The vast ocean spanned from horizon to horizon, a vista of shimmering and calm blue under the noon sun. Gulls cried overhead and the clouds drifted gently through the air. A slight breeze caressed at the gentle waves, blowing towards the west. It was a crisp and clear day that many a sailor would savor while it lasted.

The scene of natural beauty was disturbed by the presence of a tiny vessel slowly making its way through the waters. It bore a single triangular mast and had enough space for two people to occupy comfortably. The vessel was more designed for fishing out in the bay of a fishing village and certainly not for long voyages at sea. Indeed the boat rocked and swayed at the mercy of the open ocean. This swaying was much to the misery of one of the two occupants of the boat, who was leaning over the side of the vessel and looked very much like she was considering emptying the contents of her stomach upon the clear waters.

Kyoske Isane groaned loudly as the constant motions of the boat upset her stomach, stirring the contents around in a singularly unpleasant manner. She would have been more than happy for a lightning bolt to strike her dead at that very moment. Anything was better than... this. Then there was the smell. Growing up in the Syngaru Empire meant a frequent fare of fish but having to smell it every single minute of every single day was enough to turn her off fish forever.

"Ugh... I hate everything..." She mumbled aloud, just audible enough for the other occupant of the boat to hear.

"Perhaps you might feel better if you stopped staring at the water lapping at the side of the boat? Simply a suggestion, Kyoske-sama." Supplied a calm and rather chipper voice.

A growl left the miserable woman. "Momo-san, shut up. Your voice is too loud."

Momo sighed from her position at the other end of the boat, holding out a little fishing pole over the side of the boat. Even her sigh sounded too loud. Why was every little sound pounding away at her skull? It was probably the seasickness. There was probably something to what the other woman said as watching the lapping waves was certainly NOT helping her stomach settle. However if she moved upright she knew she'd just end up vomiting inside of the boat. The smell of fish was bad enough, but the smell of half-digested fish would be unbearable.

How many days did today mark? Fourteen? Fourteen days at sea. Fourteen miserable days of being unable to keep down much of anything she ate. Fourteen days of being unable to train her body. She could practically feel her toned muscles atrophying from the constant lack of attention. At least she had Momo for company, though really the ease in which the young woman took to this time at sea was not endearing in the slightest. To be honest it left Isane feeling very much like she was the weak one out of the two of them for once.

"Momo-san... can you please fix some rice up?"

A weary sigh was the immediate answer. "You know we finished off the rice five days ago. All we have left is the fish."

Oh... right. Why had she even asked? Isane was certain that she was getting more delirious by the second. Five days on a diet of nothing but fish. Raw fish. The thought of eating more curdled her stomach. She needed to eat something else. Anything else. The cry of a gull echoed in her ears at the woman turned her gaze skywards. They were flying off to whatever destination called to them. They were flying pretty low actually. Just low enough that Isane felt her mouth water at the thought of having Momo pluck bird feathers as opposed to peeling fish scales.

"Get me my bow."

The other woman blinked and turned her gaze towards Isane. "I- what? Why would you... oh. I don't think that's a good idea."

Isane pushed off from the side of the boat and stumbled to her feet. "You are an awful retainer, Momo-san. When your mistress tells you to get something you should- urk!"

It only took a few moments for Isane to realize how much of a bad idea standing was right now and she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach into the blue waters. She wiped at the corner of her mouth as another wave of deliria washed over her mind. Momo sighed from her end of the boat and shook her head slightly at the sight.

"And that is why that was a bad idea. Standing makes it worse. Maybe you should just lie down, Kyoske-sama. I will wake you when dinner is ready." The younger woman supplied helpfully.

Isane didn't lie down so much as she did slump back inside the boat with an audible thunk. The woman looked up at the sky, praying to every spirit she knew of that they would soon reach land. At this point she didn't care what kind of land it was so long as it was some place where she was constantly feeling like she'd throw up. The woman looked across the boat to where their dwindling water reserves were held. With some effort she turned onto her belly and started to crawl over to it.

It was a matter of pride that she didn't just order Momo to get it for her. Her retainer had more important things to worry about than her seasick samurai mistress. Like getting more food so they didn't starve. Isane reached the nearest gourd and removed the stopper before tipping it over her lips. She drank deeply of the water within, swallowing long greedy gulps and appreciating how the cool liquid soothed at her dry throat as it went down. Eating was difficult but at least she could have this good sensation.

She forced herself to stop drinking and placed the stopper back into place. All they had left was in that gourd and a smaller one in the storage space below. After that they would be at the mercy of the rain falls if they didn't find land soon. Isane crawled back to her side of the boat and flopped back onto her back, staring up at the clouds with a prominent frown on her features. Laying down made it easier to deal with and everything wasn't horribly loud anymore at least.

At the best of times Isane was quite the sight to behold though being sick constantly while at sea certainly took away from some of her luster. Her normally tanned skin was much paler and sickly looking, a light sheen of sweat adding a clamminess to it that felt revolting. Her long dark hair was out of its normal topknot and sat wild about her head. Dark circles ringed her almond shaped eyes, indicating lack of sleep lately. Her figure had yet to suffer much so her reasonable curves and her toned muscles were relatively intact. Her hakama and tabi were discarded in the storage below so all she wore was a simple blue kimono, its obi tied haphazardly. For a woman nearing her mid-thirties she still had her fierce beauty.

Her retainer on the other hand looked to have not suffered at all from their time at sea, looking much the same. Her very generous curves and her soft and pale beauty made her look very suited to work in some brothel or another. A tiny and warm smile was a constant presence upon her face, her mood not at all lessened by their misfortune. Her hair was done up into a pair of braids tied with pink ribbons. Her pink floral patterned kimono was done properly and she still wore tabi upon her feet. She was petit and certainly young, just entering her seventeenth year in a few months. The desire of most men really.

Isane groaned again. "Momo-san... next time you suggest we escape from a duel gone bad by boat, remind me to decapitate you. Blech."

"I shall make a mental note of it, Kyoske-sama. You should really get to sleep though."

Isane grumbled slightly at the chipper tone of her retainer's voice before curling up upon the floor of the boat and squeezing her eyes shut. Sleep never came easily and rarely lasted for more than a few hours. Right now that's all she wanted. A few hours of blissful unconsciousness so she didn't have to feel a thing. She trusted Momo absolutely so she knew the young woman would wake her up when it was time to eat. She also knew refusing to eat wasn't an option; Momo would just force it down her throat most likely. Most samurai wouldn't take such things from their servants but Isane had learned just how... forceful little Momo could be.

The next few hours were a blur really as she slipped in and out of consciousness. For the most part her body was numb and she failed to feel the rocking of the boat, so that was certainly a bonus. There were no dreams in her slumber, simply a grey void until the next moment she felt consciousness overtake her. It wasn't good sleep by any stretch but it was the closest she got to actually sleeping.

Finally she was brought fully back into the world as she felt Momo shaking her awake. A tired glare left her dark eyes but her retainer seemed not to notice. Instead she pointed beyond the boat and into the distance. With some effort Isane sat up, her stomach protesting the movement immediately. However as she stared in the direction Momo pointed towards any thoughts of sickness flew from her mind.

In the distance was the blurry shape of land. Not the mainland by the looks of it but possibly and island of some sort. The samurai didn't exactly care about where it was so long as it wasn't this boat. She felt giddy excitement rise up at the mere thought of setting foot on dry land. Unable to contain herself any longer she threw her arms around Momo, who quickly returned the gesture.

"Finally! Thank the spirits. Next time I am at a shrine I intend to donate half of my wealth."

Momo raised an eyebrow at that. "Only half?"

"Well, I do need some for myself still. I never promised to give all of my wealth to the spirits after all... just some."

"Uh huh. Sounds to me like you are trying to get out of a deal."

Isane waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind that, I'll handle that later. We should be getting ready for landfall. Uh... how do we do that exactly?"

Momo rolled her eyes. "If you were born anything but a samurai you would be starving or dead within a fortnight, I swear. I'll show you."

It was then that Isane realized she was standing up. The only warning she received was a slight roiling in her stomach before she was clutching the side of the boat and expelling whatever still remained in her stomach. She slumped against the side and mentally cursed the spirits for their vindictive cruelty. A sigh left the lips of her retainer as she shuffled towards the front of the boat and opened the storage area to pull out a few supplies.

"Actually... just stay right there, Kyoske-sama. You can help when we are near the shore." Momo said.

With that the young woman set herself to the task of preparing the boat to head in towards the island, adjusting course and internally pleased to have the wind with them at the very least.

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Jong let out a grunt as he lifted a basket of rice in his arms and started back towards the village proper. It was approaching the evening and slowly but surely the coastal village of Risi was starting to calm. Samurai still patrolled here or there, watchful for those who dared defy the rules of the daimyo. Jong kept his gaze carefully averted and his posture respectful as he passed them by. It wouldn't do to have his head removed for granting some imagined insult to the prideful warrior class.

The peasant man trudged along back in the direction of his home, pleased to have finished working before the sun dropped below the horizon. Finally he could spend a bit more time with his wife. Honestly he'd been looking forward to that for days now but he had been too exhausted for anything after the long hours in the fields. Honestly he feared it was irritating her somewhat that he couldn't spend time with her.

As he walked past a few fishermen turning in for today he noted a boat approaching the village in the distance. Odd. Maybe they were traders from Sasizu running late on a shipment. He pitied them as the dock master was certainly one to raise tithes whenever he could get away with it. People who arrived 'late' tended to get slammed extra hard. Jong put it out of his mind as he arrived at his small home, sliding open the door and smiling at his wife.

She rose to meet him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "You're home early!"

"Managed to finish up digging the terraces quicker than we thought we would so we got paid extra and sent home early." Jong said, smirking slightly.

His wife took the basket of rice from him and set it aside for later, kneeling down before the fire pit in the center of their home. The field hand sighed at the smell of her cooking. Truly the woman was a saint sent down by the spirits. He sat down across from her and gave her a little smile. They simply stared at each other for a few long minutes. Internally Jong felt a bit nervous. He had thought he had known what he had wanted to do however now... he wasn't entirely sure. Was she even interested in that tonight?

His wife sighed. "Honestly Jong, you think too much."

With that said the woman slipped off her obi and allowed it and her kimono to fall upon the floor as she rose and walked over to him, naked as the day she was born. Jong chuckled nervously at that observation, finding his lips captured by the woman. Immediately his inhibitions left him as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close. It had been so long since they had done something like this.

The man caressed at the soft flesh of her back, breaking from the kiss only for air. He wanted this more often really, this closeness. If his job didn't include such exhausting work then he would probably have it. At the moment however all thoughts of the day fled him, especially when his wife slipped her fingers inside his kimono. A pulse of pleasure shot through his body as he groaned against her, need filling him slowly but surely...

"Jong! Jong, get out here! You have to see this!"

Both lovers let out an exasperated groan. "Yoshi, I'm a little occupied at the moment! Comeback later!"

"No, seriously, get out here! Like right now!"

Jong let out a disgusted sigh and gave his wife an apologetic look. She bit her lower lip but nodded and removed herself from him, allowing him to rise. The man stood and stomped towards the door, sliding it open and glaring at his friend. However the rotund form of Yoshi was not looking at him. He was looking outwards towards the ocean. Jong sighed and stepped outside briskly.

"Alright Yoshi you better have a... good... reason..."

As Jong stared outwards he felt words fail him. His mind went utterly blank and his eyes widened so much it was surprising they did fall from their sockets. The boat he had seen coming in the distance had gotten closer... and a LOT bigger. It was monolithic to say the very least and even that didn't begin to describe the enormity of the thing. The prow stretched up and up and up into the sky and seemed to go on forever. The fact that humans could possibly construct something so very massive defied all belief.

The usually gentle tides of the coast were becoming more volatile the closer the boat came to the village. Its shadow was looming over the village, casting everything in darkness. Most of the village was out and about and staring as the massive boat crept closer and closer unable to look away from the enormity of the sight before them. Jong found it difficult to even grasp that the massive structure was the same boat from before. He was certain he had never seen anything so incredible in his life time.

At least until he saw her.

From the prow of the boat she leapt out, knee deep into the distant waters. A human only she was so massive that Jong wondered if perhaps calling her a goddess would not be unwarranted. The splashed created by her jumped out of the boat and into the sea created great waves on the very shore of the village, crashing violently into some of the homes there. Wood cracked and splintered under the force of the waves and dozens were dragged out to sea by the waves created from just a simply movement.

"Jong, what was... what in the name of the spirits is that!?"

Jong was broken out of his stupor by his wife, who had replaced her kimono upon herself and was staring out at the massive wild haired woman looming above them. It was then that he realized that they needed to get out of here. To that... woman no doubt they were all flecks of dust upon the ground. She wouldn't see them and she certainly wouldn't hear them. Judging from the rope in her fingers it was likely that she was coming ashore. Jong didn't want to be around when that happened.

He grabbed his wife by the hand and shook her out of her own stupor. "We have to run! If we can make it to the fields we might have a chance to get away!"

"I... What... She..."

Jong turned his attention to Yoshi. "Yoshi! Find your family and start running! Go!"

The other man needed no more prompting and ran off to do just that. It appeared others had the same idea that Jong had and were running out of the village as fast as they could. Some closer to the shore continued to stare up at the goddess and her boat, unable to move from fear and awe. This proved to be their downfall as the woman started trudging forward through the sea, pulling her rope over her shoulder. The tides picked up violently again as waves assaulted the village, carrying out homes and families out to sea and likely a watery grave.

Jong faced no such paralysis and ran out of the village, his wife picking up the pace behind him. His heart was racing as he ran past fellow villages and even panicking samurai. He didn't blame them. What were the warrior's going to do? Stab at her toe for hours until maybe they drew blood? All the while as he ran he told himself not to look back. The fear would slow his legs; he knew that was the truth.

Even still, as he reached the field he found his eyes glancing back over his shoulder, his heart nearly stopping at the sight. The massive woman had reached the shore of the village and, with a single movement rose her foot up out of the water. Massive fat drops of salt water crashed below as they fell from her drenched kimono and her soaked foot, shattering through roofs and splattering upon groups of fleeing people. The shadow of her kimono fell over all that were still within the village, though that wasn't the worst bit.

Her foot was raised up high into the air, higher than Jong thought the highest bird could fly. Rivulets of water ran between her toes and along the creases of her sole, dripping steadily down below. It stayed poised like that for what seemed like forever before it descended suddenly. In an instant, people, homes, lives were smashed out beneath the foot of this goddess of destruction. A loud boom shook the very ground upon which most fled and Jong knew that he was a mere step away from that fate as well.

Another foot joined the other as she turned, grinding out whatever might have survived beneath her mighty tread. The goddess strained with all her might to pull the boat closer and that was when she finally took a single step backwards. It was in that moment, when her shadow was finally cast over Jong and indeed all those fleeing that he understood what the word insignificant actually meant.

He stared up as her foot loomed above him, able to see easily the wreckage still stuck to the bottom of her foot. Drops of water and pieces of wet mud and wreckage fell all around them, crushing some of those fleeing before the foot ever dropped. Jong couldn't take his eyes off of the foot poised above him. They were nothing to this woman. She wouldn't even notice their passing; she was just taking her first steps upon land. She didn't know that those first few steps were killing hundreds.

Jong heard his wife scream as the foot descended suddenly, the flesh of the goddess descending to meet them all. He didn't have time to scream as her sole pressed down and splattered him upon the unending plains of flesh so many found their end upon.

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Isane grunted as she pulled the boat closer to shore. She thanked the spirits for solid ground beneath her feet, wriggling her toes in pleasure and unknowingly grinding any possibly survivors that might have escaped between her toes to paste. She pulled it in closer and closer before finally she saw it touch the shore. The prow of the boat she pulled utterly annihilated any possible remnants of the tiny village and its inhabitants as it was pulled onto shore. The samurai sighed as she finished her task, lying out upon the ground with a weary sigh.

Momo slipped on her straw sandals and hopped out of the grounded craft, walking over towards her mistress with a smile upon her face. Isane was happier than she had been for fourteen days. She had no intension on departing this island anytime soon; they could look for supplies and possible inhabitants later. For now Isane just wanted to enjoy the landing. Her sickness was starting to fade and she felt like she might actually be able to keep down some manner of food tonight.

Her retainer looked down at her and shook her head. "You know we should probably look around some. It looks like a pretty big island honestly."

Isane yawned, the waves of exhaustion she had felt leading up to the crashing down upon her. "You can look around, Momo-san. I think I am going to pass out now. Wake me if you find something. Don't stray too far..."

With that the samurai was out, gently snoring almost immediately. The retainer shook her head slightly and returned to the boat. She had to admit she was somewhat curious about this island as it was outside of all of her sea charts. She removed her slightly curved knife from the boat and affixed it to her obi and also grabbed something one of the merchants from the western lands had given her. He'd called it a compass. She checked where the needle was pointing and smiled. This way there was no chance of getting lost at least. With that done the retainer opted to do a tiny bit of exploring. Not too far away of course. What kind of people might live on this island?

The day was fast fading as the sun was reduced to a mere red flame in the horizon, setting the sky ablaze with color. Not exactly the optimal time for a bit of exploring but Momo figured it was better than sitting around. So far she found this island rather... strange. At least from where they had landed onwards a bit.

For starters the shore they had landed upon wasn't a beach. Indeed it was green with grass and soft with very rich soil. A farmer's dream honestly. It was almost unnatural. If not a beach then it should have been at least a little rocky, however that wasn't the case as she could perceive. In actuality there was indeed a beach line only it was extremely tiny and thin. One like Momo could easily write it off as not existing at all though to the normal inhabitants it might be quite sizeable.

Secondly were the trees. Looking outwards as much as she could from the landing there didn't look like there were many. A lot of semi tall rocks but little in the way of foliage. Rising up in the distance she could see a rather large cliff but beyond that so far the place looked unremarkable. Not many places for people to hide near the shores anyway. Still the cliff looked like a good place to get a view of the island from. Isane would be out for probably the whole night so she had time.

On the other hand... rock climbing wasn't her thing. Neither were extreme heights. The idea of being so high up in the sky and staring down at the ground from that height was about as sickening to her as travelling at sea was to Isane. Maybe she'd leave that to the samurai. Instead, perhaps she could find out if there was anything edible growing on the trees in this place. Content with that she bounded off from where they had landed, making her way towards the nearest tree.

Unbeknownst to her soon enough the grass she had been treading upon became trees, though the difference was negligible to her. Every clack as her straw sandals slapped her white tabi was a thunderclap heard for miles around. Her slight humming was a low rumbling across the land. Every footfall splintered hundreds of trees and compressed the landscape with an imprint of her sandals. The gigantic woman strode across the land without a care in her world, though soon enough she was a care in someone else's.

Not too far from the shoreline was situated a town ruled over by the local daimyo. His manor was situated upon a large cliff and watched over all the homes below. As such it was he that first saw the approach of the smiling goddess from the shore. To her the cliff his home was upon was no bigger than a large rock and the town itself was not even worth noticing. Indeed Momo didn't bother looking down though she did stop to look up at the darkening sky, her sandal setting down right at the edge of town.

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Lord Izakara couldn't believe what he was looking at. Directly across the way from where his home was situated upon the cliff was a shroud of white fabric. His samurai were scrambling about and by now most of the town knew quite well what had arrived at their town. Keeping order wasn't exactly going to be an easy thing. At the moment however order was not on the aging lord's mind. It was more of continuing disbelief as he stared at the goddess looming over his town.

She wasn't exactly dressed in fine silks and didn't exactly scream powerful on the surface if one took away the size. It was hard to look away from that simple fact however, how massive she was. With a single step she could utterly annihilate half of the town under her sandal. That single foot could twitch and destroy hundreds of lives in an instant. Her toes wriggled behind the white fabric, almost as though they were anticipating the destruction they would work. The lord knew then what true fear was.

Above, far, far above was her face and it was looking upwards from what he could see. Her floral patterned kimono rippled lightly in the slight breeze. There was a rumbling noise rather like thunder coming from above and it took a moment to realize she was humming. If her humming was this loud the lord dreaded to hear what the sound of her voice was like.

"My lord! Y-your orders?"

The lord turned to one of his samurai retainers briefly, before looking back up at the goddess. Orders? What could he order? What order would possibly matter when faced with her? He could order every samurai he had under his vassalage to attack her, including those from other villages and they could be dispatched with a step. To even reach her they would have to climb up her sandal and hack through her tabi. Would she even notice attacks from them? Probably not. She'd feel lint between her toes before feeling anything they could do.

He opened and closed his mouth, watching as the sandal rose up. Her toes clenched around the red strap and carried the sandal up into the heavens, passing it over the town below. His eyes widened as it sailed overhead, its shadow cast over the village. It blotted out the darkening sky, it's every minute feature displayed for the horrified people below to see. That was when the true terror began. Everything that had been stuck to the bottom of her sandal fell upon the down, rocks, mud, and stray flecks of lint shed from her tabi. All of it pelted down upon the town below as her foot passed overhead, something one might never even think about now proving the source of destruction.

The debris crashed to the ground below, smashing through homes, destroying stalls, and crushing people. Mud splattered onto groups of unfortunate people, the weight of the earth splattering them. A loose bit of straw detached itself from the sandal and impaled a large shop, bringing the whole thing down. Dirt sprayed down like a brown rainstorm of misery and pain that just wouldn't end. Fires caught upon a few buildings and countless people were nursing injury or were dead in the town below. All from a single step from the goddess.

The lord watched as a massive pebble detached itself from above and slammed down into the roof of his home. He ran inside and saw three of his servants splattered under it. He couldn't believe this, she hadn't even stepped upon them and she still was destroying. The clack of her sandal slapping at her foot sounded out as she walked away from the town, filling Lord Izakara with dread.

He turned to his retainer. "Find your best men and send them out to the other villages and tell them to ride on to speak with other daimyo. Then send men down into the town to assess the damage! Hurry, go!"

The man bowed and jogged away. The lord stood at the balcony at the other end of his home and watched her form retreat into the distance, feeling the landing of each step in his bones. Who was going to believe this? The lord still wasn't sure he believed it. He still wasn't sure after staring long and hard at her foot and watching it blot out the sky. What was she? Some malevolent goddess? Some demoness from the nether world? Of course the most pertinent question on his mind was whether she would be back.

______________________________________________________________________

Momo walked along towards her destination, humming happily as she crushed her way through the countryside. Her sandals smacked down upon a small farming settlement and erased it from existence, the only remains sticking nicely to the bottom of her sandals. Those that by some miracle survived the first step most certainly didn't live through the second one. She smiled and never broke her stride again, unknowing of the countless lives perishing from her simplest of movements.

She eventually managed to reach the tree in question and looked up at it, noting bits of fruit hang from the branches above. What she didn't notice was a few little communities formed upon the lower hanging branches, though they most certainly noticed her. The young woman looked up at the fruit in the tree with a smile upon her face. Isane would certainly appreciate a change of diet after eating fish for so long. While she was here she could always grab a few of them for her sake.

"Alright, Momo, up we go~." The woman said, reaching up to grip one of the branches.

In that moment a community of around one hundred watched five massive pale fingers rise up from below, the whirls of unyielding flesh stretching high into the sky like pillars. Her neatly trimmed nails gleamed briefly in the dying light. More than one villager stared in awe at the fingers, right before the digits started to curl. Screams were cut short as the mountains of Momo's fingers curled tightly around the branch, the majority of the community wiped out the instant her hand found its grip.

Some of the lucky ones fell. They fell long and far, down into the open air. Some fell into the soft fabric of her kimono, a comfortable landing all things considered. Others fell into the opening where the valley of her breasts were displayed. The soft mounds of flesh caught these falling villagers, most not realizing where they were for a moment. Momo didn't pay much mind to debris or dust upon her clothes, she could wipe herself off later after all.

With her new passengers in tow the woman slipped both of her feet out of her sandals and rose them up to a low hanging branch, curling her toes for further grip. Another community only saw an endless white sky of unending fabric before their end. Momo shifted and wriggled her toes to ensure her grip there as good, grinding the remains of the community to dust. Some of the debris and people were caught in the fabric, becoming mere dirt on the underside of her tabi.

The retainer ended up pressing herself against the trunk of the tree as she reached up for her next handhold. Those upon the front of her kimono and upon her breasts found themselves pressed between two surfaces. Some were crushed and other fell to their deaths. The tenacious few that kept their grips on the kimono would find themselves tangled up in the fabric. Many struggled to free themselves from their pink and floral patterned doom but to no avail. They were stuck to the kimono, unable to escape. Likely those that survived would remain trapped in the fabric, fated to starve or eventually be wiped away by an uncaring Momo with a casual flick of her hand.

Momo gripped onto the next branch and hoisted herself up, finally reaching a point where she could reach the fruit above. She smiled victoriously and reached up, knocking a few down to the ground and taking one for herself. The one she took for herself possessed a few harvesters from the branch above, dutifully working to harness the fruit to feed their little community. They never dreamed to encounter Momo.

The young woman smiled as she examined the fruit, pleased at the ripeness of the pink treat. She didn't see the flecks of dust waving their tiny arms frantically, trying to get her attention. As she stood poised in the tree the retainer opted to help herself right now. She licked her lips as she imagined eating something that finally wasn't rice or fish. It certainly looked appealing from where she was standing.

"Down you go~." The retainer sang, opening her maw wide.

To those upon the surface of the fruit it was as though a moist and warm gateway to hell had just opened up before them. Ropes of saliva formed and broke as her lips parted and her breath was enough to knock many upon their back. Those that didn't promptly threw up from her fish scented breath, overwhelmed by the foul odor. Her massive teeth gleamed in the fading light, poised to chomp down. Some jumped and others simply stood frozen, watching as their fate was sealed.

Momo bit down onto the flesh of the fruit, her lips managing to catch a few people fleeing on the surface of the fruit, dragging them to join the others. She chomped through the fruit and took away a massive chunk, closing her mouth and pursing her lips as she chewed away at her treat. Its sweetness immediately exploded upon her taste buds as she tossed the piece around her mouth, swirling around her captives in a mixture of sweet juices and saliva. It was actually better than she had expected.

"Mmm..."

She cheerfully chewed away at the fruit, pulping a number of those trapped within her mouth and mixing them in with her tasty treat. She was very certain Isane was going to appreciate eating these. Her teeth chomped away, pulping the fruit again and again. Those inside her mouth that didn't die from being crushed and mixed in with the fruit or drown in the juices were alive just long enough for the worst bit as Momo tossed the food to the back of her mouth. Screams she would never hear echoed out through her mouth as people stared at their doom, the place where the true hell lay.

Momo hummed as she swallowed daintily, sighing as she felt it arrive in her empty stomach. The organ rumbled as it prepared to work at its meal. Her eyes returned to the rest of the fruit, those still upon it realizing that one bite wouldn't be enough to satisfy this goddess. Some managed to make it to her fingers before the next bite while others fell off. Some ran into the mines that had been dug into the fruit, hoping to escape her merciless teeth. It was for naught as she bit through the fruit and took another chunk into her mouth.

She chewed this one more quickly and swallowed, condemning yet more souls to a gruesome end in her stomach. Momo happily bit away at the fruit, juices running over her fingers as she ate. Some escaped down her chin, a few people managing to escape their fate in this manner as they flowed down her chin and were caught in fat drops and fell down to the ground far below. Eventually she finished her meal and tossed the fruit away onto the ground below, those that had managed to escape her mouth finding their end rising quickly to meet her.

Those that had escaped death by way of her fingers were now trapped in the sweet juices running down her fingers, some falling away while others were trapped. Momo, however, had clearly not forgotten about them. In horror the survivors screamed as the woman flicked her tongue over the rivulets of juice, claiming the prizes that had cheated it earlier. She swallowed the remnant of the fruit and let out a sigh of contentment. She would need to collect more of that fruit later. For now the ones below would have to be enough for the morning.

With that done the young woman climbed back down the tree and landed on the ground. She checked her tabi and sighed in disgust as the once white bottom looked rather dirty. "I hope there is a lake or something on this island, I need to wash our clothes..." She muttered.

She wiped at the bottom of her tabi with the back of her hand, brushing away what dirt and stray bark that she could. Her motions crushed out those few that had managed to find refuge upon her tabi or flung their broken bodies to the wind. Once she was satisfied with the efforts she wriggled her feet back into her sandals, brushing at her kimono next. Unfortunately for some of those trapped here her efforts did not release many. Many remained tangled in their prisons of fabric, fated to remain a part of Momo's attire until either she washed and purged them away with the rest of the filth and dirt or they starved. Their cries for help fell upon deaf ears as Momo plucked up the fruit upon the ground and held it up in her arms.

She walked away from the tree without a second thought, leaving countless broken bodies upon the ground below and a number of destroyed communities in her wake. All she was thinking about however was figuring out the layout of the island. They could be here for a while after all. It was a little odd none of the sea charts had it on their maps, however that just meant Isane and her had been the first to discover it! They could name it whatever they wanted and since Isane was a samurai she could take it for herself! Their own little island away from civilization, Momo blushed as she found it so romantic.

Isane rolled over in her sleep, grumbling and pushing away a hand that tried to shake her awake. The shaking stopped for a moment and she tried to drift off, only receiving a much stronger shaking after that. She growled as her dark eyes opened slowly, glaring up at the one that had disturbed her slumber. Momo smiled above her, waggling her fingers in greeting. Isane frowned at the younger woman, groaning as her own sharp hunger became immediately away.

Beams of bright light stabbed into her eyes as the sun stood high in the sky, signaling that it was at least noon. Her stomach growled once again, a loud and very vicious sound that Momo smirked at. Ever the impertinent retainer that one. Obedient when it counted but possessed of a lip that would get her into trouble with others. Honestly the samurai was surprised the young woman had lasted so long as a commoner with how she acted around her born betters.

"Momo-san, it is not exactly proper to mock your mistress right when she wakes up. Fetch me some water, I can't remember the last time I was so thirsty." Isane croaked.

The young woman inclined her head respectfully and shuffled off to carry out Isane's command. She returned with a gourd of water and a strange pink fruit. The samurai lifted her brow and turned her gaze towards her retainer her smiled a rather satisfied smile. "I went for a walk and spied some in the tree over there. I already tried one, they are pretty good."

Isane frowned as she bit into the fruit, chewing thoughtfully before letting out a low moan. After a diet of fish it was perhaps the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. She bit at it ravenously and drank deeply of her water, finding Momo ready to supply her with another. The samurai grunted in thanks as she stuffed her face without shame. Her retainer giggled at the sight behind her hand. It was rather like the woman had never eaten anything before. After the second one she took the third fruit slowly.

The samurai devoured her meal with relished, looking around to see Momo had already set out most of the supplies they had within the boat on the ground. Spare clothes, Momo's strange western trinkets, Isane's weapons and armor, their remaining food stores, their remaining water, flint and tinder for fires, and tarp and pegs for a large tent. Among various other odds and ends. Honestly Isane gave Momo her leeway mostly because of how good she was with her duties, that and her company was somewhat enjoyable when she wasn't being sickeningly optimistic.

With a rather unladylike belch Isane tossed the remains of her meal aside and looked at around, noting the cliff in the distance. "Did you make it up there last night?" She asked.

Momo shook her head. "No, I figured looking if there was something you could eat took precedence."

"And you are afraid of extreme heights."

"And I am afraid of extreme heights. I figured you would be better suited for it anyway. It would be a great way to get back into shape, Kyoske-sama." Momo said with a toothy smile.

Isane rolled her eyes and stood, brushing herself off. She supposed that took priority then. Look around from the cliff and see what she could see on the island. She didn't even know how large this place was. Certainly pretty big as she couldn't see the other side from her current position. The samurai opted to keep her ruined and tattered kimono on for now as the climb would be for a ways no doubt. However she did slip her toes through the straps of her sandals, setting her katana and wakizashi upon her obi.

With that done she jerked her head towards the direction of the cliff. "Come. If I break my neck I would rather you were there to tend to me. The place doesn't look inhabited from the looks of things so I doubt we need to worry about thieves stealing anything."

Momo dipped into a polite bow and shuffled after her lady. She grabbed her compass for good measure and they were off towards the cliff. Isane looked down at her feet as she started crunching through the ground. That was some strange dry moss. She shrugged it off and kept on going, unknowing about the destruction each step wrought upon the land so far below. Momo didn't seem overly bothered by it so it was probably some new type of moss.

When it had been one of them at a time romping across the island it had been destructive enough but with two crushing and stomping their way across the countryside it was as though a natural disaster had hit. The slap of both of their sandals, one against fabric and the other against flesh, sounded for miles around heralding their approach. Those settlements upon their path would see a wild haired goddess with a pair of blades upon her hip and a smiling and kindly looking one directly at her side.

"Hmm... do you think Testu-sama will be sending men after us?" Momo inquired, the shadow of her sandal being cast over a small farming community before slapping down upon them, instantly splintering buildings and grinding people into paste.

Isane snorted, bringing her foot down angrily upon the other side of the community, the screaming of those fleeing brought to an abrupt end as the sandal pounded them between earth and straw. "Doubtful. Testu is a coward at heart. Chasing us off is enough for him."

"A pity he backed out of your duel, Kyoske-sama, his head would have been a mighty prize."

"The head of a coward is worth nothing at all. If there hadn't been so many assassins I would have carved my way to him and sliced open his gut to show him how weak his heart truly was."

Their voices thundered across the land, their words reduced to mere noise to the insignificant specks fleeing from their steps. They couldn't comprehend the noise nor could they really comprehend the intentions of these goddesses. As far as the common man would think they were vengeful creatures descended from the heavens to punish them for some transgression. In actuality the women were simply walking from one place to another, likely never to know about the countless lives snuffed out under their steps.

Momo shook her head at the bloodlust in Isane's tone. When a duel went south like that it tended to have the samurai brooding for months. The retainer herself disliked violence, preferring to talk things out before blades were drawn. Her disdain was rather offset when her foot was brought down upon a travelling caravan, crushing the back end of the line of travelers abruptly. The step kicked up earth and splintered trees, sending some men tumbling into the impression left behind by her sandal.

Their path quickly took them to the cliff where Isane removed her sandals and her weapons, handing both off to Momo. The young woman set them down upon the ground as she watched the samurai carefully, biting her lower lip. It was a tad ridiculous to think Isane's journey would be brought to a halt from a neck broken from a fall but stranger things had happened. The retainer's worry must have shown upon her face as Isane simply smirked.

"If I break my arms and legs I expect you to carry me around and wait on me hand and foot. Just thought I should tell you."

Momo cracked a smile. "If you break your arms as well it's not like you could make me do anything!"

Isane's smirk widened to a tooth smile. "I would just have to bite you until you agreed. Or get someone else to discipline you for me!"

The retainer chuckled. "Try not to fall at all, Kyoske-sama. That will solve the whole dilemma."

"I will indeed attempt not to horribly shatter all of my limbs. That might put a dent in my attempt to become the most renowned warrior in the entire world."

With that Isane found her first handhold and hoisted herself up the cliff face. She reached up with her foot and curled her toes around the ridge, getting a good grip. Once she was certain she had her bearing she started her climb in earnest. Momo could handle climbing trees but Isane had seen what extreme heights could do to her. It was certainly not pretty. Waiting for her to wake up was a good call and she was right about Isane needing the workout. Already she could feel her muscles shaking off the long days of disuse.

Little did both know was that at the base of the cliff itself was a rather large township. It made its profits from mining and trading with neighboring daimyo. The people stopped whatever they were doing in their day to day lives, staring upwards in awe as this wild haired goddess ascended. She was unto a mountain in and of herself really. Her and her companion, who had seated herself across the way and was watching the climb carefully.

However soon enough this town learned what many other had, the dangers of even being near such large beings. Pebbles stuck to the little ridges Isane used for handholds descended from above, smashing into homes and crushing those foolish enough to remain. The samurai climbed higher and higher, unconcerned with a few pebbles being shaken loose though the ones that got stuck on her foot were somewhat uncomfortable. Below however even the smallest debris was hell.

The samurai tried to keep order, however it was a futile task as the townsfolk panicked. Many ran into the rocky and open plains, some fled into the mines while other attempted to gather their belongings first. Debris continued to fall upon the town regardless, a constant and stead rainfall from above as the unaware woman climbed on, drawing closer and closer to her goal with each passing moment.

Momo meanwhile, confident Isane had a good hold on things, opened her compass and checked it. She watched in wonder as the needle remained pointed exactly towards the magnetic north, just like the traveler had said! Western trinkets were rather fascinating to the common born Momo, like they came from an entirely different world. The compass was her favorite though she also liked looking through the magnifying glass and telescope she had. Isane brushed them off as worthless as they had nothing to do with combat use but Momo knew differently.

She giggled as she turned this way and that, the needle always returning to the same direction so she always knew where she was directionally. No need to use the sun's position in the sky with something like this on hand. As she turned once more her loose grip shook the thing from her fingers and sent it rolling upon the ground. Momo dove after it, swiping and missing it at first. It rolled towards the cliff wall and the retainer crawled after her, alarmed that it might have been broken.

For those fleeing they had likely not expected the arrival of the compass. The strange metal object rolled quickly upon its path, heading straight for the town. The looming shadow was cast over many as they were crushed under the trinket. It smashed through the town walls, splintering wood and crushing homes all the way along its path. The daimyo's home was caught directly upon the path, the lord barely having time to blink before he and his home were smashed to splinters and paste under the compass.

All of this paled in comparison to Momo's advance however. The woman crawled on her hands and knees towards the compass, her expression almost panicked. A young man had just enough time to look up as he noted a shadow looming over him, the creases of her soft hand taking over his vision of the sky. The hand quickly descended and he barely had time to start screaming before Momo's hand squished him between soft flesh and unyielding earth.

The worried goddess's hands crushed many of those that were fleeing and some were caught up in her kimono, joining those remaining from yesterday in the pink prison of fabric as a permanent addition to Momo's attire. Either as red paste or as a struggling and writhing prisoner. A few that avoided her hands and her kimono counted themselves lucky and continued fleeing, only to find a last obstacle.

___________________________________________________________________

Rika could feel her heart pounding in her skull as she watched the floral patterned blanket pass over her and a few of her friend. Her breath came out in great heaving puffs as she doubled over, sweat pouring down her body. How she had managed to make it past the massive pounding hands of the massive woman AND that pink hell was beyond her. It was nothing short of a miracle. She thanked the spirits for their mercy, though her mind turned to what she had just seen not moments ago.

As the blanket of pink had passed over she had been treated to a good long eyeful of what was upon it. Far above her she could see their forms interspersed in the fabric. People. Their limbs tangled and trapped by pink bindings. She saw a cluster of them stuck in a design of a lily, all grouped together and squirming. They had moaned and screamed, arms trying to reach out to those running below them. They were trapped in a prison, unable to escape or even die should they have wanted it.

Rika knew she wanted no part in that. The thought of that... of being trapped like that was too much. She had made it despite the odds however. So many of her own people had been smashed to paste or, worse had been scooped up to join those poor souls. However Rika had made it. She and a few others from the looks of things. She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, after the day she had today she felt she deserved it.

"Rika-san! We need to move! Now!"

Rika turned her head, looking upon the slightly older woman next to her. Asami. Odd to see her running about instead of gossiping at the well. She looked frantic. Panicked. To be fair so was Rika but the danger had passed so she didn't see the immediate urgency. At least that was until she saw what Asami was pointing at.

Her eyes bugged out as she saw the white fabric fast approaching. Her tabi. That was her tabi. The same kind of tabi that Rika wore upon her own feet. She thought nothing of them when she slipped them on in the morning, they were just socks. Calling the tabi she was looking at just a sock however felt a gross understatement. It took up her whole vision of the sky, replacing it with nothing but white fabric. Most of the town could probably fit inside of that tabi. It wasn't just a sock. It was her new sky.

The young woman felt Asami pulling her along, trying to get her to run as the white fabric descended upon them. Rika stumbled, unable to take her eyes off of the sight of it speeding down to meet them. The next few moments were a complete blur of motion as Rika watched her world darken and felt herself jerked. She thought she screamed though maybe that was just the wind. Her vision blacked out but came back into focus seemingly moments later, her ears ringing and her head pounding as her head lolled from side to side.

She felt alive. She wasn't dead it seemed. Rika couldn't believe that another miracle had come her way. She was alive. She hadn't been crushed by the massive cloud of soft fabric that had descended upon her. A peel of joyful laughter escaped her as she lay out upon the ground, tears leaking from her eyes. She was actually alive. It was amazing to her. Despite the odds, Rika had survived the massive woman.

Her laughter died down as she pressed her head back against the ground. It was... strangely soft. Her eyes opened and she saw strings of white reaching all around her. She could see a shroud above her in the distance. It was blocking out the sky. It was also quite pink from what she could see.

Immediately her heart stopped and she tried to move. Thick white cords of fabric bound her in place, wrapping around her body like thick vines. No. No, no, no! Rika squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't there. This wasn't happening. She wasn't trapped and bound where she thought she was trapped. She was asleep in her futon, snoring enough to wake her mother. Any moment now she was going to feel a pitcher of water overturned on her face and a voice telling her to get her lazy bum to work. Then she would work in the little teashop, she would wear a smile and flirt with that cute samurai that always came in and asked for her to serve him. She would live life happily as long as she wasn't where she was.

Her eyes opened and stretching before her was nothing but white. A whimper escaped her lips as actual tears formed in her eyes. This was actually happening. This was real. The strands trapping her were real and the thing that they were attached to was also real and the being that wore them was unquestionably real.

She felt a squeeze on upon her right hand and she turned her head, meeting the fearful dark eyes of Asami. "H-Hey... R-Rika-san?"

Rika swallowed hard, sniffling. "Y-Yeah?"

"We... we aren't where I think we are... are we? P-Please tell me I'm wrong."

There was a pleading in her voice, a broken kind of tone that told Rika that she already knew where they were but needed to hear it spoken allowed. The younger woman licked her lips, the lump in her throat threatening to cut off her voice. She needed to say it too. She needed to say it for it to properly sink in. Rika didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to continue to delude herself. Still, she did say it.

"We are stuck to her tabi."

That was when Rika lost it. "We are stuck to her tabi. We are stuck, wrapped up in the forest of fabric on her tabi. We are pieces of lint stuck to her sock! No, we are less than that! We are dirt, like the kind of dirt that gets stuck between your toes after you walk around too much and you have to wipe it away! We are tiny flecks of fucking dust she will never fucking see! We-!"

"Stop! Rika-san, just fucking stop! Stop talking! Stop fucking talking!" Asami screamed.

The young woman did stop. She stopped talking but it was still running through her mind how trapped they were. She started hyperventilating as she thought of just how insignificant she was compared to the goddess that wore these tabi she was stuck to. Did she even know they were down there? Would Rika have noticed? What if Rika been doing this to people unknowingly all her life? Her eyes looked at her own tabi, trying to imagine a pair of dirt speckles trapped in a sea of white.

She struggled against the fabric, screaming and thrashing as she tried to break loose. She couldn't be trapped like this! She had a job, friend, and family! She wanted to own her own shop or inherit the teashop from her grandmother! She wanted to find a husband and have kids to take care of her when she was old! Rika couldn't be imprisoned like this, she couldn't be just another bit of dust to this massive goddess.

Eyes skyward, she screamed curses. "Fuck you! Look down here you giant bitch! See me! Notice me! You fucking bitch! You murdering daughter of a whore! You goat fucking cunt! You-you fucking... Oh spirits..."

Tears sprang to her eyes once more as she sobbed bitterly, tears staining the fabric. She felt Asami's hand grip hers again. Rika turned her gaze to her and saw tears in the corners of her own eyes. The younger woman wanted to hug her, to cry into her shoulder. She couldn't however. She couldn't hug her because she was stuck. She was trapped to this giant woman's sock and would be until she died.

"Shhh... Rika-san, stop crying. Please just stop crying." Asami said, blinking back her own tears and sniffling.

The young woman slowly stopped. "We are going to die here... aren't we?"

Asami bit her lower lip. "Don't think about where we are. Think about something else."

Rika actually chuckled at that. "What? What could I possibly think about?"

"Tea. You work at a teashop, don't you? Tell me all the kinds of tea the shop carries. I've never visited it myself."

Rika sniffled miserably. She struggled to turn her thought towards tea. It was hard to think of something so mundane when they were trapped in the snowy fabric of a sock. However she did try and she managed to get her voice under control enough to talk.

"W-Well... we carry g-genmaicha." She started.

Asami smiled encouragingly. "Go on, what else? Keep talking."

"A-And Aracha, and Kukicha, and Hojicha." Rika continued, feeling a bit better as she wracked her brain for more blends of tea. She hadn't entirely forgotten about the situation she was in but it was more tolerable this way.

"And Sencha, and also Guricha but Grandma charges a fortune for it."

Asami chuckled. "She seems the type."

Rika actually managed a weak smile. "Y-Yeah..."

It vanished a moment later however she managed to refrain from panicking when Asami squeezed her hand. "Listen. You aren't alone, Rika-san. I'm a minute away from pissing myself in fear but we can't break down. It will be alright. Not it might, it will."

Rika clung to that assurance just like she clung more tightly to Asami's hand. She nodded her head slightly at her words. They were stuck on this massive woman tabi but they weren't dead. Maybe the strands binding one or both of them would be shaken loose as their captor walked around more. It was too early to just give up hope. Asami was beside her at least. She wasn't alone.

___________________________________________________________

Momo looked at her compass, turning it over in her hands with a frown. No chipping and the needle seemed to be working just fine. The glass also wasn't cracked mercifully. The young woman smiled, brushing off a bit of dust that had gathered upon it. Her brushing gesture sent the remains of homes and people crushed by it to the wind. It wasn't broken and that in and of itself was a small blessing.

She didn't know who Rika and Asami were. She didn't know there were two knew flecks of dirt upon her tabi. Maybe if they had been her size and if they had met they might have gotten along. As it was however she knew nothing about their despair. She was just happy she had gotten her compass back. She brushed her kimono off a bit, sighing at how dirty it was. There really needed to be a lake here so she could wash up. This was her favorite kimono!

"Hey! Momo-san! Up here!"

Momo turned her gaze skyward and smiled brightly as she saw Isane leaning over the edge of the cliff. She could see the whole island from there no doubt about it! Quietly she was thankful that she had made it up there in one piece. Honestly she didn't know how the samurai managed to handle being so high up. Just looking down over the landscape and knowing that with one wrong move she could plummet to her death... it was nerve wracking.

"What do you see, Kyoske-sama?" Momo yelled up.

The samurai stood and started looking all around. She pointed behind where the cliff lay. "There is a grove back here! A pretty big lake as well. I think there it a path around the cliff we can take."

She pointed outwards to the north. "Waaay over there I think there is a mountain of some kind! More trees... The island is pretty big from the looks of things! Could take a while to explore it fully!"

Momo let out a sigh of relief when Isane mentioned a lake. The other bits weren't as important to her as a source of fresh water and a place to bathe and clean their clothes. After fourteen days at sea they both could certainly use a bit of scrubbing. Of course... there was also the additional enticement that she always helped Isane bathe. She was her retainer after all. Scrubbing every inch of her toned and tanned body was her duty. Among other things when Isane permitted. Hopefully both being made tolerably human again would put her in the permitting mood. Her toes curled in delight at the thought, rocking the world of two little flecks of dust below.

The samurai took her time to climb down from the cliff, seeing very little reason to hurry. Down below in the remains of the mining town the survivors watched with slowly creeping horror as Isane climbed towards them. Few rocks fell this time though that was not the main worry. Slowly the bottoms of the woman's bare feet grew closer and closer. Those still remaining in the town started running as their doom grew closer by the second. It was unfortunately too little too late.

Isane's foot slowly moved towards the ground at the base of the cliff face, her toes pointed downwards. Her dirt and dust caked foot loomed above and some watched in awe as five wriggling digits slowly descended. Buildings cracked and splintered beneath the sole of the woman's foot, her toes curling and smashing up more of the town. That was when the second one loomed over the town, descending much quicker this time.

Bits of dirt and the odd pebble heralded its fall, the pad of her sole grinding out buildings and people without a feeling being register by Isane. In fact the samurai lifted one foot and casually wiped at the bottom with the back of her hand, brushing off what she saw as dirt and filth and what was actually wreckage and broken bodies. She repeated the process with the next, and then finally with her tattered and faded kimono. Momo set her sandals onto the ground and Isane stepped into them, letting out a pleased sigh from the workout.

"Right. So let's head back to the boat and get ready to move base camp." Isane said with a smile, setting her weapons in their proper places.

Unlike Isane, Momo actually found sailing to be fun. Admittedly fourteen days adrift at sea was stretching it a bit but a leisurely bit of boating around an island could be fun. Such as it was now with the young woman drifting around towards where her mistress had spotted a lake. The currents and tides around the island were actually fairly non-existent which was odd in and of itself. The truth of the matter of course was that they did exist around the island they were just too miniscule for her to possibly notice.

Steering the boat along while occasionally dipping an oar in the water to adjust course was fairly simple. Honestly Isane had taken the more difficult route in her opinion by walking there. Even with her assurances that the calm waters would upset her stomach it was clear the samurai was not of a mind to climb into a boat anytime soon. Momo looked off towards the cliff, spying her form walking along a trail. Well, if it kept her comfortable she supposed there was nothing else for it.

The retainer was currently kneeling down in the boat they had arrived in, transporting it and their supplies closer to the grove Isane had spied. To her the journey was a gentle and rather enjoyable experience. Upon the shore however a number of fishing villages spotted her vessel in the red light of the dying sun. They weren't the ones in the most danger however. That title when to the vessels that were out at sea, gathering fish for the village.

The boat loomed over the miniscule vessels, dwarfing even the largest among them. Its sleek hull sliced through the water and kicked up waves that were enough to capsize the smaller vessels along its path. Those caught directly in the path of the massive boat were splintered and destroyed as it drifted along, the wreckage all that would remain. Occasionally the massive woman directing the boat would dip her oar into the water, swirling about the ocean and capturing a number of vessels in the artificial currents.

Momo hummed happily as she drifted along, dipping her fingers down into the waters below briefly and sighing at the cool feeling. The digits raked along the surface of the water, with some boats passing between then however others were caught up by them and capsized. Her fingers were cupped and raised up then, taking a few shipwrecked survivors along for the bumpy ride. Droplets of water cascaded down from her wet fingers, capturing most of those upon her fingers and sending them plummeting to the waters below in prisons of salt water.

With her dry hand the retainer brushed a strand of greasy and loose hair from her eyes. She couldn't wait to wash herself off. Travelling around with Isane was usually dirty but she longed to remove the ever present scent of fish and salt from her body. To say nothing of the dirt and grime that had accumulated upon her clothes and skin. Isane wasn't much one to care about such matters. In fact it was hard to imagine her growing up in a proper household at all with how crude she could be.

Her pleasant journey went off without incident, well for her at least. More than a few ships and sailors had met a watery grave due to her efforts. She rounded the rockier coastline closest to the cliff expertly and spied Isane waiting on the shore beyond that point. She steered the boat towards the shore, producing a rope and tossing it out to the samurai upon her approach. The woman walked ankle deep into the water and caught the rope easily.

"I already took a look around the lake! Looks like a pretty good place to set up. There's more of that fruit on the trees there as well so we are pretty good on food. Strangely no animals." Isane called out.

The samurai trudged through the glittering waters, stomping over a few vessels attempting to sail into their village. Her bare foot lifted up into the air, sending a torrent of water dripping down upon the boats. It came crashing down a moment later, the shock of the impact smashing the little vessels and dragging the crew down into the depths. The remains that were caught under her foot were pressed into the mud below, squeezed and buried under the step of the massive woman.

She walked through the shallow waters, lifting her foot up over the tiny village upon the shore. People stared up at their doom looming above them, fat droplets of water crashing down upon the ground. Mud clung between the toes of the samurai, wreckage sticking to the bottom of her feet nicely. Every facet of the wet underside of her foot was visible as it dominated their view of the sky for a brief moment. Every crease, every callous, every scarred bit of flesh loomed down over the doomed villagers who could only try to run in vain.

Isane's foot crashed down upon the village, obliterating homes and lives in an instant. Her foot twisted in the mud, some of it rising up and filling the space between her toes. The digits curled as she pulled at the boat to bring it in closer, pasting whatever or whoever had escaped between them. A sickening sucking noise came as she lifted her foot away, taking with it wreckage and broken bodies stuck into the mud. The imprint of her foot was quickly filled by seawater, burying the remains of the tiny village in a watery grave.

The samurai pulled the boat up on to the shore with some effort and nailed down the rope into the ground, driving the spike into the earth. Each smack of the mallet was a thunderclap heard from miles around and nearby settlements could only wonder as to what the source of the noise was. Satisfied with her work Isane stood and stretched, smirking at Momo as she hoped out of the boat.

"Shall we get set up? I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to sleeping on a futon tonight." Isane said.

"Certainly. Let's see this lake first though."

Isane shrugged and slipped on her nearby sandals, leading the way to the ring of trees. Her retainer shuffled after her, a pack slung over her shoulder. They walked through the trees and eventually came to a small lake, water dribbling down from a rock formation on the far end. In the very center there was a rather large mound of strangely colored earth but overall it looked like a fine place to rest as the shore had plenty of room to set up a tent.

Upon the large mound however was in fact a city. A rather wealthy and prosperous city by the name of Ika. The lord of the city was great and powerful and demanded tribute from many towns and villages in this region. Their fishing industry was unmatched by any and they traded frequently with fruit harvesting villages that dwelled high in the great trees around the lake. For many centuries the great civilization was undisturbed by any. Until, that is, Isane and Momo arrived.

With a pleased sigh the retainer set her pack against a nearby tree. Finally something that looked halfway normal for an island. She stooped down near the lake itself and cupped water into her fingers. A few outlying boats upon the very edge of the lake were caught up in the current created by the motions. Most of the sailors couldn't believe the sight of this giant and smiling goddess as her shadow loomed over them. Most screamed and yelled for her attention, waving their little arms in vain.

Momo lifted the water up from the lake, some of the water spilling out over the sides of her hands or leaking between her fingers. Some capsized sailors were lucky and ended up plummeting below. Others had a far worse fate in store for them. As a retainer it was her duty to ensure the water was drinkable before Isane did. A task she took too without much concern at the moment.

She tipped back the lake that had been formed in her hands and pursed her lips, creating a powerful current that rushed past her plush lips and into the moist warmth of her mouth. Captains scrambled upon the ships, the crew trying desperately to escape the relentless current they were caught up in. Those that had fallen off of their vessels were sucked into Momo's mouth easily, screaming and struggling against the current in vain. Then came the ships, unable to resist for long before being taken into the mouth of this goddess.

Momo let the water sit within her mouth for a few moments, swishing it around with her tongue to create a whirlpool for those sailors caught inside. Pleased that it tasted rather fresh she let the cool liquid slid down her throat with a dainty swallow. Ships and sailors alike were sucked down with the water, the constant sound of her thundering heartbeat over powering their own screams as they were dragged into the depths of her stomach.

"Should be a good place to replenish our water supplies, Kyoske-sama." The woman affirmed.

Isane smiled and looked up at the sky. Clearly the spirits were favoring her since arriving on this island.

________________________________________________________________________

Lord Imagawa waved a hand dismissively towards the woman kowtowing before him, signaling for his samurai to haul her to her feet. She cried out and struggled as strong hands gripped her, her dirty hair matting about her face. He rolled his eyes at the sight and sipped at his tea, sighing as the warmth soothed at his nerves. It was always the same during tax season, really it was rather tiresome all things considered.

"Imagawa-sama, please, I beg mercy for my husband! He tried to come up with enough money but his employer withheld so much this year! Please, without him our family will lose everything..."

The lord didn't acknowledge her pleas for a long while, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a cloth as he set his tea down. Finally he raised his eyes to meet the desperation in the woman's own. His sharp and aging features were dispassionate and lacked much in the way of pity. He made no move to halt his men from dragging her out of his palace though his steely and cold gaze never left her eyes.

"That matter is between your husband and his employer. The matter between he and I is his failure to pay his dues for living on my land. My sentence is final. He will spend two years in the mines to pay off his debt." He stated, his reedy voice like ice.

She cried and struggled and screamed as his men dragged her away however as the sounded faded he let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping. Every season was like this. People lining up to beg and plead for him to show mercy on loved ones that failed to pay their dues. Technically he could just deny to see them, however Imagawa figured if he was going to deny them he would do it to their faces. It was draining and often depressing but it needed to be done. Even as lord of such a massive city as Ika he had to show that he was not some faceless noble.

The man finished his tea, looking around the now empty audience chamber. He knelt at the head of it upon a raised purple cloth, the blue one next to him empty. His wife used to attend these matters with him, offering support and soothing words but her heart was too soft to handle looking desperate people in the eye and telling them no. It was nasty but the laws of his forefathers needed to remain sacrosanct. Law was necessary and was the reason their civilization had flourished and become so successful. Enforcing it was unpleasant but showing leeway would show weakness, which he could not afford.

As he pushed aside his teacup he felt the ground start to shake. A frown adorned his face as his cup started clattering against the table steadily as well. An earthquake? They were quite rare for the city, almost non-existent. It halted for a bit before starting up again. Imagawa allowed himself to worry now as it felt closer and more violent. One of the tapestries adorning the walls clattered to the ground and his cup was moving towards the edge of the table.

There was a thumping noise that sounded out in the hallway beyond his audience chamber and the doors were slid open with such force that a loud bang sounded out. One of his samurai retainers stood in the doorway, his face as white as new fallen snow. It looked rather like he had seen a ghost. Imagawa rose, alarmed by the fear in the face of one of his warriors. Was the palace under attack? Had a fire been started? What damages was this earthquake bringing about that would have the man so fearful?

"I-Imagawa-sama! I-I, t-they! Massive, huge!"

"What are you talking about, man? The earthquake?"

The man shook his head. "No! Not an earthquake... we d-don't know what they are but they are enormous!"

Imagawa narrowed his eyes. "What in the name of the spirits are you talking about? Never mind, show me!"

The lord stepped down from his place at the end of the audience chamber and followed the samurai, who had just enough state of mind left to give a shaky bow. Imagawa followed the samurai through the well-polished halls of the palace, his hakama fluttering with each step. He was led up a flight of stairs and up towards the tower at the very top of the palace. He dreaded to think what damages had been wrought upon the city.

When they reached the top and looked out the window that the samurai gestured to, Imagawa felt all the color leave his face.

In the distance he could see them. Across the sea that surrounded the island his city lay upon they stood, stretching high up into the sky. They were massive, like a pair of goddesses straight out of legend. The older of the two had the bearing of a samurai of some sort, a pair of weapons strapped to her sides. The younger of the two was dressed in a floral patterned pink kimono and was currently scooping up a handful of water and guzzling it down with relish. They were so far away but already he could see that his palace's tower wouldn't even reach halfway up one of their sandals.

A low rumbling sound was carried across the sea and from how their lips appeared to be moving he could only guess they were talking. Then, just as soon as they had appeared they turned and started walking away. Their steps shook the very earth and sent violent waves upon the sea. His eyes were glued to the sight even as they vanished from view. Very slowly he turned to the samurai, his hands shaking as sweat formed a light sheen upon his aging brow.

"Gather my council for an emergency meeting. I do not care what they are doing right now; drag them here if you must."

The man hesitated. "Go! Now!" Imagawa yelled.

That broke him out of his stupor and set him scrambling away. The lord's eyes turned back to where the twin giantesses had stood upon the horizon. They had been huge. Massive. Did they even see the great city upon the island in the middle of the sea? More importantly, if they did, did they even care? He swallowed hard and tore himself away from the window. This... this was a crisis he had never anticipated.

______________________________________________________________________

As the sun slowly fell upon the horizon Momo and Isane worked to transport their supplies from the boat and into the clearing near the lake. They didn't have too much to bring though Momo insisted on bring their spare clothes so she could wash them in the morning so that certainly added to the load. The samurai brought her yumi bow and her naginata with her as she wanted to inspect both after two weeks without using either. Cleaning and caring for one's weapons was important for any warrior.

When the sun finally gave way to the moon the pair managed to get their tent up, the cone shaped tarp big enough to house both women comfortable. Momo happily set up both of their futons inside, humming quietly as she did. Isane meanwhile was setting all of her weapons out and carefully looking over each one for flaws or scratches. With a frown she noted she was running very low on arrows, possessing only five left in her quiver. Not much room for error if this island had any game to speak of.

"Kyoske-sama, do you mind if I ask you something?" Momo called from inside the tent.

Isane chuckled. "When has that ever stopped you before?"

"Fair enough. Aren't you concerned with finding our way back to the mainland?"

Isane considered the question briefly before shrugging. "Not at the moment, no. I am in no rush to get back on that infernal boat. Besides, this place is rather big. I think there is opportunity to explore this place. Maybe we will happen upon a gold mine and can buy a palace in the capitol."

She heard a chuckle from inside the tent. "If we found a gold mine, you would spend everything on new weapons and armor and a horse and then blow the rest on sake and gambling."

Isane had the decency to blush at that last bit. Everyone had their little vices but the clatter of dice in a cup was always an enjoyable sound to her. Of course... most of her gambling ended with empty pockets and a very livid Momo but that was beside the point. The samurai conceded the point however without speaking a word. Hard to dispute the truth really.

"Speaking of sake..."

At the words Isane turned and blinked at the two tokkuri and the pair of ochoko clinking in her hands. "I thought you said we were out!"

Momo blushed and had the decency to look sheepish. "I-I figured if I gave you some when we were at sea you would have just vomited it over the side of the boat. So I might have been less than truthful. Forgive me, Kyoske-sama."

Isane was... well not exactly mad but certainly approaching that at the admission. She didn't care if she would have just vomited, being drunk through some of the voyage would have been better than being conscious. A scowl darkened her brow as she regarded her retainer. There was such a thing as taking too many liberties. Any other samurai might well beat their retainer for daring to presume what was best for them.

In the end however the woman let out a sigh. "I'm of half a mind to flog your plump little backside for lying."

She was pleased at the blush that comment caused to spread across Momo's cheeks. "However... you might have had a point in your thinking and it was to my benefit so you are forgiven, Momo-san."

Momo bowed her head. "Thank you, Kyoske-sama."

"Don't do it again." Isane added, her tone sharp enough to draw a wince from Momo.

"Yes, Kyoske-sama."

With that out of the way Isane figured now was as good a time as any to enjoy dinner with some sake. She looked inside the tent and smirked to see two futons pushed off to the side and a table set and prepared. Of course all they were missing was the food but fortunately there was plenty of that pink fruit around to make for a good meal. With another glance to Momo she inclined her head towards her retainer, softening her voice.

"Alright, hand me those and go get us some of that fruit. Chop some up this time."

Momo inclined her head and smiled once more. "Right away!"

After handing off the sake to Isane, Momo took a look for the tree with the lowest hanging fruit and smiled as she found one that had a number within arm's reach. She reached up and plucked the first one out of the low hanging branch, inspecting it for spots briefly before nodding to herself and reaching for another. Unfortunately for some, the next fruit was one of the ones mined by the harvesters that dwelled in the trees. Many watched in awe as this pink clad goddess reached up with a warm smile on her face, her fingers stretching out before starting to curl around the tasty fruit. Those caught under her fingers were crushed uncaringly beneath pale skin and pink fruit flesh.

The next two she plucked out of the tree were also ones that had mines dug into them, the harvesters helpless to do anything as the young woman plucked them right out of the tree. Many waved their arms and cried out to her when she quickly inspected the fruit; however they were nothing under the gaze of her massive eyes. There was no malice in the orbs, on the contrary there was warmth in them though that was little good when she couldn't see the lives her actions were crushing out.

Momo walked back to the tent with her prizes in tow, setting the four pink fruits upon the little table. A little lamp at been lit in the center of the tent, giving her all the light she needed to work. She moved the first one aside from the others, the one that lacked any inhabitants upon it and lifted a knife. Those upon the other three fruits could only watch in horror as the young woman happily hummed away as she chopped the fruit into pairs and then into fourths, the blade slicing through the fruit slowly and deliberately as she eventually had a neat pile of cubes that she pushed to the side of the table and out into a bowl in her free hand.

With that demonstration done those trapped upon the three remaining fruits panicked, especially those upon the one her hand moved to next. The hand loomed over the fruit and the people upon it, fingers curling around it to drag it and the inhabitants to a grisly fate. She held the fruit in place just as some people that had been in the mines around the fruit started scrambling to the surface. Some people jumped off the side and others pounded at the flesh of her fingers, as though she could feel their efforts.

The knife gleamed as it was raised up and then slowly brought down, men and women alike screaming and leaping out of the path it was about to carve on the surface. Those inside of the fruit itself were not so fortunate. The blade sliced through the pink skin of the fruit and continued downwards, cold and unfeeling steel cutting through the artificial passages dug into the pink fruit and flooding some of them with juices. Those caught under the path of the knife were either splattered or had bits hacked off in an instant. More than one miner was left nursing a stump where and arm had once been.

Momo chopped the fruit in half and then got to work carving it up into little edible cubes, humming the whole while. The goddess was merciless in her work, slicing and dicing and cutting up fruit and tiny people alike. Of course many ended up trapped in these segments while others either fell or were chopped up and mixed in with the juices of the fruit. She didn't stop no matter how many begged her to and those that had yet to receive this treatment could only watch in horror as she prepared the fruit just so.

When she was done finally the knife was positioned behind the cubes and a bowl was placed at the edge of the table. Gentle it pushed the fruit towards the edge. Those that had escaped by jumping either were crushed under the unfeeling steel or were pushed along towards their fate along with those still stuck in the fruit. The cubes of fruit tumbled down into the half-filled bowl, sending many tumbling to their doom. Those that survived found themselves trapped in a blue and white prison of ceramic, surrounded by fruit. They were now part of the delicious and sweet meal that Momo was preparing for her and her samurai mistress; a bit of unseen extra spice fated to satisfy the hunger of two titanic women.

Momo repeated the process with the two other fruits, slicing and dicing them before adding them to an empty bowl. Pleased with her handiwork she took up a cloth and looked down at the table.

"Time to clean up~." She sang, lowering it down to the juice coated surface.

Those that had managed to escape Momo and her knife looked up at the descending white cloth in dread and terror. She wiped away the juices upon the table, taking up the survivors with it. She crushed and splattered many who had thought themselves safe under the soft fabric, wiping them away with the rest of the dirt and filth. Maybe in that moment Momo saw them, though it likely wasn't as people. Instead it was likely as dust particles that had drifted into the juices, specks that existed to be cleaned and purged from the table.

When she finished cleaning away the table she set everything in place, including the sake. "Kyoske-sama! Dinner is ready!" She called out.

Isane entered the tent from her continued inspection of her weapons and smiled at the sight before her. She removed her sandals before stepping inside and knelt down across from Momo, pleased at her meal. After being stuck eating nothing but raw fish for five days she doubted she would ever tire of the sweet fruit that grew upon this island. She eyed the tokkuri upon the table and took it up, pouring a little out in her ochoko and then going so far as to let some dribble down into her bowl.

For her it was just a bit of extra seasoning for the meal, but to those inside the bowl it was a great flood descending from the heavens. It cascaded and fell across the fruit, washing many people away to the bottom of the bowl. A number drowned in the rice wine Isane had added. The samurai ignored the strange look Momo gave her and poured some into the retainer's ochoko, though refrained from letting any spill into her bowl. With that both took up their chopsticks and gave thanks for their meal.

With that both set at themselves to the task of eating. Isane was ravenous about it, plopping the fruit in her mouth and only chewing briefly before swallowing. Momo was much more articulate and paused to savor each piece she daintily placed between her lips. The one thing they had in common however was making the lives of the little people scrambling around in their bowls hell.

Each person could only wait and pray that the goddess that tended to their bowl didn't decide their piece looked particularly good, the chopsticks plucking up pieces that held dozens before they were deposited between the lips of the women. Their maws would always open, each person getting a good long look at the strings of saliva and bits of stray fruit stuck between their teeth. Warm breath would cascade over them, some being blown away by it and others were sucked inside. Eventually they and the fruit they were upon would vanish behind the lips of the women, chewed to pulp like the fruit they were upon.

Those inside of Momo's mouth found a slight mercy in that it was likely most would end up chewed into paste and mixed in with the fruit. Isane's little morsels however more often than not ended up living to plummet down her gullet and into her groaning stomach. People in the bowls scrambled and screamed and cried out to the goddesses above. However to those same women this was just a quiet dinner. The struggle for survival below went completely unseen and unheard as they happily chewed away at the pleasant meal.

Occasionally they paused to take a drink of sake. Isane was more frequent about this, washing down her meals with the rice wine before refilling her ochoko anew. Momo took sips of her sake occasionally between bites. Of course these pauses lasted only briefly before they continued to pick away at their meals, condemning more lives to their end as mere food. As time went on Isane's cheeks grew more flushed and even Momo eventually had a red tinge around her cheeks.

Momo squeaked as she accidently dropped a piece of fruit between the valley of her breasts. Those upon the fruit plummeted and some were splattered against her skin. The survivors thanked the spirits for their reprieve and many thought that this was their chance to escape. Isane however spotted the sight and, quick as lightning, stabbed her chopsticks between Momo's prodigious breasts. She smirked lewdly as she plucked the bit of fruit from between the mounds of flesh and slowly raised it up to her lips. She allowed it to circle her lips for a moment before slowly placing it in her mouth and chewing it. Those that had thought they had found survival only found a new mouth they were to perish in.

"Hey! That one was mine!" Momo whined.

Isane promptly swallowed and patted at her belly. "Too slow, Momo-san. Mmm... that one tasted good."

With a little pout Momo reached across the table and plucked one of the bits of fruit from Isane's bowl, plopping it into her mouth before the people upon it even got a chance to scream. She chewed once before swallowing, feeling it slide down her throat pleasantly. The samurai blinked before smirking.

"If you wanted more, Momo-san, you could have just asked."

The samurai plucked up one of the few bits of fruit remaining in her bowl and held it just outside of Momo's mouth, a drunken giggle leaving her retainer's mouth when she got the idea. She stuck out her tongue and lightly licked at it, taking a few tiny people back into her mouth when it retreated. She then opened her mouth and Isane plopped it right inside, pausing to reflect at how plush her lips looked when they closed around it.

They two made a drunken game of feeding each other, playing with their food in increasingly lewd ways. The few people remaining were a part of their bit of food play now whether they liked it or not, many perishing as they tried to one up each other at arousing the other one. Once she reached a particularly inebriated state Momo placed her last piece of fruit between her breasts, pressing them together lightly to hold it in place. When Isane tried to reach it with her chopsticks she pulled away.

"No, dummy! Use your mouth!" She giggled, hiccupping slightly.

Isane smirked before she leaned across the table, licking her lips as she felt arousal pool between her legs. Momo was always more dirty minded when she was drunk. The samurai watched Momo pull at her kimono accommodatingly, just enough to give her a shot. Isane pressed her face between the ample mounds and felt a pulse of heat throb at her core. Her heartrate rose as she flicked her tongue out to grab at the treat between the breasts of her retainer.

Two people remained up the fruit, both unable to comprehend what they were being used for. They did see the approaching face of the clearly drunken samurai though and screamed when her tongue reached out and curled around their fruit. The pair were just part of Momo's effort to excite her mistress, less than toys for their fleeting amusement. Isane took the fruit between her lips and trapped both there, the man and woman choking upon the humidity of her mouth. They ran towards each other, hoping to at least remain together in these last moments.

Isane had other plans as she lifted her face from between Momo's breasts and captured the shorter woman's lips in her own, passing the fruit to her retainer's mouth with her nimble tongue. The other woman bit down on one half of it, taking the man into her mouth and leaving the woman to Isane. Both swallowed their pieces at the same time before sloppily kissing at each other again. The table was shoved aside and Isane took her bowl up in one hand as she reveled in the closeness with her retainer.

She broke away only briefly to tip back the bowl, drawing the generous amount of sake she had poured in earlier towards her waiting mouth. The survivors that had fallen into the sake scrabbled desperately at the sides of the bowl, trying to keep from slipping down between the moist lips of the samurai. A number ended up being downed with the sake, the rice wine burning nicely down her throat. She left half of the bowl and brought it up to Momo's lips, who smiled drunkenly as she accepted more sake.

Those that had survived Isane's drink were not so lucky with Momo and ended up flowing nicely down her gullet with long and greedy gulps, joining the dozens in her belly. Isane placed aside her empty bowl and slipped and hand inside Momo's kimono, groping at one of her breasts as she drew in for another kiss. Those that managed to hang on to either woman's lips become paste as their drunken lustful duo locked lips, perhaps having the most merciful deaths that night.

Eventually Momo broke away, smiling at a confused Isane. "Not yet. Let's take a dip in the lake. We can get as dirty as we want in there." She said.

The samurai's slightly confused frown turned up into a lewd grin. She absolutely loved it when Momo was drunk. The pair stood, leaving behind nothing of those that had been a part of their meal but miniscule stains upon the bowls and table.

Lord Imagawa looked at those seated in his audience chamber that evening, each and every one looking more than a little nervous. He knelt at his normal spot, shakily bringing his tea up to his lips for a drink. He made a face. It tasted rather awful today though he doubted he could fault the brewer overmuch. After the mere sight of the two women today much of the city was caught up in speculation and fear. Especially when, according to his military advisor, it appeared they had set up camp across from the city.

"...And that brings me to the next point. The harbor has become too crowded with ships desperate to get into port so some had to be turned away. There hasn't been any violence yet, Imagawa-sama but I would appreciate some men on the docks."

After his Minister of Commerce finished, his Minister of Military Affairs stood when the lord looked to him for advice on that subject. "I'm afraid, Imagawa-sama, that we are too spread thin as it is to commit more men to the harbor. Riots are threatening to break out in the streets. Some are claiming they are a sign of displeasure at your rule."

Imagawa nodded, well aware of the rumors as well. It wasn't as if he could refute them. How could he when they had shown themselves like they had? The question had yet to be answered whether they were a sign of favor or displeasure from the heavens though fortunately he had just the man to inform her of that. His eyes finally rested upon the High Priest of Ika, the bushy browed man bowing low to him immediately.

"What say you? Are the heavens enraged by some slight I have delivered? If so, how might I appease their wrath?"

"Ah, well, it is difficult to say at this time. So far they have done nothing destructive towards the city itself. Perhaps it is not you or anyone in Ika they wish to punish. It could not hurt, however, for you to go down to the shrine and beg the mercy of the heavens, Imagawa-sama."

The lord locked his jaw. Not exactly the answer he had hoped for but it was better than nothing. At this point he would have debased himself naked in the street if he knew it would avert disaster. His noble pride was not worth potentially compromising the safety of Ika. The city had not stood for centuries to be destroyed under his rule. He just hated being so helpless. Normally if there was a problem then he had the power to deal with it. He couldn't just order his army to make these massive women go away.

The door to the audience chamber slid open and one of his samurai bowed respectfully. "Imagawa-sama, the kuge nobles are demanding you see them."

Of course they were. Everyone wanted to see him today. The current crisis left him longing to just have to deal with those trying to appeal his sentences. That was much simpler than having to deal with an existential crisis of a visit from two deities. Half of the city was looking to him for protection and the other half saw it as a chance to unseat him. It was no different for the lesser noble class of Ika.

"Send them away, forcibly if necessary." He commanded, the door sliding shut immediately.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped, the weight of a city falling upon them. He rubbed at his temples in an effort to calm the headache roaring through his skull. It was hard enough to accept that this was actually happening. That the heavens had sent two messengers down to loom over the very land. It was like some tale out of old legend. What he wouldn't have given for a hero or advisor with a solution to the dilemma.

The night had fallen though the soft glow of a lamp in the massive tent the deities called home made them halfway visible across the lake. He had his sharpest eyes watching them with strict orders to inform him of their movements. If they so much as dipped one toe in the water he wanted to be the first to know about it. If need be he had an evacuation order ready for every ship in the harbor to take as many as they could to the far shore. Everything was in place for the worst though he had to hope for the best.

His Minister of Commerce cleared his throat. "Imagawa-sama... perhaps it might be best for you to take one of the ships to the far shore, Just in case the worst-."

A sharp glare silenced him immediately. "I will not abandon the city my father's father's father built from nothing."

The man bowed low, his head touching the ground in a gesture of supplication. Imagawa dismissed him from his mind and returned his attention to his High Priest. The lord liked to think he respected the spirits as much as any man did, enough so that their High Priest was part of his council. What could he have possibly done wrong that warranted the presence of two great goddesses? Were they a warning or his downfall?

"You were saying about appeasing-."

A loud thumping came from outside the doors and they slid open quickly, revealing one of his samurai that had been on watch. "They are moving towards the sea!"

Imagawa was up and following the samurai before any of his advisors could so much as get a word out. They followed behind him as he walked up to the tower of the palace. Once here he peered out the window and watched, only needing a brief glance before turning to his Minister of Commerce. The man bowed low once again though the lord had little time to stand on ceremony in this instance.

"Sound the evacuation order. I want ships sailing for the far shore, now!"

His gaze turned to his military advisor. "Take some of the men from the palace with you and ensure the evacuation is as orderly as possible!"

Both men bowed once more and hurried away to carry out his orders. Finally his eyes turned to the stooped figure of his High Priest. "We are going to the shrine. Let us pray that the wrath of the heavens can yet be averted."

________________________________________________________________________

Isane wasn't shy about untying her tattered kimono and tossing it aside, leaving her standing in the cloth wrapping she kept around her breasts and waist. These were peeled off as well, leaving her naked as they day she was born. Scars adorned her athletic form, a testament to most every battle she had survived through her life. Some were rather ugly, such as the prominent one across her back that looked as though some animal's claws had raked as her skin. She bore them with pride rather than shame, caring little for her own beauty.

Even in a drunken state Momo was a little better about undressing before going out, neatly folding her clothes as well as she could. She worked her tabi down her lower thighs and set them on top of her folded kimono and the removed her own wrappings beneath. Her own body was free of scars and was far closer to the classic womanly beauty of old tales. Well rounded, pale, and soft. Everything that would drive most men wild.

She shuffled out of the tent and squeaked when Isane's strong fingers gripped her arms and roughly shoved her towards the water. Momo cried out and flailed her arms in a vain effort to catch her fall. The few ships that had been denied port could only watch in horror as their night sky was dominated by the smooth back of the woman. She splashed into the water, immediately splintering the ships beneath her and sending large waved out towards the city in the middle of the water. None reached the city itself but farm land was drowned and flooded, ruining it completely.

The young woman rose from the water, her long dark hair having come out of its bindings. She glared up at the laughing form of Isane. "Hey! That was mean! It's not funny, Kyoske-same!" She pouted.

"Ah, the look on your, ha, face! Priceless!" The samurai managed to get out between laughs.

"You're a b-b-b..." Momo stuttered, struggling to get the word off of her tongue.

Isane rolled her eyes as she stepped down into the cool water. "Bitch. The word you are looking for is bitch, Momo-san. Your mistress is a big, nasty bitchy brute."

The younger woman's cheeks flushed more brightly at the samurai's foul tongue. She shivered slightly in the cool waters watching as Isane moved closer towards her. Immediately she found the other woman's lips over her own and she melted under the possessive and rough manner Isane handled her. Her calloused fingers groped at one of her breasts with her free arm circled around her waist and pulled her in. She eagerly returned Isane's kiss, wrapping her arms around the samurai.

The water came up to Momo's chest and allowed her to stand upon the bottom fairly easily so it was deep but not overly so clearly. All thoughts of bathing fled her mind as Isane's lips left her own and started trailing down her neck. The short woman bit her lower lip and let out a groan filled with need. It had been too long since last Isane had deigned to indulge in this. Much too long.

There were many duties she enjoyed doing as Isane's retainer. She liked cleaning her clothes and fixing her meals. She liked setting her hair up into a topknot and helping to bathe her. However she especially enjoyed being the object of the samurai's sexual desires. The woman was so generous in this field, giving more often than taking. She could tell that Isane was just as hungry as she was for this, the sake just adding fuel to the flames.

The samurai's hand snaked down from her breast and to the cleft between her legs, teasing at her slit. A gasp left her lips from the probing fingers and her fingers curled into Isane's back. A pulse of heat shot through her nerves as she leaned into the samurai. She let out a frustrated whine as the teasing continued and she felt herself being pushed backwards. Momo went along with it, trying to buck her hips for more attention. Isane was having none of that and withdrew her fingers from between her legs the moment she started getting impatient.

"Not yet, patience. All good things come to those who wait." Isane said, chuckling at the pout on her retainer's face.

Upon their path captains tried desperately to move their ships and boats from the advance of the two massive lovers. Waves crashed outwards from their movements, capsizing many while other ships were dashed up against Momo's back. A few shipwrecked survivors ended up between the two goddesses as they kissed and groped at each other. One managed to claw his way onto one of Momo's breasts, only for Isane's fingers to squish him into paste when they gripped at the mound.

Regardless their path was taking them inexorably towards the mound in the center of the lake, Isane seeing it as the perfect place to draw some tantalizing mewls from Momo. Isane moved her hands below the water to grip behind Momo's thighs, her retainer wrapping her arms around the samurai's neck accommodatingly. With a final kiss given she lifted up, helping to prop up her lover as she slowly moved her onto the mound.

Below in Ika most could only watch in slowly dawning horror as Momo was lifted up out of the water, her rear hovering over the edge of the city. Droplets of water fell from the soaked young woman, crashing into buildings and flooding streets. The sky was dominated by two plump sets of cheeks, which slowly descended. People screamed and ran, trying to escape their doom. Buildings cracked and walls crumbled under the soft flesh. People were pasted between Momo's rear and the earth itself, the young woman wriggling slightly to get comfortable.

The mound was large enough for her to comfortably lay back and felt strangely... itchy. The young woman pressed her hands back behind her, her palms and fingers smashing blocks of property with ease. She moved back slightly, raising herself up enough so that her rear was brought down a little further back onto the mound. Those that had escaped their fleshy doom before could only watch in horror as the goddess readjusted herself upon the mound. Isane helped herself up, rising out of the water and slowly pushing back upon Momo.

Her retainer lay on her back, the wall of flesh descending from above slowly. She wriggled once she lay back, displeased at how itchy this mound was. The motion only served to grind more buildings and people into nothingness beneath her enormity. When her head was upon the ground, strands of her long dark hair fell in the water behind her. The thick dark ropes managed to smash into a few of the fleeing ships, dashing apart the vessels under her hair. Isane pulled herself up onto the mound, crawling up after her and looming over her retainer. Her hands and knees dug into the city, water dripping from her hair to flood the city below.

The samurai kissed at Momo's breasts, her tongue circling around her nipples. The woman's hands wrapped around her back as her toes curled in pleasure, grinding more of the city to pulp between the digits. The screams and sounds of the devastated city were unheard by the pair as they set about handling their drunken lust. Eventually Isane's fingers trailed low, caressing at the cleft between her retainer's legs.

___________________________________________________________________

There was an odd ringing in his ears. It wouldn't go away no matter how much he tried to make it. Lord Imagawa stood on shaking legs, stumbling as he fought to keep his balance. He felt blood dribbling down the side of his head and his clothes were ripped and tattered in several places. The ruins of the shrine were all about him, bodies of the dead crushed under the collapsing building.

Really there had been no way to prepare for their arrival. Not a few minutes after he had given his order to evacuate was when they had hit the water and started towards the city. He remembered quite clearly what it felt like when first the shorter of the two massive women had sat upon the island. It had been an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude, the impact kicking up debris and rubble. From there it had only gotten worse as the woman had laid back and her companion had joined her.

He stumbled out of the ruins, his hearing halfway returning. He could hear the sounds of screaming and running feet upon the ruined streets of Ika. He could see the imprints the two goddesses made upon the island. However the most overpowering noise was from the two massive women. Or at least from one of them. He looked around and estimated exactly where he was.

All around him were walls of milky flesh that stretched skywards, twitching occasionally and shifting to grind more of the city into nothingness. Her thighs, which eventually led towards the cleft between her legs. It looked distant but was close enough that he could smell the musty air her lust was creating. The warrior goddess had inserted three of her fingers inside of her smooth slit, slipping inside and pumping away furiously. It didn't take a genius to guess what exactly was going on.

They were having sex. They were joined in the throes of passion upon the crumbling ruins of a city. Their actions destroyed thousands of lives and all so they could enjoy a bit of drunken passion in the night. He couldn't believe this. It was not enough that they were destroying a city that had stood for centuries but they were copulating over the ruins. Did they even know what they were doing, he had to wonder. If they did then was it just a game to them? Two divine beings that found the idea of fucking on top of a city arousing?

He watched on as the fingers continued their efforts, a sickening sucking noise carrying out over the city as they stirred the passion of the other woman. Her back arched up before slamming back down into the ground thunderously. She squirmed and writhed under the attentions, splintering and cracking buildings from her slightest movements. Her thunderous cries boomed over the land. No doubt she was in ecstasy. The lord couldn't take his eyes off of the scene, his legs wouldn't move.

Finally it seemed as though she reached her limit as her body tensed and a deafening cry cracked out from her. Imagawa watched as her passion flowed out from within in bursts, a wave of her warm juices washing over buildings and people. It flowed towards the remains of the shrine, a sea of viscous and sticky fluid. It smashed into it and into him, when he tried to scream all he managed to do was swallow more of it. As the corners of his vision blackened as he drowned in a puddle of the woman's cum he only wondered why.

____________________________________________________________________

Isane smiled victoriously as Momo finally came, a loud shriek of pleasure ripped from her lungs as she slumped back. The puddle that slipped past her fingers spread out over the insignificant specks running below, drowning dozens in the cum of her lover. The woman removed her slick fingers, fat and sticky droplets falling from them and onto parts of the city spared the fruits of her lover's labors. She suckled at the digits, licking them clean as she looked down at the gasping form of the woman below her.

The retainer smiled a content and drunken smile. "T-Thank you, Kyoske-sama. If it pleases you, we can do you next."

The samurai smirked and slowly stood, positioning herself with her legs spread enough to give Momo a clear mark. Her feet slammed down upon yet untouched parts of the city, people only getting a glimpse at the underside of her dirty sole before being flattered and compressed in the earth. The retainer licked at her lips as she managed to work herself up to her knees, gazing upwards at her mistress. Her legs claimed as many lives as her back had as she sat down upon her heels. Her toes dug into the earth, a select few that found refuge between the digits quickly drowned in a mixture of water and sweat dribbling down between them.

She leaned in, her tongue peeking out to lap at her moistened slit. Isane let out a strangled moan as her tongue stopped at her clit. Momo took the engorged nub between her lips and circled her tongue around it, smirking as that drew a very loud and audible moan from the powerful warrior. She didn't linger here overly long and instead slipped her tongue inside Isane, drawing her lower lips into a lewd kiss.

Isane gasped, her toes curling and grinding those that had survived the between them to paste. Her fingers gripped onto Momo's scalp as her knees wobbled at the attentions. This only prompted her retainer to keep going, her tongue swirling and twisting to lap at every single inch available. The samurai's eyes opened wide as her back arched and she had trouble keeping her balance.

After having gone so long without this feeling she didn't end up lasting long under her retainer's skillful tongue. Her body tensed and relaxed a few times as she gave the woman exactly what she desired, her juices flowing into Momo's mouth. Some dribbled down her chin and dripped onto the streets below, bringing an end to the panic of some of the people and slowly chasing a few as it spread outwards like a flood. Those ending up trapped in the droplets drowned, their lungs filling with Isane's fluids. The retainer dutifully swallowed what she had been given before smirking mischievously.

She pushed against Isane's legs, the samurai letting out a cry as she splashed into the water behind her. The waves kicked up by the splash did end up hitting the city this time, water flowing over untouched regions of the city and carrying ruined building and screaming people out to sea. Momo giggled drunkenly as an irritated Isane rose, sputtering and coughing from having inhaled water.

"What the hell, Momo-san!?"

"Ha! Serves you right for pushing me in earlier!"

The drunken samurai grumbled under her breath about impertinence however Momo only laughed as she lowered herself to lie down on her belly. People watched in horror as her smooth stomach and generous bust sped down towards them. Her harden nipples hit the ground first, splattering buildings and people under them as the rest of the mounds compressed against the earth soon after. The only safe place with her stomach was her bellybutton, though sweat and water still escaped down there to make the lucky survivors lives hell.

She wriggled a bit to get comfortable, grinding more of the city into dust. She frowned slightly. "Is it just me or is this rock all itchy?" She said, scratching at her arms absently.

Isane shrugged. "Probably just dirty or something."

Momo smirked. "It's even dirtier now!"

"Oh, it's not even close to being as dirty as its going to be. Get lay back again, I'm nowhere near done with you yet!" Isane growled.

The efforts of the two women continued long into the night, smashing and crushing and grinding the once great Ika into a flattened, sweat and cum soaked memory. Those in the city tried to flee in vain and were grinded into paste beneath the two massive women as they made love. They were crushed, drowned, and tossed to the winds without a care in their world. Those sailing away could only watch in horror as the naked goddesses destroyed the city effortlessly, the screams and thunderous moans sure to haunt their nightmares for the rest of their days.

____________________________________________________________________

Far out from the island where two unaware women destroyed civilization after civilization there was a boat drifting along the moonlit ocean. Upon this boat was a woman. A heart wrenchingly beautiful woman with a long dark braid that reached down to her back and a green robe swathed around her body. At her side was a straight sword, its sheath golden with lion and dragon motifs upon it. Her almond shaped eyes narrowed at the basin of water within her boat, a single blood colored needle pointing in a singular direction.

She looked out into the distance, her golden eyes cold and dispassionate. Unconsciously her left hand curled into a fist, making a sound rather like two stones scraping and grinding together. Under the light of the moon there was a gleam of milky green however it vanished into the folds of thick robes as soon as it appeared. A stiff breeze bore the craft along upon in the direction the needle pointed towards. Within the water the needle shifted and pulsed as though it was alive, writhing and moving yet constantly retaining its direction and shape.

Her eyes narrowed briefly upon the spot where the needle pointed towards. On land or at sea, she would find her. Hours, days, weeks, months, years, no matter how long it took she would find her.

Thirsty. By the spirits she was thirsty. Her lips felt so dry and her throat as raw as it had ever been. Her stomach grumbled noisily as it demanded something to fill it. Of course she lacked the ability to so much as move; let along feed her aching stomach anything. She groaned as her weary eyes blinked open, sleep still heavy upon them. Her plush white mattress was at least comfortable she supposed. It made it a little too easy for her to wish to just drift off back to sleep.

Rika swallowed, wincing as the gesture only served to agitate her scratchy throat. When she inhaled through her nose there was the ever prominent scent of feet wafting up from her prison of fabric. It was a rather awful way to wake up. She was alive though. That she supposed as amazing in and of itself. With all the walking the woman had done and the kneeling she had expected to be splattered or crushed at some point yesterday. Yet she was alive. Alive to live another day as a speck of dirt on the goddess' tabi.

She suddenly was aware that she felt no one gripping her hand and her heartrate spiked. "Asami-san! Asami-san!" She cried, turned her head and groping around with her hand. If she was left alone like this she was certain she would go mad.

She felt a hand capture her own. "Shhh, I'm here Rika-san. I'm still here." The other woman croaked, her own thirst quite evident.

Rika sighed in relief. Asami was still there. She was still right next to her. They were still lying on top of the pile of clothing the woman had left out last night and in the distance Rika could still see her form curled up in her futon. She supposed it was a small blessing they had been discarded for her slumber. At least that way they had slept peacefully. It was only a matter of time of course until she awoke and they would be worn once again. After all, she reflected bitterly, they were just another part of her tabi now. Just another layer in the fabric of the white sock.

Asami squeezed her hand. "Hey. Are you afraid?"

Rika turned her head and slowly nodded. No point in denying her fear. She dreaded the moment when Momo awoke and cheerfully slipped them on to go about her day. She had thought the first few moments had been hell but as the day had gone on she had learned what hell truly was. The constant rough wind battering against her face, thump that she could feel in her very bones when her foot touched the ground and the sheer terror and fear for the knowledge that anything could end her. It all contributed to a torment. A horror, an ordeal that she knew in the back of her mind she would endure until death be it through starvation or being crushed.

"Yeah. Me too." The older woman said.

Silence again until Asami spoke. "What do you think she is?"

Rika considered the question. In many ways she and Rika physically looked quite similar; both were petit and well-formed and had a pale sort of beauty about them. They even looked about the same age. However Rika's hair was brown as opposed to Momo's dark hair and was kept fairly short. Even still, despite their similarities it was impossible for her to see her as just another woman. Just like the tabi that now made up Rika's world was not just a sock. She was too massive to be just another woman.

"I don't know." Rika responded.

"I think maybe she is some kind of goddess."

"If that is the case, why did she destroy our home?"

Asami paused at that. "Perhaps... perhaps she just couldn't see us? Compared to her we are pretty tiny after all."

"Then she can't be a goddess. If she was she would know what she was doing. She would be able to see us." Rika said.

"Well... then maybe she's a woman then."

That explanation sat worse than the goddess theory with Rika. If Momo was indeed just a woman than that made her people, every one of them, less than nothing. They were indeed just specks of dirt in that case for all they mattered to this woman and others like her. How many like here were there then? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Was there an entire civilization of such people across the endless expanse of the sea? If that was true it meant that in the grand scheme of things that all of their accomplishments and their civilization were pointless.

Rika weakly wriggled against her bindings for what seemed like the hundredth time. She hated being stuck like this. Her home, her family, her everything had been destroyed by the pair of women. Uncaringly wiped away like it never mattered and to them it likely never had existed. Their town had been around for at least a hundred years and had possessed great power in the region, all of that ended under the feet of two women. It just wasn't fair. There was nothing about this that was remotely fair!

She stopped struggling and felt tears leak at her eyes again as she continued to breathe in Momo's scent. This was her life now. Stuck to a sock, breathing in tainted air, peeling off and discarded in the evening only to be slipped on in the morning. In that moment she cursed every single one of the spirits. She hated them. She hated the heavens, she hated the universe for doing this to her. Why even give her life if they were just going to do this to her? Why make it look like she even had a chance?

"Rika... please, stop crying. Shhh... it's going to be fine." Asami said, her voice soothing.

"No its not! Don't you get it Asami-san, this is it! This is all we ever amounted to. Dirt. Dust. Nothing to her."

"I don't care about her, I care about you. I don't care if we aren't anything to her. We can't change that, Rika-san. That is just something we have to accept." Asami said forcefully.

Rika swallowed hard, wincing once again. She had never known Asami very well in the town. She'd met her a few times and gotten along with the older woman before but she had always come off as a tad... uptight. Now she was one of the only things keeping her sane. The whole time yesterday she had held her hand tightly. When she had cried she had soothed her. She regretted not getting to know her when she had the chance. She regretted that this was how they had to have extended conversations with each other.

As for accepting... that was hard. How was she supposed to accept this? That she was nothing in the grand scheme of thing? That her life meant absolutely zero in the eyes of the universe? Asami was asking her to accept the fact that she was going to die. That this place was going to be where her life was extinguished. Upon a white field of fabric. It wasn't exactly an easy thing, accepting that.

In the distance she saw a shifting of movement and her attention was immediately turned upon the stirring form of Momo. With a mighty and thunderous yawn she rose from her futon, her arms stretching skyward and her dark hair spilling about her head loosely. She truly did look like just a woman in that way. Rika doubted that a goddess would even have to sleep or would ever have to deal with a mess of hair.

She started hyperventilating as Momo stood up to her full massive height, stretching up as high as she could and getting up on the tips of her toes. Rika started to weep softly against at the sight of the naked woman. They were going to be worn again. She was just going to smile and slip them right back on and condemn them to hell once more. Asami made soothing noises to try and calm her down and it worked to some degree. However instead of moving directly towards them the frightened women watched her head towards a pack lying in the corner of the tent.

She opened it up and slipped on a fresh and much cleaner looking pair of tabi. Rika felt her heart swell. They weren't going to be worn. She'd take being stuffed away like dirty clothing but they weren't going to be worn at least. Momo set a rather plain looking red kimono on and slipped on her sandals, stepping outside for a time. When she returned a few minutes later her twin braids were set in her much cleaner looking hair and her eyes turned to the neat pile of clothes Rika and Asami were a part of.

She hummed lightly, a thunderous rumbling noise to both of them and picked up her clothes. She deposited them near the edge of the lake where there was a basin filled with water. It was then that Rika's happiness turned to ashes and her eyes widened as she realized what was about to occur. They were set down beside the basin and Rika watched in horror as Momo took up the other tabi and started scrubbing it in the water, humming all the while. Rika immediately started crying once again.

"No! No, no, no! Not like this!" She cried.

Asami's fingers gripped hers tightly. "Rika-san! Look at me!"

Hesitantly Rika did so, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "Your bindings look like they loosened when she was carrying us. Try to move!"

Rika blinked but did as she was told. She was right. They were looser now! Seized by this bit of hope, Rika struggled for all she was worth. She twisted and wriggled and worked her limbs in awkward ways she never had before. Adrenaline was pouring through her veins as a way out was presented to her and the sounds of Momo's dutiful scrubbing filled her ears. First she managed to get and arm free. Then a leg. Then another arm. Rika gritted her teeth, so close. Her sandals fell off in the struggle and her obi was loosened but she hardly noticed.

Finally her leg was freed and so was she. Her attention immediately turned to Asami, who was very much still stuck. She started with her arm, tugging and pulling at the strands that imprisoned it and pulled them away. She worked with a wild and almost crazed fervor They were going to get out of this. They were going to live through this! Her existential crisis was far from her mind at this point as she worked, frantically trying to free Asami from her bindings.

Suddenly everything lurched and gravity shifted, Rika desperately grabbing onto Asami's hand to keep from tumbling away. It was there turn from the looks of it. Time had run out. Momo moved them over the basin and Rika met Asami's eyes. She could see there was real fear in them, fear that stabbed at her heart for having failed the older woman. There was something else behind them though. Something strange, almost detached in some ways.

"Let go, Rika-san. It's okay."

Rika felt Asami pull away from her grip and her eyes widened as open air met her. "No! Asami-san!"

She screamed the whole way down to the water, watching in horror as Momo's fingers got to work scrubbing away at the dirt and filth upon her tabi. Dirt and filth that included Asami among their number. Rika splashed into the water below, rising immediately as she was left coughing and sputtering. The water was filled with grime and dirt and old debris from homes crushed under her tabi. She stared upwards, her entire world being shifted and shaken as Momo cleaned at her set of clothes.

The water was swirled about and more than once Rika went under, forced under by the powerful currents created by Momo's tireless cleaning. Dust and dirt were purged from her tabi, polluting the water even further. It tasted revolting and it was made worse by the knowledge that Asami was mixed in with the filth. She struggled and she swam, trying to keep from drowning. No matter how many times she was pulled under the revolting water she rose up, gasping for air. No matter how hard the current was she swam until her arms screamed for a release from the physical activity.

Momo eventually removed her tabi from the basin and started cleaning her kimono, which was no easier a task to survive. The number of times Rika almost ended up drawn too close to Momo's working fingers and squished against wet fabric were uncountable. She kept on fighting though, continuing to struggle and swim and thrash her way through the dirty water. Rika never gave up, determined to fight despite how hopeless this looked. If there was even the slightest chance she could survive this she would take it, it would keep her going until she was killed or died of exhaustion.

Finally Momo stood and turned to collect more clothes to wash, however as she did she knocked the basin into the edge of the lake. It tipped over onto its side and water rushed out into the lake. Rika swam with the current this time as freedom was in sight. She plummeted down into the cleaner waters of the lake below, close to the shore of the lake. It was a shock of more cold water, almost stealing the breath from her lungs.

Eventually she surfaced to find Momo had refilled the basin with fresh water and had wandered off to get more clothes. Rika swam for the nearest bit of shore, dragging herself onto actual solid land before promptly collapsing. She was alive. Despite everything, despite all the odds she had survived! She wasn't stuck to Momo's tabi and she hadn't been scrubbed away like dirt, she was alive!

She was, but it had come at a cost. A cost that slammed home in her memory as she laid panting and gasping on the shore. Asami. She was gone; she had no doubt about that. She had let go, she had given Rika a chance at life at the cost of her own. The young woman promptly slammed her fist against the ground as tears rose in her eyes. A raw ache formed in her heart, a feeling of loss tearing its way out of her in the form of a sob, which was followed by another. Eventually Rika was left a crying mess upon the ground.

She was gone forever and she hadn't deserved it! She hadn't deserved to die like that. That woman... she would never know what she had done, she would never know the life she had scrubbed out so carelessly was worth ten of hers. Rika felt something else well in her following the feeling of loss. Hatred. It bubbled and blackened and churned in her gut as she saw Momo reemerge from her tent. She hated her. She hated her with all of her being. She hated her more than anything or anyone. Even through her hatred however, one thing remained true.

She was alive.

Most of the next few days had Momo and Isane settling into a routine. The morning saw Momo washing clothes and gathering food, while Isane cared for her weapons and armor. The fruit was more often than not stored away for when it eventually came time for them to depart, however others they happily ate. Isane even managed to choke down some cooked fish once they got a fire pit dug. Later the samurai meditated and then rigorously trained her body, stretching and practicing with her weaponry. Her retainer watched and was always on hand with water.

Momo admired how Isane handled here weapons, watching as she moved them like they were an extension of her body. Her muscles flexed had quickly worked out a bit of the rust they had possessed once. Currently she wore her blue hakama and only bindings around her breasts, her torso on full display. The retainer felt her mouth go dry as she watched her mistress' form. Her muscles were corded and trained like steel, not too bulky as to make her appear overly masculine but certainly enough to grant her scarred form the look of a veteran warrior.

Her naginata sang through the air, shaft spinning in her fingers. The blade gleamed in the daylight, its fine edge more than capable of slicing limbs clean off. The butt of the spear possessed a red plume, which drew the eye away from the blade itself. A fine trick when one was facing off in a duel. Upon the ground however her practice held consequences. Scouts from neighboring villages had been sent out to ascertain the fate of Ika and ended up stumbling right upon the ground Isane used to spar.

Fellow samurai scrambled below as Isane's bare feet danced along the ground, struggling to escape the woman. The massive feet set down to block off one escape route and when they tried another, the other foot settled down there. It was almost as though the woman was toying with the scouts, dancing around them while never quite touching them. The leader of the group turned his horse sharply and rode out, attempting to outrun the woman's titanic feet. The last thing he saw was the peachy and calloused sole of the warrior woman speeding down to meet him. Her toes flexed and curled, the woman twisting upon the ball of her foot to complete her move.

The men saw their commander crushed and twisted into oblivion and watched the titanic woman in awe as she continued her dance of death. In actual combat most of her flourishes were impractical but she felt like testing her flexibility and poise. She stepped forward, casting the remaining scouts in shadow. They got a good long look at her foot arching above them, the flesh wrinkling and slightly and freeing clumps of dirt to fall upon the ground. In an instant it came down, flattening most of them much like their commander armor and all.

Isane finished, setting the butt of her spear onto the ground. Those scouts that had escaped between her sweaty toes ran from between the digits, coughing and sputtering from the intense aroma. Most were covered in the pungent liquid and some coughed it up. However they were quick to run as fast and as far as they could, running from the woman as she opted to take a quick break. Mercifully she walked towards Momo and away from them, placing her naginata against a nearby tree. Momo handed her a gourd of water and the samurai drank from it in long and greedy gulps.

"Ah! It feels good to be training again! Damn, I missed this. The sun blaring down above, a weapon in my hands, now all I'm missing is an opponent. Then I'd never want to leave this place!" The samurai said, dumping some of the contents of the gourd upon her head for good measure.

Momo giggled. "Just the one opponent, Kyoske-sama?"

Isane gave that some serious thought. "Hmm... maybe a handful. One for a different day so I'd have to change up tactics. I'd probably also want to fight more than one at a time on occasion, just to keep me on my toes..."

The fact the samurai put such serious thought into a little hypothetical amused her retainer to no end. She shook her head and rose, bowing slightly. "Well, if you'll excuse me I think I'm going to head out for a walk. Get some fresh air. You stink."

A wry grin met that. "Don't give me that, I know you like it."

"I like looking, touching and smelling is pretty disgusting actually."

With that Momo was off, leaving Isane to cool down from a bit of training. She left their little campsite behind and started walking upon the trail that led around the cliff. Her pink kimono and favorite pair of tabi were all nice and clean and her hair was no longer the greasy mess it had been. She looked and felt tolerably human. What a find this island had been, though she didn't look forward to having to sail back. Isane was going to be insufferable.

Along the rocky path there were the broken remains of villages here and there, crushed to splinters by Isane on one of her walks. The retainer hopped across the rocks happily, further grinding the ruins into the dirt and rock. Eventually she rounded the highest point along the path, giving her a good and long look out at the place where they had initially arrived. What she saw perplexed her.

There was another boat. Its looked a bit larger than their own had and was painted red and black and shaped squarely. Another arrival upon the island. Her immediate thought was concern that perhaps the Lord Testu had sent men after them after all. However as she squinted and looked at the sail and its sigil it wasn't possessed of the sigil of his clan. Instead it was simply plain, nothing special about it. Odd.

"Why hello there, little Momo, long time no see."

Momo felt her blood freeze as cold steel was pressed up against the back of her neck. The familiar cold tone and accented Syngarese sent more chills up her spine than any blade could. She dared not turn around, knowing full well that if who she thought was standing behind her was there she would be dead the moment she made a move that wasn't liked. She struggled to find her voice.

"Speechless? Can't say I blame you. Here, maybe you'd feel better if this was face to face."

The steel was gone and immediately Momo felt herself spun around and lifted up by the front of her kimono. She cried out as she was slammed into the side of the cliff, clutching at the strong hands holding her up. Her eyes gazed downwards and she saw her. Cold golden eyes, that long braid swaying lightly in the breeze, the unnatural and exotic beauty that queens would kill to have. There was no mistaking her for any other woman.

"D-Daiyu, urk!" She got out, her breathing cut off for a moment.

The woman's full lips curled upwards into a cruel smirk. "Lady Daiyu. Or Daiyu-sama in your crude barbarian tongue I suppose."

"H-How-."

"Did I track you? Easily. Isane left a bit of blood behind from our previous encounter. I wouldn't be much of a sorceress if I couldn't track her." She answered.

Momo tried to get out something else, to scream or shout to try and warn Isane however Daiyu was having none of that and jerked her further off the ground to cut her breathing off completely. "Uh uh, shhh, shhh, quiet down Momo, we'll surprise Isane in a minute or two I promise. She'll just love it I know. We shouldn't waste the opportunity for some quality time however; we have so much catching up to do. How long has it been?"

Momo could only choke in response. "Three months? Has it really been that long you say? By the Empress time really does fly. Hmm? Having trouble breathing? Why didn't you just say so?"

The woman held Momo up just a bit longer, long enough that the retainer started feebly kicking her feet at the woman to try and get loose. The corners of her vision started to darken until the woman released her grip abruptly, sending the young woman to the ground in a heap. She took in a great gasp of air, coughing and sputtering at the feet of the green clad woman. The woman lifted one of her slipper clad feet up and roughly kicked Momo in the stomach, knocking the wind she had just taken in right out of her.

Daiyo. The woman was about Isane's age though even Momo could see she far outstripped her mistress in terms of physical allure. She was perfect in every conceivable manner on the surface but for a few quirks only the observant might notice at first glance. Her features were those common to the lands directly west of the Syngaru Empire, the Hazinara Empire and her attire bore all the marks of a foreign traveler. Beneath her exotic beauty however, Momo knew Daiyo to be a demon in human guise.

The blade was back, a simple straight sword pointed at the throat of the prone woman. The message was clear enough, scream and it will be the last sound she ever made. Momo didn't doubt that, not from Daiyo. She twitched the weapon upwards, signaling for the young woman to stand. With a groan of pain the retainer hauled herself to her feet, swallowing hard as she was backed up against the wall by the point of her sword. Daiyo's long black lacquered nails gleamed in the sunlight malevolently upon her right hand; her left hung at her side. Momo caught a glimpse of milky green before it was concealed by her robes.

"What do you want?"

Daiyo actually chuckled at that. "The same thing I've always wanted. Isane broken and defeated at my feet. Really, Momo, you could do much better than that savage mistress of yours. Tell you what, behave and I might just let you serve me once I remove Isane's head. We could have such fun together, you and I."

"F-F-Fuck you."

The woman blinked. "My, my, my, such a filthy little mouth. Isane is such a poor influence."

There was a sharp sting upon Momo's cheek as Daiyo promptly back handed her. Tears stung at the retainer's eyes as she felt herself gripped and pulled in front of Daiyo. The blade was pointed at her back and lightly poked at her to get her moving forward. Hesitantly Momo did so, taking shaky steps back down the path towards the camp. Of course the woman would know where they had camped.

The majority of the walk was in silence. The blade had been poised that it would slice through her back and heart in she even sounded like she was going to start screaming. Momo wanted to scream and warn Isane, however unlike the samurai she still feared death. She feared the cold inky blackness coming to claim her. The woman behind her wouldn't hesitate for an instant to give her that feeling. That, more than anything, kept her in check. In her gut, Momo knew she was a coward and it shamed her.

She entered the camp and could see Isane going through a few basic motions with her sword. The samurai noticed her and smiled. "That was fairly quick, Momo-."

Her smile immediately vanished as Daiyo slipped the blade around Momo's neck and leaned in, her breasts pressing into the retainer's back. With some disgust Momo noted that her nipples were hardened with arousal, like she got off on this. She could feel her warm breath against her ear and saw the slow fury growing upon Isane's face as the woman slipped her free hand around Momo's waist to pull her closer towards her.

"Isane, always a pleasure. I happened upon little Momo during a walk and figured I'd return her to you. You should be more careful about letting your property walk off, never know who might snatch her up." Daiyo said with a smirk.

A growl was Isane's answer as she took a step towards Daiyo only to stop as the woman pressed the blade against Momo's throat. "Might want to rethink your plan. One more step and poor little Momo here will have a second smile."

The samurai locked her jaw, however she didn't move with that threat hanging over her. "You are an honorless coward, Daiyo."

The sorceress let out a condescending tsk. "Name calling is so childish, Isane. We are both adults so do try to act like one."

Long fingers tensed around the hilt of her katana as rage burned behind her dark eyes. Momo felt helpless and wretched as she watched Isane remain where she was, knowing that if not for her straying too far and getting captured none of this would be happening. She was supposed to help make Isane's life easier, not be used to hurt her. She sniffled miserably as Isane lowered her weapon.

"Good. Very good. Now, toss it to the ground."

With some hesitation the blade was tossed aside, leaving Isane unarmed and at Daiyo's nonexistent mercy. "Honestly this little song and dance should have ended two years ago. It has been fun, however it's about time I finished this job and returned home. It has really been far too long."

The woman removed her left hand from around Momo's waist and lifted it to point at Isane, the sleeve pulling away enough to see her hand. Where flesh might normally exist there was instead smooth milky green jade, the glassy stone moving as naturally as any flesh and blood hand might. Green sparks danced before her stone fingers, the air itself seeming to crackle malevolently. Momo could feel the hair upon the back of her neck stand on end as a jolt of the foul energy shot through her.

"Do me a favor, Isane, and stay dea- argh!"

Daiyo's words were cut off as Momo promptly chomped down upon her wrist, the sparks upon her stone hand sputtering out as she struggled to shake the retainer off. This just prompted her to bite harder, her teeth breathing flesh as the iron taste of blood flecked upon her tongue. A cold and hard stone fist collided with her gut a moment later, Momo's vision exploding into black spots. She released her hold on Daiyo's wrist and was tossed to the ground, curled up upon herself as she clutched at her gut.

The sorceress raised her blade up high, her face a mask of fury. "You stupid fucking cunt!"

The blade swung down, clanging against steel before it ever touched Momo. Daiyo snarled as Isane's blade met her own, glaring at the samurai. She hopped back away from her, wincing as her abused wrist moved. Isane spat to the side as she spread her legs out and held her katana before her. The enemies stared each other down as the world melted away around them. They were the only two people left upon the island.

Daiyo rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, freeing the green stone arm from its prison of cloth. Inscriptions in the woman's native tongue spiraled up her upper arm and to her shoulder, foul words of power. She shifted her stance so that the arm was out before her, using the limb like it was a shield. Green sparks danced between her stone fingers as they flexed, the noise of stones grinding together sounding out.

Isane was the first to move, surging forward and slicing upwards in a rising arc. The weapon clanged against the stone arm and Daiyo stabbed forward. The samurai twisted away from the weapon and used her momentum for a more forceful swing of her sword, the weapon striking the arm before exploding into a series of quick cuts to drive Daiyo back. The sorceress growled, and backed up past the trees. Sparks flew from her arm as she pointed at Isane, crackling loudly in warning.

Diving forward at the last moment, Isane felt the green arc of lightning pass overhead and scream through the trees. The lighting flew past the campsite and through another series of trees, fast approaching a small village nestled against a large stone. Most people did even have time to register the approach of the lightning before the extreme heat of the energy vaporized them, exploding into the ground to wipe away anything that survived the approach.

Daiyo snarled as she blocked another swing of Isane's sword. "You know your brother squealed like a pig when I stuck him and your weakling mother begged for mercy on her knees before I showed her what her guts looked like."

"Shut up!" The samurai shouted, her nostrils flaring.

"You're angry, gooood. Harness that rage and hate and let it burn in your gut."

The sorceress stepped back, her slipper passing over a tiny settlement below. Dirt and dust kicked up by the combatant's feet shrouded the people in a choking cloud. They were caught between the two battling women, unnoticed by either as they only had eyes for each other. Most were awed by this seeming fight between deities though some had the common sense to start running as fast as they possibly could.

Isane took a step forward, her bare foot slapping down on the outskirts of the village. Buildings were splintered into rubble and the few people caught beneath didn't even realize their doom before it happened. Her titanic toes towered above even the tallest of the buildings, massive mountains of flesh almost incomprehensible to the villagers. Above her weapon clanged against Daiyo's arm. She jumped back quickly, kicking up dirt and pelting people with rivulets of sweat and filth that had clung between her dirty toes.

"Weak. Weak, weak, weak! Start showing me some of the fire of yours or I'm going to be very disappointed!" Daiyo taunted.

Daiyo's slipper clad foot stepped forward, narrowly missing the town however it did come down upon a few fleeing men and women. Some collided with the wall that now rose from the ground, staring up at the monolithic slipper and stumbling back. A few cried out as limbs were pasted under her mighty tread. She slashed out and jumped back, holding her arms out wide to give an enraged Isane an opening.

"Once I'm done with you I'm going to take Momo as my trophy back to the Empire. I'll present your head and her to the Empress and hailed as a hero. Not without teaching her some respect of course."

With a roar the samurai surged forward, her foot slamming down upon the village below as she ran. The speed of its fall was thus that most barely got a look at the grimy underside of her foot before being compressed against the dirt. Her weapon flashed out, a wide arc aimed directly for Daiyo's neck. Her vision was red from seeing the hated woman once more. The calm that normally came with battle was forgotten at her smirking face.

Daiyo caught the blade with her left hand, curling stone fingers around the weapon. Sparks dancing around the fist was Isane only warning before she felt her muscles seize under a constant assault of electricity. She screamed in agony as the lightning coursed through her body, paralyzing her and burning more than she ever remembered. The sorceress laughed as she watched her adversary twitch and scream as a constant flow of electricity was poured through her body. She could have just pumped enough in her to cause her heart to give out but Daiyo had other ideas.

She cut off the flow of electricity and watched Isane fall to her knees, her blade falling from her fingers. Daiyo looked at the weapon in disdain and tossed off of the shore and into the shallows. With any luck the ocean would carry the weapon away. Insult to injury. The woman then raised her left hand and backhanded the samurai, knocking her flat on the ground. She kicked and stomped upon the fallen woman, drawing increasingly desperate cries of pain however that only seemed to keep her going. Her face was one of rapturous elation as she beat Isane over and over into the dirt.

"Stupid! Weak! Cunt! Did you really think you could get away with slaying the brother of the Empress without paying for it with your life!?" Daiyo demanded, a half crazed look in her golden eyes.

She raised her blade high in the air and stabbed down, slicing through Isane's shoulder. The samurai screamed as blood immediately welled up around the wound, bone and muscle being cleaved aside by the weapon. The sorceress teased at her lips with her free hand, staring down at the pain on the battered samurai's face. A loud moan escaped her lips as she leered down at the woman. She twisted the blade just a bit to draw and inhuman howl from the woman. Black spots were dancing before her eyes and her breathing was coming out in short labored gasps.

"Mmm... Ohhh, that felt good. Come on you can scream louder than that! Your weakling brother did so it's only the least you can do to match him, brave samurai!" Daiyo said, twisting the blade more.

Isane was not ashamed to admit that tears of pain sprung to her eyes as Daiyo tortured her and that she screamed her throat raw. She writhed upon the ground, slowly being driven mad by the sheer pain of it all. She had failed. Failed to avenge her family. This never would have happened if not for that stupid duel. None of them would have died and she wouldn't be wailing in pain beneath the cruelest person she knew.

Daiyo withdrew her weapon finally, growing tied of her game. "Ah well, a pity the Empress only wants your head. I could think of such fun we could have in the dungeons of the Jade Court. Momo will have to make due I suppose."

Isane feared glared up at Daiyo as she raised her blade high, golden eyes gleaming with the purest glee. This was it then. The great Kyoske Isane, killed on some unknown island by an assassin of the Hazinara Empire. What a way for her story to end. She supposed after all the lives she had claimed it was only natural one day she would find herself on the wrong end of a blade. Few samurai died of old age. She locked her jaw and waited for the blade to fall.

Daiyo suddenly jerked forward, a wet choking noise escaping her throat. Her golden eyes widened in pain and shock. As she turned Isane saw her wakizashi sticking out of her back and behind her was Momo. Her retainer stared at the still standing sorceress and down to her hands, as though unable to believe she had actually just stabbed someone in the back. The sorceress growled and tried to raise her sword to slice the frightened woman in half, only to find her other opponent was not quite as down for the count as first expected.

Isane surged forward, running on nothing but adrenaline and gripped her wakizashi with her good hand, tearing it out from the sorceress' back. She slashed across the small of Daiyo's back, a cowardly move though this was not a duel by this point but a nasty and no-holds-barred battle. The sorceress stumbled forward and let out a cry of pain. Her blade fell from her fingers and she fell to her knees, her blood pumping from her newest wounds.

With a grunt the samurai raised her blade up and prepared to stab down through the woman's head, only to be blocked by her stone arm. The arm swung out and both Isane and Momo found themselves blow backwards by a gust of wind, thrown from their feet and onto their backs. Daiyo took this opportunity to beat a hasty retreat, picking up her weapon and summoning another gust of wind to carry her away from the battle. Her departing form was the last thing Isane saw before she lost consciousness.

The pain was bearable. It wasn't the worst part by far. This pain was nothing, not after everything she had felt in her life. No, if there was anything that bit harshly at Daiyo it was the humiliation. It simmered in her gut and swirled about like a raging storm. It bubbled and roiled as it was turned towards her hatred to her enemies. The pain, if anything, was a reminder of why she hated them.

The green garbed sorceress stumbled and faltered in her steps. She had retreated given the extent of her injuries to a mountain far in the distance upon the island. It was far enough away that she doubted her foes would easily pursue her, not after the thrashing she had also given them. Blood dripped from her wounds to the ground below, staining the ground red with her injuries. Anyone else would have been incapacitated, but a member of the Jade Court was not so easily kept down by mundane injuries.

Even high up upon the mountain there were little communities that had formed in the dark rocky terrain, mostly mining villages. A few of these, unfortunately, had the ill fortune of being in the path of Daiyo. One particular town watched in awe at the approach of this woman, her steps thundering across the land. Her heavy breathing was loud and almost deafening and her golden eyes seemed to be anywhere but upon them. People waved their arms and screamed at her, trying desperately to get the attention of the woman.

Her slippers grew closer and closer, rising higher and higher up into the air with each step closer she moved towards them. Men and women alike looked to the sky and screamed as she was seemingly one step away from blanketing their village in the shadow of her sole. Her injured nature however proved to be their saving grace as her foot settle down to the east of the village, kicking up rocks and shaking their ground but very little else. A few buildings toppled and some people were trapped in rubble but as her slipper rose again to keep her moving upon her path they were alive one and all. People hugged each other, others dropped to their knees to thank the spirits that catastrophe had been averted narrowly. Others watched her departing form, noting the blood staining her back.

The next settlement upon her path was treated to a frightening sight as they got a good long look at the underside of Daiyo's slipper, bits of dirt and rock pelting down from the heavens. However it passed over the village itself, settling down away from them. Their doom came from another source. Seeping down from her stained robe above was a generous amount of her blood, dripping down steadily from her green robe.

Massive fat droplets of crimson fluid plummeted to the ground below, smashing into homes and people and splattering out. People ran and scrambled and tried to hide indoors as the droplets of blood spread from their initial fall, the flood of the red fluid catching up people and homes alike. More than a few found their end in these little red spatters of blood, the fluid filling their lungs with the same substance that gave Daiyo life. Others managed to survive, covered head to toe with Daiyo's blood.

The ruby liquid eventually hardened, sealing those inside in a prison of coagulated blood within thirty seconds of its fall. Those covered in it eventually found it growing harder to move and needed it quickly broken away from their bodies lest they were frozen in blood. The survivors scrambled to rescue who they could from the prison of Daiyo's blood, the destruction and devastation just a few drops of her blood caused being far more horrific than a mere flood.

Daiyo merely continued upon her path, finding a relatively large rock to sit down upon. She shrugged off her bloodstained robes and kicked off her slippers, peeling away her socks to toss aside. She stood naked upon the mountain, and like this it was easy to see that whatever she might have once been human didn't fully describe her. Her entire left arm was solid stone and even continued past the shoulder and covered where her heart would normally be. The stone crept down most of her left side, including her left leg. The skin immediately making contact with the jade-like substance possessed pulsing greenish veins that eventually morphed into a normal bluish color.

The wounds upon her back were deep. The place where Momo had stabbed her had just narrowly missed one of her lungs and the gash across the small of her back had nearly severed her spinal cord. It was a miracle she was still able to walk at all really. Well, a miracle and quite a bit of sorcery. There were no other scars upon her body however; it was all smooth and flawless skin and stone. With some effort the sorceress made her way over to the stone, grunting as she felt a flare of pain with every step.

Upon the top of the stone rested a shrine, a sacred place upon the mountains that paid worship to the spirits. At the very base of the stone was a town that had formed in its shadow. To them it must have looked like a goddess had opted to visit them finally. She was so beautiful, so flawless in most every way that she couldn't be anything else. Indeed many came to gawk and the high priest himself gazed up at her visage so high above the earth.

Daiyo slowly turned around, presenting her rather supple and sumptuous rear to the shrine along with her weeping injuries. Droplets of blood ran down her legs and some dribbled down from her rear, crashing down upon the gardens tended to by the monastery miko. A number of the shrine maidens were caught up in the blood droplets though those that survived ended up having to watch in horror as the sorceress' ass soon loomed over the shrine itself. No amount of prayers or pleads to the spirits could save this place.

Her left ass cheek smashed down upon the shrine, crushing it under her unmeasurable weight. A few fortunate survivors managed to find refuge between her cheeks, their sky dominated by the cleanly shaven sphincter above. Blood seeped down from her wounds and dribbled down into this safe harbor, transforming it into a death trap. The smooth opening above winked slightly as her ass clenched upon reflex to the intense pain right above it. She shifted to get more comfortable, spreading the cheeks enough that those few survivors had the worst fate.

The opening above lowered upon the huddled group of survivors and, as the opening twitched they were forced inside. Daiyo shifted in her new seat, not even noticing a slight itch as a trio of shrine maidens scrabbled at the inside of her asshole, trying desperately to escape the foul air. They were trapped and soon enough perished as they breathed in the poisonous and tainted air inside. With that the last members of the shrine breathed their last breath within the depths of the sorceress.

The woman's feet dangled slightly off of the ground thanks to the elevation provided by the stone. The hovered above the town, granting them an eyeful of them. Most high class women in her nation practiced foot binding to fit into smaller shoes as small feet were considered rather attractive. Typically this was done by breaking and deforming the toes and feet continually and binding them. Daiyo, being a member of the Jade Court, could not afford such frivolities. She did however indulge in lacquer. Her long toenails were thus painted a deep black upon her flesh and blood foot, while her stone one was unadorned.

The stone foot itself moved like a natural flesh and blood one might, and the details upon it were more advanced than even the greatest of masters could manage. It even included the creases upon the bottom of the foot and the miniscule ridges upon the skin. The digits wriggled and flexed naturally as well as the ones upon her flesh and blood one did. As many of those below also learned, it also gathered dirt and rocks upon its surface. Every detail of both feet was presented to the people below, every crevice, every inch of smooth skin or stone as well as every imperfection that clung to them. Dirt, dust, and pebbles fell below without a single thought given to it in Daiyo's world. Her thoughts were more geared towards healing herself.

The woman held out her stone hand and pointed it outwards, she focused upon a singular point and emptied it of all matter. A tiny pinprick opened before her, widening as she poured more of her spiritual energy into it. An inky black vortex opened, the scent of soot and ash thick on the air wafting out. She felt energy pounding against the newborn portal, energy that was deflected easily by a rejection from her side of it.

"Flesh-Knitter, come forth from the Underworld."

Her words were spoken in her native tongue and thrummed with eldritch power. At first nothing happened, and the portal simply swirled and shifted in the air. After a time she felt the energy she sought coming from the other side and lowered her defenses, allowing the one she sought to slip through the darkness. A red lacquered finger came through from the other side, which soon became a hand. The flesh of the hand was bronzed a coppery color and soon was joined by another hand. And then another, and another. These four hands soon had their arms emerge from the darkness before a sandal clad foot stepped forth and soon enough with another foot joining that one the one she sought was before her.

Gold accents surrounded almond shaped red eyes, gold painted lips lowered in a perpetual frown. Their owner was a woman, dressed in the finest of blue silks which hugged her form nicely and, revealing a very thin form. It was almost unhealthily so. She looked about middle aged and was rather plain in the face. Upon a single glance at Daiyo she shook her head, her own long braid swaying ever so.

"Once again you call upon me, Daiyo of the Jade Court. What have you done to my work this time?" The woman asked, crossing two of her arms before her while leaving the other two at her sides.

Daiyo shifted slightly, showing a bit of her back. The four armed woman narrowed her eyes. "Typical. You have a way of ruining even my most flawless of masterpieces. When you finally die I am going to set you behind a glass box so you cannot ruin yourself."

The sorceress growled. "Enough, just shut up and fix it, Flesh-Knitter. The sound of your voice makes me ill."

The portal behind the four armed woman closed abruptly. The demon known only as The Flesh-Knitter sighed and looked around at the desolate mountain landscape. Her red eyes passed over the tiny village at Daiyo's feet briefly and she smirked. Though Daiyo didn't notice them she could taste their spiritual presence and the death brought about in this place. It explained the recent influx in souls to the Bureaucracy of Heaven.

She snorted. "You force such horrid working conditions upon me. The least you could do is to summon me in a place with good food and something to drink."

Daiyo's stone fingers sparked and crackled in warning. The Flesh-Knitter raised her hands in supplication and promptly started walking around behind the sorceress. Her thundering steps didn't bother to dodge a few fleeing tiny people below. Those slain under her sandals however did not find a release in death. She devoured their spirits easily enough, enjoying the extra bit of energy as they screamed and writhed inside of her stomach. Idly one of her hands patted at her slim belly. They might have been tiny but their spirits tasted as good as any other's might.

The demon knelt down behind Daiyo and reached inside of her sleeves, producing two spools of flesh that had been made into the shape of a string. The Flesh-Knitter looped them through two needles and set to work, piercing the woman's flesh and stitching together the flesh on the spool with Daiyo's own. The threads of skin melted and melted perfectly with the sorceress' own, replacing and healing the sliced skin and sealing the wounds. The demon's fingers worked with masterful ease in healing Daiyo's injuries, her hands a flurry of motion.

"How did you come to damage yourself this time, Daiyo of the Jade Court?" The demon inquired.

"Kyoske Isane and her wretch of a retainer, Momo."

"Unsurprising. They tend to cause most of your injuries."

"It is no matter you should concern yourself with, demon."

"Who said I was concerned? By all means, run to your death that I might claim your spirit sooner."

More sparks danced dangerously and the Flesh-Knitter wisely moved the conversation away from her injuries. The demon was not stupid. Alive, Daiyo was powerful enough to destroy her utterly. She rather liked continuing her existence so she was quick to learn which subjects to broach and which ones not to.

"Your Yushou is advancing further I see. Impressive." The demon noted, looking at the stone parts of Daiyo's form.

Daiyo looked at her hand and smirked. "I suppose it is."

"It is not so easy to control the more it advances. It would be wise to pace yourself in its use."

The familiar nag rose at the sorceress' hackles though she calmed herself quickly enough. It was advice she had received frequently, even from other members of the Court. The demon was only speaking common sense. The sorceress fell silent, indicating that she wished no further conversation from her summoned minion. It was bad enough she had to call upon her, she could only listen to the preening voice of the Flesh-Knitter for so long before grinding her teeth together.

As the demon worked she noted, directly at her feet a couple of tiny mortals. A man and a woman. Lovers perhaps. They stared up at her in fear and it was enough to draw a roll of her eyes. Bad enough mortals were fragile normally; these ones were so tiny as to be worthless. They were unfit to even toil away with painting her nails, useless little things. She could have easily crushed them out and devoured their spirits. However the spirits of lovers tended to set her stomach churning. As such she allowed them to gawk at her majesty, returning her eyes back to her work. Perhaps Daiyo would accidently slay them like the bugs they were, the Flesh-Knitter couldn't bring herself to care overmuch.

Soon enough Daiyo's flesh was as flawless as it had been before being stabbed and the demon filed away her supplies once more. She walked back around to the sorceress' front and placed her hands in her voluminous sleeves. Her red eyes narrowed as she watched Daiyo stretch back experimentally. As if she doubted her work! The foolishness of mortals. Even ones she could halfway tolerate, like Daiyo, were so insulting.

The woman stood slowly, her feet descending to the village below. The Flesh-Knitter's keen eyes watched the destruction with some mild amusement, watching as homes, businesses, and people were caught under Daiyo's massive feet. Those under her stone foot didn't even have the fortune of dying under something soft. She saw a few had escaped between her toes; lucky little bugs those ones she supposed. How much like arching pillars of destruction the digits must look like, beams of light occasionally shining through the gaps between them. Unfortunately these spirits she could not claim for she had not slain them. It was a pity, for it was quite the feast from the looks of it.

"Why are you looking so intently at my feet, Flesh-Knitter? Have a thing for them?"

The demon immediately raised her eyes to meet Daiyo's, smiling slightly. "I have a thing for all parts of the mortal form, and as I have constructed yours very closely I like to inspect my work. Your feet are rather shapely, some of my finest work really. A pity your Yushou ruins half of you." She lied easily, seeing very little reason to inform Daiyo of her unaware destruction. More chaos was good for demonkind after all.

"You never fail to disgust me, demon, away with you. I have no use for you now." Daiyo said, reopening the portal the Flesh-Knitter had arrived from.

"Do be careful, the work is flawless as always but it needs to settle for a few days. Tear it open and I will refuse to assist you and simply let you bleed to death." The demon offered, stepping into the inky blackness.

Daiyo sealed the portal behind her, the air where the portal had once existed rippling slightly before returning to normal. She wanted to go after Isane immediately now that she was healed of course. The samurai was injured after all and unlike her lacked infernal aid to heal. However she opted to heed the Flesh-Knitter's advice. It wouldn't do to do anything overly stressful and rip open the work the demon had finished with. It sat ill in her gut but it was better to avoid testing her demonic assistance with healing. If not for the Knitter's obsessive tendencies regarding her work she'd likely have died long ago. It was best not to rely on that bit of demonic neurosis. After all, if she died her spiritual debts to the Knitter would pass ownership of her spirit to her.

Shaking these thought from her mind the sorceress looked at her ruined robe and she waved her left hand over it. The dried blood clinging to it flowed and slid from the fabric like water over a gull's feathers. She lifted the garment up and willed the robe to repair itself, fibers weaving and knotting together once more. It was a pity she couldn't do that to herself. It would certainly make her life and afterlife much simpler.

With her repaired clothes clean and finished the sorceress dressed herself quickly before stalking off further down the mountain path. She was careful to avoid overly strenuous movements of course. She left the half crushed town behind in her wake, just one of many likely to fall victim to the unaware sorceress. Her golden eyes eventually spotted a small cave worked into the side of the mountain and she sat down, removing her slippers and crossing her legs. She needed to think and rest. Doing nothing was irritating but it was only for a few days. The damage done to Isane would surely keep her down for weeks. Daiyo could at least content herself with that.

She was hard to look at when she was like this. Bandages wrapped around her shoulder with swelling purple bruises all over her body. Her shallow breathing moved her chest ever so and even that sounded labored. It was a more common sight for Momo than she would have liked, though she couldn't remember it being so bad. She sniffled as she knelt beside the slumbering form of Isane, carefully monitoring her breathing. The slightest pause in her breathing pattern was enough to cause panic to rise in her until it was righted.

Two days. It had been two days since Daiyo had showed up. For the entirety of those two days Isane had been in and out of consciousness, barely coherent and mumbling nonsense in her sleep. The only thing keeping her halfway calm was that their attacker had suffered some fairly severe wounds of her own. Even with her foul sorcery Momo doubted she would be in any condition to immediately come after them.

The samurai lay beneath the cover of her futon, still for now but for her breathing. She had done all she could for her, now she just needed to keep her drinking and eating during her brief bouts of consciousness. She nibbled at bits of chopped fruit and drank well enough; so far she didn't seem to be sick at least. Momo had feared she might run a fever but thankfully that wasn't the case.

With a sigh she stood and shuffled outside, slipping her sandals on. Her steps took her in the direction of their boat. Whatever settlements had once existed upon the often walked path were little more than rubble now. Of course scavengers and looters were drawn to the site and those foolish enough to find themselves upon her path today received a very good look at the underside of her sandals.

The short walk passed without incident for her as she arrived at the boat and retrieved and few more bandages. She needed to change Isane's today. Best to give the wounds some time to breathe so they didn't fester. With the new bandages in tow she made her way back, her mind mired in how much she had screwed up. If she hadn't gone for that stupid walk and then got caught unaware none of this would have happened. It was her fault the samurai was in such dire condition.

Daiyo was right in one sense, she was worthless. She'd stabbed the sorceress in the back but had faltered at the sight of her blood welling up around the weapon. She should have kept stabbing, should have been willing to kill to save her mistress from certain death. Instead she had stopped because of her own stupid weakness. Just looking at what she had done to Daiyo, someone she should hate, had caused her vision and head to swim quite a bit. Momo had very nearly thrown up.

She shook these thoughts from her head. There would be time for self-loathing after Isane was taken care of. The young woman stepped inside their tent and what she saw nearly made her drop her bandages on the ground. Lounging casually in the corner of the tent was a young woman, no more than sixteen years old most likely. She was dressed in a white and red patterned kimono and wore nothing on her feet. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of golden, an almost animal intensity within them. She was happily snacking away at one of the pink fruits Momo had collected earlier in the day, her canines slightly elongated.

The girl noticed her and continued snacking away, the fruit lacking any humans upon it. "Hey Momo-chan, still serving the princess of stupid I see." She said through a mouthful of fruit, her cherub cheeks filled with the stuff.

Momo bristled at the familiar address from the other woman. "Ryoko-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The woman bit off the last bit of fruit and tossed the remains at Isane, smacking against the side of her face. The injured woman groaned and shifted in her sleep but otherwise did not stir. Ryoko smirked at the livid expression rising upon Momo's face at her disrespect for the wounded creature.

"I was in the neighborhood and saw that Princess Stabby finally was about to kick it. Figured I'd check in, pretty disappointing honestly. She's still breathing." She said, scratching behind her ears for a moment.

It took all of Momo's will power to resist screaming at the woman sitting in the tent. It was exactly the reaction Ryoko wanted. "You've seen her. Now please leave if you aren't going to be useful."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'll leave when I feel like. Unless you want to try and make me leave?"

Stiffly Momo walked over to Isane's side and gently wiped the juices from the fruit core from her face. "It would be folly to attack the fabled Nine-Tails."

With Daiyo having shown up Momo supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that Ryoko had appeared. The kitsune typically tended to go where trouble followed them. Most typically regarded powerful and old fox spirits like Ryoko as signs of good fortune but Momo knew quite well how the fox delighted in her little games. She was just trying to get a rise out of the retainer and she knew just what buttons to press.

The fox spirit smirked and grabbed another fruit from the basket. This one she could see had people within and upon it. She supposed it was only a matter of time before the tiny civilizations upon the island had the misfortune of being happened upon by the larger ones of the world. The fox wondered if the ever gentle and caring Momo knew just how many lives had been extinguished under her step and within her belly. Oh how the knowledge would shatter the poor dear.

Instead of scarring Momo for life however she contented herself with dragging her silky tongue along the tip of her pinky before dabbing at the fruit lightly. The nine-tailed fox could see most everything that happened in the world, even on the smallest of scales. As such she could see the terror in the eyes of the tiny folk as one by one they were trapped upon the pad of her finger, struggling against the slight film of saliva. They were trapped, sticking to her smallest of fingers with no ability to escape. Those that might have... well, it was a long fall to her ample breasts below. It amused her to watch them writhe and struggle, to cry out to her as she quite clearly knew they were there.

Unlike Momo she was unto being an actual goddess. As such she could hear their prayers and their promises and their pleading. She dipped into her well of power and reached out with her mind. The sound of her voice would echo in the skulls of all those trapped upon the tip of her finger; however it was understandable to them.

"Each of you will make offerings to the shrine in the village I will send you to. Make them to Ryoko of the Nine-Tails. If you do not pay me my dues misfortune will befall you." She projected.

With that she sent them away, the people upon her finger vanishing in the blink of an eye. With that she snacked away at her now human free treat. If there was one thing she had always liked about this place it was the fruit. Her eyes turned back towards Momo, who was lifting Isane up so that she could slowly unravel her old bandages. The wounded samurai groaned and her face contorted in pain.

"You know, I could help you two out here. For a price of course." Ryoko said, setting Momo's nerves on edge.

Of course there was a price. No deal with Ryoko was ever free. She had wisdom that surpassed any mortal understanding but how she used it disgusted Momo. She could whisk them away with a mere thought, or turn Daiyo into a toad, or heal every injury Isane had but she dangled the promise over their heads with a cost. She was more akin to a shrewd merchant than any sort of goddess in the retainer's opinion.

"I have indeed indulged in mercantilism. Two of my former lovers were travelling traders and I found I was quite adept at it. It does grow rather boring after a time though." Ryoko said.

Momo's face turned slightly red in embarrassment, she had forgotten-.

"Yes, mortal memory does tend to be rather flawed. Especially yours, Momo-chan. Most of the space between your ears is rather an echo chamber."

"Stop that!" Momo demanded.

Ryoko chuckled. "Your mind is an open book, Momo-chan, don't feel so offended."

Momo was finding that her patience was quickly wearing thin the more she spoke to Ryoko. Sometimes she found it hard to believe the immature brat was one of the most powerful beings alive. She locked her jaw and set Isane back down, turning fully to face the fox spirit. Ryoko had returned to her snack, letting the juices dribble down her chin with very little concern.

"How would you help us?" Momo inquired, knowing full well that while she disliked the fox her powers could help them.

"I could heal Isane completely. All the injuries would be gone just like that. I'll even get rid of those nasty bruises on you. In exchange I want Isane's sword." Ryoko said, her tone casual.

The retainer blinked. Isane's sword. Her beloved katana. Momo had needed to pull the weapon from the sea after the battle and had it resting outside. According to Isane it had been passed down from her grandfather. It was the sign that she was a samurai. She could remember the desperate look upon her face when she had once lost it. To just give something like that away... it seemed like a betrayal in and of itself.

She narrowed her eyes. "No. I won't give you her katana."

Ryoko raised a hand and set aside her finished fruit, her expression shifting to a more serious one. "Listen closely before you refuse. Kyoske Isane is perhaps one of the greatest samurai of this age; however she is still only mortal. The wounds she suffered in her battle with Daiyo would have killed any other. At this point she could go either way. Not even I know if she will live or die."

Momo opened her mouth to speak but suddenly found her voice was gone, no doubt a magical trick of Ryoko's. "Even should she recover her injury taken from Daiyo's sword will cripple her. Her arm would be unusable. What good will having her sword be to her when she cannot properly use it?"

"I ask you, what is the worse fate? Having your sword but no longer being able to use it, or losing it but being able to fight properly?"

Momo felt whatever hold over her voice had existed vanish and she thought long and hard about the offer. "Why can't you just heal her? Why take her sword?"

Ryoko's smirk was back. "I have my reasons. Moreover it is a fair trade. As Isane's retainer, your duty is to anticipate her needs and act accordingly. What do you think she needs right now?"

What would Isane want? She knew that sword meant everything to her. It had seen battle after battle and was all that was left of her clan. To lose it was to lose her spirit. However if she was indeed going to be crippled that would destroy her. The samurai was so proud of her prowess and skill in battle; she strove to be the best. Would she trade away her most prized possession for the chance to continue fighting?

Then there was Daiyo. She was an immediate problem. If Isane didn't recover quickly then Daiyo would come for them. Isane would be killed without being able to raise a blade in her defense and Momo dreaded to think what the sorceress would do to her. What was a sword compared to the value of their lives? The retainer balled her hands up, scrunching the fabric of her kimono as she agonized over the choice. Her eyes flitted over her mistress' face before she bowed her head.

With tears in her eyes she quietly shuffled out of the tent, returning with the katana her mistress valued so highly. Its pure black sheath was smooth in her fingers and its hilt was well worn by the fingers of the samurai. She knelt before Ryoko and bowed, holding the weapon before her. She sniffled and swallowed hard, hating herself for this. She hated for having to do this, for realizing she had to do something that would hurt Isane to save her.

The fox-spirit took the blade in her hands, looking down at Momo. "Most mortals would have denied me. I know for a fact Kyoske-san would have. Sometimes what is best for a person is not necessarily something they want. You have more wisdom in you than most give you credit for, Momo-chan. Your mistress is lucky to have someone that cares for her so much."

"Just do it. Just heal her and leave. Please, Ryoko-sama." The retainer said, sniffling miserably as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ryoko's eyes softened by a fraction and she rose, stepping past Momo and towards the wounded samurai. Her human form melted away and in its place was a great gold and white fox, nine tails sway hypnotically in the air. Between her jaws was Isane's sword. One of her tails touched Isane and Momo watched as her bruises started to fade and her injuries were healed. The bandages fell away, the only sign that Daiyo had stabbed her being a new scar. Her breathing leveled out and the color that had fled her skin returned.

One of Ryoko's bushy tails brushed over Momo, instantly healing her own bruises. The fox turned and looked up at Momo's awed expression with something bordering upon amusement in her ancient yellow eyes. With her task done and her deal settled Ryoko bounded away out of the tent, her prize in tow. Momo knelt at Isane's side and pressed her forehead against the samurai's own, staining the slumbering woman's face with her own tears.

"I'm sorry, Kyoske-sama. I'm so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me. Please..." The retainer wept, begging for forgiveness from the samurai over and over again.

Under the noon sun Daiyo walked along open terrain between the mountain she'd been staying upon and the camp of her two enemies. Her blade was at her side and her golden eyes were wary and alert. She was hesitant about going after Isane so soon after having been healed. Only two days had passed and while her body felt recovered the words of the Flesh-Knitter were fresh in her mind. In all likelihood her opponent was weak and bedridden but if she was able to put up even a bit of a fight her injuries might reopen.

She growled as she kicked at a rock at her feet, sending it sailing through the air. The stone slammed down further ahead upon the outskirts of a tiny village, rolling through it and shattering homes in an instant. Daiyo approached the spot and kicked out once more, the toe of her slipper sliding along the ground. Below the toe section dug deeply into the ground, digging up walls of dirt and rock as it moved towards the village. It gouged through the home that had narrowly avoided destruction from the rock, splintering them and burying dozens under tons of earth.

It continued to cut through to the center of the village, making contact with the stone and sending it flying. The sole of her slipper darkened the sky above the village briefly before slamming down, cutting short screams and cries for mercy. As she stepped off of the devastated remains of the village, dirt and debris falling from the bottom of her slipper she lamented her boredom. There was just nothing to do on this stupid island besides kill her opponents. What she wouldn't have given for her life back home.

There, in her personal manor, she had everything she might ever need. Access to various poisons, sparring partners, and slaves to abuse and use on a whim. She had a few colleagues she could pass the time of day with in her gardens. Being a member of the Jade Court brought prestige though the duties often had one abroad. Here she had nothing to pass the time aside from training. She couldn't even do that without tearing open her back. It was infuriating really.

She started to draw dangerously close to the cliff where Isane and Momo had opted to hide behind. Daiyo stared up at it with narrowed eyes. Not yet. She had time to wait. There was no way Isane could possibly be fully recovered for weeks. Indeed it was probable she would not recover at all. Better to wait. Even if she couldn't put up a fight Momo had proven she was at least willing to get her hands bloody. She might not be much of a fighter but she could be a problem.

The sorceress caught her foot on a rather large stone as she stared up at the cliffs, stumbling forward. Her normally perfect balance was rather upset by her heavier left side weighing her down a bit. The ground sped up to meet her and Daiyo hissed in irritation. Thank the Empress none of her comrades had been there to see that one. She was certain it would have made her the object of many a joke among the Court.

As she was about to rise however her eyes settled upon a patch of ground near where her head had landed. Her keen golden eyes focused upon the spot, the greyish bit of earth at first being written off as little more than dust. As the sorceress got a better look she noted some of the dust was moving through no prompting from the light breeze. She blinked before slowly leaning in for a closer look.

Below in the town the thunderous impact caused by Daiyo's little fall had collapsed more than a few buildings and trapped many in their homes. The true terror came however when her massive and beautiful face dominated the sky above. Her left eye was lowered very; very close to the town the golden orb squinting slightly to look upon the town. People waved their arms and cried out, trying to hold the attention of this monolithic woman. One of her lashes fell from her eye, smacking down in the middle of the street though it avoided crushing anyone.

Daiyo's eyes widened as she realized just what she was looking at. Unbelievable, those looked like... people! Homes! Buildings! They were so tiny, like something out an old fairytale her mother might have read her. She added a bit of sorcery to her sight, widening her pupils quite a bit and increasing her perception. Now she could see very clearly, almost like she was hovering just above the village. She could see the details one might very easily miss.

They looked Syngarese with their clothing and how their homes were constructed. Indeed there were even tiny little samurai staring up into her eye, holding their sword hilts in terror. They were so small, like little bits of dust particles. It was not every day that the woman was struck completely speechless however this was certainly one of those days. They looked like they were shouting something, others looked fit to flee. Flee where, Daiyo wondered as her eyes watered slightly from the excess power forced into them.

The woman blinked, sending a couple of drops of her tears towards the town below. The droplets crashed into the ground and swept up people and homes alike in a salty flood. She could see people flailing in the water of her tears, struggling to swim and others struggling to breathe. Some stopped moving after a time, having drowned in the water. She rubbed at her eyes and willed the sorcery behind them to disperse. She... had not meant to do that. She wasn't exactly sure what to feel for some people that had just drowned in a couple of tears.

She lowered her face closer again, breathing in a little sharply through her nose as she did. Once she did a hurricane of winds tore homes and people up from the ground and towards the massive inky black holes of her nose. The almost imperceptible hairs within crushed and smashed people and rubble. A few people managed to survive only for Daiyo to raise her head up and inhale deeply once more, the dust caught in her nose managing to irritate it ever so slightly. Those few that had survived were sucked to the depths of her nose, splattering in an ocean of her mucus.

The sorceress rubbed at the bottom of her nose with her index finger, flaring her nostrils to work out the irritation. So tiny people could get sucked up there if she breathed too hard, that was probably important to note. She turned her attention to the terrified little town below, losing herself in thought. This... was unexpected. A tiny little civilization. Were there more, she wondered. How was this possible?

Her eyes drifted back down to the terrified townsfolk below. She smirked as she noted a few trying to run. She drove the very tip of her long nail through the ground on the outskirts of the town before slowly dragging it around in a wide circle. The monolithic nail dug a deep scar into the earth as Daiyo methodically avoided those fleeing and finished her circle. It was a prison, a way of keeping them inside of their town. She needed answers.

She lifted her stone left hand over the town, letting it hover their before reaching out with her mind. "Attention. This is the woman hovering above you. I demand to see your lord immediately. If he is not presented before me I will bring my hand down on top of you all."

With her message delivered she adjusted her eyesight once more, spying a man shuffling out of a rather lavish looking manor. He was kowtowing before her, good, he was scared. Intimidated creatures were more often easier to deal with. She reached out with her power and lifted him off the ground, upturning her hand and levitating the speck onto the surface of her jade hand. No doubt to him it was a near endless field of glassy green stone with her fingers stretching high up into the sky.

Once he was upon her Yushou it was much easier for her to single him out for telepathic communication. "You are the lord of this town?"

"Ah, no."

Daiyo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then why are we speaking?"

"I am, uh, his magistrate great woman. Our lord is... well... you inhaled him and his retinue." The man projected back, his thoughts filled with barely concealed terror.

Oh. Well, that was inconvenient. Daiyo blinked at the explanation before shaking her head slightly. It was probably a good thing this island was so far out of the way. It was really amazing that a seagull hadn't destroyed their whole little civilization. Come to think of it... there hadn't been much signs of any animal activity since she had arrived upon the island. No gulls passing overhead and no fish swimming in the waters around the island. Were they all tiny as well?

The sorceress refocused her attention to the magistrate. "What is this place called?"

"Our town is called Ekito-."

"No, not the town. I mean this land."

"Oserika."

Oserika. A strange name. It sounded distinctly Syngarese. Just like everything below looked Syngarese. A tiny Syngaru Empire perhaps? An offshoot or some mystical realm where everything was tiny? If that was the case then did that mean that across the sea there was a tiny version of her own homeland? The thought was interesting though she doubted the man had answers in that regard.

"Are there other towns like yours?"

The man hesitated but a slight narrowing of golden eyes prompted him to spill what he knew. "Yes! Many. They are spread all across the continent. Just north of us is a rather large city, Izaru."

All over the place eh? Daiyo actually looked back towards the bottom of her slippers, her enhanced eyesight revealing a rather gruesome sight. Stuck in with the dirt and mud were mangled and crushed bodies, as well as rubble from buildings torn asunder. She curled her toes slightly in discomfort. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with having slain countless under her soles, she didn't particularly care honestly. If anything could end up killed or destroyed by her breathing they were rather pathetic in her eyes. It was more that she had gone this long without knowing what was all around her.

If she hadn't known, then what were the odds that Isane and Momo had? Not very likely. The thought that the proud samurai and the gentle and loving retainer had ended hundreds of lives without knowing it was rather amusing to her. She let out a low chuckle at the looks on their faces if they ever realized it. Especially poor little Momo, oh it would be absolutely priceless to see how deep her sorrow would go.

"Umm... miss..."

"Daiyo." The sorceress projected back, reminded of the existence of the magistrate.

"Daiyo-sama. I must beg you, please leave our town in peace. We do not know what we have done to offend you but we beg your forgiveness." The man said, on his knees and kowtowing before her.

She blinked. That's right, what was she going to do with them? Her eyes flitted over the trapped and frightened people below, her expression dispassionate. There was no real purpose to be served in killing them all. She had no doubt that she could very easily massacre all of them with a sweep of her hand or by blowing particularly hard. Then again, she had been looking for a way to pass the time. Why simply end it in one fell swoop? Daiyo levitated the magistrate down to the ground easily and extended her telepathy towards the entire town.

"I am feeling rather bored today so you wretches will be my entertainment. I will give you exactly one minute to escape your little town since you did provide some information to me. Anything caught inside my circle after that minute will be getting a rather unpleasant surprise."

With that she watched with amusement as all chaos broke loose at her words. People scrambled about in their tiny village, knocking each other over, trampling the elderly and infirm in a bit to make it passed the circle she had drawn. Nothing particularly would be served by this in the larger scheme of things but boredom seemed as good a reason as any to exterminate the creatures. At the best of times Daiyo could be described as unreasonably cruel, at worst she was downright sadistic.

The seconds ticked away and she was actually halfway impressed that a few managed to escape her circle. Quite the survival instinct in those ones. She resolved to keep her word there and ensure she avoid killing them. Such strength should be fostered after all. However a good number of people were still trapped in the town by the time her count was up, weakling the lot of them. It looked like a few had tried to go for their belongings. Foolish, very foolish.

"Time! How pathetic. Entertaining, but pathetic. I think I've seen enough here." Daiyo projected.

She reached out with her telekinesis and stood, the ground within the circle rising up from the earth and into the heavens. She held out a hand as she walked slightly away to avoid her fun killing those below. The earth that held the tiny town landed upon the palm of her flesh and blood hand. Daiyo sighed, feeling a rush at holding the lives of so many in her hands. Killing and pain where quite the aphrodisiacs.

She could see them screaming and searching for shelter as her fingers loomed above, might pillars of flesh and blood that could curl and slaughter them all. As it was, Daiyo knew she didn't need to do a thing. Slowly the loose earth holding the village up started to crumble away, dirt spilling between her fingers. Buildings and people were held by loosening earth as it poured away over the sides and between her fingers to fall to the ground far below.

Some gripped onto her skin for purchase, amusing really though they were mostly carried away by the rest of the town. Daiyo idly turned her hand to the side, creating enough of an incline to send the bits upon her palm tumbling away. It was a long way down, that much she could see for those falling. They flailed and tumbled through the air freely though Daiyo knew well they would not survive hitting the ground.

With very little care she wiped her hands of the rest of the mess, crushing those few that had managed to hold on between flesh and stone. With that bit of entertainment done Daiyo set off northward, interested to find this city that had been spoken of. She left in her wake a crater that had once held the town of Ekito and the discarded remnants upon the ground. Trash tossed to the winds as far as she was concerned.

It didn't take long for her to locate the city, with her comparative size it was a rather leisurely stroll. Her enhanced eyesight could already see people fleeing inside at her approach. As though they thought the tiny wooden walls would save them. She doubted the walls would even match the size of her smallest toe. How utterly sad. Unlike Isane and Momo, know that she knew what she was compared to these creatures she was more than willing to destroy them for pure entertainment value.

As she approached however she noticed something. A lone figure remained outside of the city walls. Daiyo got on her hands and knees, destroying farmland with barely a thought. Her golden eyes narrowed down as she focused upon the tiny figure. It was a woman, dressed in a rather filthy and dirty kimono. She stared up at her though it was not in fear or anything of the sort. If anything it looked like she was expecting her. That was enough to gain Daiyo's attention as she held out her jade hand and levitated the woman upwards.

The weightlessness at least seemed to have unnerved the young woman, a young woman that reminded her a little of Momo at first glance. She swam and flailed her arms through the air until she was placed safely down upon Daiyo's hand. Well, safely was yet to be determined. The mere resemblance to the bitch retainer was having Daiyo strongly considering crushing her in her hand like a bug.

Instead she reached out with her mind once more. "You. You do not run as the others do. Why?"

The tiny woman seemed surprised by the sound of a voice in her head, blinking a few times before recovering. "I-I have seen others like you."

Daiyo blinked and drank a little more deeply into the woman's mind. The intrusion earned a screech of pain from the tiny woman as she fell to her knees upon the endless plain of green. The sorceress paid it no mind and took a peek around at her memories through her Yushou. Images flashed through her mind. Momo's titanic form, Isane's. An endless field of white. A fall. Then there was something else, something that resonated strongly with Daiyo's Yushou.

Hate. There was so much hate. Anger. The burning desire for revenge. It thrummed at Daiyo's stone heart. Delicious. Daiyo knew the feelings well as they constantly swam under the surface of her own mind. When she saw who the hate was directed towards she nearly chuckled. Interesting. This was a much more interesting find than the existence of tiny folk.

"Tell me. What is your name, tiny one?" Daiyo inquired, drawing back from the depths of the woman's memories.

The dirty brown haired woman looked up, panting from the sheer pain of such intense invasion of her mind before finally managing an answer. "Rika. My name is Rika."

Rika stared up at the massive woman, her mind ablaze with fear. She had been certain that being an unnoticed speck upon the ground was the most terrifying thing in the world. She had been certain that living as a piece of lint on another's sock was the most soul freezing experience of her life. Now that she was staring up into those unnatural golden eyes however, so bereft of human compassion she knew was real fear was. She whimpered as she was certain she felt moisture between her legs, a warmth she didn't need to look down to see it was urine.

She should have run like the others, should have gone inside of the city. It wouldn't have protected her but at least she wouldn't have been stuck under such constant scrutiny. She was alone here upon the vast open plain of green glassy stone. It looked like a normal human hand might but for the material used in it, Rika had never seen anything like it in her life. If the owner of the odd limb wasn't leering down at her so intently she might have been fascinated by it.

"Rika. Interesting name for an interesting young woman and you are indeed interesting."

There was the voice again, echoing in her skull though the massive woman's lips didn't move at all. Magic maybe? Was this woman a sorceress? Or had Asami been right? Was this golden eyed woman a goddess? Staring up at her from the palm of her hand, actually being under the scrutiny of one of these beings she could believe it. Having them unaware of her existence was nothing compared to this.

"I-Interesting?" She managed to project back.

A deep rumbling chuckle left the woman, thundering and echoing out across the land. "Oh yes, very much so. You cannot see it, though it's understandable. I could not see my own potential until shown myself."

The woman wasn't making any sense. Potential? What potential? She was small enough to take comfortable residence beneath one of the giant woman's smallest toenail. She had barely escaped a humiliating demise being scrubbed away like dirt from a sock. Even back home all she knew was how to make tea. What interest could a massive and frightening creature like her possible have in a tiny, insignificant speck like Rika?

Air rushed past Rika as she felt a heavy force push down upon her. She dropped to her knees and screamed as her stomach did flip flops. It took a moment to realize that the woman had just stood up. Such a simple motion was enough to force her to her knees. It was absurd how large the gulf in power between them was, a fact that sat bitterly in Rika's gut. She was tiny and weak while this sorceress was massive and therefore very strong. Strong enough to wipe out towns and cities beneath her feet.

More air rushed past her, blowing harshly against her and the ground beneath her shook continually. This feeling was familiar to her from her time spent on that other woman's tabi. Her captor was walking. Walking where though? She assumed away from the city, which in itself was frightening and a relief at the same time. Rika had seen more than enough crushed and ruined settlements to last a lifetime.

"Hey." She thought towards the massive woman weakly.

No response. "H-Hey! Where are you taking me? You aren't going to k-kill me are you?"

"I am taking you to my camp. As for whether I am going to kill you, it's fully possible what I am going to do to you might kill you."

That froze the blood in her veins and set her heartrate skyrocketing. This wasn't some situation where someone didn't know, this woman flat out stated she might kill her. It had left her mind so easily as well, like it was a casual thing to kill someone. Like it didn't matter to her really if Rika lived or died. She couldn't just die, not after Asami had given up her life to give her this chance to eke out a new life.

The tiny woman rose to her feet and ran for the edge, fighting against the wind pushing against her harshly. The expanse of the woman's glassy hand was vast and she ended up tripping over the creases and ridges of her rocky skin. Still she kept going... until she neared the edge and got an eyeful of just how high up she was. If Rika hadn't already pissed herself earlier she was certain her bladder would be empty now. She was so far above the ground it made her almost physically ill to look down. She fell to her knees and swallowed hard.

"A bit of a drop I imagine. I suggest you don't fall, I certainly won't catch you." The woman's voice sounded in her skull sounding vaguely amused.

"Wait! I don't want to die! Please, take me back to the city! I beg you, please, don't kill me!" Rika pleaded.

"I said it might kill you. Besides you do not possess much say in the matter."

Even in her thoughts she could hear the almost uncaring edge to her voice. Rika felt her heart sink. This was it then. This was how she was going to die, despite Asami's efforts and sacrifice. She was going to be killed. The woman didn't care about her or her life or anything she might have done. Any assurances that it only might kill her didn't matter. Finally she was noticed by one of these beings and it was clear she was nothing to her.

Each step was felt in Rika's very bones as the slightest twitch or tremor shook her form. She dropped to her hands and knees and just tried to keep from falling off. It was hard to reconcile that these might be her last moments. After everything she had survived she was now truly subjected to the whims of another. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of Asami and the sad look upon her face as she released her grip around her wrist.

"I'm sorry Asami. I'm so sorry..." Rika whispered.

Eventually the thundering steps halted and Rika felt the invisible force that had brought her up to the woman's stone hand seize her again. She flailed her arms around, her sandals falling the unreal distance to the ground as she floated through the air. Slowly the ground rose to meet her and she saw herself placed upon a massive hill. Rika stumbled and fell onto her backside as she landed, staring up into the golden eyes leering down on her from on high. She felt more insignificant now than ever before. Any attempts to ready her mind for the end fled as fear lanced through her once more.

"Don't move. If you do this will most certainly kill you." The woman's voice thundered in her skull, freezing Rika immediately.

The titanic figure stepped back and raised up her jade arm, her stone fingers curled inward. Her other hand was held against her chest, two fingers held up as her eyes closed. Her real voice rumbled incoherently across the land, forcing Rika to cover her ears. It felt like her eardrums were about to burst at first however as the ringing subsided something else started to set in. Though she couldn't understand the words she felt a feeling of describable wrongness about them. There was an other-earthly quality about them, a foulness that twisted and stabbed at her very psyche.

A tingling was felt upon Rika's skin and the hairs upon the back of her neck stand on end. Her bones started to vibrate and her muscles started to spasm at random. Pain lanced through her whole body forcing Rika to her knees as she started to scream. Her eyes bulged and she screamed and screamed until her throat felt raw and her vocal cords felt like they might snap. Her fingers clawed at her skin, trying to dig beneath her flesh to physically pull the pain from her body. It didn't matter if it didn't make sense she just wanted it to end.

Her kimono tightened around her body and her tabi squeezed at her feet. She felt like they were going to crush her, to break her bones and squish her organs to mush. Rika tore her clothes off of her, fingers scrabbling and tearing at fabric and throwing it away. Her nudity didn't matter to her at this point, nothing mattered but the pain. It felt like her skin was about to split open from the burning and inescapable pain.

Green energy snaked out from the jade hand above and coiled around her. The energy slipped inside of her, shoving into each and every opening and pore upon her form. It seeped into her eyes, into her nose, into her mouth. The pain from before was dwarfed as her screams became silent as her jaw felt like it was about to unhinge. It couldn't possibly open wide enough for her to convey the agony lancing through her. Rika was actually hoping to either pass out or die from the pain.

Of course the foul words were always there, pounding at her sanity and fraying it. Rika wished she was still lint on the other woman's tabi, at least there she could hold onto Asami. She wished she had been washed away with the dirt and filth, her spirit twisting and twining with Asami's for eternity. Anything was better than this. Anything was better than the torture that had her convulsing and writhing in agony.

The spots dancing before her eyes started to widen and darken her vision. As everything started to darken and the pain started to die away she noted curiously that the woman above actually looked... closer.

______________________________________________________________________

As consciousness slowly returned there was no pain, instead only a dull ache that throbbed through her body and skull. A groan managed to leave Rika's throat, sounding more like a croak from how raw it felt. She winced from the discomfort at her throat. Her head lolled from side to side, soft fabric caressing bare flesh as she shifted. Rika snuggled beneath the futon, wishing to remain asleep for a while.

"Daughter. Daughter, wake up."

Rika's eyes shot open as she looked to the source of the soft voice. Her mother was kneeling next to her, dark hair curling gently around her soft and smiling face. The woman shot out from behind her covers and wrapped her arms around her mother, tears forming in her eyes. She buried her face in her soft blue kimono and wept into the older woman's bosom, holding the woman as close as possible. She smelled like fresh tea, just like she always had and that only made her sob all the more.

Her mother rubbed her arms in slow circles around her back, gently shushing at her crying daughter. She squeezed her reassuringly, kissing lightly at the frightened young woman's cheek. Rika felt drunk on her presence, supping on the closeness of her mother. Her eyes looked around to see the tiny room that was her own. It was barren as it always had been but it was wonderful to look upon.

"Shhh... Rika-chan, what's wrong? You're shaking like a leaf."

"Oh, Mama, it... it was such a terrible nightmare. There were these- these giant women. They destroyed the town and killed everyone, and then I was stuck on one of their tabi and they killed Asami-san, and then this other woman with a stone arm found me and tortured me and- and I... I..." Rika stuttered, blubbering and tripping over her words.

"Shhh, it's alright. It was all a nightmare. I'm here. Everyone is here." Her mother said, soothing at her.

Rika's sobs died off and she sniffled miserably. It had seemed so real and lasted so long. She could still see those horrible golden eyes when she closed her eyes. It was all melting away as she held her mother in her arms however. She felt safe and loved in the arms of the older woman and placed her head against the crook of her neck. Rika felt warm and her heart slowed its beat as she focused upon her mother.

Eventually she broke away and wiped at her eyes, her cheeks puffy and red from her fearful sobbing. The gentle smile upon her mother's lips was enough to reassure her and melt away all of her fear. Her hand ran through her dark hair, pulling gently at the knots that had formed. Rika held onto her mother's hand, pressing it against her cheek to remind her that she was here and alive.

"I think I know just what you need. A nice warm cup of tea before work." The woman said, rising and shuffling out of the room.

Rika slid the door shut and slowly rose, setting her kimono loosely on her body. She slipped on her tabi though she paused as she looked at them on her feet. She leaned in and looked over the surface of the sock, shaking her head when she saw nothing but lint. It was ridiculous to worry about such silly nightmares. She wriggled her toes slightly and stood, walking out of the room and entering the living room.

She knelt down at the table, noting the lack of her father or brother around the house. They were no doubt out and about at their own work. Her mother was currently steeping a brew over the hearth, humming under her breath. Rika smiled and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh through her nose. Maybe that cute samurai would be visiting the shop today. She looked forward to another round of flirting if he was, his cheeks reddened so nicely.

She opened her eyes and looked out on a vista of endless wood. The smooth plain stretched out endlessly, the occasional cracks here or there. Rika's eyes widened in fear and darted around as she gripped handfuls of her hair and found something that froze the blood in her veins. Towering in the distance was the form of her mother, her gentle hums rumbling across the floor. No. No, this wasn't real! This couldn't be happening! No, no, no!

Her mother finished with her tea and turned away from the hearth, her expression one of confusion as she looked over where Rika had once sat. Her speck of a daughter waved her arms up at the monolithic figure. This was the nightmare. Her mother couldn't see her. She wouldn't see her but Rika couldn't stop her body from moving as it did. It was like all control had been taken away from her.

Her tabi thudded against the wooden floor, shaking the ground beneath Rika. "Mama! Please, Mama!" She cried up at her.

The woman didn't hear her. Of course she didn't hear her. Rika was nothing now to her loving mother. She was just another speck of dirt on the floor, something she'd clean away if she ever saw it. Her foot rose and fell and her form approached her slowly. Eventually she saw something countless had seen before her. The clean underside of her mother's tabi, the fabric darkening her sky. Rika whimpered and fell on her knees as she stared at the underside of her mother's tabi.

As it lowered her could see everything. She could see her toes slightly curled in the air. She could see a stream of light beaming between the sections of her tabi where her big toe was separated from the rest. She could see the infinitesimally tiny bits of lint clinging to the bottom of the fabric. She could see the individual fabrics woven together. Her mother would never know. Never know that her daughter was squished out under her step. Rika's world was darkened as she finally was able to scream as her mother's sole compressed her into a red stain upon the bottom of her tabi.

_____________________________________________________________________

Rika screamed as she awoke, cold sweat having formed upon her brow. Her eyes shot open as she thrashed and pushed the covers off of her. She sat bolt upright in a rather uncomfortable futon, looking around. Dark stone was illuminated in a gentle blue glow, stalagmites having formed through the chamber. A cave. She was in a cave from the looks of it. She wasn't dead, she wasn't crushed beneath her mother's foot.

"Must have been some nightmare."

The voice, that once so loud voice now slipped in her ears like smooth and sweet honey. Her eyes darted to the side and saw the jade armed woman sitting across from her against the cavern wall. Rika stood and pressed herself against the wall, whimpering as she looked into those golden eyes. She was back. This was real. That had been the nightmare, what she had just experienced. The dull ache was still there upon her body but fear overrode that as she stared at the massive woman.

It took a moment to realize... the woman was not so massive. Indeed, she looked like she normally might if she were Rika's size. The tiny woman swallowed, finding it hard to believe that the massive force of nature was now upon her level. The goddess looked like a mortal now. Not a normal mortal by any means but certainly a little more... human. She was inspecting her straight sword, running her stone finger along the edge of the blade. A movement Rika took as rather meaningful.

Rika found her voice, raw and strained from her screaming and spoke. "How... how are you so small now?" She asked.

The woman chuckled, pointing her weapon towards her. "The better question is, how are you so big now?"

Big? She remembered her clothes growing tight, almost unbearably so. Had she been growing? Remembering her discarding her clothes Rika looked down at her body and saw her form, freshly cleaned and bare. Her hair had been set in a short braid behind her head as well. She twisted her body with a squeak, trying to keep from her captor from seeing anything. A chuckle escaped the woman's throat.

"I've seen and touched everything. Who do you think scrubbed your body down and set your hair up? If you have need of modesty, my dear, I have some of your barbarian clothes." She said, pointing to a pile of clothes nearby.

Rika slowly inched towards them, never taking her eyes off of the amused looking woman. She reached out and took up the rather plain grey kimono, setting the obi tightly around her waist. Next she set the clean pair of black tabi on her feet, finding them just her size surprisingly. After setting the straw sandals on she pressed herself back up to the wall, drawing a roll of the other woman's eyes.

"If I was intending to kill you, girl, I would have squished you when you were a tiny speck." The woman said, pinching her fingers together to demonstrate her meaning unnecessarily.

"Who are you?" Rika asked.

"Daiyo. Daiyo of the Jade Court." Daiyo said, setting her blade back in its sheath.

The younger woman let her shoulder's relax ever so as the blade was placed aside. Slowly she knelt down upon the futon, eyes darting towards the entrance subtly. Daiyo's golden eyes never wavered from Rika and she snorted as she saw the movement of her eyes. The young woman tossed out ideas of escape at the moment. After having experienced such pain at her hands Rika figured displeasing the sorceress was rather unwise.

The young woman felt her stomach growl and hunger spike through her. It was then that she realized how thirsty she was. Daiyo must have heard the slight grumbling as she stood and filed around inside of a basket, producing a few rice cakes and a gourd of water. She offered the cakes to Rika, who stared warily at them for a moment before starting to tear into them with relish. After days of twigs and berries and nothing else they tasted absolutely divine. Daiyo smirked at the reaction, not resisting as the water was snatched from her grasp.

"So pleased you like my cooking, Rika." She commented as she sat down across from Rika once more.

Between bites, Rika spoke. "What did you do to me?"

Daiyo rolled her eyes. "I already told you. I made you like me. Rather surprised you survived honestly, never tried size magic before. Can be rather disastrous if you get things wrong. You were only out for half a day. Its evening now."

Rika paused between bites, pondering this. She tried to imagine herself being as big as this Daiyo had been. It was incomprehensible to her. That something so big could exist was impressive enough but being so massive herself was impossible. She had been so tiny, so insignificant compared to Daiyo but now she was eating rice cakes she had apparently made. She looked down at the half eaten one in her hands. Rika imagined a speck upon it, something so tiny it could be mistaken for dirty or dust. If she was truly like Daiyo that would be what people were compared to her.

Rika turned her gaze up to Daiyo, finishing her cake. "Why?"

Daiyo smiled. "You have potential. The hate you harbor is very strong, Rika. It burns deeply, festering at your spirit. You want revenge. Revenge against one who serves my enemy."

With start she realized what she was talking about. The woman. The woman who had scrubbed away Asami like a piece of filth upon her tabi. Rika's fingers tightened around the gourd of water before taking a deep draught. Was that woman now Rika's size? Could they see each other on equal terms now? Her knuckles whitened as anger and rage boiled below the surface. Her teeth gritted.

"The woman." Rika said simply.

Daiyo nodded. "Her name is Momo. I saw what you endured when I looked in your mind. It was pathetic really. Almost makes me want to vomit, how your tiny friend sacrificed herself."

"Don't say that! Don't you dare fucking belittle her! She saved my life!" Rika shouted, tossing the gourd aside.

Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. Daiyo merely laughed at the anger thrown his way. "Indeed. Had you actually been strong enough to free her yourself she wouldn't have died."

That slammed into Rika like a punch to the gut, stealing all the anger from her sails. A stricken look crossed her face as she lowered her head in shame. This woman was right. If she had been a little faster and stronger then Asami would still be with her. Momo might have actually killed her but Rika's weakness had doomed her all the same. Now, learning that she was so big Rika wasn't sure what to think. It felt so... cheap. Like she didn't deserve it.

"Stand up and walk with me. I have something I want to show you, Rika." Daiyo said, rising.

Rika thought about it for a moment before opting to follow the sorceress. She didn't exactly know what she was supposed to do. Really she hadn't known what to do after surviving her near death experience. What was she supposed to do after... that? She would be surprised if she could ever sleep without nightmares again.

Daiyo led her further into the cave, blue crystals glowing brightly around her. At the very back of the cave was a small underground lake with an odd little mound in the middle. Daiyo removed her slippers and stepped into the ankle high waters, looking back at Rika. Rika hesitated before removing her sandals and peeling off her tabi. She gingerly placed her foot into the waters, lifting the hem of her kimono. The cool waters washed over her bare toes and she shuffled along after the jade armed woman.

Within the shallow waters along their path were tiny little boats. The fishermen frantically scrambled out of the path of both of the titanic women, the movement of their feet through the water kicking up massive waves. Rika felt uneasy as she walked after Daiyo, unaware that as her foot lifted out of the water a trio of boats got a good look at the bottom of her foot. The soft, peachy sole dripped fat droplets of water upon the fishermen, capsizing two of the boats. The last could only watch in on horror as their doom descended from above.

The wrinkly sole of her foot lowered down upon the water, splashing slightly. Those caught below the wet expanse of flesh were dragged down under the crushing weight of a mountain to the bottom. They were crushed beneath her step, buried against the rocky bottom. One managed to survive by ending up between her titanic toes, however his good fortune was ended as the foot rose up again. He clawed and scrabbled at the webbing between her toes, desperate for purchase between Rika's toes. The slick sent him sliding down and his fingers slipped from his purchase, sending him screaming to the water below.

Rika, unaware that the same destruction she had once endured was being inflicted upon others by her continued to follow Daiyo. She swallowed as she stopped at the mound. "Look down. Tell me what you see." The woman said, gesturing to the mound.

Rika swallowed, almost not wishing to look down. She did however. Upon the mound were dust sized buildings, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. There was movement, and as she leaned in her breath caught in her throat. People, running about the large town set upon the mound. She swallowed hard as she looked to Daiyo, who only smirked at her. Rika realized at the moment that it was no lie that had been fed to her. She was looking at what she had once been. She was looking down at her own tiny people.

Rika took an involuntary step back. An intense feeling of vertigo was overcoming her as she looked down upon the tiny city below. Her heart thundered in her chest, filling her skull with the sound of a constant drumbeat. Every part of her rejected the sight before her as being unreal, a fantasy. The young woman felt her balance threatening to falter as her legs wobbled unsteadily. This wasn't real. This wasn't real!

She could make out little minute details of the city from a closer inspection. The buildings were so very miniscule and the roads resembled infinitely thin lines drawn upon the surface of the mound. Around the outer edge... were those walls? She couldn't make out the people, not in the dim light of the cavern and likely not even if she possessed light. Was that what she had once been? Now that she had a proper scale to compare, namely herself, Rika realized just how little she had been.

A chuckle sounded to her side and she glanced over to her escort. The scale of her power was now much starker to Rika. The woman had taken a little fleck of dust like her and made her infinitely bigger. What kind of raw power did that take? Certainly this woman was an actual goddess; it seemed the only logical answer to her. Daiyo smirked at the wide eyed expression upon Rika's face.

"You know, the look on your face already makes my efforts worth it." She remarked.

"H-H-Ho-!" Rika stuttered, feeling her head swim as she tried to keep from fainting.

Daiyo shrugged. "The theory was simple enough. Enough energy can change anything; I just needed to give that change direction. There was some difficulty with the stabilization element; hence it might take some time before you fully acclimate to being... big as it were." The sorceress explained.

Energy? Direction? Stabilization? What the hell was the woman talking about? Her confusion must have still showed as Daiyo rolled her eyes. "Simply put I used magic to make you bigger."

"M-Magic? So you're a sorceress?"

Daiyo smiled an enigmatic smile. "That is one term for it."

So not a goddess then, though honestly as far as Rika was concerned she was pretty damn close to it. Her gaze returned to the tiny city once more as she struggled to wrap her head around what she had become. She wasn't a fleck of dust anymore; instead she stood at the same height as these veritable beings of destruction. Overwhelmed didn't even begin to describe what she was feeling at that moment.

"You likely can't see them down there, not with your naked eye at least. Or without getting in close. Fortunately I have a way around that."

Rika felt a rough stone hand grip her by the shoulder, jolting her from her thoughts. Immediately it felt like someone was stabbing at her eyes repeatedly, like hot pokers were being inserted in again and again. She screamed and writhed trying to get away from Daiyo's iron grip, grabbing the stone arm to wrench it away. It was no use however; the sorceresses strength clearly still outstripped her own.

Her writhing had consequences for those below. She kicked up massive waves from her movements, endless gallons of water crashing into the port of the city. Piers cracked and splintered, fishermen and sailors alike were dragged out to sea, and homes on the outskirts of the city were flooded or destroyed. Her screams were deafening and on a decibel almost unreal in how loud they was, rupturing eardrums for those closest and leaving the lucky with ringing in their ears.

"Quit your blubbering. This is a simple spell, girl. Even a child should be able to handle it." Daiyo commanded sharply.

Rika wept, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain slowly died away. "W-Why are you doing this to me!?" She cried.

"So you can see. Open your eyes."

The pained young woman forced her eyes open, her breath immediately being stolen. She could see the city, almost as if she were hovering just above it. Her eyes widened, tears still leaking out the corners as she peered down at the micro city before her. The people could actually be made out, the panic in them quite noticeable. Samurai fought to keep order though it was difficult to keep order when even they were scared. The tiny people scampered around, trying to run as fast as they could. As fast as they could though was barely noticeable to the normal naked eye.

As her gaze swept over the outskirts her heart felt like it was being stabbed. The devastation, the carnage, the weeping survivors standing over the drowned corpses of loved ones. It only took her a moment to realize she was the cause. Homes were buried under mud, ships smashed to bits of floating debris, the once sizeable port was gone and with it hundreds of lives. She couldn't hear the cries of the dying and the mourning but she could fill in the blanks easily enough. Once upon a time, that had been her.

Rika wrenched herself away from Daiyo's grip and ran towards the shore of the lake, tripping over herself and soaking her kimono further. As soon as she hit the shore she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach, retching as her head spun. Her sight returned to normal quickly enough but that wouldn't take away what she had just seen. Nothing could take that memory away from her now.

She was a monster. She was as bad as those two women had been. How many like her did she leave in her wake from her little splashing? It hurt her head and heart just to think about. So many dead and she hadn't even tried to kill them. She was worse than that woman, Momo. Rika had known what creatures this massive could do, she had witnessed it with her own eyes but still she had killed so many.

"Interesting. Hadn't expected that reaction to be honest."

Daiyo's voice cut through her thoughts and self-loathing, the woman now standing near her. She waved her stone hand and the water soaking them both as well as the vomit on the cavern floor vanished. Being dry certainly didn't make her feel any better. She turned her gaze up to Daiyo, her eyes wide and haunted by what she had just witnessed brought about by her hand. Fresh tears were in her eyes.

"T-t-they... I-I... Oh spirits, what have I done?" She lamented, a few moments away from curling up into a ball.

Daiyo shook her head, walking over to Rika and forcing her to stand on wobbling legs. "Stop sniveling. You're making me regret ever having made you bigger." She said, not an ounce of pity or remorse in her tone.

"W-Why did you even make me bigger? Just torture me!?" Rika demanded, sorrow crushing at her insides.

Rika didn't see the backhand coming until it slammed right into her cheek. The young woman cried out as she was sprawled upon the cold floor. When she tried to rise she found Daiyo's flesh and blood bare foot crush into the side of her head. She squirmed weakly, trying to push the sorceress off her though to no avail. The woman ground the sole of her foot in against the side of Rika's face, keeping her on the ground.

"You really are so weak it makes my stomach churn. A mewling, weeping, bed wetting mess of a wretch. I'm not even trying to keep you down, and I went to the trouble of making you big but you can't even escape. Weak shit." Daiyo hissed.

Suddenly the pressure against the side of her face was gone, letting Rika turn her head to look up at those fierce and unnatural golden eyes. "However. That is only what you are now. I made you big because I felt potential in you, Rika. Potential I've rarely felt upon my travels. What I am, what power I wield. Do you want that?"

The young woman stared up at Daiyo, still rather in shock from her effortless destruction. She was still being unclear on what this potential was but the power she had... it was frightening. Frightening, but at the same time she could see it being able to help her in her revenge. Momo. She was the cause of all of this, of all of her pain and suffering. If she hadn't come along her family would still be alive, so would Asami. Her and that samurai companion. Everything that had happened, all the destruction and death was their fault.

"W-Would it help me set things right? Could I save my home?" She asked.

Daiyo smirked. "With that power you could make your home however you wanted it. I have no interest in this pitiful spit of land, no personal stake in it. I just want Momo's mistress. Shouldn't be over difficult given her injuries. I'll let you do whatever you want to Momo. Of course in accepting it, you would owe loyalty to me and the Jade Court."

Rika thought on it, her eyes drifting to the mound over in the center of the tiny lake. If she helped Daiyo remove them then Daiyo herself would leave. Admittedly she would likely have to go as well, but if they happened there would be no more destruction. No more ruined lives. No more widows or widowers. This was how she could save this land. This was how she could make Asami's sacrifice worthwhile.

"How can I get this power?" She finally asked.

Daiyo's lips curled back into a smirk and she gestured to Rika's arm. "Hold out your arm."

Rika swallowed hard and held out her right arm. The sorceress held out her stone hand and took out a knife from within the folds of her cloths, one that looked more like a chisel than anything else. She jammed it against her arm, chipping away a small fragment of her beautiful stone arm. The fragment fell to the ground and hummed with power. Daiyo put her knife away and picked up the nail sized fragment before gripping Rika's offered arm. With that done she promptly inserted the fragment into the back of her hand.

Pain was something she had thought would never bother her after the pain of having grown forcefully. Rika now realized that whatever pain she had felt before was absolutely nothing compared to this. Her blood felt like it was on fire and her muscles started to spasm uncontrollably, a raw scream forcing its way from her throat as she gripped her right hand and held to her chest. She screamed and screamed, until what came out was more akin to a croak than anything resembling coherence.

Daiyo chuckled. "It will take a day and a night to settle. If you think that pain is bad, just wait until the hallucinations start." She said as she walked away.

_______________________________________________________________________

Rika wasn't certain how long it had been since Daiyo left. Minutes? Hours? Days? Months? Years? Time had ceased to matter much when in so much pain. She had been right though. The pain she could deal with. When the hallucinations started Rika had a very difficult time keeping her sanity from fraying entirely. It was as though every dark corner of her mind was coming to haunt her.

Her eyes flitted opened, groggily looking around. Her heart froze. White all around her, wrapped around her limbs and body. A sea of soft fabric spanning as far as the eye could see. No. Not here, anywhere but here again! She reached to her sides, instinctively looking for Asami's comforting hand. There was nothing. She was utterly and completely alone, stuck and trapped like stray lint to her captor's tabi.

Panicked eyes searched upward, finding the long endless expanse of a kimono above her. The same floral pattern as before. The figure stooped down this time however, eyes staring right back at Rika. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared up at her captor's face, one she knew well but not for the correct reasons. The gentle and once comforting face of Asami stared back down at Rika, a cruel smirk upon her lips.

"You weren't fast enough, Rika-san. You killed me." She boomed.

Rika shook her head, trying to force that thought away. "No! I-I did everything I could! I'm sorry Asami-san!" She cried, tears springing to her eyes.

"That wasn't good enough. I still died."

Rika wept in her prison, tears streaking down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Oh spirits..."

Asami shook her head before her gaze turned up. Across from her was another familiar figure, Momo. The young woman smirked at Rika. "Huh, so pathetic. I can't even make her out down there. Talk about worthless."

Asami sighed and wriggled her tabi clad toes, rocking Rika's pitiful little world. "True, however she can't help it. Don't worry Rika; you'll have plenty of time to atone for your failure as you'll be spending the rest of your tiny life down there."

Rika cried and writhed on the floor of the cavern, the illusion one of many created by the transformation her body was undergoing. Unnoticed by her was the pulsing green infecting the veins of her hand, stone starting to replace flesh and blood. Also unnoticed was Daiyo leaning against the nearby wall, golden eyes watching Rika as she cried out incoherently. A smirk was plastered across her face as she watched her suffer, knowing well that her hate would burn all the brighter after this.

Consciousness was rather a loose term for Kyoske Isane. There seemed to be times when she could grasp at it, however it slipped through her fingers enough that she wondered perhaps if the moments weren’t dreams. At first there had been pain on her rare returns to consciousness, pain that had seared through her nerves like fire. Then the pain had left her suddenly, as though drained from her being.

The samurai’s eyes finally and slowly blinked open. The sunlight dappling through the opening of the tent stabbed at her eyes. Her body ached and she felt rather weak, her muscles having suffered from inactivity. She lifted her hand to rub across her face. That must have been some drinking she’d done. She must have been downing sake by the pitcher to reach this kind of state. Wouldn’t have been the first time, she mused internally.

Her form was gaze lolled to her side and she froze, sleep and drowsiness fleeing her as she caught sight of her shoulder. There was a rather nasty looking scar upon her skin now, one that brought it all flooding back. Daiyo. Their fight. The feeling of foul magic arcing through her body. The icy pain of her blade sinking deeply into her shoulder, twisted about while the assassin had an expression of barely contained glee. Finally, the flight Daiyo had made immediately after suffering injuries that would kill most men.

She moved her shoulder experimentally. There was some pain but nothing overly different from the aches of the rest of her body. The samurai pressed her hand against the scar as she slowly sat up, her hair falling messy and loose around her head. Miraculous. Such a wound could cripple most. How long had she been out that it could have healed like this? Isane frowned and looked down at herself. Her only current attire were cloth wrappings for decency’s sake. She looked around for her clothes, feeling a slight chill as she moved from under the cover of soft fabric her futon had provided.

It was in that moment the flap of the tent was pushed open. In walked Momo, a rather tired expression on her normally bright face. She was carrying a basket of fruit however once her eyes fell upon Isane awake it was promptly dropped. The few little settlements upon some of the pink fruits were obliterated by the earth shattering impact as their fruits smashed into the ground, those who clung to life crushed as the fruit rolled from the basket and onto the floor.

“Momo-sa- ack!”

Isane dry and scratchy voice was cut off as Momo threw herself at the samurai, wrapping her arms around the warrior woman. The woman’s arms were tight around her, squeezing Isane quite uncomfortably given her aches and pains. The samurai could soon hear little sobs coming from her retainer, moist tears dripped upon her bare skin. Isane smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Momo, simply content to sit like this for a while.

This closeness, the feeling of holding her retainer. The sensation of running her fingers through her hair, the swells of her breasts pressing against her own. It was something Isane felt like she hadn’t had for days. Perhaps it really had been days. She ran a calloused hand along the soft pink floral pattern of Momo’s kimono, just content with feeling her. This wasn’t some state of unconsciousness, this was reality.

Those few new miserable souls trapped in the fabric of Momo’s kimono were pressed into Isane’s flesh, either popping under the pressure or sinking into the bare skin. As her monolithic fingers traced over the kimono they wiped clean a number, the people becoming mere dirt beneath her fingernails. There were in reality many more than just two people involved in this moment, though neither woman knew that. All they cared about right now was drinking in the presence of the other.

After a while, a long while, Momo finally disentangled herself from her samurai mistress. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, smiling in rapturous joy as she knelt before Isane. For herself Isane rubbed the sleep from around her eyes, flicking bits of sand she picked from the corners away. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands for a few moments before returning her attention to Momo.

“I should get knocked unconscious more often if it gets me a waking reception like that.” Isane joked with a grin.

Her retainer managed a breathless chuckle. “You don’t need to go that far for my attention.”

“Maybe not. Can’t honestly say I’d be in any hurry to get stabbed again.” Isane remarked, touching her shoulder again.

For some reason Momo winced as she looked at the scar. Odd, usually she liked the scars. The samurai shrugged it off and grabbed one of the fallen pieces of fruit nearby. She bit into it ravenously, juices running down her chin. She paid no mind to the bits of dirt upon it, the splotches of people crushed out by simple movements. The samurai was far too hungry to worry about such insignificant details really.

“How long was I out?” Isane inquired between bites.

Momo licked her lips, her fingers curling into the fabric of her kimono. “Uhhh… about four days now.”

Isane’s eyes narrowed and she paused in her chewing. She looked at Momo like she had grown a second head as she swallowed her mouthful. Four days? Impossible. There was no way she could possibly have this kind of recovery in a mere four day span. It was inconceivable. Isane was many things but she was still only mortal last she had checked. Daiyo hadn’t attacked either? Her foul magic certainly would have had her ready for round two rather quickly. Killing her was no easy feat. She’d stabbed her in the heart once and that foul stone on her body simply moved to fill the gap. Isane was no Daiyo however.

“Momo-san. Did something happen that healed me from that wound?” Isane asked.

The retainer squirmed in her place, swallowing slightly. “Well. The thing is…” She started slowly.

“Momo-san.” The samurai said, her tone reproachful. It was a rare tone, one that enforced their differences of servant and master.

A wince crossed Momo’s face and she averted her eyes away from Isane. “Ryoko-sama. She healed you.”

Isane frowned immediately, touching her new scar. “That fucking fox… what did she want in return? Did she make you do some humiliating task? Agree to some foul pact? Tell me Momo-san. I’m going to ram my sword up her furry…”

It wasn’t that Isane was angered by Ryoko healing her. The absolute last thing she wanted was to be rendered crippled and useless. However, nothing was ever free with Nine-Tails. She expected a price with anything she did. The goddess was so very powerful but also very childish and petty with that power at times. From the way Momo was trembling she could only assume it had been something completely awful.

A hand cupped Momo’s cheek, lifting her gaze up to meet that of her samurai mistress. Isane ran her thumb over her retainer’s full lips, smiling encouragingly at her. “Momo-san. It’s alright. You know you can tell me anything. No matter what humiliation she forced upon you I won’t think less of you.” She said.

Momo swallowed hard. “It wasn’t me she wanted something from. I-It was you she wanted something from.”

Isane lifted a brow. “What could she have wanted from me?”

There was a long pause that followed that before Momo managed to gather what courage she had. “Y-your… your sword, Kyoske-sama.”

_________________________________________________________________

The procession had traveled long and hard to reach their goal. Now they stood at the foot of the great monument, shrouded in its long shadow. Ryo Seshio held up his gauntleted fist, signaling a halt to the armed party. Most were ill equipped ashigaru though there were five other samurai with him to lead the group. Of the samurai he was the only one mounted, the mark of a greater samurai.

Though the snarling black demon mask of his helmet hid it, Ryo’s expression was fairly nervous. Seeing the structure in the distance was one thing, being right next to it was another. It was a monolithic, towering thing that stretched far up into the heavens. From the distance it had looked to be a simple tent, one that he himself might own. Up close it was a white monument that stretched on forever. His own home city wouldn’t even come close to filling the space within he suspected.

“Ryo-sama. Your orders?”

The mounted samurai looked down at his second briefly before looking up at the tent. The gap at the bottom was very generous, something they could easily march right under. However only a fool charged in without knowing what it was they were dealing with. He hadn’t believed the stories refugee’s had told of walking gods. Beings who could wipe away entire settlements with a single step. It seemed so very fantastical but now, standing in the shadow of this tent and having felt the earlier tremors he could only imagine the beings within could be gods.

“Gather five of the men. Get them ready to move in. See what’s inside and report back, nothing more.” Seshio commanded, his hands tightening around the reigns of his horse.

Soon enough six men were moving towards the opening slowly, clearly intimidated by the structure alone let along whatever could be inside. They had not seen Momo enter, having come around from around the side of the tent only recently. Perhaps if they had the procession would have simply fled, reporting back to their lord of goddesses. As it was there was no such luck for them. No sooner had the men crossed the threshold than the sky rumbled with the sound of thunder.

“WHAT!?”

The word itself was impossible to decipher. They weren’t words so much as a great crack of noise that rang at the ears of the men. The sound echoed around Seshio’s helmet, drawing a wince from him. Others in the main group clutched at their ears, crying out in pain. The scouting group halted in their advance. Even with the distance between them, Seshio could see his second pointing at something beyond his own sight.

Then the tremors came. They shook at the ground, the sound of cracking earth filling the ears of those around him. The scouting group started running back to the main group as the tremors grew more pronounced, passing back under the threshold of the tent. Seshio’s horse bucked and finally reared up, drawing a cry of surprise from the samurai as he was thrown from the beast and onto the ground. He groaned, his men helping him to his feet just in time to watch the tent flap open.

There she was. Wild dark hair about a face twisted in fury. Her form was wrapped in cloth wrappings around her breasts and waist for modesty’s sake. Scars adorned her tanned flesh, marking her past battles to the onlooker. Seshio’s eyes shot wide as he looked up at her, frozen as her enormity immediately set in. This was her. The god the refugees had spoken of, she who could annihilate towns and armies with a step.

The scouting group was making progress back however that progress meant pretty much nothing. A shadow was cast over them as the woman’s foot came up and immediately smashed down in her walking stride. A single step. Six men extinguished under the bare flesh of her peachy sole, obliterated under the seemingly divine wrath from above. She was angered; angered they had dared to intrude upon her domain.

Seshio saw many of his men run, others fell to their knees. The cried out to the goddess, begging for her wrath to be spared from them. Seshio was still paralyzed, gazing up at the creature that towered above him. Compared to her they didn’t even measure up. If he and his remaining men stacked each other up on each other’s shoulders they wouldn’t even reach halfway up her smallest toe.

Her foot came up again, this time its shadow being cast over the entire group. Those that had tried to flee found their pathetic strides were absolutely nothing compared to hers. Seshio fell back, staring up at his new sky. Far, far above him was her sole. It was calloused and worn at from many days of travel. Dirt gathered from her previous steps rained down, heralding her step. Dirt clumps the size of boulders crushed men into nothing, pasting them under them. The sole hovered above them all for what seemed like forever.

Then it finally slammed down. There was no noise, not even a ringing in Seshio’s ears. Her foot came down abruptly, crushing most all beneath it. Some lucky few however, managed to survive, the slight creases in her foot proving a kind of safe harbor. One of those lucky few was Seshio. The step itself rattled at his bones, indeed he could bet a few shattered from the aftershock of the impact. He was struck deaf by the noise unable to see much of anything. The smell of sweat was heavy upon the air he now breathed, left behind from the woman’s exertions and time spent sick.

Then, just like that. Light flooded back. Seshio squinted, looking up at the sky. He was alive. He chuckled, and then laughed a laugh he himself would never hear. He touched his armor, trying to make sure he was in one piece before crying out as he tried to lift his left arm. It had been shattered in the aftershock. Regardless, he, Ryo Seshio had survived under the step of a goddess.

He blinked as the world went dark again and looked up just in time to see another sky, this one made of white cotton. He had just enough time to scream as the underside of Momo’s tabi got yet another stain added to its threads.

___________________________________________________________________

“My sword. You gave her my sword.”

Isane was pacing about their campsite, completely oblivious to the lives snuffed out under her steps. She was looking around for her prized weapon, as though hoping what her retainer had just told her was not true. She moved to the set of her weapons aside, looking through them for it. They were scattered around her uncaringly, her movements frantic as she looked for the sword she so prized.

Momo hurried after her mistress, standing helplessly off to the side of the whole affair. She looked like she didn’t know what to do, what to say in the face of this. Isane let out a cry of anguish as she found indeed that her sword was well and truly gone. It had been taken away by Ryoko. The mark of what she was, a samurai, was gone. The weapon had passed through the hands of her family since the founding of their house. The Kyoske family treasure was beyond her grasp.

She pounded a fist upon the ground, making a noise halfway between a scream and a groan. She sat like that, doubled over for the longest time. Momo shuffled uncomfortably. The movements of her tabi clad feet ground to paste the horse that had fled the obliteration of his master, the beast joining the crushed samurai upon the underside of her unfeeling socks. She cleared her throat slightly, drawing the gaze of Isane.

“Why Momo-san… why would you do that?” Isane asked quietly, her voice sounding so very small.

Momo let out a little whimper. “I-I wanted you healed. I knew that if you had survived you never would have recovered. A-at least this way you can still be a warrior, you can still fulfill you ambition.” She said hesitantly.

A little bitter chuckle came from Isane. “Better to not have use of one of my arms than… this. What is a samurai without her sword? Damn it Momo-san…” She said, shaking her head with her gaze still to the ground.

The retainer swallowed hard as she dared to approach her fallen mistress. She tried to place a consoling hand upon her shoulder only to have the samurai shove her away with a growl. Momo let out a squeak of surprise and fell onto her backside, staring up fearfully at her enraged mistress.

“Don’t fucking touch me! Not after you-.” Isane choked, the corners of her eyes glinting faintly with tears. “Just go. Get out of my sight.”

Momo rose and tried to approach the samurai. “Please, Kyoske-sama, I just- ah!”

The sharp sound of skin upon skin sounded out. Momo ended up on the ground again, holding her slightly reddened cheek in shock. Isane stood over her, expression shifting to a stony mask. “I said get out of my sight. Now!” She roared.

Her retainer looked on the verge of tears as she scrambled to her feet and started running off towards the shoreline. Isane could hear her sobs start as she ran, the sounds stabbing at her heart. She felt positively wretched, her sword was gone, her retainer had given it away. She didn’t know what she was supposed to feel now. She felt rage, sorrow, betrayal, and guilt and they all mixed together in her gut in a confusing manner. Her throat clenched up and she could feel the sting of tears trying to come to her eyes no matter how she fought it.

Isane sat down, running her fingers through her dark hair. Everything hurt and her head was swimming. The shock of waking up days later after a battle and losing her most prized possession was too much too fast. Had she much food within her belly she’d likely throw up on the spot.

“Well now. That was certainly dramatic.”

That voice… it immediately flared hatred as the strongest emotion in her. Her eyes narrowed immediately as they looked across the small lake. Standing there, dressed in her green robes with a cruel smirk upon her lips was Daiyo. Isane’s hand went to the naginata on the ground at her side, fingers curling tightly around the shaft of the bladed spear. The assassin had her arms out wide, as though daring Isane to try something against her.

“Daiyo. For once, you have good timing. Slicing your poisonous head from your shoulders will bring me no small amount of pleasure.” Isane spat as she rose, spear in hand.

With that said she started to move forward until a pitiful squeak sounded out. It halted her in her tracks as she looked to the side, eyes widening. Standing there, a blade to her neck and in the firm hold of another woman, was Momo. The woman hold in the blade to the retainer’s neck glared at Isane with more hate and venom than anyone she had ever seen. Indeed it looked as though it was taking great restraint to avoid killing her hostage.

“Ah yes. You haven’t been introduced. I would like you to meet Rika. I believe you have met before. Or rather, you destroyed her entire village, slaughtered her family, and ravaged her country.” Daiyo stated, inspecting her nails in an unconcerned manner.

Wait… what? 

How was she even still moving!? The bitch samurai should have been on death’s door, lying flat upon her back and practically begging Daiyo to save her from her pain. The sorceress’s golden eyes flicked up and down her form. No signs of hampered movement. What trickery was this? Isane was no sorceress and Momo had as much potential for the eldritch arts as an old sock did. How then was she up and about?

The vexation the sorceress felt was kept under a cool mask of unconcerned calm. She heard a gasp to the right and her gaze flicked to Rika. A tiny trail of blood dribbled down from a scratch upon Momo’s neck, the retainer whimpering. She could feel the depths of Rika’s hatred, burning and smoldering in her gut. Daiyo knew she wanted nothing more than to split her throat and bathe in her blood. Her pupils were dilated, breathing heavy. Oh how she wanted to kill her, though Daiyo had ensured she wouldn’t. Not yet anyway.

“What madness are you spouting now, witch? I’ve never seen this girl nor is there any village on this spit of land. Is she one of your demons?” Isane growled, holding her spear at the ready.

“You’re the demons! You monsters have killed countless thousands! I swear you’ll pay for every death, every inch of ruined countryside.” Came the snarled reply from Rika. The grip her free hand had around Momo’s waist tightened revealing a smooth milky jade hand.

“W-we haven’t seen anyone here, what are you-ahhh!” Momo tried to get out, taking a sharp intake of breath as a blade was pressed further against her throat.

Rika’s eyes, now a brilliant and shinning gold, flashed dangerously. “Shut up, you monster. You- you are the worst of the two of you. You killed… you killed…” The woman tried to get out, her voice choked with sorrow.

Daiyo cleared her throat. What a melodramatic sideshow. Rika needed to learn some self-control it seemed. Nothing a few lessons wouldn’t solve after this matter was resolved. “Rika. Restrain yourself or I will. After we are done here, you can have your fill of vengeance as promised. Until then…”

She was pleased to see Rika straighten somewhat and force back her tears. The sorceress returned her attention Isane, a cruel smirk upon her flawless lips. Ah well. Her newfound health was better really. After that cut across her back, she wanted the samurai to suffer for a time. Daiyo stepped upon the waters of the small lake, walking atop the surface as though it were solid earth. She delighted in the slightest flicker of fear in Isane’s eyes, relishing the emotion for all she was worth.

She stopped upon the mound where once a proud city had stood, her slippers pounding the ashes and whatever corpses that remained there to oblivion. Now that she was looking for it, the sorceress could sense the death about this place. It wafted through the air itself, thick like musk really. Where she was standing was the gravesite of countless thousands, people who had been killed even as they prayed to the goddesses they saw. Daiyo inhaled deeply, drinking of the death and suffering. She only wished she could have seen it.

“The spear. Drop it.” She ordered the samurai.

Isane hesitated, drawing a smirk from Daiyo. Her eyes flicked to Rika. The young woman’s hair was wild about her face, unbound and her eyes possessed dark circles around them. Her face was pasty, the woman still recovering from her change. “Rika. Be a dear and relieve Momo of one of her fingers. Doesn’t matter which one.” She said, her tone almost bored.

“Wait!” The samurai called, halting the action.

Isane shared a long look with Momo as she lowered her spear to the ground. Daiyo lifted a brow before chuckling. “How amusing. You slap her and send her away in rage, but are willing to lay down your weapon for her. You samurai never cease to amuse me.”

Oh she could feel Isane’s hate. It tasted so good, more than her fear even. She’d likely miss that the most after this was said and done. The samurai could have made an excellent member of the Order, if only she weren’t so sickeningly sentimental. Daiyo crossed the rest of the distance over the lake and kicked the shaft of her spear aside, noting no sign of her sword. Had that been what she and Momo had been arguing about? An unimportant detail.

“Now then you two. Its time I share a fascinating tale with you. You see, there once existed a land not so unlike your own. There were samurai, feudal lords that did battle, and priests that tended shrines. It was troubled, but had its own order.” Daiyo said, drawing her blade and placing it at Isane’s throat. She gestured for her to move closer to Rika and Momo.

As she walked her prisoner over she continued. “Then, one day, something happened. From beyond the ocean, came two gods. A boat higher than the highest of towers sliced through the waters and pounded the beach to signal their arrival. They themselves were beings that towered far into the heavens, the people but dust to them. Unworthy of notice or attention. Pathetic, helpless before these mighty gods.”

Isane’s steps slowed and Rika’s fingers tightened around her knife. “These goddesses trampled countless towns and villages, crushing lives without a care in their worlds. The people cried out ‘please, gods, spare us!’ only to be ground to oblivion beneath their sandals, devoured alive, or wiped away like dirt and dust.”

“Daiyo-” Isane tried to say, cut off but the sorceress who was far too into her story by this point.

“Shhh, shhh, hush now Isane. We’re getting to the best part. The happy ending.” She said with a positively wicked grin.

“The gods however were captured. One god arrived as they did, by sea. The other had spent an agonizing crucible upon the tabi of the servile god. Days she spent, lint in an endless landscape of white. Only her dear friend to keep her sane, a friend who sacrificed herself that she might live. The newly arrived god uplifted her. Then, together. They stripped the cruel and uncaring gods of their divinity, and cast them down from heaven.”

Daiyo’s arm was secreting a greenish mist, the sorceress sighing from the euphoric bliss of casting. The trails of mist forced themselves into Isane’s and Momo’s pores. She watched and listened with rapturous glee as the screamed, falling to their knees. Rika backed off, wincing as no doubt memories surfaced to her mind. Daiyo licked her lips, letting out a low groan as she watched the two suffer.

Isane was clawing at her skin, peeling at old bandages and her nails scratching at her flesh. She screamed until no sound could come from her throat but a loud croak, eyes wide and watering. Momo was curled up upon the ground into a ball, shaking. Her mouth was open in a soundless scream and tears were leaking from her eyes. Of course, for Daiyo, the best part was what came after the pain.

It was imperceptible at first but slowly, ever so slowly, the pair started to reduce in stature. Inch by inch their bodies were changed by her foul sorcery. This was far more satisfying than sticking a blade in them. Poetic justice truly. They continued to dwindle further and further. Momo lost consciousness at about half her actual height, her clothes becoming too big for her. With a quick nod from Daiyo, Rika removed the shrinking woman’s clothing and tossed it aside.

However, the oh so brave samurai remained conscious throughout. Daiyo watched them shrink and cut off the flow of her power when both were about an inch in size. As soon as the casting was cut off she felt a weight fall over her shoulders and a headache pound at her skull. Right. Two at once was pushing the limit. She would have to work on that for next time. For now though, it would do.

Rika looked at her. “Well? They aren’t all the way.”

The sorceress chuckled. “Now now, patience, my apprentice. At such a size as you were, it would not be easy to torment them. Think about it, Momo in your hands. Unable to fight against your vengeance. Your slave. And if it pleases you, I can complete it later with her and you can have her wander upon the vastness of your littlest finger for all time.” She said. It was better than showing weakness by telling Rika she was tired. In the end it seemed to placate her.

Below, at the feet of the two women, stirred Isane. She forced herself to her feet, naked and without any protection. Daiyo felt a flash of heat pool between her legs when she looked up and her eyes bugged out. Even lacking Rika’s former height, they towered above the inch high woman. The sorceress bit her lower lip as she drank of her fear. One step, one single step from her foot and she’d crush the most powerful swordswoman in the side of the world. Like a bug, some crunchy little insect.

She crouched down, her shadow consuming tiny Isane in its gloom. “How the mighty have fallen. I might not even be able to bring myself to kill you like this. I bet the Empress would love it just as well to have the killer of her brother tiny, toiling away at her feet for all of her miserable life. Honestly, I’d be jealous. Toiling away beneath her divine majesty and beauty, getting to be stepped on by a child of the heavens day in and day out? Too good a fate for you.” Daiyo purred.

“W-wha- h-how…” The samurai stuttered out.

Her grin was wide and stretched nearly from ear to ear. “No snappy comebacks? No declarations that you are going to kill me? Then again, what are you going to do? Punch at my toes maybe?”

Daiyo idly stood and took off one of her slippers, revealing her flesh and blood foot in all its flawless glory. She set her bare foot down before Isane softly, pleased at how she took a step back and ended up falling onto her ass. Her golden eyes widened, brimming with sadistic glee. She wriggled her toes slightly, the lacquer upon them glinting brightly with the sunlight.

“Go on, take a good swing! Or a kick perhaps? Empress knows those kicks of yours have always had me reeling.”

Isane was naturally speechless. She stared up at Daiyo with horror filled eyes. Daiyo herself bit her lower lip and felt a bolt of pleasure shoot through her. Empress this was good. So very good. Isane at her mercy. Completely helpless. One step was all it would take to extinguish her pitiful little life. She set her heel upon the ground and lifted her foot up, the shadow falling over the tiny samurai below.

“Nothing? Really? How disappointing. Ah well once you are dead, I can have some fun with Momo before letting Rika here have her way with her. I wonder, does it anger you? Knowing that your retainer will soon be my little slave girl? Oh the things I’ll do to her…” Daiyo said, moaning softly as she herself imagined it.

That spurred Isane to action. “Never, you won’t lay a finger on her!” The samurai screamed as she moved protectively in front of Momo’s tiny form.

Daiyo laughed behind her sleeve, her toes wriggling above Isane. Absurd that she’d still offer resistance. “Is that so and what are you…”

Her foot came down, her big toe smashing into Isane’s torso. She was pinned beneath it with ease, yelling and screaming in rage as she tried to push the massive digit off her. Sublime, delectable. This made all that wasted time hunting her completely worth it. “…Going to do to stop me? Look at you, you worthless little bitch. You can’t even push off my toe. Pathetic! Weak! Just like your stupid brother and your stupid whore mother!” Daiyo spat gleefully.

Rika cleared her throat, drawing a glare from Daiyo. Couldn’t she see that she was busy- why was she pointing behind her?

Daiyo turned her head and attention from crushing Isane under her toe and looked at the lake. Her golden eyes nearly bugged out.

Standing upon the mound in the center of the lake was a young woman dressed in white and red, her eyes as gold as Daiyo’s. Ryoko of the Nine Tails. The goddess stepped onto the water of the lake, her bare feet padding along it as though it was solid earth. The blood in Daiyo’s veins turned to ice and she immediately removed her toe from atop Isane, shifting her feet into a defensive stance. Her stone arm was held before her, the assassin licking her lips.

“Rika grab both of them. Now.” Daiyo commanded.

The young woman looked warily at this newcomer. No doubt she’d never seen her before. Daiyo certainly had. Many times. The irritating caretaker to this pair of fools. Now here she was yet again to snatch her victory, her ultimate triumph from her. The assassin’s arm sparked in warning as the kitsune set foot upon the shore, Isane struggling and cursing in Rika’s right hand while Momo was limp in her left.

“Daiyo-san of the Jade Court, so nice to see you again. How’s the whole creepy arm of doom thing working out for you?” Ryoko asked flippantly.

Daiyo took a step back. “If you’re here to snatch away my victory you are too late. Isane and Momo are mine.” She hissed.

“Huh? Pretty sure Isane-san is mine actually. Might want to double check that.”

What nonsense was- where the fuck did the samurai go? Daiyo looked at Rika’s shocked expression, the hand that had been holding Isane was now clutching a half-eaten piece of fruit. In Ryoko’s right hand however was Isane, the tiny samurai lying out in the palm of her hand.

“Hey dumb dumb. You are almost more trouble than you’re worth, you know that?” The damnable fox remarked.

“R-Ryoko-sama? But how, urk!”

Isane was silenced as Ryoko closed her fist around the samurai. The goddess deposited her between her ample cleavage and chuckled, squeezing them up around the woman. “Now you sit there and hush up while I sort things out.”

Daiyo lifted her hand, teeth grinding together. “Give. Her. Back.”

Ryoko lifted a hand in placation. “Woah woah, not here to pick a fight, Daiyo-san. Pretty much the opposite actually. So before you go doing something you and that poor wretch behind you might regret, settle down.”

The urge to say fuck it and zap the goddess anyway was strong. No spirit, no matter how old, was invincible. However… Ryoko was very powerful. The assassin lowered her arm though kept her blade out. Rika looked a bit antsy. “Daiyo-sama, who-?”

“She’s Ryoko of the Nine Tails. An actual goddess. So don’t rip off Momo’s head just yet.”

Rika’s eyes bugged out as she stared slack jawed at Ryoko. Daiyo snorted. Typical peasants, always amazed at meeting a god or two. She shoved her apprentice from her mind and gestured for the fox spirit to go on. The fox could have just snatched both away if she wanted which meant there was some catch here. Or perhaps the Bureaucracy of Heaven was restricting even her from acting too much. Both were distinct possibilities.

“So, as you know, I’m rather fond of these two idiots. Normally I’d just spirit them away. However your Empress still has quite a bit of pull in the Bureaucracy. Annoyingly. So, I think we’ve come to an arrangement that should please you and settle this. You’ll get your chance to kill Isane-san. Ten days from now you’ll meet right here and fight. No hostages. Just you two against each other.” Ryoko stated.

Daiyo let out a bark of laughter. “You expect me to believe you to keep your word, fox?”

“Hey now, I don’t bend the truth that much.” The spirit pouted before continuing, her expression oddly sad. “That said, it has also been agreed that their actions in this place have caused a massive influx of souls to Heaven. Needless to say, it’s a nightmare. With that said, you are permitted to hold onto Momo-chan there as… we’ll call her collateral. I’m pretty sure you know, despite her theatrics, Isane-san would go to any lengths to rescue her.”

Daiyo stroked her chin in thought. It wasn’t a bad offer really. Today or ten days from now, it wasn’t like it particularly mattered as long as Isane was dead. She’d waited years, she could wait ten days. She looked over to Rika, who was regarding Ryoko warily. That was an issue to consider as well.

“I trust… Momo’s condition isn’t much of an issue so long as she’s alive?” Daiyo asked with a rather cruel smirk.

The goddess bit her lower lip, her elongated canines drawing blood. “…No it isn’t.” She locked eyes with Rika. “They didn’t know what they were doing, Rika-san. Please consider that and understand that.”

The young woman stiffened as she was addressed. “I-I… I can’t forgive them. Not… not after everything they’ve done to me. To my people.” She said.

Daiyo waved a hand. “Enough. You have what you’ve come for then, Ryoko. I’ll expect Isane right here in ten days. If she isn’t I’ll let Rika twist off all of Momo’s limbs and eat them.” The assassin said.

The fox gave the assassin a parting glare before promptly vanishing away. The assassin’s shoulders slumped suddenly and she let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Well. That had been unexpected. No matter. It was a delay. Nothing more. No matter what Isane did in those ten days there was no hope for her. No escape, nowhere to run. By the end of this one of them would be dead.

Her golden irises turned to Rika and then to Momo’s unconscious form in her hand. “You are free to do as you please to her. I need to return to camp and meditate on this. Don’t kill her. Not yet. Ten days from now you can get your full revenge. If I find out you’ve killed her… you’ll be seeing the world, and the bottom of my slipper, from your old height again.”

Rika’s pasty skin lost even more color at that promise and she bowed her head so quickly she wondered if it made her dizzy. With that said Daiyo walked off and left her apprentice and the woman who had traumatized her alone. The assassin couldn’t hold back a grin as she imagined what hell awaited the retainer.

Rika could scarcely believe it. There she sat in her hand, cowering and staring up at her. Fearful glances were cast up toward her from the girl upon her palm, a woman that had held Rika’s fate unknowingly at one point. A woman that had crushed so many people, that had ended her home and killed her friend. The dark haired newly minted apprentice of Daiyo felt her jade hand twitch at her side as she imagined it. Just pressing her thumb down on this inch tall nothing and ending her, forever. It was something she’d have never dreamed of before but now it was intoxicating if not for Daiyo’s words of warning. 

The sorceress had retreated back to the cave and Rika… Rika had just started walking aimlessly. Numbly across the island that had once been the whole world to her. This place had been a vast and endless landscape once upon a time. Now she walked across it like a titan like those that come across the great sea. Indeed, Rika’s attention was so much on how overwhelming this was and the fact she was holding the subject of her hate in her hand, that she paid no mind to where her steps were taking her. 

In a particular painful irony her own people had become far below her notice and quite difficult to see. Far far below, trees crunched as mere moss beneath her sandal soles, bending and breaking with a crunch underfoot. In her direct path was a town that had oft traded with her own home town. They had seen the passing of giants and by now the word of vast gods being upon the land and bringing their wrath had spread. So at the sight of Rika countless people started to panic, warriors riding out to meet her as civilians ran in all directions. 

It was a comical sight really as they were as motes of dust before the dark haired titan, her drab kimono fluttering about her as she walked and her somewhat greasy hair looking more than a bit unkempt. Yet to them she was an all powerful being. The warriors soon realized their error as while their riding brought them no closer to her distant looming form, each booming all consuming step of hers made her loom larger and closer. The ground shook and quaked, spooking the horses and casting many from the backs of their mounts. It was in those moments that the brave defenders of the town looked up and found their sky replaced with the sole of Rika’s sandal, debris falling below and ending many before her foot ever smashed down. The sheer shockwave of the impact was felt all the way back at the town, collapsing buildings and knocking aside people. 

This was a light impact compared to when her other foot lifted and her walking stride smashed it down right next to the town. It didn’t even impact the town directly but the sheer shockwave of the close impact sent more buildings collapsing and knocked countless people away through the air. Her kimono’s fluttering movements above kicked up the wind and sent more of these people flying away. It was just grinding in how powerful this being had become, that unknowingly she had ended her own people. 

Her attention was still far above. Finally she found her voice after a goodly while. “You… why did you have to come here? Why, why, why!?” She demanded, her face finally cracking and her anger coming out of her hot and fast. 

Momo squeaked in fright as the fingers around her trembled. If only she knew how much restraint it took to not curl her fingers into a fist. If only she knew the sheer anger that flowed through Rika’s veins that bit her to just twist off her arms and watch her scream. She didn’t though. She didn’t do it but by all the spirits she wanted to. She wanted the last thing this wretch saw to be her face as she died. 

“P-please, I don’t even know what I did to you! If-if you could explain then I could apologize!” Momo called out. 

A blank stare met her followed by a noise deep within her chest. It bubbled from below and rose up. Laughter. A booming and almost crazed laugh. She laughed at the hilarity of what Momo had said, the sheer comedy of the statement. She ran her jade fingers across her forehead and through her matted locks of hair, laughing and covering the land around her with the rumbling thunder of that laughter. It was a noise that drew a wince from Momo. That in itself was pretty funny as well. 

“Apologize? You? You could fall to your knees and cut open your guts for the spirits while screaming your wretched apologies and it would never be enough. You could scream how sorry you were until your throat was cracking and bleeding and it would never be enough. Not for what you did. Not for what you have done. To me. To countless people.” She growled as a tinge of green light flickered through one of her eyes before vanishing. 

Whatever Daiyo had done to her had made her emotions wild. Hard to control. A constant flux of fury and anger that swirled around in her gut. A hatred for her own weakness in the past. As well as magnified her hate of Momo. She hated this woman in her hand, cowering from her. Hated the misery inflicted upon her by days trapped like lint upon her sock. Hated the torment she had forced upon her and Asami. Hated that she had taken Asami from her. She couldn’t kill Momo, but by all the spirits she would punish her. She would inflict true heavenly judgement upon her. 

“I-I have no… what could I have done… what are you talking…” Momo seemed stunned, disbelieving in the face of the visceral emotions flickering across Rika’s otherwise lovely face. 

“Why don’t I show you? Yes that's a fine idea, why don’t I show you exactly what you’ve been doing since the second you arrived.” Rika spat as she quickened her steps. 

Her geography was actually pretty terrible honestly. Rika had never paid much mind to maps or anything when she had been growing up. She had never really seen much point in it. After all it wasn’t like she had needed to travel given that she was a simple teashop girl. At least that was what she had once been. However she did recall a few settlements that had existed beyond her own village and after tracing her steps and watching her steps more carefully she found one that she was looking for. 

Her approach had been met with the same panic as the previous town. This one was larger than the one she had ravaged unknowingly, yet already a few buildings had collapsed from the quakes and shockwaves of her steps. She had stopped a step back from the town and yet she still towered into the heavens like an all encompassing monolith. She had her eyes back upon Momo and she gave her a twisted grin as she slowly crouched down and hovered her hand over the town. There was a part of her brain that was screaming for her to stop, but it was ruthlessly killed as she slowly turned her hand over. 

“W-wait! Please, stop! No! You can’t do this! You don’t seem bad like Daiyo, you don’t have to do this!” The poor retainer screamed as she tried scrabble and grip at Rika’s hand. 

“I’m doing this because you wanted to see. Daiyo-sama showed me. Now I’m showing you. Showing you why I hate you. Why you deserve to be a worm ground under my heel.” She said as she flicked her fingers and sent Momo falling through the air. 

The inch tall woman screamed as she fell through the open air and the high pitched noise of terror stirred at Rika’s heart. It was… amazing. A flush crossed her cheeks. The terror of this tormenter and demon from across the waves was true music. Her form was still a giant compared to the town below. An inch tall compared to Rika was still a giant hundreds of feet tall to the people in the town. Momo’s form landed hard smack in the middle of the town the people screaming as her vast form boomed down, crushing people by the scores. The difference between Rika and Momo was that Momo could actually hear them. Though Rika could imagine it. 

“Can you hear them, Momo-san? Can you hear them crying out around you? The fever pitch? The helpless fleeing? Open your eyes and look. LOOK!” Rika boomed. 

Momo sat upright with a start at the booming thunder of Rika’s voice and looked around. She looked and for once saw with her own eyes. She looked upon the town and where before she wouldn’t have even noticed it, now she could see with crystal clarity the destruction. Her impact had crushed dozens of homes. There were red stains upon her body here or there. People were running through the streets, fleeing, trying to escape from their doom. Momo’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. 

“W-what… what is this…” She trailed off. 

“This is a scene that played out countless times since you arrived here, Momo-san. Look around. Now fathom for a moment, the last thing these people see is a sandal sole or a tabi blocking out their sky! Imagine, gazing up and all of your sky is gone and replaced with the underside of a foot. That is what has happened countless times. You’re a destroyer, Momo-san! One who’s ended more men and women than any natural disaster could have hoped to! In fact, you don’t have to imagine, let me give you a look at what its like!” Rika said as the anger boiled over again. 

Momo had her hand on her mouth as her brain was probably struggling to catch up to what she was looking at. Like it was impossible for the gentle retainer to fathom she ended so much. She was probably trying to reject it. No matter for Rika as she stood back up to her full height. For the town it looked horrific. Momo was a vast and huge giant plopped in the middle of their town while behind her, towering on high, was the even larger form of Rika. It was a true nightmare that none of them could have imagined. It was about to get far worse for Rika was swept up in her vengeance against Momo. In making this bitch as miserable as possible for everything she had done. A paradox that it was her that was currently adding to the body count but her mind was a bit far gone. 

Rika’s fabric clad toes of her right foot shifted around and she pulled her tabi clad foot from its sandal. She couldn’t risk squashing Momo just yet, but she could certainly get the next best thing. Grinding her into the dirt and dust. Letting her see exactly what everyone had seen where she had come from. Her foot shifted over the town, the darkness and shadow of her foot blocking over the sky for Momo and the townsfolk. Momo’s ears were filled with the pitched screams of hundreds of people that were little more than dust to Rika. Her eyes were up, fixed upon the underside of Rika’s foot as it filled the space above her. She watched little bits of dirt fall and crush houses and people. It was like an apocalypse had come. 

With that Rika lowered her foot down, the darkness getting more and more pronounced. Momo let out a scream as she threw up her hands to try and stop the sole of Rika’s foot. It pressed into the fabric but there was no stopping the foot as it pressed down upon Momo and shoved her harshly into the ground. As well as crushed the town around her. Countless screams were silenced in a moment as Rika’s eyes were wide with mad and wicked hate fueled delight. She let out a low moan. 

It was rapturous, the squirms of this bitch. “Look Asami-san. Look down and see. Look at her suffering now, like she deserves.” Rika said with a deranged smile on her lips. 

She arched her foot up and ground against Momo, not enough to crush her but enough the retainer was going to feel every ounce of pain that Rika could inflict on her. The woman’s muffled screams went unheard but her frantic squirms were felt and only pushed Rika onward to grind her into the dirt. She managed to pull her foot back and looked down, seeing the woman spread out and dazed amidst the wreckage of her step. Rika’s lips curled and she pursed her lips, spitting down upon Momo. 

The gob of saliva struck the retainer harshly and soaked her, getting in her hair, mouth and eyes as it drew another cry from her. “That's what everyone here has feared. What many saw. You *deserve* this, Momo-san. I’m going to spend every waking moment of our time together making sure you pay for it. You’ll never know a moment of peace for ten days until Daiyo butchers that other monster. Then, only then, will I give you the death you so richly deserve. Crushed like a mote of dust.” She sneered. 

Momo wept and cried below, calling out for her master but Rika didn’t care. She reached down and gripped her by the leg, the dirty and soaked form of the retainer looking wonderfully pitiful. She looked out toward the cave where Daiyo had set up their camp and headed back toward it, feeling a wonderful feeling in her chest having put the woman in her place. She almost pitied Isane. Almost.