Rina yawned as she stood in her socked feet at security. The metal detector scanned her and found nothing. Not that it would as her equipment and weapons had been shrunk to the size of pinhead and placed in a harmless looking locket sitting in a bin beside her. She put her warm boots back on as well as her denim coat and grabbed her small carry-on bag as she made her way to her flight. "Flight 671 leaving Riga in service by way of Mumbai to Jakarta will be boarding in 20 minutes" the gate worker said. Rina paid little mind to anyone as she scribbled out a very detailed arcane. Soon, she was boarded and deposited her bag in the overhead. Her first-class seat she was all alone and wouldn't be disturbed. Tucking her arcane paper in her pocket, she snuggled into her seat and relaxed. The plane took flight and Rina drifted off to sleep. Her arcane making sure her growth spell wasn't broken as she slept.

The flight to Mumbai was over 12 hours and she slept the entire time. However, the flight to Jakarta she spent the time meditating after checking her equipment. Rina mediated often in the field. Not to ease an anxiety but to focus her own energy. It was a necessity for what she called plan C. Rina was not a pure borrower. No, while her father was one, her mother was half borrower and half Alux and she inherited the faint ability to use magic. A fact she never told anyone. Her mixed blood gave her the uncanny ability to understand arcane like a prodigy and the power to cast spells. However, she lacked the inborn ability to sustain such spellcraft. She could shrink and grow on her own with considerable effort, but elemental spells took all her might and left her extremely weak. Even when absorbing souls, she couldn't do any better. Nevertheless, it was a card she could play if there was no time for arcane. Through trial and error, she found if she mediated, she could stabilize the internal energy in her body and the strain was less on her.

She arrived at her destination. Her shrunken bags tucked in the pocket of her shorts. A loose shirt and sandals as the weather was considerably warmer in Jakarta than Riga. But being a light skinned English speaking girl in a country of dark-skinned Muslims and Buddhists made her stand out. She quickly hailed a taxi as she didn’t need the attention. "...where to?" the driver asked. "Southwest seaport" she said settling in the back seat. The ancient beat up Mercedes left the airport and rolled up the main road. "What brings you to Jakarta?" he asked. "Sightseeing" she replied. The man nodded. Rina could smell the body odor and old leather but there was something else...gun oil. She paid it no mind as Jakarta was no stranger to violence and taxi drivers probably seen their fair share. But as they traveled, Rina saw that the sun was in the wrong position. "I said southwest" she said as he pulled off an exit. "And that's where we are going" he said. "Really? This seems north to me" she said. The man pulled down an alleyway and stopped the car. He pulled a gun on her. "Handcuffs in the seat pocket. Put them on now" he growled. Rina took her glasses off.

Bending down towards the seat, she took out her one-inch bag and pulled out her sword. Canceling the spell, it grew. With lightning speed, she stabbed him running the sword through the driver's seat. Her blade perfectly aimed went through his spinal cord making him drop his gun. "Where...." he gurgled. "In my pocket" he replied as she pulled the sword back and got out of the car. She pushed him aside. "Wasn't going to rob me as you didn’t see anything of value on me. Rape and kill me? Sell me in sex slavery? Somewhere in the middle I bet. He reached out to her and she took and ripped his shirt off him. She wiped up the blood and sat in the driver seat. "You got about 9 minutes to live seeing I missed the lungs, liver, and shit. An eternity if you're suffering like that but don't worry. You won't live that long" she said drawing arcane in his blood. He began shrinking in the passenger seat. "Dried out chicken, pretzels, and flat as fuck cola. All I had to eat for nearly a day, and I'm famished for something...flavorful" she said plucking him up. He ripped off the rest of his clothing tossing the little things out the window.

"Sha...shatan" he muttered. "I'm not the devil sir but I do enjoy exterminating evil and those who would do harm to innocents in the most horrible ways. Any other day I would keep you alive and track down your little slavery ring. Crush it under my fucking foot literally but I have a prior engagement. But time grows short for you and I do enjoy feeling you nasty fuckers squirm and scream in inside me" she grinned. "Allah..."

"Nope. I'm not overly religious but I'm sure God doesn't appreciate rapists, murders, and slavers. No paradise for you" she said coldly as she pushed him into her mouth. Salty, coppery, his sweat and blood giving off a distinct flavor. She found it distasteful, but she wasn't lying about being famished. She titled her head back and let his whimpering body slip down her throat. He landed in her stomach which was empty. He was cold and shaking. Fluid began to rise around him. It tingled at first but soon it burned. Having not eaten properly in over a day, her stomach acids were stronger than usual. Pound for pound, borrowers required almost double the calories than humans due to their metabolism, brain, and denser muscle structure. The man was screeching in pain as his skin blistered and burned away. In a minute he went into shock and slipped under the acids never to rise again. Rina was correct. He had died before his initial injuries took his life. Rina found her way back on the main road and followed it southwest confident she would find the seaport on her own. 

The owner looked at her strangely as she asked for the motorboat but slapping down a wad of cash had him mind his own business. Rina hopped into the small little boat and puttered off. She followed the coordinates for six miles and saw a small island. She stopped where she floated and changed into her specialized suit. Unlike the suits other agents wear, Rina used what was called an infiltration suit. By first look it seemed no different except carefully woven inside was an illusion and perception spell. What Rina had to do was simply think of or look at a target and take her appearance. Normally a piece of cake but in this case Rina had no clue what to expect here and therefore had to approach someone first. Risky. The suit was tight on her body for its purposes. Her waterproof shoes felt weird on her feet. The again shrunken sword carefully concealed in a bracelet.

At first, she thought she had the wrong location as she saw nothing. Just sand, grass, and a few trees. But she noticed the birds refused to even approach the islands. Not the fish, crabs, not even lizards and Indonesia was crawling with reptiles. Rina felt wary as she rowed the boat to shore. Some force told her to leave. She forced herself ashore, shark back to her normal size and walked forward. Just as it was becoming overwhelming, the feeling disappeared as she passed through the barrier. "Well fuck..." she hissed as she saw a sprawling city before her. She had emerged at the northeast corner of the human sector. She dashed forward and hid behind an apartment building. "What the hell is this shit?" she asked smelling thousands of humans. It didn't make sense to her. If she was her regular size, then the humans must've been bug size. But there were thousands, no tens of thousands of them as to her size the sector stretched for at least two miles. And beyond that were much bigger housing. Movements, sound, the opening of a door.

Her eyes locked with the young woman and she bowed on her veranda. She had been spotted in her natural state. Rina grabbed her and looked at her closely. She was unafraid of her and acted if expecting something. "How...how may I please you?" she suddenly asked softly. "Please me?" Rina asked. "Massage, sex, or may you wish to devour me?" she asked nonchalantly. Rina balked. "I assure you I'm clean" the young woman said. Rina wondered if all of them were so eager to be used as toys or food. The girl was her age and seemingly ready to have her life snuffed out if the giantess holding her chose to. Rina had seen enough of her to copy her appearance. Carefully, Rina drugged the girl and placed her back in her room. Using the spell, she took her appearance almost perfectly. Dusty blond hair, silver eyes, a thin build, skin tanned by the sun, and her clothes was a whimsical red dress and sandals. Not that such clothing actually felt that way on her. It was an illusion after all. Rina shrank herself even further and cautiously mixed with the locals.

It was so strange to her walking among them. They spoke different languages but English, Spanish, and French seemed the most popular. A mixture of cultures by their dress and the city itself like a real one. If she didn't know better, Rina would’ve sworn she was walking down a city street in Orlando Florida. She found a cafe and ordered what appeared to be a coffee. Rina was shocked to see no price or means of payment required. And there she sat at the table simply listening and watching. They spoke of normal things, family, food, hobbies, but they did talk of the goddess. "I haven't been well. What does this goddess look like?" she asked one. They had described Hope to a T. Rina listened carefully at what she had done a few days prior. "She...she ate one?" Rina asked. "The father of the boy she chose to fuck. That family is blessed it is" the woman replied sipping her coffee. Rina didn’t know which to be disturbed about more, the blessed remark or the fact a girl nobody thought was capable of killing an innocent person had done just that. Her primary objective was to bring her back but if she's eating and fucking humans for sport, then it might not be possible without serious harm to the girl. Rina left the coffee shop and left back towards where she entered. Hidden (barely), she grew to her borrower size and changed her appearance slightly as not to be noticed. She needed to know what was going on in the buildings further ahead. Now things were really getting strange, every human on the street she walked on bowed. When she stopped, they would approach.

"Class structure based on size? Wouldn't be so simple with a man like Markus" she thought as she continued her walk. "You ducked out of training too?" a voice said to her left. She tensed up. A young man of 16 was sitting in town square stark naked. A human woman busy servicing his cock. Rina was shocked but played it cool. "Something like that" she said walking over. The young man patted the ground and had her sit. "I don't remember seeing you before" he said. She got nervous. "I'm...I'm new" she said. "Really? Look kinda old" he said. Rina adjusted her bracelet ready to take out her sword. "Probably a late bloomer. Joined after the last test quarter, right?" he asked. "Exactly" she said. "Ryan" he said extending his hand. "Rina" she replied shaking it. "Well don't be shy. Chose a human and have some fun" he said smiling. Not to make him more suspicious, Rina did. She plucked up one of the closer ones. She cringed as he was younger than what she was trying for. At most 15 and with the same expectant look on his face. Ryan was watching her.

Rina took off her shoes which wasn't easy as she had to extend the illusion on the fly. It worked though and nothing seemed unusual as she wriggled her bare toes. She didn't wish to harm the boy, so she had placed him at her feet. Some foot worshiping wouldn't kill him even though her feet were pretty sweaty in those rubber shoes. Ryan grunted as he came coating the woman on his prick with his seed. "That's it. Eat it up" he said softly to his pet. "So, you like humans?" she asked. "Pfft. They're okay as long as they remember their place. We are the betters, they are lesser. And as such we are entitled to some...fun. You ever eaten one?" he asked. Rina didn’t know what to really say or more how to say it. "Haha! You a really are new. Take the one at your feet and eat him up" he said. Her blood ran cold. "Rina. Switch" Gina said internally. "But if I do..."

"Just goddamn do it. We don't need to start any shit right now" Gina hissed. Rina took her glasses off. She plucked the boy from her soles. "Nothing personal kid" she thought as he pulled his clothing off. Gina tossed him into her mouth and swallowed him as fast as she could. They boy didn't even cry, scream, or even struggle and that was worse than eating him in both their minds. Gina was still hungry even after eating the taxi driver and knew that boy wouldn't last long at all. This is what it meant to be her, ruthless, cold blooded, getting the job done. "You didn't even savor him. You supposed to play with them using your tongue. It's way more fun when they orgasm in your mouth and swallow as they cum" he smirked. His hand touched hers and traveled down her body. "Not here" she said. Ryan got to his feet, pulled up his pants and led her out of the city. Gina was hoping for this. A perfect excuse to enter the next part of this place.

Meanwhile in Yorkshire...

"Any word?" Keith asked. "She sent a coded message that she arrived. Nothing since" a member of control replied. "You okay over there old man?" Keith asked. "I'm watching for a signal from her. I must concentrate as his wards are very powerful. Can barely sense her at all" Joseph replied sitting in silence. Keith yawned and returned to his room. 2:34 a.m. the clock said in his room. "You should rest. They will call you if needed" Lawan said startling him. "Thought you'd be asleep" he said. "You daughter is teething. My nipples hurt" she replied softly. Keith laid down next to his tiny wife. "Poor baby. I got just the medicine" he said pulling her night gown off her. Gently, he placed his lips over her little breasts and dropped his tongue over them. He didn't suck though. "That...that does feel nice" he groaned. His fingers held her hands for a few minutes before he released her breasts from his mouth. His breath felt cool on her saliva soaked skin. He sniffed her. "Vanilla?" he asked. "Body soap" she replied. "Dangerous" he said. "...how so?" she asked. "Like you want to be eaten" he said spreading her legs.

Tender kisses on her shaved pussy and the girl squirmed.  His lips kissed her toned leg and right to her little foot which rested on his nose. Not much of an odor but a fairly weak scent of female pheromone. A little kiss on her sole. He rolled her on her back. His finger tracing her backbone to her shapely ass. An ass he parted to stick his tongue in. The small Asian girl squealed making Keith chuckle inwardly. His finger pulled gently on her ponytail bringing her head back. "You're the perfect little toy" he whispered to her. "Is that what I am now?" she asked. "Same kind of toy a child holds when he's scared of the dark. A toy that keeps fear and loneliness away" he replied. Lawan rolled onto her back. She touched her crotch and a faint light came from her hand. "Semen. Now" she said. Keith shrank himself down for her and lined himself up with her cunt. He slid into her and she cooed softly.

He began fucking her slowly as his hands groped her body but as he sped up, he felt something inside himself. He abruptly stopped and pulled out. "Why did you stop?" Lawan asked concerned. He looked at his hand. "I felt myself losing control. It's...it's not safe around me" he muttered. Lawan had not said anything about it all day but she knew Keith had killed more than one person overnight. As good as he washed himself, he had forgotten one thing, to brush his teeth. He kissed her that Christmas morning and she immediately tasted blood. Blood she knew wasn't his as she had tasted his blood one evening their lovemaking got out of hand. Yes, she could tell the difference. His diet of red meat and sweet snacking made his blood stand out. What she tasted was weak, the blood of someone malnourished. It disturbed her greatly but forgot it all when she heard he had been found unresponsive. "Is it because of the signet or whomever you killed?" she asked flatly. His eyes wide in shock.   

"...both" he replied. Lawan suddenly grew herself and picked her husband up. She placed him on the floor and before he could say anything to his giantess wife, she made herself not a giantess and stood equal to him. "I've seen this before. Not often but I have seen it" she said getting closer. "A warrior begins taking life after life. Anger, shame, and regret wears on him until he fears he’s nothing but a killer. His body conditioned by adrenaline, so he needs aggression to feel anything. Then fear, shame, and anger all over again. A vicious cycle" she said. "What's the cure?" he asked. Lawan suddenly punched him in the face knocking him on his ass. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" he yelled nursing his jaw. "You can't exorcize this. It can only be tempered and focused. A balance between aggression and grace must be struck. And when it must be done, a companion, life mate, or partner must initiate the intervention. Now, engage me" she said sternly. He hadn't heard her so sharp since his training. "I'm not hitting you" he said. She kicked him in the stomach and tackled him. She choke holed him and he couldn't breathe. She wasn't playing around. "Let...go...I said...LET GO!" he yelled elbowing her in the cheek. Lawan released him and spat out a tooth. Keith breathed deeply. His heart raced as he looked at her. He growled. "Yes. Let it bubble to the surface" she hissed.

Lawan was shocked at how much he improved. He was easily three times better than he was before. Her blocks became weaker and a punch knocked her back. "Stop...stop this" he said. Lawan kicked his leg dislocating his kneecap. Keith howled in pain. Crazed, he leaped on her and grabbed her by the throat. With little ceremony, he shoved his cock into her and fucked her hard. Lawan was terrified not of his brutality, but the fact he hasn't snapped out of it even with seeing her with a bloody lip, nose, and swollen eye. He was in no better shape but it deint stop him from fucking her so hard he heard a weird pop. She wanted to scream but held her breath. Such pain didn't stop her from crying. And when he thrust in her again there was the same strange pop. He paused and looked to where the sound was. Wasn't coming from him. No, it came from her waist. His eyes focused in the dim light and saw a purplish swollen spot on her hip muscle. "You...your hip. It's dislocated. How..." and then his feverish rage washed away. Lawan had never seen such horror on his face as he looked down and saw what he was doing. He pulled out and stood up. He stumbled for a moment and took off running. She was surprised he could move so fast with a bad knee.

Lawan healed herself as fast as she could. This was the most critical time during the intervention. When the person was most vulnerable emotionally. Being on their own after realizing what they've done was dangerous. Normally it would done in a locked dojo, but this was their bedroom. Lawan walked to the direction he had fled. Small traces of blood under the closet door. She cast a small orb of light into the air illuminating the closet. She found Keith rocking back and forth on the floor breathing hard. He saw her and scrambled again. "STOP!" she yelled. He paused. Slowly she approached him. He was in full panic mode. "Don't look at me please" he begged. She touched his cheek and began to heal his face. Even as his teeth grew back, he wanted to run so badly. She healed his wounds and fixed his knee. "How can you even bear the sight of me?" he asked. "For better or for worse. I take my vows seriously" she chuckled. "This...this isn't funny. What was in my head back there, I wanted to hurt you. To...to beat you" he muttered he pulled away and puked. Lawan gave him a moment. She used a sock laying in the closet to clean his face. "No not me, the world. God, yourself but it wasn't me you wanted to hurt and throttle" she said.

She jacked his cock rapidly until it got hard. "Lawan no" he said. She ignored him as she slid down his shaft. She touched his racing heart. "You never answered my question. Was it the people you killed or that artifact that pushed you so hard?" she asked. "Both. A lot of innocents died to get that thing and I talked about it to others" he said. "What did they say?" she asked sliding up and then down on his dick. "Ummm...that sometimes bad things have to happen for the greater good. That it was important to make it all worth it" he replied. "Interesting perspective" she said. "Unless you're the innocent" he said. "And the artifact?" she asked. "Like my mind was on fire. Answers to questions I asked without any real thought. The upper limit to growth, Muy Thai techniques, do my kids love me? And then questions about you" he replied. She paused. "What about me?" she asked.

"That your full name is Lawan Trang Koh. You hate asparagus because it makes your pee smell. You're frightened your people won't accept our kids if they can’t use magic. Why you keep this scar here under your left breast" he said raising it. A dribble of breastmilk leaked from her nipple.  "Why you're really wearing your hair in a ponytail. That you choose to use red polish on your toes. I love you the way you are. You don't have to dress yourself up to look like Susan or Aspen" he said. Lawan rested her head on his chest and sniffled. Keith bounced her in his lap. "You really right tonight" he muttered. "Did you really masturbate to Justin Bieber when you were younger?" he asked. "Oh my god" she muttered. Keith laughed. "It was a phase and he was cute. Don't tell me you didn't have some celeb crush" she pouted.

"No tv or magazines until I moved in with Aspen and Claire. My first crush I guess you could say was my older sister. Just before I lost her, I seriously considered taking her as a mate. Kind, sweet, considerate. Pretty as can be with a cute butt, perky breasts and suckable toes" he chuckled. Lawan frowned. "Did you just get bigger in me thinking about her?" she asked. "...maybe" he said softly. There was a pause between them. "You never elaborated on her death" she mumbled. "A human woman locked us in a cage for an experiment. I was terrified and Lenore saw that. She tried to calm me down, but I was so scared I hadn't eaten or drank in two days. My sister would be taken away and I thought I'd never see her again until she was brought back smelling funny. Pussy. Smelled of giant pussy.”     

“Imagine seeing a loved one snatched away multiple times a day not knowing you'd see them again. And on that last day, my sister sucked my cock to calm me down. Even as I squirted in her mouth, I prayed we would be okay. I watched her die horribly in front of me. The smell, fuck me the smell. Like burnt pork as her body lay smoking on the testing plate" he said. Lawan bounced on his shaft. "You see why I freak out so badly when a loved one is in danger. I go back to that night in that lab every time. Still have nightmares sometimes" he said. She looked at him. "I tried lighting my farts on fire as a kid" she suddenly said. Keith burst out laughing. "Bet you didn't know that about me" she giggled. Keith held her close and quickly pounded her in his lap. Holding her face by the cheeks, he came inside her. They held one another for a few minutes before Lawan released her shrinking spell on him. He carefully carried back to their bed and laid down. "Is that all you found out about me?" she asked.  "That you really do fantasize about me eating you" he replied. Lawan blushed and hid her face. She was startled as his finger rubbed her body. Her pussy, her soles, her nipples. "Got my ingredients for a nice illusion" he said. "Wha?" she asked. She watched her giant husband make a very realistic illusion of her. "Goddamn you got good at that. Wait! What are you doing?" she asked standing up.

Keith waved his hand. "He wants to be a naughty boy. He's going to make you watch as he eats me up" her copy giggled. "Oh, so this is funny is it?" she asked. She touched the copy and Keith was surprised he lost control of it. "Hi Lawan!" it said. "Hi Lawan. Now close your eyes Keith" she said. He did until she said to open them. They had both moved on the bed. "Which is the real one? And which is the fake?" both said in unison. Keith couldn’t quickly tell. They looked the same, sounded the same, smelled the same. He picked one up and inspected her. "Hmm...I did do a good job. I can even smell milk on them both. No, she did that when I wasn't looking. Clever" he thought. He held the other in his hand. "You better choose right" both said. "Justin Bieber sucks ass" he said. "What did you say?!" one yelled. "Ha! You're the real one!" he said. "You tricked me!" she huffed. Keith put her down. "All's fair" he said. He looked at her copy. She sighed and sat on the bed. The copy arched her back exposing her little tits to him. "Go ahead baby. Eat me. Fuckin eat me!" it said fingering herself. Keith kissed it before giving it a long lick. The real Lawan was in full control so she could see everything it did along with controlling it's actions.

"I love you" he whispered to it before shoving it into his mouth. The real Lawan had her eyes closed feeling the sensations of her puppet being sucked on and tasted. "Do it beloved. Swallow me whole" she moaned. Keith looked dead at her and with an audible gulp, sent her illusion down his throat. Her heart raced as the pitch-black tube pulled her down into a humid cavern of his stomach. "This...this is what it feels like. I'm food. Food for my husband" she moaned as she got wet. His stomach gurgled. "Honey. I need to you to cancel the spell. You're too connected and what happens next..." he warned. "Not yet...not yet" she moaned as she fingered herself. "Did...did I taste good? Was I good enough of a snack from my giant mate?" she asked as she panted. "Yeah...yeah you were" he replied. "Oh god digest me!" she yelled as she came. "Lawan!" he yelled. She suddenly snapped out of it and released the spell as his acids began to attack the illusion. It disappeared immediately.

"That...was embarrassing" she said panting. Keith laid next to her. "We all got our thing" he chuckled. He watched her settle in bed but stayed awake for a while. He had not been entirely truthful to her. There was one thing he had found out about her that was surprising, and he found it strange she never mentioned it. Lawan had a sister...

Back to Gina...

"So, this is where you stay?" she asked looking at his room. It was very Spartan to her. "Not so much different than your dorm" he replied taking his clothing off. Gina had not asked her questions yet, but she was startled to see so many buildings clustered together. He hopped on the bed. "What're you waiting for?" he asked. "Close your eyes" she smiled. He did. "Embarrassed?" he asked. "Don't you like surprises?" she asked taking her uniform off. Tossing it all aside, it reverted to its natural appearance. She inserted her finger into her pussy and touched the young man. "Keep them closed" she smirked as she used her juices to write an arcane on his chest. Once done, he began shrinking. Once finished, she said he could open then. "Holy shit" he said looking at her giant pussy. "You wanted me to shrink you could've...why the hell do you look totally different?" he asked seeing her true face. "Because I didn't need my disguise in here" she said lifting herself up slightly. "Fuck does that...mmmphg!" he muttered as she came right down on him. She didn't outright crush his four-inch body nor was he in danger of being smothered. Gina had him right where she wanted him. Covered by asscrack and crotch to his neck. His little head poking right from under her cunt.

"FUCK...ARE...YOU DOING?!" he yelled. "You're not going to be asking questions little man. I am. Starting off, how many live in this area?" she asked. He chuckled as his body glowed. "Good luck trying to smother me now" he laughed. Gina knew already he could use magic. She noticed him breathing easier now, but it wasn't the first time a target fortified themselves to resist her interrogation. "I'm one of the best at fortification spells. It's my fuckin' specialty. And when I get free and grow back, I'll rape you till you can't stand and deliver you to the master himself!" he yelled. Gina could see it was no bluff, she could feel him getting stronger slowly. She estimated she had 10 minutes before he could wriggle free. It would be easier to crush his head, but she needed answers and she knew exactly how to get them with a man like Ryan. Gin began fingering herself quickly. "Wha...what are you doing? This is how you're going to spend your last few minutes of freedom?" he chuckled. "I need to get wet little guy. See, fortification can do wonders for the body. Protect it very well but there's one little flaw...you still need to breathe" she said. She spread her lips above him and let her juices drip on his face.

Ryan gagged and coughed until she let go and let her lips close. Ryan gasped for air. "Bitch!" he yelled. "Damn right I am and more. I'm a borrower and borrower girls get a whole lot wetter than humans, so I got pussy juice to spare. This here I call cunt water boarding. Now are you gonna tell me what I want to know or are you going to slowly drown?" she asked. "Eat..." he was saying until she let him have another dose. She let him breathe after 20 seconds.  "What was that?" she asked.  "Stop! Stop you fuckin'" he said before she shoved his face in her folds. She kept the little young man there for 30 seconds. "I can find another boy" she warned. "1000. There's a thousand of us living here" he replied coughing. "How strong?" she asked. He looked at the giantess' face. "C and D class until they reach B class" he replied. "What are you?" she asked. "C class" he replied. Gina used clairvoyance to look at him. By judging his aura, she got an idea of his power. "Not good. He's on par with Mogwai grunts" she thought. "And of the human sized settlements?" she asked. "50 or so. A and B class" he replied. Gina was not pleased at all. If Markus fielded them in battle, it was very unlikely Keith and his forces would win. 50 human sized top tier mages would turn the colony to ashes in minutes.

Ryan wedged himself free as she thought it over. Quickly, she slapped her feet together trapping him for the moment. His small hands pushing against her big toes. "And of Hope?" she asked applying pressure. He squeaked as air exited his lungs. She released him after a few seconds to breathe. "The goddess? She will lead us to glory. The humans will fall into line as lemurians ascend to their rightful place. Your beloved Keith will have his head on a fucking pike and your species will see their dream of equality come. Equal to human slaves" he chuckled. The way he laughed got to her. Like it was a certainty. Gina reached within herself and used her natural magic to shrink him further and further. She let go to watch the dwindling teen hanging onto her second toe as she raised her foot pointing her toes up. Ryan tumbled between her toes. No bigger than a grain of salt, he was fast stuck between them as her toe sweat and dirt was like glue. Slowly she scrunched her toes. She couldn't hear his screams and curses, nor did she care. The walls of sweaty smelly flesh came down on him and he screeched. The tiniest of crunches came from her toes and she released. A simple wipe of her finger between her toes freed his munched remains which was just a teeny little spot of blood. Nothing more. Gina was satisfied even though drained.

Gina put on her uniform and thought about what to do next. "Hope has to be in the mansion. The damn ZODIAC is probably watching over her. No way I can extract. The commander needs to know what I found. I have to exfiltrate" she muttered. She cast her illusion once again and walked out of the room. She quickly headed to the exit and saw two young males. Both eyed her and smiled. Gina nodded but once she did felt dizzy and her illusion collapsed. The boys looked at one another in shock. "Get the head..." he was saying until Gina ran him through with her sword. She pulled it out as the other took off running. She could see him touching his head. "NO!" she yelled throwing her sword impaling him into the door. Her ears picked up hurried voices. "Shit. He got the word out" she muttered moving the boy off the door and running out. She ran full speed towards the beach. "Joseph! Need a gate!" she yelled.

"She's calling for me. She needs a gate" Joseph said in Control. "Dammit! That damn barrier is making it hard!" he yelled focusing. Joseph was trying his best to punch through the magical interference.

Gina was running as fast as she could. She couldn't stop for a second to grow to human size as the others were hot on her heels. A shard of ice zipped past her. A lightning bolt. Fire rained down. They were going to kill her. "You own all this?!" Tina asked looking at the beach. "All of it. And there's so much more to see. Wait till you see the tiny humans that will serve you. Little bug sized humans cleaning your stinky little feet" he chuckled. The young girl giggled. He looked up seeing stray attack magic getting closer. Gina jumped over the sea grass seeing the one man she didn't want to bump into. "Well I'll be damned. Looks like we got ourselves a spy" he chuckled. Gina used her own magic to grow herself and then fortify. She felt woozy as she had hit her limit. Nonetheless she readied herself for the attack. She removed her shoes and dug into the sand and ran. Her only hope was to cut off his head and use the time to reattach to make a break for it. At worse she could take the child hostage and stall until Joseph came through. The wind blew past her. The sand rough on her bare soles. She readied her strike...

"Oh no. The interference....it just skyrocketed. She's somewhere where I can’t reach her. That can only mean...my son" he muttered. One of the borrowers that went to get Keith had returned. "I can't get her..." he muttered. "...keep trying. Try as hard as you can old man" Keith muttered still tired. He nodded as trying was better than quitting.

Markus chuckled as he snapped his fingers. She was frozen in time like everyone else within 150 feet. His finger touched her sword which was barely a foot from his neck. "Looks like someone got in over her head" he said. With barely a thought, he disintegrated her uniform leaving her naked. He laughed as moments later began raping her where she stood. He groaned cumming inside her and then stood in front of her. "Adet" he muttered summoning his sword Ea. He snapped his fingers again unfreezing her. Gina felt her rape fast forwarded by 100 times in a split second which made her twitch. Then the feeling of his semen inside her was replaced by searing pain as her own momentum carried her into his sword. She looked at it astounded. "Impossible" she muttered as he pulled it out of her. The shock of it caused her growth spell to collapse shrinking her back to her natural borrower state. "I'll squish her daddy" Tina said as she raised her Sandy giant sole over Gina. She pushed the borrower onto her back and pressed. Sweaty little girl sole began to press the life out of her which was fading fast already. "No, get off her" Markus said. Tina looked annoyed but obeyed. "She's to be made of an example" he explained. 

Markus scooped up the small bleeding out girl in his hand who glared at him with contempt. As she did, she felt something within her slipping away. Markus opened a portal.

"Joseph you did it!" Keith yelled. "It wasn't me boy. Wasn't me" he muttered as the other side of the portal became focused. Everyone in the room held their breath as they saw Markus. "You son of a bitch" Keith hissed seeing Gina barely alive in his hand which extended through the portal. Markus let the girl tumble off of his hand and Keith caught her before she hit the floor. He looked at him as he gave off a smile that would make Satan cringe. The portal closed a second later. "...medic...GET THE MEDIC!" Keith screamed. He watched in abject fury as the medic mages carried Gina away.

He sat quietly near the metal sterilized tray table as they worked on her. One hour, two hours. Keith stood up just staring after three hours. Lawan and Susan said nothing to him as his gaze never wavered. Joseph had told him shortly before that the wound had to have been caused by Ea to resist treatment. The old man looked sullen as he told him as he knew his son had murdered his own child to get the sword back. Any question of commitment was gone now. They had finished their work and transferred her to a private room a few doors down. "Well doc?" Keith asked. "We were able to heal all the damage after a shit load of resistance" the small man said standing on the tray. He staggered and Keith caught him with his hand. "Apologies. A great deal of arcane went into saving her" he muttered. "So, she's okay?" Keith asked hopeful. "During the post op, I noticed she didn't respond to any requests. She didn't ask for food or water or rest" he said. "Rina is a unique case Doctor" Susan said. "I'm aware of her split personality. I read her file. This is...different" he said. "Keith, a moment" Joseph said pulling aside.

Susan heard them mutter. "We won't know for certain until we see her" Keith said louder. "Just be aware" Joseph warned. The sun had risen as Keith slept with his head near Rina. When she stirred, he awoke. "Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Water? Bathroom?" he asked. Again nothing. "Do you know where you are?" he asked. "In the convalescence room of the mansion" she replied. Keith was hopeful about that. But as he asked other questions, a disturbing pattern emerged. Not one she answered involving a question of need, want, or preference. Like a robot she answered the most logical ones. Joseph’s fear was confirmed. "Do you remember the events of your mission?" he asked. She nodded. "Tell me" he said. Rina went over all she saw methodically and with no emotion. There was a knock on the door before Susan entered. She found Keith utterly dejected and Rina staring straight ahead. "Look who's awake!" Susan said smiling. "Don't bother. That's not Rina. Her soul is dead. Markus killed it literally" he said getting up. He tripped over his chair and she caught him. She has rarely seen his eyes so filled with contempt. "I'll be back. I need to retrieve her living will" he muttered.

Keith returned a half hour later and sat back in the chair. Susan has shrunken herself and cuddled the girl. "It's rare I have to go over these things. Most of the time you either come back alright or just dead" he said softly. "But we do those in case were braindead. She's not braindead" she said. "Might as well be. I've seen this before once with Aspen. Couldn't make a decision on her own. No will or desire. No emotion, not even love. Just a... meat puppet" he said voice cracking. She looked at him. "It's worse than death Susan" he said. "But you helped Aspen. Maybe we can..."

"Didn’t you hear me? Markus KILLED her soul. It's gone. If you believe in heaven or hell, she doesn't even get that. Oblivion. Her will states that in the case of brain death, she's to be terminated" he said quietly. Susan broke into sobs cradling her. Keith sat there unmoving. "She has no family, so I don't know if there's anyone to call" he said. "She has us" she said. "Yeah, yeah she does" he said standing up. He sat on the bed next to them. "It's my responsibility as her commander. You don't have to be in the room" he said. "F...fuck that. I'll stay" she said. Keith pulled her away from Susan. "Rina. You did great work. You told me what I needed to know. Do you understand?" he asked. She nodded. "Your information is going to save lives. On behalf of everyone, thank you. Now close your eyes for me” he said softly as he looked at the girl in his palm. Keith used his fingers and gripped her head. With a quick twist, he snapped her neck. Rina...was gone. Keith placed her back on the bed with a shaking hand and Susan sobbed loudly next to her. He took a few steps to the wall and began punching it over and over.

His strength had put holes in the wall as she punched. His thumbs broke, knuckles bleeding. "STOP IT! Please..." Susan begged. She grew herself and rushed to him and held his injured hands. "She told me what she saw. He has a legion of mages. More than we can handle. It came at a high price didn't it?" Keith said with a slight grin. He pushed her away. "Emergency meeting. Assemble all the top staff in the briefing room. Nobody under the rank of lieutenant" he said before leaving the room.

An hour had passed before Keith entered the room. His hands were still swollen indicating he had not spent much time healing them. Everyone was whispering as word had leaked out about Rina coming back barely alive and how she had returned. "Commander on deck!" Susan yelled as Keith sat down at their level. "I called this meeting to address a serious problem. At 2:33 this morning, one of our agents assigned to gather Intel on our enemy returned. Before dying of complications, she imparted to me what she saw. 1000 class C and D mages borrower size. Around 50 class B and C mages of human size. Not including some possible class S mages, surviving ZODIAC members, and Markus himself" he said. Susan as well as the rest were shocked. "We...we can't possibly defeat such a force without the Etherion child" one said. "The Etherion child is with them! She could wipe us out in seconds!" someone else said. "There has been no confirmation that my daughter is willing to destroy her own people. As far as we know she only wishes to release the Etherion council" a captain said. "Same difference in the end!" another shouted. Keith stopped Susan from berating him. "My daughter just needs to see the horror of what she's undertaking. Once she sees what can come of it, she will resign" Keith said. Murmurs in the room. "Soon, I will be leaving on a mission of my own. A classified mission that only commander Durmont and my wife will know about. In the meantime, I want you all to see exactly what our combat strength is. I want facts and figures people, not guesses. Captain Yale?" he said. A young borrower woman turned to stand before the giant. "Sir yes sir!" she said saluting. "What's our numbers in the academy?" he asked.

"117 fully enrolled. 31 ready to graduate next month" she replied. "Consider them all activated. Even the green as grass grunts" he said. The woman looked astounded. "Y... yes sir" she said. "Dismissed" he said. Susan watched them all leave the room before talking to him. "What's this mission?" she asked. "I'm going to the Mogwai homeland to offer an alliance" he said. "Have you lost your fuckin' mind?! They'll kill you on sight!" she yelled. "Unlikely. They're worried about Hope" he replied. "And when you tell them she's with Markus what then?" she asked. "Remind them how moody a teenage girl can be misguided or not" he said. "I'm going" she said. "No, you are not. You're needed here to prepare our forces" he said. "I'm 100 times more powerful them you Keith! I'm better suited magically and by experience!" she said. "I know which is why you're staying. You and Claire are our biggest hitters. Can't take the risk of losing you" he said. "Is that your professional opinion?" she asked quietly. "Professional and personal" he replied. She sat beside him and held his hands healing them. "Your wife is going to kill you" she said to him. "You smell like gingerbread" he muttered.

"I ate my daughter's house" she chuckled. He went to pull away and she held his fast. "You have to let go" he said. She did and cupped her face in her hands. He could hear her crying. Keith left her and walked back to his room.

"What is it you're doing?" Lawan asked him as he sat on the floor and began scribbling arcane after arcane on notes. "Preparing to go on a mission" he replied. Lawan floated down from the bed still carrying their suckling son. She sat down in front of the giant. "What mission?" she asked wary. "I'm going to the Mogwai homeland to parlay for an alliance" he replied not looking at her. "I would grab you by your throat if I want holding Justin" she said coldly. "It's necessary. An agent came back from spying on Markus. His forces outnumber us by three times not to mention even the lowest can sling magics like a Mogwai or yaksha grunt. You think we can prevail?" he asked. "Which doesn't explain why you are going" she said.  "Susan and Claire are needed here. Markus punched right through our wards and barriers like it was nothing to return my agent. You weren't there. He shredded her soul and left her a husk. I put her out of her misery" he said quietly. Lawan said nothing as he kept scribbling one after another arcane. "You are their commander. You can’t out yourself..."

"Leaders lead by example. They take charge and lead from the front. You of ALL people know that" he said. "The yaksha can send soldiers like last time" she said. "We both know the last battle left the yaksha dangerously low on forces. Can they spare 700 troops?" he asked. She shook her head. "And her lies my point. If we marshal both yaksha and Mogwai we might, keyword might, have a chance" he said. There was silence between them. "They respect authority and they fear Hope. I'm the best choice" he explained. "Will you at least make time to spend with your family before you go?" she asked. "Of course I will honey. In the meantime, I need to write as many arcane as possible" he said. Lawan left him to his work as she took turns caring for their children. Two hours had passed as Keith nursed a sore wrist. "How many did you write?!" she asked seeing the floor littered with notes. "200 I think" he replied. "You can't possibly use them all" she said. "Watch this" he said making his sword appear. With a thought, the arcane arrays on the paper floated into the air and one by one was sucked into the sword.  "It can absorb magic energy and spells so I can cast them on the fly. Pretty cool right?" he said grinning. She wasn't smiling.     

Keith sat on the bed and shrank down. He held his daughter Kannika in his lap. The baby girl cooed and touched his face. "Pretty little eyes" he chuckled. He caressed her check. "You look so much like mommy. Yes, you do" he chuckled as he tickled her. Kannika giggled and squirmed in his arms. "She smells so much like you" he said to Lawan. "Justin is like you. So smart and curious" she said laying him in their crib.  He handed her to Lawan and out her down as well for their nap. She sat on the bed and grew to human size. "Shine my nails. Do it naked" she said. Keith chuckled as he took off his clothes. The giantess placed a bottle of enamel before him and watched quietly as he began his work.

As he polished her toenails, he noticed her feet getting sweatier by the passing minute. The giantess was hiding it well, but she was profoundly frightened. "Remember that vision you had?" he asked as he finished on her pinky toe. "How could I forget. Susan killed you" she said. "Exactly. That means I have to come back alive to die by her hand. So don't worry about me" he said. "That's...a morbid way of looking at it" she said. "Your feet are sweating. Pupil dilatation. You're terrified" he said. She took the brush and bottle from him and pinned him under her left sole. "I hate it when you read my body" she said. "But what a good read it is" he grinned. She rolled him around with her foot until he tapped out on her toes. "You win this round goddess" he smiled. "I'm always good for a rematch little man" she sneered. She held him to her nipple and squeezed out a drop of milk. Keith greedily drank it. "Are you up for sex?" she asked. "Normally I'd jump at the chance to fuck you, but I need to save my stamina" he said. Lawan frowned. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you" he said.

"Okay. Go ahead" she said. "The signet told me a lot about you but there's one thing it told me you never did. Why didn't you say you said a sister" he said. Lawan nearly dropped him. "I... I don't have a sister Keith. I'm an only child" she said. "I'm telling you that you do. Her name is Nyx which is odd as that isn't Thai" he said. She narrowed his eyes. "Lawan I'm not fucking with you. You got an older sister" he said. Lawan saw he wasn't joking at all. "Couldn't it have lied?" she asked. "It doesn't do lies dear. You ask it a question and as long as someone knows the answer it gives it to you. That's its power" he said. She seemed greatly disturbed by it all. "A mystery we can solve together" he said patting her hand. Keith hopped off her hand and grew back. She watched him silently as he put his clothing on. "How soon can I expect you back?" she asked. "Don't know. Hopefully no longer than a day but this is a big thing. We have a cease fire with them not a peace treaty" he replied. "If you do not return, I will rain down unholy vengeance upon them" she said. "Make sure you find a good babysitter first" he said. Lawan laughed at him but grew quiet. She got off the bed. Lawan embraced him and kissed him deeply. Her heartbeat rapidly and her breath mixed with his. Once breaking the kiss for air, Keith caught her as her knees gave out.

Keith placed her in the bed. "I'll be back" he said softly. She looked up at him with eyes so sorrowful it hurt his soul to leave her like that. "Do...do what you have to do" she said quietly. Keith left the room ignoring her crying. He returned to Control where Susan and Joseph awaited. "You sure about these coordinates boss?" a woman asked. "It's there. Hope confirmed it just days after the battle and they haven't relocated" he replied. "You're walking into the lion's den Keith" Susan said. "Then like the biblical story I'll have to play the part of Daniel" he said smiling. He weakly smiled at him. "How did your wife take it?" she asked. "The same way you are. I can feel you Susan. We're still connected" he whispered to her. Ever since Susan shared a piece of her soul, Keith could sense her strongest emotions. He motioned for Joseph to begin the translocation process. "Boss? Come...come back safe" the woman said from her tiny chair. "I will Chelsea" he said. She looked shocked. "What? Thought I didn't know your name? I memorized all your names. Family doesn't forget family" he said as she stepped towards the portal. They watched as he walked through. "Is he like that to all the girls?" Chelsea asked very quietly. "Those he cares about. And with that big heart, he cares about a lot of people" Susan replied. Chelsea had moved to the colony just two months before and found it weird so many girls lusted after one man. Now, now she could see his appeal. A father, brother, friend, lover, and leader. And he had taken it upon himself to risk his life to save them all.