before, the instinct of their den being the safest place overriding reason.

"Lure men in, use them for your own enjoyment, then eat them. The answer to the mystery in this forest."

Daisy’s voice cracks as she speaks up , "W-w-we have to eat to survive. It's what we've always done. It's our nature."

Marse grunted in annoyance at her response, taking on his own new form without missing a step in his stride. He grew taller, muscles accented his body. Fur emerged over his hair as well as new places. Ears morphed above his head like that of canines. A long, slightly bushy tail came out from behind him. His hands formed into claws. 

The new wolf quickly closed the distance on the two snakes and grabbed them by their necks. Marse lifted Daisy and Ember up off the ground, who struggled and clawed at him. The two women looked at each other, seeing mutual alarm and regret in their expressions in a silent agreement that they could not effectively harm this strange wolf.

Neither one of them could figure out why they did not smell the wolf’s scent until now. Even now as they picked it up, something about it smelled wrong, different. Marse gave them his own growl that vibrated shivers in their bodies and yanked them out of those thoughts.

"Your nature is not to lure anyone, but to hunt. There are animals to hunt in any direction you pick. You've been doing it for your own amusement, not survival."

"Then, what do you want from us?" Ember asks in a meek voice.

Marse bared his own fangs with an amused grin. "I believe in the punishments fitting the crimes. Your last moments will be sharing the same fate you forced on many men."

Daisy and Ember look at each other, sharing mutual awareness of the gravity of their situation. They have no doubts that they are facing a powerful force that will not spare them. Yet they still had to try.

"Please, have mercy," Daisy pleads, her eyes pleading for forgiveness. 

"We won't do it again, we promise." Ember added, "Please, let us live."

Marse gripped their necks tighter, causing them to lose their ability to speak momentarily, "I can't help but think about how many men begged for you to spare them. Would the punishment fit the crime if I listened to your pleas of mercy?"

Daisy and Ember shrink to Marse’s intimidating presence, the recognition sinking in that they are being judged by the same standards they used to prey on their victims. Daisy and Ember look at Marse, their expressions pleading and pitiful.

"Please, we'll do anything," Ember begs, desperation ringing in her voice. 

Daisy follows up, "We understand what we did was wrong, and we're sorry. Please, forgive us."

Marse lowered Daisy back down to the ground. She looked up at him with a glimmer of hope. Daisy let out a blood curdling cry as Marse breaks her vertebrae. The glimmer dying by the blade of pain. Daisy’s body screamed at her with every attempt to move. 

Marse turned to Ember and used both of his hands to force her down, “I noticed that you love devouring the manhood of your victims, now it will be the last thing you do.”

Ember tries to squirm away, but Marse holds her head firmly, "No, please, do not do this!" Ember cries out.

Ember’s pleas are ignored, her mouth used for Marse’s rapture. While Ember is being forced to gag and choke, she attempts to bite down on it again. His flesh was far tougher than it had been before. Not only that, her mouth and throat burned unnaturally. The heat came from the peter inside. Ember struggled in every way she could to remove Marse from her mouth. Only for Ember’s body to tell her she no longer had the strength to keep fighting.

Ember looked up at Marse with disgust and agony. Ember’s expression was met with another relishing in her anguish. Marse erupted a liquid of boiling temperatures. He held her head full hilt to prevent her from spitting anything out. Ember's body convulses, only able to groan from the intense affliction. Even Ember’s groans stop soon enough, her convulsions dying down as her body goes limp. Ember had given up on surviving, only wishing for death to mercifully end her torment. The only signs of life seen in her face.

Ember heard the chirping of the birds, the rustling of critters in the morning as the sun rose for a new day. The world began anew, oblivious or ignoring Ember’s plight of being burned up within as it started the new cycle. Ember knew this would be the last time she saw the sun, unable to have its rays on her skin in the shadows of the forest. The comforting smell of the trees was faint in Ember’s nose with the scent of her killer at the forefront. The safe haven was to become the site of Ember’s brutal end, and she accepted this resolution.

Only when the life of Ember’s eyes finally leaves her does Marse push her off. The lamia’s lifeless body fell to the ground, the regret of her choices etched onto her face. Daisy trembled looking at her motionless companion. The surviving serpent woman kept struggling to move with her broken vertebrae, her body refusing to cooperate. Daisy looked up to see Marse saunter over menacingly, the tone of his voice that of sarcastic malice.

"Since you were so kind as to offer me a choice between being used for your delight and becoming devoured, or being eaten alive on the spot. I will give you a choice in how you die. Your body can break as I use it, or your body can be torn apart as I explore it.”

Daisy struggled to speak, her voice barely above a hoarse whisper, "P-p-please do not kill me, I'll do anything you want," she whimpers.

Marse knelt down to Daisy and grabbed her head to make her look directly at him, "How many men begged as you are now?"

Daisy's eyes dart away, unable to meet his gaze as she mutters, "Many, too many."

Marse shook Daisy’s head to make her look at him again, “And how many did you spare?”

"Not one," she whispers as she looks away again, unable to look at him directly.

Marse had no hint of surprise to Daisy’s answer. He let go of her head and spoke again with cold malevolence.

“So then choose, your body breaks or it gets ripped apart.”

Daisy looked up at Marse, tears streaming down her scaly face. Daisy struggled to muster up the courage to choose her method of death. Daisy’s fearfulness of the death and torture following the choices, alongside the aching of her body, were substantial. Unable to contain her emotions anymore, she pleads, "Mercy, please. I beg of you… show mercy."

Marse covered Daisy’s head with his minacious claws. Only his venomous voice filled her senses, “Since all you can do is beg for mercy, it is only fitting that I tear you apart as you did to so many men that did the same."

Daisy closed her eyes and sobbed uncontrollably. "No, please, I do not want to die like that," she pleads, struggling against her broken body. "I'll do anything, just please spare me."

Marse pushes Daisy on her back, exposing her body to him forcefully. "Your fate is sealed, Daisy. You brought this upon yourself with your depravity and cruelty." He leaned in closer, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly fire. "This is the end of your short life."

Daisy repeated her pleas of mercy, unable to process and convey anything else from her mind to her mouth. The moist papillae used for speaking now served its other purpose of licking as it explored Daisy’s body, sending chills that her body and mind argued over the meaning of. Daisy’s feeble words are replaced by the first scream as Marse bites her lips after licking them. Marse acted swiftly and fiercely, tearing Daisy apart and spitting her flesh all around her. 

Daisy could only groan and moan in her overwhelming agony, unable to make any louder sounds with the extensive affliction. Everywhere Daisy could look, she saw pieces of herself and her blood decorating her home. A piece of her was thrown in the dying flames of the fire, not recognizable anymore. Finally, Daisy rested her eyes on the body of her former companion, the last thing she ever saw. The images of their heinous acts together, her last thoughts.

Marse kept ravaging the dead lamia’s body apart until there was nothing left intact. Bones, flesh, organs, muscles, and scales laid scattered over the whole den. Marse stood up and slowly returned back to his normal form, now covered in a crimson color of the one that thought she could prey upon him. He stood upon the scene of murder with only one thought: The mystery was solved… and dealt with.

Marse knew that some would look at him with revulsion for his act. Others would see it as justice being served. Marse was dispassionate to the reactions he would get, especially from those who would be hypocrites in condemning him. Marse already knew one fact; Marse is a monster, he needed no one to remind him of that. In the end, this was a clash of monsters.