The sound of dripping water muffled by the fungal growth filled the grotto as Aoth stirred on a sleeping bag that wasn’t his. Memories of the night before were like distant shadows, fading away just as he was about to focus on them; his throbbing headache did not help. Opening his eyes felt pointless, as the man could clearly tell that there wasn’t enough light here to even see anything. Yet he still did, only to be met with the gentle darkness.
Was he out drinking? He didn’t remember ever leaving his room that day, with him feeling a certain attraction to one of the objects from their latest haul. It was an odd, vaguely egg-shaped crimson device decorated with golden accents. They didn’t know its purpose, but it had this aura of value even before the anonymous buyer arrived to evaluate whether it was genuine. This is why the privilege of holding onto the object fell onto Aoth - leader of the thieves guild. He was already giving so much to the new members, bailing them out of trouble thanks to his connections with the city guard. The least they could do was accept the right of seniority which he had when handling any new assets. But of course, no. They complained, they whined, and they stomped their feet.
But this…Looking at his wrist, he never expected them to go this far. A black band wrapped around it, resonating with dull magical energy - like a fading ache. He clenched his fist, seeing the band disturbed by his veins. It was the mark of an outcast, the symbol of those banished from the guild and never permitted to rejoin. How dare they! He was their guild master. He was the only thing keeping their asses out of Ashgate. Their little outburst was going to be the end of them, that much he could promise. As soon as Aoth found his way out of this dingy cavern, he was going to mobilize all of his remaining assets. The guild either existed with him at its helm or it burned - there was no in-between.
He jumped to his feet, inspecting his surroundings. Huge black mushrooms encompassed the walls, their caps pressing against each other to fight for space. They were similar to the ones he had seen before, but much, much larger. Aoth shook his head, brushing away the fear that they may have somehow dumped him in the Underdark. Even for them, that would be just cruel. But if not the Underdark, then where? Just how far from the City of Lorken was he?
Slap. Slap. Slap. The distant sound of soles pounding against stone was getting louder. Aoth took a look around, just to find all of his equipment missing - including his clothes. No matter, he had fought naked before. Having said that, he never was in a fight without the blade which had stayed by his side ever since the first time he had to gut somebody for the guild.
The figure was whistling something, her voice vaguely feminine. As she passed down a winding tunnel and into the grotto, Aoth’s fists unclenched. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but a fairy carrying his laundry definitely wasn’t it. She had long, straight blonde hair with two bright blue eyes which glowed gently in the darkness. Her petite body was wrapped in a skimpy dress fashioned from dark green oak leaves - the translucent insect-like wings resting passively while not used for flight.
“Oh, there you are.” She spoke up, her voice soft and hushed. Without warning, she threw all his stuff to the ground with a wet plop. “Your things. I washed them for you. There was some blood. A lot of blood, actually.”
There was a moment of silence. Aoth just stared at the fairy, expecting her to do something. When she did nothing except look back at him, he decided to take the lead. “Weird. Normally, women wake up naked in my house, not the other way around.” He tried joking, just to find the fairy continuing to give him a blank face. Being embarrassed was a foreign emotion to the thief, with him deciding to cough and move along instead of lingering on it. “You do realize that I am naked, right?”
“Yeah, and?” Barmaids back in the capital used to blush whenever he got too close to them. Now, he was giving this dumb fairy a full display, yet she didn’t even twitch.
“And?” He blinked, repeating the question.
“I don’t care.” She shrugged, her lips suddenly turning into a cheek smile as a pinkish blush appeared on her face. “I am only after that big human cock~” Letting out a squeal, the fairy placed her hands on both of her warm cheeks.
"I am a human.” Aoth said blankly, watching the fairy swoon from side to side while fantasizing about something he probably would rather not picture in his head.
“A human?” She snorted, holding back laughter. “I’ve never seen a human that’s 2 inches tall.”
It was then that a horrible realization hit Aoth. He had shrunk! These weren’t some huge magical mushrooms, they were Embercaps - the very same he would collect during his youth. A single whack against their spongy bodies confirmed his suspicion, with the tiny chamber filling with their golden glow. “It can’t be…” He ruffled his hand through his thick black hair, sitting down on the ground in disbelief as the sudden flash of light blinded his unadjusted eyes.
“Listen, I am sorry that you lost your wings.” Her face defaulted to the blank stare she seemed to hold whenever not thinking about something lustful. “Fairies don't typically last long without them."
“I didn’t lose my wings, I was shrunk!” Aoth slammed his fist against the ground, hurting it in the process. “Bastards! Olaka and her saggy, poison-filled tits are going to pay for this!”
“Olaka?” The fairy rubbed her chin. “That’s a human name, right? Do you have human friends?”
“I am a human.” He repeated, his face growing tired. Being forced to repeat himself was one of his deepest pet peeves, one which he punished his guild members for when they questioned his order. “And I am going to turn myself back to normal, removing this curse!” He threw his hands in the air, not knowing whether this was actually the work of some hex, potion, or something more esoteric. Squatting down, he began picking up his equipment. Despite being slightly wet, everything was still there - his trusty dagger amongst the pile.
“Can I come with you? Can I?” The fairy’s long elven ears moved up and down in excitement.
“Come with me?” Aoth mumbled, sliding on the black shirt. “Why the hell would you want to come with me? This has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and the guild.”
“You know humans, right?”
He exhaled. If she wasn’t going to listen to him, he might as well tell the woman what she wanted to hear. “Yeah, I know humans.” It's not like he was lying.
The fairy pumped her fists. “You can introduce me to them. Right? Right?”
Fastening the last belts before departing, Aoth actually began paying attention to the fairy instead of responding with the first thing that came to his mind. “People don't really interact with fairies that much. It's bad luck to accidentally hurt one.” That being said, he was more than willing to slap her if the girl wasn't going to get a grip. "Why do you wanna get so close so them?"
“Humans are just so beautiful.” Her face was a contrast of cuteness and lust, with deep breaths for the cave’s stale air. “They’re so big and strong and handsome. And I love it when they-”
Aoth raised his right hand. “Alright, that’s enough.” Despite her…attitude, having a fairy on the team could prove to be really useful, especially since at this size he had as much mobility as a wingless beetle. “Fine, I will get you a manservant if you help me grow back to normal, deal?”
She clapped her hands together, extending her palm - a gesture not native to fairies and one she learned from her days of voyeurism on humans. “My name is Myla.”
The thief grasped tightly onto her petite hand, giving her a handshake that was just a little too firm. “I am Aoth. Aoth of Lorken.”
Side by side, the two walked out towards the light, the sound of great rapids being revealed to simply be a thin stream passing by an abandoned animal borrow which he had mistaken for a cave. The steep banks appeared like those of a canyon, with boulder-sized pebbles littering the sandy shores. Aoth took in a deep breath, glancing at Myla with an uneasy face.
Adventuring parties rarely form under ideal circumstances. The image of a group of people gathering together in some grand guild hall to embark on an epic quest was a myth. The people in need simply have the tendency to group together - for wealth, safety, and glory. Perhaps a tiny fairy was the best that he was going to get, despite how much of a downgrade it was from working with the greatest rogues of Apolisia.
"This is going to be a pain." The thief grumbled as they walked downstream. "I barely even know where we are!"
"Your map was totally soaked by the time I found you." Myla explained, striding with her hands behind her back. Flying was a lot faster, but she found it exhausting. Being able to walk around was more relaxing anyways.
"Even if I had that map, there is no way of knowing where we are without any landmarks."
"Landmarks?" The fairy tapped her chin, briefly flying up to inspect the surrounding. "Oh! There is a village sign there!"
Aoth raised his head, using his right hand to keep the sun out of his eyes. "Good girl! What does it say?"
Myla squinted before looking down at him and shrugging. "I can't read."
Rubbing his forehead in annoyance, Aoth once again looked up at the fairy. "Can you lift me up?"
She landed next to him, sitting down on a rock to take a quick break from flying. "No way! I can barely support my own body weight."
"Come on, just try it." He raised his hands like a child waiting to be picked up.
Watching Myla trying to raise him was embarrassing, with her awkward groans and huffs for air making him wince. "Alright, stop that." He lowered his hands, putting one on the panting fairy's back and giving her a few encouraging pats to not asphyxiate to death. But just as they were about to allow themselves to take a break, something moved in the distance - something big.
From above the river bed, 2 gargantuan figures emerged, their yellow eyes scouring the ground. Aoth could feel the ground shake as their bare feet impacted against it, the noise of rocks sliding down like boulders filling the tiny man with anxiety. Myla instinctively took flight, her tiny head moving from side to side that that of a startled bird. He was now on the ground alone, his eyes focusing on the gargantuan silhouettes. To his surprise, those beasts were actually a pair of goblins - nothing more.
The one holding the spear (if you could even call that crude sharpened stick a spear) shouted something at her companion in an excited tone. “Nesh told you they fly-elfs here!” She was naked, with her olive-green body decorated by deep red tribal markings. Brushing aside her short messy white hair, he could see the woman’s bright eyes and a wicked smile that showed off her carnivorous fangs.
Myla swallowed nervously as Nesh poked at the air with her weapon, trying to knock down the fairy as if she were a bothersome insect. From her experience, the hunters typically didn’t bother actually trying to catch her kind, rather leaving behind traps for them to be ensnared in. She knew that because she once fell for one - the most embarrassing moment of her life.
“Nesh have enough fly-elfs.” The other one was at least dressed, wearing a fur coat decorated by bone-crafted trinkets. She appeared to be a shaman, looking more mature and developed than her companion. Her skin was also shined with an emerald color rather than the immature olive shade of her younger kin. “Ulvala says we go camp. No hunting.”
The young goblin pouted, stomping her feet on the ground while snarling. “Nesh wants! Nesh wants!” Aoth yelped at the sensation of the tantrum-induced earthquake, Nesh's feet appearing like huge slabs despite belonging to one of the most pathetic creatures in the realm. Why was he forced to look up at her with the same feeling of insignificance one feels during the giant raids?
They locked eyes, his tiny heart beginning to race at the sight of her giant hands approaching him. Taking out his dagger, he slashed at her skin in defiance, creating a small scratch that only provoked Nesh to get her grubby hands on his form. He had wiggled out of traps and nets before, but being in her grasp was simply overwhelming - all the air forced out of his lungs as the excited goblin ran back to her camp, her shaman following behind unamused.
Myla watched as Aoth’s body disappeared within Nesh's palms, landing down on the other side of the river. Satisfied with the spoils, the greenskins retreated back to their camp.
Being part of an adventuring party seemed exciting at first, but it looked like their first fight against a pair of goblins ended in total defeat.
Aoth felt himself rattling inside of the goblin’s grasp, continuously hitting her soft skin. He was battered from left to right and up and down so much, that even telling where the ground was became difficult. At one point, he stopped attempting to catch his breath, taking in the humid air of the sweaty hands. Nesh’s aroma was intoxicating, with the sweat and dirt coating her body amalgamating into a distinct earthy smell. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but certainly unique and demanding his attention. If he made it out of here alive, he would probably still remember that scent a few years from now. Did all the goblins smell like that? Aoth dreaded finding out.
The man had reluctantly accepted that being shrunken down was now just a part of his life until the curse was undone, but he couldn’t help but clench his teeth in anger. If it were a human or an orc or even an elf, he would be perfectly fine with being manhandled by them like an insect - an acceptable humiliation on the road to success. But a goblin? No. He could never accept that. His captor peaked her huge yellow eye into the grasp - her fingers appearing like bars of a cage as light filtered past them. “Pretty!” She cried out, her fangs on full display.
Finally at the camp, the thief was able to take small glances at his surroundings each time Nesh’s fingers loosened ever so slightly. Just as expected, he found himself in the center of a goblin village. The crumbling wooden huts and stained tents were built without any planning in mind, with them being too close or too far away from each other. The 3 ft-tall greenskins prowled throughout the makeshift settlement, some sharpening rusty stolen weapons while others picked the vegetables from primitive gardens. Ulvala excused herself, heading to a larger hut with the rest of the shamans in order to discuss matters of importance to the tribe. This left him alone with Nesh and whatever she had planned for him.
The inside of her tent was dim, with the only light slithering through the holes in the fabric. The goblin shifted his body so now only his legs were trapped in her grasp, his arms compensating by flailing around - trying to keep balance. Using her thumb and index finger, Nesh slid off Aoth’s clothes, fiddling with his naked form. She looked curiously at his back as if there was something interesting written on it, but the man quickly understood that the goblin was planning to bind his wings just to find out that he had none. A cruel smile appeared on her face. No matter. This just made playing with him easier.
Throwing the man onto the pile of furs which constituted a sleeping mat, Nesh plopped down both of her chubby goblin feet mere inches away from the tiny. Their soles were an even paler shade of green, with the woman’s wrinkly soles scrunching as she watched him slowly trying to back away. Taking a few steps back, he stopped, swallowing nervously. Both of them knew that attempting to run away would be pointless. All it would take is a twitch or Nesh putting her foot down for the tiny to perish.
Aoth took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He could feel immense body heat emanating from the dirt-covered sole, with Nesh’s familiar scent becoming even more pronounced as it entered his lungs. Through the hazy cloud of steam, he did notice something wrapped around her toe - something golden and shiny. He wasn't an expert in the arcane by any stretch of the imagination, but the thief had stolen enough of them to know a magical ring when he saw one. There was something about that bright red gem that told him the band was imbued with power. But here it was, acting as the goblin’s toe ring without the respect for the magic it could hold. Stealing it almost felt like a favor for its creator, for who would even want their magnum opus to fall into the hands of such a lowly creature?
His fantasies of doing the one thing which he was good at - one thing that could return some sense of normalcy to the situation - were broken as her soles were forced closer in his face, with Nesh looking down at him with a demanding look. “Rub!” She snapped, clearly expecting him to have already started.
No. He couldn’t do it. Every time he tried to extend his hand towards the green sole, a horrible sensation washed down his spine. Him - leader of the greatest guild on the continent - rubbing the feet of a goblin? He would have rathered die. Nesh was able to provide that for him, pressing the ball of her foot against his body. Immediately, Aoth was forced to the ground, his face locked in place as the woman ground her sole against him. Sweat and grime now also coated his hair and skin, making him look as if he had just tussled with an orc. Despite it taking no effort for the goblin to overpower him into submission, she was relentless - pressing her flesh deeper and deeper against his body.
Just as he was approaching the barrier between life and death, Nesh lifted her foot, seeing if the tiny man was willing to be more compliant. Fairies were rare to catch, after all. Killing one would be a waste the goblin learned to avoid. With great difficulty, the man managed to will his shaky legs into standing up. He wiped the grime off his face in one swift motion, knowing what needed to be done. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand against the warm skin of her sole with a grimace. Getting a proper grip was impossible as his hands sunk deep into her olive-colored flesh - the thin layer of sweat not making it any easier. “It will be over soon.” He told himself, beginning to rub and squeeze the goblin’s feet.
Nesh let out a giggle which might have sounded cute if it didn’t escape through her carnivorous maw. “Good pet!” She boasted, gently tapping her sole against his face as some kind of encouragement. It worked, if not in the way she had intended. Her foot acted as an outlet for his anger, with Aoth squeezing the bundles of her skin as tightly as his weary arms could allow him. He punched it, pinched it, and rubbed it until his muscles became sore, yet the rage within him demanded more.
As he continued the relentless assault, Aoth noticed a faint sound coming from eerily still Nesh. She was beginning to snore, the pleasure allowing her to drift into slumber. Before he even realized it, her gentle snores had transformed into loud growling sounds escaping from her opened mouth - like the roars of a hibernating bear. For such a small creature, she made more noise than any of his old bunkmates.
This was his chance. But first, he needed to get that ring.
“Come on…Come on…Come on…” Myla mumbled to herself as she navigated the busy camp, the sound of goblins shouting orders at each other combined with their wicked war songs booming above her. She needed to stay low to the ground while avoiding the pounding feet of the goblins as well as all the trash they'd thrown haphazardly throughout the camp. The sense of duty within the tiny fairy mixed with her lust into a weird determination that could push her through this.
“There you are!” She squeezed out, only to be immediately shushed by the tiny man. Much to her surprise, he was currently climbing up the foot of the sleeping goblin, using his trembling hands to grip her moist skin for support.
Gesturing to her to keep quiet, Aoth pointed towards the golden ring. Taking the hint, the fairy flew up to her 2nd toe just as the man performed one final push to bring himself up into the space between her piggies. The adventurers locked eyes, giving each other an understanding nod as they both placed their hands against the ring. Its metal was warm, with the goblin’s pudgy toes making sliding it off difficult. They felt the toes slowly beginning to clench in on them as Nesh was waking up, giving them just enough time to push it off. This little success was soon met with the trembling of the goblin girl as Aoth fell onto the sleeping mat while Myla flew up - weighed down by the repossessed artifact.
The ring glowed with red energy in the fairy’s grasp. She was forced to fly lower and lower until the stolen ring began losing mass. Looking down at it, the thing seemed to wrap itself around her petite finger - shrinking to match the proportions of its new owner. A surge of energy circled through Myla’s veins just as she witnessed Nesh standing up. Using her newfound strength, she flew up as high as her wings could take her. Bracing for the familiar tiredness that came with forcing her little wings to support her weight, she found it oddly absent. Her muscles felt more pronounced and dense, having more stamina and resistance to stress.
While Myla celebrated the newfound power, Aoth fought for his life against the cranky Nesh. All regard she had for her miniature slave disappeared as soon as she was awakened from her pleasant dream. Now, she had no issue decorating her feet with his remains. Still regaining her consciousness, the goblin’s groggy feet missed on their first assault, with Nesh stumbling backward as Aoth was forced on his back. She snarled, determined not to miss again. With the silhouette of the green sole’s outline now basking him in shadow, the thief braced for impact.
The pad of Nesh’s sole was falling onto him, but instead of the overwhelming weight of the foot from above, another powerful force pushed him off to the side before hoisting the man into the air. Daring to open his eyes, he saw Myla locking hands with him - his feet dangling in the air. They gained altitude as she barely made her way through the hole in the tent without losing momentum - the sound of the village fading behind them.
Landing on a nearby tree branch, Myla began wheezing for air as her tiny chest moved up and down - her cheeks periodically becoming round as they filled with air. Despite the thin smoke coming from the goblin camp looming in the distance, they enjoyed a moment of refuge.
“Not bad.” A weak smile appeared on Aoth’s face as he watched Myla trying to regain her bearings. It looked like she wanted to accept the compliment, but all that came out of her mouth were labored gasps.
Eventually, she managed to calm down, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “It’s the ring.” She exclaimed, showing her slender hand to him like a noble woman in a jewlery store. “Must be magical.”
“Correct.” He agreed, taking the moment to try getting more grime off his face. “That’s why I insisted on getting it.”
“That was dangerous!” Myla objected to his calm demeanor, looking up at the sky while letting out a defeated sigh.
“We made it out alright, didn’t we?”
She rubbed her chin as if it were a difficult question. “Yeah, I guess we did!” Once again, an emotionless look of contentment appeared on her face. Aoth couldn’t quite decide if the fairy was stupid or not, but this question was something he was willing to let go of for the time being.
Looking over the horizon and away from the wretched goblin camp, Aoth was able to appreciate the setting sun as its golden glow turned a deep shade of orange. Even at his usual size, staring up filled him with a feeling of awe at the star's grandiose presence. This effect was much more amplified now, with his body slowly decompressing from the events of today. The sight of a town lighting up against the darkness as candles were lit and campfires started announced to Aoth his next destination. Unlike the goblin camp, it clearly had thought and plan put into it, with both stone and wooden houses arranged in districts - the tower of the main temple dominating his line of sight. This is where he was going to find help. But not today. Tomorrow.
The fairy lowered the both of them by the side of the thin stream near which he had woken up. Riling himself up, Aoth plunged into the cold water, the dirt and scent of goblin feet washing away from his shivering body. Myla was by his side, her pale skin shining in the moonlight as she washed her long, blonde hair. Just as before, she showed very little interest in his body. While initially offended by it, this indifference did make the woman a lot more approachable. Stupid or not, she saved his life after all.
He glanced at Myla’s nude form to see her fidgeting with the magical ring on her finger, giving her a smile she couldn’t possibly see. Maybe instead of angels, tinies like him got their own guardian fairies.