— Chapter3 Broken Men

The pain in Tom’s chest was almost welcome. It let him know that he was back in the real world, or however “real” one could call the forest. The cold was not as welcome. The sky was dark and a frigid breeze was chilling Tom to his core. 

He peered around, they appeared to be in some sort of burrow carved beneath the roots of a tree. Tom still recognised the foliage from many years ago, they were on the other side of the desert. Judging from the setting sun before he was forced unconscious, this area of the forest was on the western side of the desert. After all this time, he was finally starting to have a clear picture of the topography. 

Hinba was laying on her side about an arms length away. Well, one of her arms, Tom mused. He was actually several meters away. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow, giving Tom the impression that she was asleep but he noticed that she was smiling. It was possible she was just toying with him again, silently daring him to run, but more than likely she was just still enjoying the memory of their mutual dream. 

Tom got to his feet right before another cold blast of air swirled through their makeshift shelter. He couldn’t run. With his bruised ribs still recovering and the low temperature, he wouldn’t stand a chance of actually getting away. Even if he could, Hinba would find him and make him regret it in the most degrading way possible.

Speaking of degrading. He shuddered at the memories pooling in his mind. If he managed to survive this ordeal and make it back to the human world, he would need to book a therapist. 

There was another chilling breeze. One of Hinba’s eyes drifted open and focused on Tom, and for a moment he felt like he couldn’t move a muscle under her gaze. 

“I just had the most wonderful dream.” She said before yawning. 

Tom felt a flash of anger well up inside him, “You just used me as your personal fuck toy for over an hour…” 

She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, “I know. Wasn’t it amazing?” 

Tom opened his mouth to protest but said nothing. Anything he said would probably just backfire, and he was desperate not to be forced back into a dream to be tormented again. 

Hinba must have realized this and spoke again. “Come over here,” she motioned with her hand, urging him to comply. “We still have several more hours before morning and you’re shivering. I can keep you warm.” 

Tom was still too afraid to move and remained standing. “I don’t want to be ‘put’ anywhere…” 

Hinba laughed at his comment, and traced her finger up and down the length of her body, “You sure you don’t want to spend the night inside me? You seemed to enjoy it a moment ago…”

Tom shook his head, but said nothing, hopeful that she would not force him to do something humiliating as she so often did. 

“Fine, have it your way, you can sleep right here.” She tapped the area between her chin and collarbone with her index finger. 

It sounded like an invitation but she might as well have had a gun pointed at his skull. There was never an “invitation” anymore. He had signed over his life to her and she seemed to be doing everything in her power to make him regret it. To his dismay, she appeared to be enjoying herself greatly…. 

“Don’t worry, you know I don’t bite…” She made a point to show off her teeth in a mock biting motion. 

He reluctantly took a step forward and then another, hesitant to approach her. One of her eyes lazily trailed him the entire way. Arriving at the small pocket, he was greeted with the warmth that radiated off of Hinba neck. Tom unceremoniously flopped his body down on the ground, exhausted from the day's events. 

A stray finger came up and pressed Tom so that his back was pressed against the skin of her neck. The added warmth of skin to skin contact was only pleasant for a fleeting moment before Hinba swallowed, causing the flesh to twitch behind him. 

“Oops, you made my mouth water.” She said as she put her hand under her cheek, essentially surrounding Tom on all sides in a giant trap. As if on cue, Hinba’s stomach let out a long growl, protesting the proximity of food while being denied a proper meal. “Hopefully we find something for me to eat tomorrow otherwise….” She trailed off only letting a long sigh, allowing Tom to draw his own conclusion. 

On that chilling note, Tom gave up on any hope he had of getting a decent night’s rest. At least he was warm. 

—-

Tom woke with a start to Hinba humming a short tune. The vibration from her vocal cords traveled up her neck and directly into Tom’s back. Sunlight poured into their burrow. Despite his pessimism, he actually did get some sleep, and the dull ache in his ribs had subsided. It would probably be several days before the pain completely subsided, but for now he was happy to breathe without pain. 

Hinba shifted and raised her face directly above Tom. There was no point in trying to persuade her for more rest. If she was ready to go, they were going. 

“Morning! So tell me, how was your first full day of being my pet?” She rested her head on her hands. 

“Terrible.” Tom grumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 

“Well…” she licked her lips. “I am hungry and you’re looking delicious.” 

Tom started to back away but Hinba placed one of her hands behind him to halt his escape. 

“I know I said I would make you beg for it, but I’m feeling generous.” She nudged him closer. “If you don’t want to be my pet, I can always just make you my breakfast.” 

Tom felt pale. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hinba put a finger on his face to silence him.

“Just think, no more torture, no more dreams. Just a quick swallow and all your problems will melt away… literally!” She removed her finger from Tom’s face. “Close your eyes and think it over.” 

Tom did as he was told and closed his eyes. Hinba smiled as he did so. Finally, she thought. She opened her mouth and slowly lowered it over Tom, taking special care to not breath on him. Easy does it, she was starting to salivate. 

Tom felt the warmth surrounding him but didn’t open his eyes. He knew exactly what was going to happen if he didn’t say something soon. When he opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out. There was only a quivering exhale as he choked on his words. Hinba lips past Tom knees taking special care to not let any part of her mouth actually touch her human. She hesitated for a moment. The air was humid and Tom recognised the aroma. Was he really about to let this end after only one day? 

A glob of spit landed on the top of his head and rolled down his face, but he kept his eyes closed. He tried to move, to scream, to do something but none of his limbs would listen to him. Her lips slowly and softly brushed against his knees. DO SOMETHING, he screamed inwardly. The pressure increased and his legs were clamped together. Her tongue came into contact with his chest in the same manner, slowly as first then all at once he was pressed into the roof of mouth before he felt the earth drift away from his feet. His eyes were still clamped shut, refusing to open. 

Tom felt himself flip upside down as Hinba tilted her head back. He started to slide to the back of her throat yet offered no resistance and was still unable to even muster a single word. 

Hinba grabbed his ankles and pulled Tom out of her mouth. She looked at him hanging upside down for a moment before speaking, “Not a single flinch out of you when your life's on the line but you’ll scream and complain for hours when we have sex. Explain yourself, human!” 

Tom covered his face with his hands and muttered something as he hung from Hinba’s grip. 

“Speak up or I’m changing my ‘no biting’ policy.” She also gave Tom a small shake for good measure. 

“I don’t know what you want from me!” He screamed. 

Hinba pursed her lips and gently set Tom down on an open palm, “You know exactly what I want from you… The real question is what do you want?” She brought him to her face for a deep kiss that covered his whole body. The same lips that threatened to consume him a moment ago were now trying to comfort him. 

When she pulled away, Tom was finally able to compose himself. “Why didn’t you…” he knew better than to ask why she stopped herself from eating him, but he felt so utterly broken mentally that he couldn’t stop his morbid curiosity. 

“Why didn’t I… what? Why didn’t I eat you?” she finished his question. “I could hear your brain short circuiting the entire time.” She shrugged, “It didn’t feel fair I guess.” 

Tom wasn’t sure how to respond, “So now you’re concerned about treating me fairly. That’s convenient! I could have used that yesterday….” 

“Tom?” He met her piercing gaze. “I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about me.”

Tom made a noise that was meant to be a question but came out like a tired wheeze. 

“If you want it that’s one thing, but if you don’t… then I want you to go down kicking and screaming.” She traced a finger down her neck without breaking eye contact. Neither one of them dared to blink. “I’m not going to let you lessen the moment for me just because you can’t make up your mind…. That wouldn’t be fair to me.” 

Tom’s mouth hung open. “Oh… fuck…” was all he managed. 

—-

There wasn’t much to pack up before they left their little burrow. Hinba grabbed her satchel and Tom was once again placed in her cleavage.

“You didn’t ask for food all yesterday. Aren’t you hungry?” She asked as they walked. 

Tom placed a hand on his stomach. Going over twenty four hours without a proper meal was probably the least of his concerns but there was still a sharp pain in his empty stomach. He was smart enough not to ask for food around Hinba. “No, I’m fine.” 

“Nonsense. I can’t have you die on me because you’re too proud to ask for food. Just because I can go weeks between meals doesn’t mean you can.” She rummaged through the satchel producing Tom’s leather briefcase and plopped it in front of him in her cleavage. “Eat.” 

Tom did not dare to disobey her, but couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact while he ate. He just faced forward and made himself as quiet as possible. 

—-

The town seemed the same as it did five years ago. There were not any thin columns of smoke remaining and the weeds were tracing up to the roads and buildings vying to reclaim territory for the forest. 

“I’m surprised how little has changed…” Tom said in a hushed tone. The memories of this place were not pleasant for him but he suspected they weren’t especially good for Hinba either. 

“For you it was five years, but here it was only a few weeks, not even a month.” She reached in her chest and picked up Tom with her index and thumb. 

He flinched at motion but relaxed when he was placed on solid ground. “Alright, short stuff. Do your thing and look around.” Tom wasn’t feeling hugely confident at the prospect of discovering something he might have missed last time. When he looked back up at Hinba, she just gave him a reassuring nod. The message was clear. She wanted him to try something, and he should not be fearing for his life. 

“I want to test my theory on the “charm” magic.” Tom made air quotes, unsure how exactly to refer to the star shaped pattern he knew belonged to Hinba’s mystic stylings. “Let’s go look through a few of the buildings and see if the ordering checks out.” 

“How many are you wanting to look at?” Hinba said as she kneeled down so she didn’t have to strain to hear Tom. 

“Not many, I don’t think. If we can rule out the ‘charm’ theory then we will spend our time looking elsewhere.”

Hinba raised an eyebrow, “I thought you’d want to prove yourself right?” 

It was clear that she was trying to intimidate Tom but he was too focused on the task at hand to really notice or care. “Well sure, but I’m still working with little more than speculation. If we can rule out the wrong guess right away then that’s just less wasted time. I’m…” she leaned in closer, “trying to be efficient.” 

There was a moment where Hinba just looked at Tom wanting to see if her mind games would do anything to break his focus.  “Lead the way.” She said suddenly. 

It was a short walk to the first building that Tom wanted to look at. “This one should be one of the last buildings affected so the markings should be large.” 

“I’ll wait out here” she said as she dismissively waved a hand.

Tom ignored the comment before he strode into the door. It was a familiar sight inside the building. Structural damage permeated the interior. He searched the wall but could not seem to find the oval marking he was searching for. There was a downed beam in the middle of the room that he climbed over to try and get a better look from the other side. No luck, he thought to himself. 

“How’s it going in there?” Hinba called out from the street. 

“Hold on.” Tom called back. He didn’t want to yell so he made his way back out of the building. Hinba was tapping her fingers on the ground to pantomime her impatience but Tom pretended to ignore it. “I couldn’t seem to find any markings. I’m going to check another one” 

The second building was the same as the first, destroyed interior, crumbling foundation, no marking. Tom checked a third and a fourth with the same result. “So much for your theory.” Hinba mused. Based on her tone she was annoyed, but it didn’t seem to be directed at Tom. 

“I’m going to go look for one of the houses I went through five years- er, three weeks ago.” Something seemed weird to Tom. He ran off before Hinba had a chance to get back to her feet but she would catch up easily enough.

Tom found a building with a door that had been kicked open. “This should do!” he ran through the doorway to the back wall and looked at the top left corner where he remembered seeing the marking all those years ago. There was nothing to see but smoke damage and dust. “Well shit.”

“Come on out, Tom,” came Hinba's voice from outside. 

“Double shit….” he said again before making his way to the door. 

She laid herself down on the road once more to be at “eye level” with her human. “What’s got you all worked up?” 

“The markings are gone, I don’t know what happened but they aren’t there anymore.” 

“I know what’s going on.” She said with an evil look in her eyes. “You’re lying again aren’t you.” 

“What? No I-” he started to protest.

“You know how I feel when my human’s lie to me don’t you?” her lips curled into a smile. 

Tom’s eyes went wide as he remembered the last time she had accused him of lying to her. He took a cautious step backward before one of her fingers shot towards him and hooked under his legs. There was a short fall before landed on his butt. Hinba was using two of her fingers to make a walking motion around him. 

She was enjoying his panic as her smile brownened. Her mouth opened to speak but Tom spoke first. “You’re messing with me again aren’t you?” 

She let out a short laugh, “Well you make it too easy!”

“So you believe me that the-” 

“Yes, I believe you. I saw them for myself last week.” 

Tom bolted upright, “So you know what-”

She cut him off again, “No I don’t know what happened to them or why they’re gone.”    

“Then…” that all too familiar sense of hopelessness and dread welled up in him once again. If there was no way to prove any of his theories, why would she keep him around? 

“Tom,” she used her finger to press him on the ground and moved her face closer. “I meant what I said earlier. This morning was your last chance to opt out of being my pet. From this point on I own you, but you don’t have to constantly worry about becoming my next meal.” she released the pressure on Tom’s chest. He started to stand up but was pushed back down instantly. “That doesn’t mean I can't make your life miserable if you lie to me…. But you don’t need to be afraid of me all the time.” 

Tom blinked in shock a few times before finally managing to speak, “I will try to do that….” 

She pursed her lips in a feigned pout, “Well that’s not convincing at all. I take it back. You’re food.” her lips parted and approached Tom. 

“The cellar!” Tom screamed. 

She closed her mouth but continued to close the distance until her lips were touching Tom face. Her lips pressed deeply against him. To his credit he didn’t pull away, choosing to embrace the absurdity of the giant kiss. “Right let’s go check out cellar, and then I want to fuck you, and you better not complain about it.”

Tom winced at the thought. 

—

Oh yes, the cellar. This goddamn cellar. This fucking, piece of shit, cellar. The everloving dog-shit abomina-

“Tom, I can hear your thoughts.” Hinba said with restrained annoyance, “Calm down, or else.”

That was all she needed to say for Tom to quiet his mental grumbling. They arrived at a small alleyway that contained a small wooden hatch protruding about two feet off the ground. “You’re on your own, it’s too much of a tight squeeze for me.” 

Tom eyed the twisted metal of the latch then looked back at his giant companion, “It looks like you managed just fine last time.” 

“Last time I didn’t have you to help out. As I recall you were… busy.” She rested a hand on her hip. 

Tom cleared his throat, “Right.” He lifted the door and was immediately accosted with a foul smell of rotting flesh. “Oh fuck, that’s horrible!” 

“I might be able to help.” Her eyes started to glow red. 

He was holding his arm over his face to protect against the foul smell, but noticed the stench dissipate quickly. Tom tested the air by breathing in through his nose but smelled nothing. “How did you get rid of the smell?” 

She shrugged, “I didn’t. I just adjusted your perception so you don’t notice it.” 

Tom nodded, “Alright.” It wasn’t that he forgot how much power she had over him, but more that he never thought she would use her abilities to actually help Tom. She spent so much of their time together finding new ways to degrade and humiliate him that being genuinely helpful seemed foreign. “Thanks…”

Taking a step forward, Tom peered down into the darkness. He opened the wooden hatch all the way to let in as much light as possible. Tom turned to face Hinba one last time before he descended into the dark space. She wasn’t looking at Tom but off to the edge of town, “Good luck, I need to go check on something.” without another word she started off. 

Tom scoffed. It was only a few steps down into the cellar. Thankfully the cracks in the floorboards of the building proper provide enough light to look around. 

“God damnit!.” he gagged. The smell wasn’t as bad before but even Hinba’s magic wasn’t foolproof against the toxic odor. It didn’t take long for him to notice the source. The corpse had the top half of a human, possibly female from the long red hair, but the face and chest were too far gone to be sure. The bottom half of the corpse resembled a long snake with dull green scales. “A naga.”

A glint of silver caught his eye, there was a small locket around its neck. “Let’s see if anyone knows you.” He pinched nose with one hand and used the other to reach down and quickly yank off the small trinket. Thankfully the silver chain snapped without issue. It would weigh on his conscience if he defiled a corpse as well as steal from one. 

His eyes followed the wall across a bunch of different vials and instruments, all in various states of decay. Some still remained intact and upright, while others were busted and broken. Their contents splattered the walls with reckless abandon. It was all a waste of time in Tom’s mind. He didn’t need to understand how someone was able to combine magics, he only needed to confirm it was possible. 

The large black star on the ground seemed to confirm his theory. He bent down to run his fingers along the markings. It rubbed off easy enough and he smelled his fingers. It was almost too difficult to discern the scent beyond the decaying corpse but he made out a slight metallic smell. “Blood.” The low light must have hidden the true figment of dried blood. 

“Is this yours?” He asked the corpse. Annoyingly, it didn’t respond. 

Tom scanned the other walls. “What the fuck?” A large map hung on a wall above a small stationary. It was not a map of the forest but of the human world, specifically the city where Tom lived. There was a lot less detail of the buildings and it appeared to have fewer intersecting roads. “What are you doing here?” Tom reminded himself to stop asking questions to things that don’t respond. 

Tom heard a noise coming from outside. It’s probably Hinba, he thought. Not wanting to keep her waiting, he made his way to the exit and climbed the stairs. She was nowhere to be seen. “Hello?” he called out as he started to walk towards the street where she was before she wandered off. As soon as he passed the threshold that separated the alleyway from the street there was a blow to the side of his head. 

Tom saw stars as he tumbled to the ground. He struggled to pull himself back up to his feet when another blow landed squarely in his already bruised ribs. “Kick him again!” a male voice rang out. Tom used his arm to cushion the impact. There had never come a point in Tom’s life, before or after he met Hinba, where he found it necessary to know how to defend himself in a physical altercation. 

Not until today, his brain still managing sarcasm even after the searing pain shot through his body after a third kick.Tom rolled onto his back as he coughed blood out of his mouth. He made out four figures standing over him. All stood about six feet, so they were taller than Tom but still “human sized”. “Who are you people?” he managed. 

“Shut the fuck up.” one of them spoke up, his blond hair was the only discernible detail that Tom could really make out. His vision was still very blurry from the hit he caught with the side of his face. “I’m going to be asking the questions. Maybe I’ll let you live or maybe… I’ll skin you alive.” 

I’m not that lucky, Tom thought with cold indifference to his plight. A sudden realization hit him harder than any kick to the chest. “You have to leave right now!” 

The men burst out laughing. Tom’s eyes darted around looking for his giant companion. “No, you don’t understand! You’re in danger! You need to-“ 

Their laughter increased before the one with blond hair started to move closer. As he walked, he slowly pulled out a large knife from the sheath tied to his pants. “Looks like you want to do this the hard way.” 

“What do we have here?” Hinba’s voice boomed from behind the four goons. Her eyes were already glowing a menacing red. Tom didn’t hear her approach either. They all froze for a moment before they attempted to flee. “Not so fast!” Another flash from her eyes and they all collapsed onto the ground. Tom tried to fight off the magic but his body was too battered to resist for more than a lingering moment to take in Hinba’s emotionless expression. He too fell to the ground as the giantess approached. 

—-

Tom could hear panicked shouting. He jumped up with a start to try and figure out what was going on. There were three men hung upside down off the side of a decrepit building. All their clothing was removed save for their trousers and all had their hands and ankles tied together haphazardly with thick rope. They swayed helplessly against the wall of the building. One was trying to undo the knot around his feet, but failing miserably. 

Tom heard Hinba’s steps behind him, no longer relying on the element of surprise. “Oh good, you’re up. I was actually just about to wake you.” She sat down behind Tom so that he separated her from the three strewn up captives before placing a small handful of rope down by her side. “Are you ready?” 

“Ready for what?” He turned back to the wall for a moment, “And what happened to the fourth one?” 

Hinba made a slight noise before speaking again, hesitating for only a moment to choose her words. “They must have hit you pretty hard to mess up your vision, there were only ever three.” 

He was inclined to believe her. While she spoke there were more panicked screams that demanded his attention. Looking back he noticed something about the men. “You’re lying.” He turned again to face Hinba. “These three have dark hair but I remember one of them was blond.” 

Hinba nodded a few times then snapped her finger, “Oh that’s right! You must be referring to the one that pulled a knife on you. I remember now.” 

Tom’s eyes went wide. He knew her too well to be spared from the growing realization permeating his mind. “Hinba… What did you do?” He asked with a shaky breath. 

She scoffed, “Why do you care? He was going to kill you.” 

“Spit him out now!” He raised his voice. 

“How are you so sure-“ 

“Now! Hinba.” 

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Tom, you were out a little longer than you realize.” Her hand came and rested on her abdomen. “He’s already gone I’m afraid…” Tom could feel his blood run cold. “How about you focus on them.” 

Tom glanced at the men, “What do you mean? Just let them go and-“

“I want to know what they are doing here.” 

He jerked back to the giant looming over him. “Did you try asking them?” 

“Oh I think they would prefer to talk to you. Something about watching me eat their friend left them a little… flustered.” She bit her lower lip for a moment. “Plus it gives me the opportunity to see you work.” 

Tom's mouth hung open as his eyes darted between Hinba and the poor, unlucky souls swaying in the wind. “What are you talking about?” He was also starting to panic. 

“Isn’t this what you do for a living? You deal with liars and thieves, right?” 

“I look at balance sheets!” Tom shouted, “I don’t interrogate people!” 

Hinba directed her attention to the men on the wall. “Well I tried boys. Looks like you’re going to be joining your friend after all.” 

They all let out shrieks of panic, as she started to move closer. Tom put himself between Hinba and her prey, and lifted both his arms. “Wait!” She stopped to listen. “If I can reasonably determine that they are not anything more than just a small group of harmless scavengers, will you let them go? Hinba I don’t think they know anything about what happened here… or what here is. They didn’t know you were guarding this place…” 

Hinba considered this for a moment then nodded but Tom wasn’t convinced. “I mean it!” She chuckled. “But you need to work quickly. The first one was hardly filling and-“ 

“Separate them.” Tom interrupted. Hinba gave him a quizzical look. “Separate them so they can’t hear each other’s responses.” Tom wasn’t trying to convince Hinba, he needed to convince himself. If he had any doubts, then she would be able to read his thoughts and the three people hanging from the roof would be as good as dead. One of them was already gone but the rest didn’t deserve that fate. Tom wasn’t sure if it was empathy or decency that drove him to want to save these poor fools. They probably would have killed him if Hinba had not returned when she did.

Returned? The thought echoed in his mind. Why did she leave in the first place? He looked back at Hinba. Her eyes narrowed at him. I was the bait, wasn’t I? His thought directed to her. Hinba nodded. 

—-

As it turns out, Tom was deeply flawed at interrogations. He tried to focus on simple questions and circle around to each of the three individuals who were moved to separate buildings. His questions started out incredibly straightforward, asking them all for their names and the names of the other members of their group including the one that Hinba consumed. He moved on from there to ask when they had first met and how long they had been together. Finally he moved on to what they were doing in the town. 

All of the answers shared certain similarities however, Tom quickly realized that English was not their first language and trying to nail down specifics was becoming increasingly difficult. “Within the past week, how many other people have you seen outside of your group?” Tom was beginning to raise his voice out of frustration. 

“Many, many!” Came the panicked reply. 

“HOW many?” He shouted back. 

The man just kept repeating “many” over and over again. 

Tom rested his head in his hands. Hinba loomed ominously behind him. He was trying to think of another way to approach the situation before she spoke. “You’re running out of time.” 

Tom spoke into his hands, not bothering to raise his head. “I didn’t know I had a time limit.” 

“I said you had to work quickly.” 

Tom knew he was no closer to a definitive answer then when he had started. He ushered Hinba away to a spot where they could speak in relative privacy. “Look, they are clearly scared and-“ 

“Are you seriously about to beg for their lives?” 

“I know what it looks like, but-“ 

“Tom.” 

“Just hear me out, what if-“ 

“Tom…” she lingered on his name. 

“You don’t need to-“ 

She held up a finger to his chest, “Say one more word and see what happens.” 

They stared at each other for a moment. Neither one wanted to be the first one to speak. Tom knew what was coming so he flexed his body of the inevitable. He made sure Every muscle was tensed and planned out what he wanted to say. It was all for nothing, however. Hinba’s eyes narrowed as her mouth curled into a smile. He needed to say something before he lost the opportunity. “Wait, don’t-“ 

Her eyes flared, and Tom felt a crushing weight around him. The smile never left her face. He fell to his hands and knees trying to fight the incoming unconsciousness. His body felt like it was going to break from the shear force of gravity, seemingly increasing his weight by several orders of magnitude. 

“Why don’t you take another nap? I’ll wake you up later.” 

Tom tried to raise his head to see her one more time but all he saw was her hand approaching. The eerie silhouette was the last image he saw before falling to his side.