User blog:Ore-samma/My Apophis (Insanity) (Spa)

Hello Fans, Ore-samma here!

This one is just a one-shot that came to me for the Apophis!

Hope you like it!

Ever your Servant-

Ore-samma

“This is the place?” I said, looking at the carved archway.

Jaana nodded, cuddling closer to her husband. “Yes, absolutely! I will never forget banishing the high dark priestess to the edge of the nether realm!” She shuddered and squeezed her hand on her sword hilt, her blue and red eye looking fearful. “She was the most deadly foe I faced apart from the former demon lord who bested me.”

I looked to Vycrest and back to Jaana.

“So, what can I expect?”

Jaana, still trembling and holding onto Vycrest shrugged. “Who is to say that the dark priestess is even alive!” She said in a harsh whisper. “Time flows so differently there! For every day that passes here, a year passes there. She has been alone for untold millennia!” She shook her head. “By all mamono! Why are you even bothering to go in there?”

I sighed and crossed my arms, “The Lilim coven asked it of me. They heard her screaming for help, or to be released in death. I was chosen to be hers, and to bring her back if I could.”

Jaana looked to Vycrest. “Then, I should go too! It’s my fault she is in there!”

Vycrest shook his head. “Jaana, no!”

“But-”

“I agree.” I said, nodding to Vycrest’s statement. “If more than one person goes, she won’t know what to make of it, I am certain. And only one person going in means only one person has to face the danger.” I held up my finger and spoke before Jaana could interrupt. “And besides- do you think she would ever want to see you again?”

Jaana let out her breath and closed her eyes, wiping a tear. “Oh! I keep forgetting how different times were back then! It is so easy to forget!” She opened her red eye and her gaze bore deep into my soul. “Be wary of her, Arden. She was insane even before I banished her to that realm! She was ruthless, coldblooded and relished in extinguishing life!” Her blue eye opened. “But...but...if she could be redeemed, I would...that would be….” She sighed. “It would be so wonderful.”

Vycrest took out the magical hourglass and nodded. “You have about three days to get this done, Arden.” He said, “After that- the Lilim will come and get you and her out by force.” His eyes became serious, “We both know that it would be best if she came willingly, so try your best.”

“I am ready.” I said, and nodded to Jaana.

Jaana sighed and recited her magics, and the runes and curses illuminated upon the carved archway and a dark purple portal formed.

I took a deep breath and stepped in.

.

.

An immediate smell of rust, mold, and rotting flesh- a low clattering of chains and gusty drafts- a dark barely visible background- and an overwhelming aura of fear overwhelmed my senses.

I barely held in a cough and glanced about. The place was a nightmarish hodgepodge of ruin and decay, the scattered bones of rodents and their slimy remains and viscera made the walls and floors a slick, foul surface.

A strange fog that seemed to be the source of illumination hung heavy in the air and held onto the smell of rot, filth and-

I gulped down my saliva that now had the flavor of rot and foulness. “...and of her...” I whispered barely above my slow fearful breathing, tasting the barest hint of a lonely mamono.

I quietly drank one of my night vision potions and slowly made my way down the hall, quickly realizing the entire realm was one long maze of a subterranean limbo between our world and the nether realm.

As I wandered, I noticed lamia trails in the jellied filth with varying degrees of age. I wound around and around the pathways...thankfully, the tracks were slowly growing fresher and fresher.

.

I stopped. My motion, my breathing, even my heart stopped for a moment as I heard….someone speaking?

“''' They are fuzzy, fuzzy, they are warm- and mushy! They are everywhere, but I never find out from where! Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? '''”  The voice was interrupted by the pitiful squeaking and shrill screams from a rodent of some kind and the sound of flesh tearing apart.

“''' They are crunchy and they are ssssweet. They have a taste that is from….did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? '''” Her voice devolved into a shrill laughter that echoed through the halls and made my hair stand on end.

I barely, just barely slid my foot and peaked around the corner….there she was!

It was certainly an Apophis. My magically aided sight could make out her features, her hair, skin, face, eyes, and scaly tail was a mess. She was obviously diseased beyond reckoning and her glowing pupils rolled, bulged, jumped, and twitched in their sockets at an alarming rate that made me believe she must be nearly blind. Her entire body shook and trembled and heaved. Her hands lashed out at random and she would pull at her hair, and chatter her teeth.

.

No doubt about it, she was beyond insane.

I slowly drew back and quietly drank the Apophis antivenom. There would be no way to gracefully introduce myself and I waited until she started to repeat herself again.

.

“Yes...I do...” I whispered, just barely louder than the gusting and the clatter of chains.

A gasp sounded and a scream that almost made me scream from pain. I heard frenzied slithering and she swung into view, her eyes wider than what seemed physically possible, her rotting mouth was opened wider than any lamia I ever saw- her entire body shook as if it was possessed...but her eyes…

Her eyes were absolutely still and focused dead center on me. Her body and tail lashed forward and wrapped itself around me, she dove forward, her mouth still open, her breath reeking of rotting flesh and filth, and she clamped down on my neck.

I remained motionless as I felt her venom pour into my body, quickly counteracted upon by the antivenom and I delicately brought my hand forward and stroked her cheek.

She gasped and drew back, her mouth still open, her eyes still wide and her body trembling, shaking, heaving.

.

“ Thissss one is not fuzzy- fuzzy- This one tastessss of…... ” Her eyes went wider and her smile more maniacal. “''' Did you know? '''” She whispered.

I nodded, absolutely at a loss of what she was talking about or wanted to hear. “I do. But, will you come with me?”

Her jaw dropped and she screamed again, her coils constricted against my body making breathing impossible. I kept my gaze as she continued to constrict and scream. With a single finger, I stroked her coils around my body and she loosened, but her screams increased in volume.

“ Liar !” She hissed, and tightened once more.

“Come with me.” I said, using the last of my breath and resumed stroking her coils with a single finger.

“''' There isss nothing else! There isss no green! No light! No warmth '''!” She screeched and loosened her coils and bit me on my hand this time.

.

With my other hand I ran my fingers through her hair and cupped her chin. “Come with me. I want you to come with me.” I whispered.

She released me and rested her cheek in my other hand. I held my bleeding hand and allowed a few drops of my blood to land on her tongue.

“The taste is different,” I said, holding back any tone of pain or distress, “The flavor makes you remember. You know, you remember.” I whispered as I continued to stroke her hair.

“''' The blood….it isss different...it issss…. '''” She turned her head and looked at me. “''' Human? '''”

I paused, wondering if she would associate ‘human’ with the hero who banished her here. I smiled and kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear.

“All I am, is a humble man who wants you to come with him. I want you to have so much more. What is your name?”

Her body slowed its twitching and heaving, her breath became slow and even and she blinked, her face still in my undamaged hand.

“''' M-m-my name? I have not ssspoken it in ssso long? I….am….Realm?. '''..” An expression of amazement crossed her face making me wonder if she almost forgot her own name. She looked to me and tilted her head. “''' You...are...real? '''” She almost seemed to beg

I nodded. I steeled my resolve and leaned forward, kissing her blood stained lips.

She gasped and held her hands to her face and stared into my eyes.

“Come with me.” I said, smiling. “Please, come with me.”

Her coils slowly unwrapped themselves and she took my outstretched hand.



.

.

(later)

.

.

“Arden?”

I looked up and nodded to the mindflayer doctor. “Julvath! How is she?” I said, standing up.

She gestured for me to sit down, and sat across from me.

“''She is doing well. She is asleep for the time being.''” She sighed and glanced into the distance. “''She absolutely refuses for me to take away her memories of her eons of imprisonment, and any other memory for that matter. She is still very much insane. In so many ways, she believes what she is experiencing in the here and now to be nothing more than a delusion.''” She shook her head. “''She won’t even allow us to clean her body! Some of my aides refuse to attend to her unless she bathes, and I think I am going to need your help.''”

I nodded, remembering how much I had to scrub myself to eliminate all the foul odors of the cursed dimension I rescued Realm from. “I will be glad to help!” I said. “But- do you think she will recover?”

Julvath nodded, ''“I think she can make a full recovery, but she is going to need you. That much is certain.''”

I nodded, “The Lilim coven told me that I was to be paired with her.” I gave a small smile and nodded. “I am still willing, if she is.”

Julvath nodded as well. “''She is. In fact, I want you to return first thing in the morning. Please bring some fruit with you. The fresher the better. I implanted a mental trigger in her. Of all the memories she has, her memories of fresh apples...red apples, are the strongest.''”

.

(later)

.

I smiled as I slipped into the large spa and looked up at Realm who viewed me from behind a pillar.

“The water feels warm, did you know?” I said in a calm, even voice.

“ Blood iss warm, blood tastesss good .” Realm mumbled, her twitching and shaking returning somewhat.

“Come with me, Realm. I want to hold you again.” I said, holding my arms out.

Realm started to tremble violently as she slithered down the ramp that led into the warm, soapy water. She eyed Julvath and her attendants with a weary gaze and cried out in surprise as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

“Easy, easy...it’s just me, Arden.” I murmured, feeling her wrap her body around my legs and abdomen.

“ It’ss warm! It’ss hot! Everywhere! There is no esscape from thiss !” She said, panting from the new sensation of heat. Thankfully the lights were dim, as Realm could not stand bright light yet.

“Don’t worry.” I said, stroking her hair again, this time with my hands covered in a soap made from honey, brown sugar, aloe, and a powerful degreaser. “The heat will make you feel better. The cold was bad.”

“ Did you know ?” She whispered as she tightened her body around me just as I freed one leg from her coils to prevent falling into the water.

“Yes. I did.” I whispered and wiped the soap off her brow to keep her eyes clear. “Do you like water? Real water?” I said, holding out a goblet of ice cold water.

“ It doesssn’t exissst! There isss only blood !” Realm cried out, knocking the goblet from my hand.

Without looking, I held out my hand and received another goblet of water from an attendant and held it to Realm’s lips. “Really? It was plenty tasty to me. Tell me what you think.”

Realm slurped the water in the goblet and sighed. “ What is it ?”

“Water.” I said, and gently rinsed her hair with the soapy water in the large spa we were in, watching the grime and filth spill into the fragrant spa water as the soap cut through it all, and made it slough away...turning her grey-brown hair back to a vibrant purple and red again.

“ It doesssn’t exissst !” Realm cried out again, flinging the goblet away.

“Well, at least I thought it tasted like water does.” I muttered as I started to rub her arms and shoulders with a fluffy sponge, cutting the filth and grime from her body.

“ What’ss thisss ?” She cried out as I poured more of the soap on the sponge.

“It’s mostly honey. Have you ever tried it?” I said, holding the sponge for her to see, and held out my other hand behind my back and felt a small pitcher of honey placed into it. I held out the pitcher and let go of the sponge and brought it close, sticking my pinky in it and tasted its sweetness. I dipped my pinky again and held it for Realm.

Realm nibbled on my finger and smiled. “ Thissss does not taste like blood or flesh !” She squealed in delight. She lunged forward and clamped her jagged teeth on my hand and smiled.

I gasped, but resisted the urge to scream or wrench my hand back from her. I took a certain relief that I got another dose of antivenom and anticorruption potion today.

“Careful.” I breathed. “The honey is in this.” I held up the pitcher and handed it to her.

Realm let go and cradled the pitcher as I resumed washing her, now moving to her chest and neck, her abdomen, and tail as she feasted on the honey.

" That'sss mine !" Cried out as I knocked loose a rather large clump of filth from her upper serpentine body.

"It is?" I said, feigning surprise. "Well, surely it will grow back, like your scales, right?"

Realm gave me a scrupulous glare and resumed feasting on the honey.

At last, she was mostly clean. I watched as Julvath’s attendants magically moved the filth, rot, dirt, and grime away from the spa and added more fragrant and cleansing elements to the water.

I reached forward and cradled Realm’s chin and smiled, waiting for her to respond.

“ You are angry at me ?” She said, her voice suddenly small and timid.

“No, why would you think so?” I said.

“ You bare your teeth, like thisss -” She opened her mouth and hissed, showing off her gnarled and rotting teeth and washing my face with her breath that carried the scent of rotting meat and filth.

I just barely kept my face neutral and my stomach from churning out my breakfast and shook my head. “I smile. A smile means that I like you.” I said tracing my finger from the corner of her eye, across her cheek, and to her chin.

“Realm.” I said as I gently took the empty honey pitcher away, “Do you know that I will never hurt you?”

Realm gasped and flinched. She looked me up and down and nodded. “ I know !”

I held out a smaller sponge and drew closer. “Realm, I wish to wipe your face. Will you let me?”

Realm suddenly closed her eyes and became motionless like a purple statue.

I seized my opportunity and gently wiped her face, ears, and the more hard-to-reach crevasses of her features with even stronger cleansers and rinsed her with a fresh cloth.

“The brush.” I whispered to one of the attendants and took advantage of her stillness and, using her chin, opened her mouth and began to scrub her fangs and teeth. One of the attendants slipped in and held a small vessel of cleanser for her mouth and teeth as I kept one hand on her chin, and the other held the brush. My heart wrenched as I saw pieces of her teeth crumble and fall apart from the brush, seeing her gums cut open and her blood trailing down her chin and neck, and the foul sludge that was stuck in every pocket and cavity, slough off into the fragrant water below.

 “Tha- huurrr ” Realm protested, tears starting to pour from her eyes. “ Yuau hurroeethhh ” Her body wrapped around mine and slowly constricted making me all too aware that I had to hurry!

“Healing potion.” I gagged, holding out my hand. I quickly took a large portion of the potion into my mouth and brought my lips to Realm and slowly released it into her bleeding maw.

.

“ Ow! Ow! Ow! ” Realm cried out, holding her hands to her mouth as her violet blood poured from between her fingers. “ Why did you do that ?” She bawled. “ It hurts so much !”

I reached forward and took her into my arms. “You were wounded, I had to take away the bad flesh from you.” I whispered, still holding her as she sobbed into my chest.

“ You promised you wouldn’t hurt me !” She wailed, cracking my ribs and back to emphasize her frustration.

“I know. I did not mean to.” I wiped her violet tears and kissed her lips. “But- don’t you feel better now?”

Realm sniffed and ran her tongue over her freshly regrown teeth. She sighed and nodded. “ Yes .” Her eyes fixed on me and she lunged forward and brought her lips to mine and buried her tongue down my throat and moaned as she squeezed me in a more sensual manner.

I slowly started to ease to the further end of the spa, making slow motions...taking my time, never interrupting her passionate kisses and caresses. I held on to her as we neared the part of the spa with the cold waterfall and where my basket of apples was waiting.

“Realm, I have a gift for you.” I whispered as she broke the kiss with a gasp as we passed under the cold waterfall.

“Here” I whispered again, holding a succulent apple to her.

Realm gasped. She closed her fingers over mine and sniffed the rosy skin and bit into it.

“ Apple ” She whispered, crying, barely chewing the morsel in her mouth. “ This...this...can’t be real ….” she bawled, pieces of the fruit falling from her sobbing mouth.

“ Arden !” Realm cried out, her tail fell loose and her arms took over squeezing the life from me. “ Is this real? Are you real! Oh! Oh! Please tell me you are real! ” She cried.

I responded to her plea with my kiss and held her all the tighter.

Our feverish passions combatted the icy cold water from the more temperate side of the spa. The scenery depicted a vision of loveliness that nature could barely reproduce. A shallow pebble lined grotto, with shore that was covered in a soft blanket of moss that easily served as a bed. We found ourselves laying upon it under the branches of trees that were magically given a wide variety of fresh fruit.

With our lips and tongues still locked together, I pushed my flesh into hers. She whipped her head back and cried out, wrapping her serpentine body around me, not tight enough to constrict or crush, but most certainly refusing to let go.

My mind went far and away as we continued to make love, the background sound of water replacing the mindless gusts and clattering chains, her moans and mine replacing the pattering of rodents and other vermin. The sweet aroma of flowers and clean water replacing the mindless choking presence of rot and filth….and love and relief replacing madness and despair.

.

(later)

.

“''Arden? Hello?''”

I startled awake and looked up to Julvath and nodded. “Sorry, I must have dozed! Is everything okay?”

Julvath nodded. “''Yes. Realm has an extremely long way to go, but she has come so very far- thanks to you.''” She smiled warmly. “In fact- I am releasing her to you as of today!”

I sighed and relaxed back into my chair again. The last few weeks were harsh. After Realm and I paired up, she underwent extreme mental counseling and conditioning. Julvath still maintained she would eventually make a full recovery, but it would take years upon years to get there.

However, every instant that I was allowed to visit with her, I was by her side. And eventually, she could convince herself she was not in some delusion.

And now?

I opened the door just as I finished quaffing a strength potion and saw my Realm looking at me with a shy, almost maniacal expression. She wore simple but clean clothes, and her tail was wrapped around a basket of apples.

She smiled and held one out that was obviously just recently in her mouth as I noticed her fang marks on its side.



“Arden!” She cried, still holding out the apple. “For you!” She said with a crooked smile.

I smiled back and took the apple and embraced my lovely aphosis wife. “Realm, my love! Are you ready to come home with me?”

Realm wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yessss. Oh! Please! Take me away like you did then!”

I bent over and lifted her effortlessly in my arms with the aid of my strength potion and crossed the threshold with her.

Realm sighed and rested her head against my chest as I carried her home.