— Chapter5 Barely Lucid

“Run!” Tom screamed to no one in particular. He opened a cracked wooden door and dashed through to a square room with three more doors. The pale yellow walls were stained with a cartoonishly green mold that seemed to move and morph as if it were alive and giving chase. 

He reached for the door knob but the door wouldn’t budge. The room began to shrink as the walls raced in to greet him. Tom made one final attempt to push the door open. “Try pulling’' came a disembodied feminine voice. 

“Who said that?” Tom yelled but his voice was barely over a whisper. The door burst open towards Tom causing him to fall backward. Hinba walked through the small doorway, ducking her head to not hit her head on the frame. “What do you want?” He asked while trying to back away. 

“It’s time to . . “ she pointed a finger to the ceiling, “wake UP.” 

Tom jerked his neck upward to see the giant face of Hinba smiling down at him. The encroaching walls were replaced with the wide open wilderness. “Good morning.”  she said as he tried to catch his breath. “You looked like you were having a nightmare.” 

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, it was hardly still morning. “It was a fine dream until you showed up.” He shot back a little harsher than he probably intended.

Hinba shrugged her shoulders, causing the passenger in her cleavage to bounce slightly. “You were twitching and mumbling in your sleep, I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Come to think of it, Tom wasn’t actually sure if it was a good dream or not. He only really remembers the last little few moments before he woke up. His slide comment was going to come back to bite him later, he was sure of it. “I uh, didn’t mean to snap at you.” Maybe if he apologized quickly she would forget and move on before the end of the day. 

She smirked, “Someone’s a bit grouchy. Also, did you forget I can read your mind?” 

Tom’s face went red, he could almost feel Hinba’s magic invade his mind. He needed to think of something to change the topic. 

“You want to change the topic so I don’t sit on you later. Look Tom, this will go a lot smoother if you just be honest with me….” She used a finger to lightly caress the back of his as they walked. Tom was about to recoil away but he remembered their deal. He opened his mouth to speak but she continued. “As much as I love to see you naked, would you like to put on some clothes?” 

Tom looked down to confirm that he was indeed still naked from earlier in the morning. The saliva and other fluids had dried to his skin. It wasn’t as sticky as some of the other “fluids” he found himself coated in but he was still desperate for a shower. “No chance I could wash off somehow?… Somewhere other than your mouth?” He added quickly, his strength had largely returned after resting but he didn’t want to give her another excuse. 

They stopped beneath a large pine tree. Tom was lowered to the ground and Hinba poured a small amount of water from her flask into a cupped palm. It was certainly better than nothing. Tom moved quickly, not wanting to waste her momentary kindness. 

He did his best to dry himself off before putting in the clothes that Hinba placed on the ground beside him. She had also offered to dry him with her hair but Tom politely refused.

Just as soon as they had stopped they were off again. “Are we making good time?” Tom asked, feeling a strange unease at their destination. There was nothing comparable to a “temple” in a densely populated, metropolitan area.

“Good time?” she repeated without looking down at him. “Are you asking if we are there yet?” 

Tom was also facing forward but shook his head reflexively. “No, I don’t really know how far this place is-” 

“Tomorrow.” she answered quickly, “I’ll need to find a place to rest before nightfall but that shouldn’t be too hard. The temple is near the top of a nearby mountain range, so we’re going to try and get to the base of the mountain tonight.” 

Tom could feel a chill in the air. “Wouldn’t it be better to sleep in the temple? You know, get out of the elements?”

“Have you ever climbed a mountain at night?” Tom only shook his head but still faced forward. He made a mental note to refrain from asking questions that Hinba might find unnecessary. “Plus the temple is not safe. We shouldn’t idle there.” 

Tom jerked his head back to look at her. “I thought you said all the ‘elders’ were dead? What’s there to worry about?”

“I said they were long gone.” She met his gaze stopping in her tracks. “Until I see a corpse, I’m not going to assume they are dead.”

She was clearly annoyed and Tom threw his hands up to try and placate the angry giant. “Look, I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m clearly out of my fucking depth here.” he took a deep breath while he waited for her stern expression to soften. “Just tell me how I can help. I want to know what happened to your missing people. I’m sure you’re wanting to find them as well…” 

Hinba wrapped a finger around his chest and lifted him up to look at him in the face. She noticed happily that he did not flinch at the motion. He was learning. “Here’s how you can help. Keep your eyes open. Do that thing you do where you notice all the small details.” She chewed her lips to try and properly phrase the next instruction. “If we happen to get separated, you run. Do you understand me? You run as fast and as far as you can.” 

If there was a correct response, it was lost on Tom. “What the fuck are we expecting to find there?” 

“Nothing good.” she set him back into her cleavage. “I can handle myself in a fight, but I can't do that while watching after you. If anything happens, get yourself to safety. I’ll find you later.” 

“A fight?” he shot back, “You’re what? A hundred feet tall. What else can put up a fight against you?” 

“The elders are taller.” 

Despite himself and the danger, Tom groaned. “But you are a good fighter, right?” 

She raised an eyebrow at the comment. “What makes you say that?”

He was unsure if he struck a nerve. “Ok, so what’s the plan if we run into one?”

“I plan on beating them into a bloody pulp. I know I can fight. You didn’t answer my question.” She used a finger to press Tom’s legs deeper into her cleavage. “Answer my question, little man. What makes you think I’m a good fighter?” 

Tom squirmed at the increased pressure. The heat was bearable, perhaps even welcome with the chilling breeze, but he started to get weary of the sudden direction of their conversation. “You’re…” He paused. “You pinned me to the ground when we were the same size. I know I’m not a token of physical fitness but it felt like you weren’t trying that hard.” 

“Maybe you’re just really weak?” She offered. 

“Ha. Ha.” Tom gave a fake laugh and he was pressed into her cleavage again, this time up to his ribcage. “Fine. Look I’m not going to deny that I’m not a warrior. I had no reason to be. I never had a reason to learn before we met, and it seemed just as pointless to learn anything after we met...” 

“That’s cute,” she pushed him down again so only his head was left poking out of her skin. “But I know you’re smarter than that. It doesn’t take much to overpower a weak little human such as yourself. You thought I was a, and I quote, ‘fighter.’ Tell me why.” She placed her arms below her chest and gave them a slight squeeze. 

The pressure wasn’t enough to cause any pain but Tom knew she could force the air out of his lungs in an instant if she wanted to. “I don’t know, Hinba.” He tried to keep his voice level so he didn’t sound panicked, “It could have been any number of things, or rather a bunch of small hints.” 

“Tom.” Her voice was also level and calm but for a very different reason. “Tooooom.” There was another small squeeze. 

He started listing off, “Your reaction time is fast as fuck! You don’t just pin me down, you know exactly where to push to get me off balance. Like, it feels more precise than just a brute force effort.” He could feel her getting ready to squeeze him again. “Wait! I’m not done. You have a fucking club thing, and I know you know how to use it. Your abs are hard as a rock.” 

“Anyone can have abs, Tom” 

“Right. But yours make you look like a fucking orc.” 

“A what now?” She asked with a light chuckle that caused Tom to jiggle in her chest. 

“Oh fuck.” Tom realized too late that his comparison could be considered rude. “They are… aren’t a real thing, just common in folk lore, I guess. They are often described as having green skin and being good fighters.” She nodded but kept quiet, allowing him to continue. “There are many iterations. I didn’t really mean anything by it.” 

“Right, right.” she was nodding excessively now. “And I’m not going to ‘mean’ to sit on you later tonight.”

Tom gulped. “Wouldn’t that…” He stopped himself. They had an agreement that Tom would trust she wouldn’t put him in harm's way.

“Wouldn’t that?...What were you going to say, Tom?” she raised a teasing eyebrow as small droplets of sweat began to form on Tom’s forehead.  

Tom tried to squirm to get an arm free just so he could wipe the sweat from his face. It was no use. He knew that he was stuck until she released him. “Nothing, Hinba. The heat is just getting to me.” There was a moment’s pause for Tom to gauge her reaction. Considering that he was not squeezed again, he reckoned she was not offended. “Could you let me out now? Please?” 

Hinba reached her hand down and scooped Tom’s body out of her cleavage with a single finger. “I guess since you said please.” For a moment Tom thought it was some sort of trap, as if she only released him to do something more sinister. He reclined in her cleavage for a few tense moments but nothing came. The gentle sway of her chest with her steps and the cool breeze hinting of the coming winter were a welcome combination. 

—-

They continued on in silence for several hours. Tom allowed himself to relax and take in the scenery. He made an effort to try and calculate the distance they had traveled and to determine how far they had left to go. The sun was starting to hang low in the sky. There was not much information he could gleam from the flora other than noticing that the trees were becoming slightly more sparse and they went. At one point during their trek, Tom had his briefcase dropped on his lap. He hadn’t really noticed his stomach start growling, but he silently accepted the offer for food. The idea of eating in front of his giant companion still unnerved him but he did his best not to make any outward displays. 

After stuffing his garbage back into his briefcase, careful not to let anything drop, he turned backward. “Hey Hinba?”

“Human, I dare you to ask if we are there yet.” She spat back immediately. 

Tom recoiled at the sudden outburst but remained calm. “I’m not ten. I can handle a long ‘car ride.’” He made an air quotes gesture. “Are you ok? You seem on edge about going to this temple.” 

“I am. I don’t know what we are going to find there.” 

Tom nodded. “That's sort of what I want to talk to you about. We’re looking for hints about how to combine different schools of magic, but there’s something else that’s bothering me.” 

She threw off her satchel into a small patch of dirt. “We’re here.” She announced. A small dead tree had fallen onto another giving them some shelter should it rain but it was going to be a tight fix for at least one of the duo. 

Tom looked to see the position of the sun in the sky. “We probably have an hour of daylight left. Listen Hinba. I saw a map of the city I live in when I was in the cellar.” 

“What about it?” She asked as she broke a few of the downward facing branches. 

Tom shot her a look, “You’re not even remotely curious? I thought these were your people.”

She picked him up and lowered him to the ground. Tom realized he must have struck a nerve as he was dropped the last few feet. It wasn’t enough to hurt but it did catch him off guard. Hinba crawled over Tom into their makeshift shelter and reclined backward on the tree. “They are my people, but that doesn’t mean I know everything about them.” She started to rub her feet. “Gods, my feet hurt.” 

“I just think we need to have an idea of what we’re looking for so we can get in and out.” he took a cautious step towards the resting giantess while trying to stay out of her reach. “If you’re nervous about this place then I'm terrified, so let’s come up with a plan.” 

“You’re the planner. That’s why I keep you around, because you can help me. Also because you’re fun to tease.” She sighed, “I’m only here to make sure you don’t get into trouble. Now come over here. I remember someone said something about wanting to get sat on.” 

Tom froze. He truly wanted to believe he was not in mortal danger, but there was little solace in their arrangement when it would be so easy for her to accidentally crush him. 

“You look frightened, was it something I said?” she feigned concern. “I thought we had a deal.” 

Tom balled his fist to collect his nerve. If she could take advantage of the situation then maybe he could as well. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make it seem like I’m not making enough of an effort to trust you.” He raised his hands. “I am begrudgingly trusting you not to intentionally kill me, but…” he trailed off. 

Hinba laid out an open palm and motioned for him to come closer. “Come here.” 

Despite himself, Tom held onto his composure as he walked towards the outstretched hand. To his credit, he barely even hesitated. “No accidents,” he commanded, absent any real authority. 

“Yeah, you were right.” she said as she dropped him onto her collarbone. In her reclined position, it felt almost like a warm hammock. 

Tom didn’t protest the motion. “I’m right? Why do I feel like there’s more to it?” 

“There is something I have always wanted to try with a human but have never had the chance. I was going to make you choose the lesser of two evils; being sat on or…” she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The long trek had clearly taken its toll. 

“Do I want to know?” Tom shifted uneasily. 

“You’ll find out. Just let me get comfortable.” 

Tom jolted upright. “No. Let’s not do that. You’ve been walking for the past fourteen hours. How about you get some rest while I get a game plan for tomorrow.” He knew it was a wasted effort but he still had to try. 

“Sweet dreams,” came her ominous reply. 

Tom predicted what was coming next and tensed his body to prepare. The crushing blackness closed in around his peripheral vision but he fought back. “At least tell me what you’re planning!” He said through grit teeth. 

“Oh you’re about to find out.” She picked him up and brought him to her lips. It was even more difficult to fight against her magic while being moved around. His only real hope was to remain still and focused. He was brought to her lips for a long kiss. Tom could feel his strength failing him as he was pulled away and could see Hinba’s glowing red eyes. “You’re actually getting really good at resisting.” 

Tom’s labored breathing was making talking nearly impossible. “Please… wait.” 

“Give it up, Tom. You’re mine, remember?” Her words started to echo in his head as he slowly lost the fight and fell limp in her grip. 

—-

“Tell me what are those small little candies you would always eat to make your breath smell better.” Her voice boomed. 

Tom opened his eyes to see Hinba’s massive face. It was several magnitudes larger than he had ever witnessed. He felt like little more than a pill in the palm of her hand.

“Tip tap, or something? I can’t remember… the point is I tried to make you as small as possible” Her breath threatened to blow him straight off her hand. “Well what do you think?” 

He couldn’t pull his eyes away. “Is it too late to change my mind?” 

Her eyes narrowed, “You’re gonna have fun…. Well I’m going to have fun.” She corrected. “You’re going to behave.” 

Tom slumped his shoulders. “What’s going to happen?” 

Hinba’s mouth curled into an evil smile. “You’re going to go…” her hand lowered to her exposed chest. “Right in here.” She grabbed a handful of her breast and jiggled it slightly. Just one of her nipples was bigger than Tom’s entire body. 

His eyes went wide at the revelation. “Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.” He counted on his fingers as he recited their safe word. “I refuse. I’m not doing that.” Tom said while shaking his head rapidly. 

“You’re not at all curious? After all the fun we’ve had, you can’t tell me you’re not even a little curious if it’s possible.” 

 “No I’m not! There’s not even…” He caught himself. “No! I’m not engaging in this.” Tom lost his balance as he started to back away. “Look. I have ‘behaved’ enough for you to earn a mulligan. I’m cashing it now, and we’re skipping this!” 

Hinba started to pinch her nipple, rolling it around in her fingers. “When have you ever been able to talk your way out of something with me?” 

Crawling backward was a fruitless effort with how small he was, but Tom couldn’t control his limbs as they acted on their own. “The one time it counted. I’m still alive, aren’t I?” 

“Don’t kid yourself. You are alive because I want you alive. I let you live when you were moments away from becoming little more than a fond memory. 

He needed to keep talking. That was his only chance. “You don’t give me enough credit. And I gotta say…” 

“Times up.” she said suddenly as she brought her hand to her breast. 

The unexpected motion alone was enough to pin Tom on his back. He was quickly shrouded in darkness as her warm skin enveloped him. She shifted her grip while he flailed his limbs. Her finger pressed into his back as he was pressed into her chest. The soft flesh easily wrapped her finger past her first knuckle but she could not feel Tom actually ‘enter’ her nipple. “Come on,” she mumbled as she started to move her finger about, trying to find an opening large enough for Tom to slip through. 

For Tom it was a nightmare. Sandwiched between her nipple and her fingertip, he was being crushed. There was no inward progress. Panic gripped his mind but he could not scream with all the air being squeezed out of his lungs. He did the only thing he could think of to get her attention. Tom opened his mouth as wide as possible and bit down on Hinba’s skin. 

“Ow!” Hinba yelped as she pulled her hand away and caught Tom in the palm of her hand. “Did you just bite me?” she asked as her other hand covered her nipple. 

Tom was gulping air trying to quickly refill his spent lungs. He met her eyes. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide with shock. “I said… I’m not doing that.” he managed to say through a small coughing fit. His stern gaze did not break eye contact. 

“So you bit me?” she asked again, but Tom did not reply. “Tom?” there was the slightest hint of a laugh in the back of her voice.

Tom refused to speak, choosing to just glare at her. Hinba moved her hand away from her chest. He spared a glance to the afflicted nipple. There was a small dot of crimson red directly on the tip. When he looked back up, Hinba's expression had barely changed. There wasn’t a hint of anger, she just seemed… amused. “Um. Tom?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. 

It was at this point that Tom realized he had made a terrible error. They both waited for a tense moment to see who would break first. 

“Can we talk about this?” Tom said as he shot both his hands up. 

“Not a chance!” Hinba said before she broke out into a hearty cackle. With a flick of her wrist, Tom was catapulted through the air towards her open mouth. He collided with her hard palate and tumbled down to the back of her throat. After a quick gulp, Tom was sent in a near freefall down her esophagus as if she were simply swallowing a pill. 

Hinba could not actually feel Tom enter her stomach, but she knew when he arrived all the same. His mind was ablaze with panic and terror as he was once again in her stomach but this time small enough for it to feel like being dropped into a lake. “Consider this your punishment. You’re not going to digest, but I am going to just leave you in there.” she patted her abdomen a few times, no doubt generating tidal waves in Tom’s prison. “Try and get some rest. I’ll wake you up when we are at the temple.” 

—

The trek up the mountain was incredibly boring on her own. Her little human was safely tucked into her cleavage while she navigated the rocking pathways. Though she normally kept to the valley below, she was at least vaguely familiar with the winding trail. Tom twitched uncomfortably in his sleep, clearly not enjoying the dream he was having. At some point in the past hour, he had managed to sink past her stomach and was somewhere in her intestines, slowly being kneaded and pushed through her body. Even though it was in a dream, she was still forcing him to experience it in real time. She didn’t even allow him the mercy of drowning for fear it might actually break his mind or snap him awake. No, even if his punishment was slightly disproportionate to his crime, she still wanted him to taste every single second. 

Besides, they were almost there. She looked upward to the crest of the pathway. Tom would probably be useless if they ran into anything larger than a gerbil. Hinba looked over her shoulder at the steep path behind her. “But… I actually might need an extra set of eyes for this.” 

Hinba took a final step off the stone pathway and her foot sunk into the loose dirt and snow. “Hey Tom. Wake up. This is a rare sight for humans.” 

With the spell broken Tom shot awake. “Fucking Fuck! What the fuck Hinba!” 

She held a finger in front of his face, “Mind your language. We’re on sacred grounds.”

He wanted to continue cursing but he was not about to be disobedient after spending the past eight hours in her digestive system. “Never again! Do you hear me? NEVER again.” 

“You can be mad about it later. We’re here.” She removed her finger to reveal the temple. 

It was beautiful. The mountain continued upward on either side of several stone buildings. It was less of a “temple” and more of a “botanical complex”. While the rocky space around the grounds were a mix of gray and white from the snow, the grounds themselves were rich in a vibrant green. 

Tom’s mouth hung agape, “There must be hundreds of different plants up here. How is this possible?” He asked as he felt the stinging cold. 

“It’s very old magic. You’ll feel it get warmer in a second when we get close. It protects the plant life that allows them to flourish for centuries. See that?” she pointed to a large mound looking structure with a wide variety of different coloured flowers peppered up the gentle slope of the outside. “It’s called ‘the Tomb of the Mages’ and it's where we’re heading.”

“This is amazing” was all Tom could say. He instinctively flinched as Hinba picked him up again. 

“You're going to stay on my shoulder while we’re here. Grab onto my hair if you need to steady yourself.” 

Tom did as he was instructed when he was placed on his new perch and grabbed a fist full of her silver hair, making sure to wrap it around his arm a few times just to be sure. He spared a glance towards the ground. One would assume he would be used to the height by now but without Hinba holding onto him, the threat of falling to his death seemed vividly imminent. He twirled his wrist one more time about her hair. “I’m not complaining or anything, but what’s with me on your shoulder?” 

“It’s a better vantage point.” She took a deep breath and started walking towards the burial mound. “There are general spells that I use to help me know when tinies are nearby but they don’t work as well on larger creatures. We are going to have to rely on our physical senses while we’re here. Keep your eyes shaved for any signs of movement and watch my back. Got it?” 

Tom had never heard her this concerned before. He was able to overlook her messing up the phrase “eyes peeled,” as simply a consequence of her being nervous but there was something he couldn’t resist saying. “‘Tinies?’” 

She frowned, “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“No, I stopped listening after you use the word ‘tinies.’ Since when were we not just ‘humans’ to you?” 

Hinba realized that Tom was being sarcastic even without needing to probe his mind. She jerked her neck to the side causing him to lose his balance as he was almost flung off her shoulder with her hair. He let out a quick yelp as he got back to his feet. “Alight! Yes, I heard you. I’ve just never seen you this tense before. It just seems so… unnatural.” He motioned around to the lush greenery at the top of a snow capped mountain. “And ‘unnatural’ isn’t exactly in short supply up here.” 

She sighed as she continued forward. There was a small pattern of cobblestone clearings below. They were wide enough for her feet so she could move without disturbing the plant life but they were spaced slightly too far apart. She needed to widen her gate in order to accommodate their spacing. 

Tom did his best to give Hinba unrestricted access into his perception. He was beginning to notice the slightest sense of “intrusion” when she was using her magic to read his thoughts. The many years he spent training his brain to keep things out of his conscious experience melted away as he examined his surroundings with almost reckless abandon. 

Hinba broke the silence, “You’re being really… loud.” Tom could only give a quizzical glance. “You’re thinking really loud.” 

“I’ll stop.” He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant but trusted his inference. 

“Hang on,” she snapped her fingers and her brow furrowed. “Normally there’s a slight delay, almost like an echo. I don’t know what you’re doing but keep doing it.” 

Tom chuckled slightly, “Well that makes two of us.” 

They made their way to a circular opening on the far side of the burial mound. The sides were covered in the same lush greenery but they were able to see a small amount of the structure beneath as they got closer. “Watch your head.” Tom watched the opening and thought Hinba would need to duck to avoid any collision with the frame. The floor dropped down a small distance when she got the opening. She braced herself on the curved frame while she stepped down. “Well never mind,” Tom said as the archway was now several yards above her head. 

In the inside of the structure, the outer walls were formed from stone buttresses that were arranged in a large circle. The foliage of the outermost layer provided a makeshift canopy that allowed in plenty of natural light. The inner wall curved sharply around a central room they had yet to see. The wall was intricately decorated with a series of intricate symbols. “What is this?” Tom pointed at the mural. 

“It’s the reason we’re here.” She walked up and touched the artwork. 

“Do you know what it means?” 

“Barely,” Hinba walked around the wall to see the full picture. They passed by another opening to the inner room but did not enter. 

“Care to enlighten me?” Tom wasn’t wanting to sound impatient but he was having trouble making heads or tales of the markings without any context. 

“I’m looking for the starting point.” Sha made another round. “Here.” She announced. “I think it’s a story about the first Oni to arrive in this land.” 

“What’s an Oni?” 

“Me, I’m what is known as an Oni.” 

Tom always just mentally referred to Hinba as a demon or giantess. It was weird to hear this new term being used after they had known each other for so long. 

“It doesn’t say where she came from but it mentions she got here through the worldstone.” Her head darted back to an earlier section of the markings. “It’s not in order that’s the problem.” 

Tom was beginning to feel very useless as he looked at the unfamiliar markings. “Maybe just tell me everything that you can make out and we can try and put it all together later? Would that help?” 

“Uh-huh,” she spoke while still reading intently. “There’s something about her getting trapped in some sort of prison. It’s going into a lot of detail about the prison being magical in nature but it’s all a garbled mess.” She pointed to another section. “This is where she got out using some sort of ‘exchange.’” 

“Like she bribed a prison guard?” He offered. 

“Possibly.” She continued on. “This part talks about the two forms. So we know she visited the human world.” 

Tom shook his head, “You lost me.” 

“Right, so when I travel to the human world. I’m not disguising myself as a human, I actually am a human while I’m there.” 

He didn’t waste much time accepting that logic. Any time “magic” was involved, things lost all sense of normalcy. “So do humans have a second form when they come here.” 

“Nope.” She smiled without turning her head. “You only have one life, unfortunately.” 

Hinba started to move to the next section but Tom spoke up. “I have one more question then we can move on. What would have happened if you got killed in your human form?” 

Hinba raised an eyebrow. “Like the time you tried to shoot me? It wouldn’t have changed much. I would just end up back here in my Oni form and you would be left to clean up a dead body.” She laughed for a moment. “I think I would have let you believe that you actually killed me for a day or two before I summoned you back to the forest.” 

“So it wouldn’t have changed anything?” 

“Well I wouldn’t be able to visit the human world anymore, but other than that no. Oh look at this!” She pointed to another symbol. “This bit talks about the worldstone and the worldtree.” 

For some reason Tom actually recognized the symbol. “Are they upside down?” 

Hinba made a silent clapping motion, careful not to make any noise that might carry outside the structure. “Someone’s paying attention, I’m impressed.” 

Tom couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. It was meant to be a compliment but she still delivered them with a cartoonish amount of sarcasm that he could help but laugh. “So what does it say about the worldstone?” 

“Something about a shroud, as if someone was trying to hide it.” 

“How could you hide the worldstone? It’s fucking huge.” 

“Language, Tom. But you’re correct.” 

Tom looked over the wall. “Wait… how many times is ‘worldstone’ referenced here.”

She tried to see what Tom was seeing. “Several times… I can’t see why though, it reads like gibberish but…” Hinba trailed off. 

“Too many to be a coincidence?” he offered. 

“Maybe. Oh!” She pointed at a lower part of the wall. “That means ‘sickness.’” 

Tom recognized the preceding symbol. “Worldstone sickness? Should we be worried?” 

“Well humans have been passing through the worldstone for centuries. I haven’t heard of one getting sick from it.” 

“Maybe none of them live long enough…” Tom said dryly. “But what about you? Do you ever get queasy from the trip?” 

“Never.” Hinba took a half step to the side. “There’s some more stuff about the worldtree, and a list of other names that the fist Oni met along her travels.” 

“Anything stand out? Any names you recognize?” 

“No, there’s not anything useful and nothing about combining spells. Come on.” They walked to the doorway that led to the central room. There was a circular opening in the ceiling that illuminated a large stone tomb in the center on the floor. “There’s probably nothing to learn from here. These mounds were built to tell a story on the outside of the walls but specifically kept bare in the middle.” 

Tom looked around to confirm noticing that the walls were almost strangely plain. “Simple and perfunctory. Alright.” Even the tomb itself was absent of any markings. “We’re not opening that. Please tell me we’re not opening that.” 

“I’m not going to open the tomb, the spirits would haunt us both for centuries.” She poked Tom in the stomach. He laughed nervously as he was momentarily thrown off balance. “I haven’t met a human that lives that long, I think we should head out.” 

Tom pushed the finger away as he righted himself on her shoulder. “We tend to live longer if you don’t eat us…” 

Hinba scoffed at his bad joke. “Well how long are you going to live?” 

He just shrugged, “I’m playing it by ear.” 

Tom felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. They exchanged a wordless look and turned to leave. Hinba moved quickly out through the exit. “Tom, if we get separated, remember you  need to run as fast and as far as you can. I’ll find you when I can. You-“ 

As they rounded the structure they both froze. There was another Oni blocking their path. Even at this distance Tom could tell that this one was significantly taller than Hinba. She was very thin, had long straight hair and was completely naked. Unlike Hinba, she only had one small horn that poked out directly above her forehead and her skin was a slightly lighter shade of red bordering on pink. Her eyes were already glowing with a menacing glare. 

Tom tightened his grip on Hinba’s hair. “Hinba, whatever you’re planning on doing, now’s the time.” he shouted. Even with her warning, his chances were better hanging on her dear life as Hinba ran. “Hinba?!” He looked over at Hinba. She stumbled forward as she let out a pained grunt. Her hands came up in front to brace her fall. Tom realized too late to fully prepare himself for her impending collapse. Using her hair to keep himself from falling off her shoulder became his downfall as he quickly became hopelessly tangled as Hinba tumbled to the ground. 

Out of all the times that Tom came close to death, this was the first where he felt his life flash before his eyes. He hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. The arm that was still tangled in Hinba’s hair was jerked back, dislocating his shoulder. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the Oni woman slowly approach. “Hinba!  Wake up!” She was unresponsive as he tried in vain to untangle his injured arm. He screamed her name again but it was no use, he was all alone. 

At some point Tom stopped looking at the approaching threat, choosing to focus on freeing himself. The other woman wedged a foot under the facedown Hinba, and with a quick motion flipped her unconscious body onto her back. 

There was nothing Tom could do to stop himself from being pulled along. The pain in his arm was unbearable as he was flung around. With Hinba on her back he was able to get to his feet to start prying himself loose. 

A voice boomed from above. “How dare you defile sacred ground.” She reached down for Tom. He had just managed to get his arm free as he felt her fingers wrap around his midsection. 

“We were just leaving!” Tom cried out as he was brought up to her face. With her free hand she grabbed Tom’s arm. Panic shot through him. One wrong move, intentional or otherwise, and she could rip his arm clean off. He screamed in pain as she started to pull. “Wait what are you-“ 

She quickly reversed directions and his arm snapped back into place. He felt dizzy from the pain but, amazingly, it started to relent. “I hate how fragile you humans are. You’re worse than the flowers.” 

“We’ll leave.” Tom grasped for words through a dense haze of fatigue and mental fog. He looked down as he saw the giant’s foot move to Hinba’s neck. The earth and plant life began to buckle under the increased weight. She’s going to kill Hinba, he thought. There was a brief moment of hesitation that bubbled up in the back of Tom’s mind. He was looking down at all of his problems about to disappear. All the torture and fear he experienced was being snuffed out along with his tormentor’s wind pipe. 

He turned back to the Oni that was still holding him. She was smiling down at her handy work as she increased the pressure. Her teeth were sharpened to points, appearing as rows of daggers more than anything biological. “Wait!” Tom screamed, and to his infinite amazement she did. 

Her face turned once again to the tiny human in her fist. Her expression shifted several times, trying to put the pieces together, before landing on pity. “Oh you poor thing.” She said with cold indifference. “You must be completely under her spell.” 

“Please, just let us go. We didn’t want any trouble.” Tom pleaded while still only able to lift one arm. The other was still too sore to move. 

“Human, you might not be aware of this one’s reputation.” She kicked the side of Hinba’s face. “She doesn’t keep pets. Whatever she’s told you to earn your fleeting loyalty… is all lies. The moment you outlive your usefulness…”

“I know all that!” She blinked at the response but Tom continued, “I know she lies and I know everyday I’m with her could be my last, but I can’t just watch you kill her and do nothing!”

“Would you prefer I end you first? Your tendency for self destruction is laughable.” Upon hearing her words Tom started to struggle in her grasp. “How about I make it quick? One quick little bite and then…nothing.” Her tongue gently teased her sharp teeth as if to prove her point. 

Tom could feel himself giving up. “Just-” 

“You want me to make it painless?” She finished the question. “I only do that for humans I like, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to forgive me in the afterlife.” 

“Just let her go.” This got her attention. “I’m the reason we’re here, not her.” 

“The reason for you being here is irrelevant. You have shown disrespect to the spirits of this temple.” 

“Then let her go! She knew the customs. She showed respect. She didn’t walk in the plants, she used the…” He pointed to the cobblestone clearings that provided a pathway for giants. “Steps. She didn’t even curse!” At this point Tom was fully grasping at straws.

“Didn’t curse?” Tom watched a single white eyebrow raise on the giant’s face. “Human, I don’t know what this one told you to earn your loyalty but it’s equally commendable and distressing.” She lowered Tom until he was close enough to be dropped onto Hinba’s chest safely. “I’m going to give you a chance to prove your loyalty. I’m going to get a device to help me carry her out of the temple without disturbing any of the flora.”

“You’re letting us go?” Tom asked with blinding optimism. 

“No. I’m just leaving you alive until I get back.” She started to walk away, carefully navigating the stone pathway.  

“How does that prove my loyalty?”

She turned back to answer his question, “You are going to stay with her, and say your final goodbyes. She won’t be able to break my spell but there’s a chance she might still be able to hear you… However, if you abandon your companion, then I will find you, and ensure that even the afterlife cannot give you respite from your agony…” 

She was just going to leave him? He thought to himself while still standing directly below Hinba’s collarbone. Tom watched her disappear around a stone outcropping beyond the temple grounds. As soon as she was out of eyesight, he sprung into action. There wasn’t really much in the way of a plan of how to escape but he sure as hell wasn’t going to do nothing, and he certainly wasn’t going to leave without her. Despite his earlier hesitation, Hinba was still his best chance at getting off this mountain alive, and though he hated to admit it, he was her best chance as well. 

Tom Jumped and reached for her chin. On any other occasion it would be an easy maneuver, but his left arm was still reeling from the pain of being ripped from shoulder and not so gently, reattached. He huffed as he was finally able to pull his hips over her ching and then rolled his weight onto her face. He came to rest on his back directly on her lips and took a moment to catch his breath. Hinba apparently needed to breathe as well as Tom felt a gust of wide pass over him. “Don’t you dare.” he said as he rolled off her lips right as they relaxed open. “That would have been bad…” 

Tom moved carefully over the uneven surface until he was kneeling on her forehead. Balling his fist, he smacked the space directly between her eyebrows, “Wake up!” he didn’t want to yell too loud to inadvertently alert the other Oni what he was trying to do. “Hinba! Get up! Come on, we’ve got to go!” his fists came down again, as he released a flurry of punches.  “Don’t do this to me! After everything you put me through!” his blows were getting weaker as the pain was getting too much to bear and he had to stop using his left arm. “You can’t just leave me here.” Exhausted, he smashed his forehead into her skin, still making weak attempts to jar her awake. “Please…” 

As Tom stayed there, with his head on hers, he felt a sudden feeling of deja vu. That same creeping blackness that he felt right before Hinba imposed her magic on him… it was surrounding her. He shot upright. “Are you awake?” There was no answer, and Tom didn’t want to waste any precious time. He had to take a shot. He pressed his forehead back down against her. After so many times of trying to fight off her magic, this time he was going to embrace it. “Please work” Tom focused expressly on the darkness that wormed its way around the edges of his consciousness. “Please, just this once…” And he was gone.