User blog:Thrögma/Sands of Nasurabi: Hreng

'''This is a continuation of the previous story, hence the same super-title (or whatever it's called). Due to the nature of this project, this is in a way a two-part story; if you want, you can read the first part and this, and not read any following parts, as they will not continue this particular storyline. You understand.'''

When the storm hit, I was quick to get separated from the others. It was a struggle to push through the winds, and I had to close my eyes to protect them from the biting sand, but I had finally made it out. In my haste I managed to grab a waterskin, but as the day turned to night, and turned once more into day, I was running out, and fast. There were maybe a few drops left, and I was totally lost. Navigating the tundras and taigas of Valagard was one thing; when there weren’t landmarks or other natural features to find your way, there was usually water. Maybe a stream, or at least some snow or ice to live off. This was a dry, featureless hellscape. How has shit gotten this bad? Valagard was never inhospitable to half-elves, monsters, or really any non-human entity. And yet, here I was, two oceans, a continent, and half a hemisphere away from my homeland, my people, and my patience for this absolute bullshit. It was a miracle I survived this long. It was nearly dusk when I spotted an oasis. I was saved. Not only was this a rather sizable oasis in the sand, but I could see houses and livestock. Some sort of desert outpost to deliver me from the doors of death. I had no idea if any of my compatriots were so lucky. Perhaps one or two had wandered into an oasis, but I doubted anything like this. Most oases in these parts are mamono wellsprings, and none of these men seemed strong enough to escape the grasp of a monster. Perhaps they were already there, trapped in the embrace of a salacious monster. Not an ideal fate for most, but I suppose it’s better than dying starved in the sand. Walking towards this settlement, this was the first time my mind had such a luxury to think about the fate of my compatriots. It had taken all my will and focus to stay alive and use what magic I knew to find my way to safety. But here I was, at the brink of salvation. A wave of relief passed over me as I made it to the treeline, before collapsing from fatigue.

I awoke to a dark room dimly lit with candles. I groaned as I sat up and looked around. It was a sparsely decorated affair, with thin woolen hangings, a small table, and some tools.

“Don’t get up, you need your rest!” a voice came from across the room. I turned to see a young unicorn walk through a hanging carpet acting as a sort of door.

“Who are you? Where am I? Stay away from me!” I panicked.

“My name is Orley, and you're safe. My husband found you passed out at the edge of the oasis. You were tremendously dehydrated and nearly dead from heatstroke, you might not have made it if he hadn't been there.”

“I see,” I muttered, lying back down. “Sorry, I was concerned you may have had some intentions with me. Probably super offensive to make such a judgement, but I’ve never been good with people.” I groaned. “Sorry. Name’s Hreng.”

“I understand Hreng,” Orley said respectfully, “monsters tend to have a reputation. But don’t worry, you won’t get raped by a monster unless you're consciously or unconsciously attracted to her, so there’s nothing to be scared of,” she smiled reassuringly.

“Oh. Umm… thanks?” I said.

“You can stay with us until you’ve found a new home,” Orley offered.

“Oh, I’m not staying. I’m more of a boreal forest guy. Thanks though.”

“I suppose that makes sense considering your parentage,” she sighed, as I realized my hat was gone. “But few people leave the oasis. There’s nowhere to go for miles. We’re surrounded on all sides by deep desert, and the storms are wild and unpredictable. A much less hospitable monster than I would take the opportunity to claim you, if you don’t die first. You barely survived as is. You’ll stay here, where it’s safe, and that’s that,” she declared, putting her hands on her hips (or second set of shoulders).

“Great,” I mumbled, pulling the blanket over my ears.

“What are you doing?” Orley tilted her head in confusion.

“I uh…” I stuttered.

“Is this about that parentage comment? I promise I’m not racist or anything. Nobody here has anything against half-elves. It’s just we don’t really get many of you around here,” she stammered. “I’ll get dinner ready. Turner will be home soon. In the meantime you should rest. I healed you as best as I could, but it won’t do much good if you don’t give your body some time to recover.”

I nodded, as I lay back down. I was still quite tired, mostly from the exhausting trek to this haven. Orley left the room humming, going into what I assumed was a kitchen. Nestling down in the soft blankets, I turned towards the wall. Glancing out the window, I thought I could see a woman’s face staring at me from behind a building, before disappearing in a faint scuttling sound. It was not long before sleep overtook my curiosity.

“Dinners ready,” a soft voice pierced my slumber, as I awoke to Orley’s smiling face. “You’ll need to eat to keep up your strength. Come!” I grunted, as I flopped out of bed onto the stone-tile floor. “See,” she giggled, “you're running on fumes! Come on, we’ve got oryx tonight!” I shuffled to my feet, yawning and shambling to the kitchen.

“Hey!” came a voice from the table. I turned to see a heavyset young man, maybe early thirties waving at me, grinning. “Name’s Turner. I found you at the edge of the oasis. Good to see you alive!” he grinned.

“Yeah,” I yawned. “Thanks for that. You saved my ass.” I took a seat.

“So, how’d you get all the way out here? You're a northerner, aren’t you?” Turner asked. “Shank?” he asked, handing me a plate with a large shank of steaming meat on it.

“Thanks,” I smiled, taking the platter of oryx meat.

“A bit of a long story,” I sighed. “Salt?”

“Well, tell us!” Orley exclaimed, passing a salt shaker.

“Alright. So, Valagard is a pretty hospitable place. It’s one of the last nations left where men and elves still coexist. Real elves. Non-monsterized ones, I mean. Not only elves, but the last pure non-monsterized dwarves as well, as well as monsters,” I explained.

“So you’ve had dealings with monsters before,” Orley inquired.

“Yeah, a bit. Valagard is generally monster-tolerant. It’s safe and hospitable to all mamono, but there are laws. You know, anti-rape laws. It’s illegal for a monster to assault someone without receiving explicit consent,” I paused. “Though the sabbath is forbidden to operate on Valag soil, and any illegal sabbath operations are tracked down and expelled from the borders. Very few loli monsters live in Valagard, they’re generally scared of getting deported, so they usually stay away. Even when they’re not sabbath-associated.”

“So what happened?” Turner said quizzically, reaching for a rib.

“Well, growing up, things were fairly good and safe. But about eight years ago, my fjord was invaded by pirates from Huo. Huargs, as you may know, are a more human-centric culture. Asides for pillaging a large swath of my island, they started settling in. it became… unsafe to be a nonhuman. My parents were lynched for their mixed-blood status, and my brother and I barely managed to survive. By that time, all the ports on the island were under Huarg control, so leaving wasn’t an option; we’d be found out. So we hid out in the woods for over two months. After that, the villagers started to rebel, and drove off the Huargs, but by that point most of the nonhumans had been taken to god knows where.”

“So you took the opportunity to escape?” Orley asked.

“I wish we’d been that wise,” I laughed. “We stayed, and tried to build a life, but a month later, the damn sabbath arrived. It was a full-on invasion. They took advantage of our vulnerable state to launch a campaign to establish a foothold in the Walrus Sea, so as to have a better chance of invading mainland Valagard. After that, my brother and I just tried to get out. Last I saw him, we were scrambling across the docks to board a merchant ship, leaving for Sarcophano. My brother wasn’t fast enough, and the ship left without him. I couldn’t tell you what became of him, but I hope he’s safe from those dreadful little brats. After I got to Sarcophano, I just started travelling. The outside world can be hostile to my kind, and in most states it’s illegal to to interbreed with other races. Even the children can be prosecuted. And I dared not board a ship back to be found out and detained. Then, about a year ago, I got found out by my landlord. So I took a risk, and boarded a boat to somewhere he wouldn’t find me. That’s how I ended up in Nasurabi.”

“That’s terrible,” Orley gasped.

I stopped. “Out of curiosity, are there any people I should be worried about here?”

“What do you mean? I mean, we've got some interesting folk to be honest, but really nothing to be afraid of,” Orley responded thoughtfully.

“Because a bit before I fell asleep, I thought I saw a woman looking at me through the window,” I said carefully. “I shouldn’t have to conceal my identity here, should I?”

“You’re safe with us, Hreng. In this village, we bear no such judgments about identity or desire. It’s probably just one of the single girls,” Turner said. “We don’t get many new guys around here, and they can get a bit excited when a man shows up. She’s probably just curious and wanted to take a look. Who knows, she might even be the one to claim you,” he chuckled.

“Claim me?” I stared, finishing my drink. “What do you mean? Is someone going to attack me?”

“Well, yes and no,” Turner sighed, taking a pause to polish off a crispy bone. “See, a single monster is always drawn to a man, right? Especially if he’s a new guy. They use a sort of… mana-personality-chemistry-radar… thing. To find out if they’re compatible with the man, yeah? So like, if a guy is only into tall and thin women, and hates inhuman lower halves, any, uh, ant arachne would know about it. And not target him. But like, if they happen to be compatible, she’ll go for it. Even if the guy doesn’t know they’re compatible, or even if he initially thinks they aren’t or is taken aback. In which case, she is likely to attack you to initiate a life together.” He paused. “Am I explaining this right?”

“Of course,” Orley smiled, wiping a bit of grease from her husband's cheek.

“So, if a girl senses that we’re compatible… she’ll rape me? Even if I don’t want it, or I run away?” I asked, very confused and pretty scared.

“If she can tell that you inherently belong together and your apprehension will give way to love and lust, then yeah. Don’t worry though, I haven’t met a single man who regretted that moment. If it happens, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it and be thankful it happened,” Orley smiled warmly, clearly unaware of how uncomfortable this prospect made me.

“Is there anything I can do to prevent this situation?” I asked nervously.

“Why would you want to prevent it? I’ve heard it’s quite a thrilling experience,” Turner asked in a rather confused tone. “I wouldn’t know, Orley proposed to me peacefully. I suppose you can try to beat her to it. Find a girl, and ask her. I’m sure she’d say yes. You could probably skip that process altogether, and ravish her then and there.”

“What? No,” I stammered. “I’m not going to rape a girl, even if she wants it! I just want to know if there’s a way to prevent myself from being attacked. Not by making the first move before any of these ladies can beat me to it, just avoiding it altogether. Or even a way to ward her off if she comes upon me.”

“You're never going to be able to stop a monster when her heart’s set on you,” Turner said matter-of-factly as he finished his drink. “A monster is far more powerful than a human. She’ll get what she wants, you can't stop her. But look, you’ll be fine. It always turns out for the best.”

“You guys are weird,” I stuttered. “Very kind and hospitable, but your lack of concern for my seemingly inevitable sexual assault is very worrying. I think I need some air.” I stood up, and left the house into the cool of night.

“If he’s so concerned about getting raped or detained, why did he just walk out unprotected into the night, where whoever was watching him is bound to be waiting?” Turner asked Orley with a puzzled look on his face.

“Destiny perhaps? I think he actually does want to get assaulted by a monster, and he’s just in denial,” Orley pondered. She giggled. “Though I wonder who will get him first.”

The cool desert air was a welcome distraction from that very uncomfortable conversation. The sky was dark, and the only sound lingering in the air was the chirping of insects. That, and the faint sounds of people doing… things. This was absurd! How could those people think like that?! Enjoying being raped is… it’s wrong! That’s not how you should feel… should it? I paused for just a second to consider the question. No! That would be crazy! Only crazy people would enjoy being forced down and ravished by a monster! No matter how… unbearably beautiful they are… and how amazing the sex would be… it would be crazy and wrong to like it! These people, they’re mad! These thoughts were making me rather hot and sweaty, even in the cool air. I headed to the lake to perhaps cool off a bit. I thought I heard skittering, and stopped. I looked around, only to be greeted by the dark night sky and empty streets. Probably just a beetle or something. A big beetle. Or even a mon-

My thoughts were cut off by a sharp rush of pain. My body went numb and limp, as I fell to the floor. A flood of heat surged my body, as I lay gasping on the ground, stiff and immobile and staring at the sky. All I could feel was the heat, as well as a… towering erection. Oh nononononono! I heard a familiar skitter, as I saw a female figure look down at me. She was a young woman, and rather thin, with short dark brown hair and caramel skin. A skimpy royal blue attire did little to hide her physique, and a thin purple veil covered the lower half of her slender face.

“Gotcha,” she whispered coldly. Skittering forwards, I saw two large pincers rise above me. A cancer? Obviously not, as a dread crept up on me. I knew what this was even before I saw her long, stinging tail. A girtablilu. She bent over, and picked me up, and carried my limp and stiffened body away. Not once did she look at me, not that she needed to; her icy blue eyes were as cold and severe as death. We passed through the streets, as the woman carried me into a lone house by the edge of the treeline, separated from the rest of the village by unpaved earth and desert plants.

“We’re home,” she said, as she lowered me onto a large bed. She removed her veil, and tossed it aside. “My name is Elish. I saw Turner bring you in this evening. I’m gonna rape you now.” She said it almost casually, as she cast off her blue robes, revealing her breasts.

“That’s good to know. Because here I thought you were just going to buy me dinner, so it’s good to hear you have nobler intentions. I was almost getting worried,” I rasped. It was somewhat hard to speak.

“A joker. I like that,” she replied, as a demented smile crept across her face. With a tearing sound, she cut the clothes from my body with her claws, and exposed my swollen flesh. With a sadistic smile, she leaned in and kissed me, grasping for my tongue with hers. Gasping, she mounted my stiffened member, enveloping me. An immense heat flooded my body, as I plunged into her, unable to do anything to resist. Helpless, I was engulfed by this woman, as she raged upon me, thrashing and thrusting, doing as she pleased. Kissing me, stroking me, rubbing her breasts upon me, stabbing me with her toxic stinger, as I emptied myself inside of her again and again. But it was never over, and with every stab came a rush of warmth, and I could feel myself refill, just to be milked dry, with the cycle restarting once more. It was… it was more than I could bear. I was overwhelmed by the immeasurable pleasure that coursed through every vein in my body. Again and again, I released myself into her.

In a strange way… I was happy. In a way I hadn’t been for a long time. I didn’t care if this was wrong, to enjoy this intense domination. It was like this loneliness I had felt for so long was washed away, as her rough, overpowering love consumed me. Because that was what I saw in her eyes, as she ravished my body: love. Adoration. Longing. Hunger. A loneliness that was finally gone. In a strange way, this was the only way she could express all that love that had waited in her for so long. So enamored, all she could do was ravage me until her years of longing were satisfied. It was then I understood; she was an outsider just like me. I could feel it in her, see it in the power of her gaze. A kindred spirit had brought us together, and together we could belong.

“You know I couldn’t help myself, right,” Elish whispered into my ear. “You understand what it’s like to be alone for so long. But then there you were, and I knew you were to be mine. I had to make my move, before the others did.” It had been two days since I had found myself in the oasis. For the first time in so long, I felt like I could belong. Elish lived as something of a recluse for the past 13 years of her life, ever since she had found the oasis. Most of the other monsters found her cold demeanor off-putting, and so she never really tried to make friends.

“I understand. My whole life I was running from those who wished to destroy me. And now for the first time, someone wanted not to reject me, but to embrace me. Though I suppose you didn’t need to be so forceful,” I said gently, as I looked at her.

“Would you have come with me if I’d asked?” murmured Elish.

“No. Too long I’d been wary. I suppose what you did was…” I paused, and laughed to myself. “For the best.”

“Yeah. Besides, you know you like it. I can see how much you enjoy being violated by me. You're getting addicted to my venom,” she giggled. I blushed, and looked away. “Come on. We’re going to be late. Orley’s throwing a brunch to formally welcome us to the oasis,” Elish laughed.

“Alright. I suppose it would be good to get out, make some friends. Let’s go.” I sighed. As hectic as the past two days were, I felt like I was finally home, like I finally belonged.