Millipoid Tickle Story

Chapter Fifteen

_-_ Brief note from author on odd use of punctuation marks

_-_ "Dialogue"

_-_ ~Thoughts~

_-_ "~Dialogue through thoughts (telepathy)~"

_-_ End of note

_-_-_-_

~By the makers...! What HAVE I gotten myself into? More importantly, can this unknown... creature truly rid me of my pursuer? Too many unknowns. Although, if that thing can remove my hunter problem, then perhaps... well, we'll just have to wait and see. I will definitely be seeing that thing again.~

Just as Ezarin finished contemplating, "Master, your humble apprentice has returned!" Jane arrived with her usual bubbling zeal. "Sammy, or as you address him, 'the hunter', is no longer a problem for you. Now, pleeeaaaase, teach me!"

"Has he been... eliminated?"

"You will never see that adorable druid again! This I swear!"

"Good... now," Jane's eyes widened with excitement.

"There is one final trial you must complete." Some of the excitement left Jane's eyes.

"What?"

"One final test to determine if you are truly ready for what I have to teach you." Jane was not pleased but was indeed willing to do anything to reach her goal.

"Well, what is it, Master?"

"Are you familiar with Queen Noveria?"

"Y-yes?"

"She has been a thorn in my side for far too long. A thorn that you are going to remove."

Jane pondered for a moment. "And after I remove this thorn, then will you teach me?"

"Indeed."

"Promise?"

"Just do it."

"I need you to promise me, Master."

"Yes, yes, I promise I will teach you after you deal with Noveria."

The excitement returned to Jane's eyes once again. "Ah, if you promise then I know I can trust you, Master."

"What are you still waiting for?"

"I shall return much later, Master!"

"Have a safe journey," she sneered.

Those parting words made Jane gasp with glee. "You're so caring, Master," Jane exclaimed as she jumped onto and embraced Ezarin who did not move a muscle.

_-_-_-_

Jane arrived some distance from the gates to the Noverian kingdom, hiding behind a tree. Having thoroughly examined it through Sampson's mind, she had a sufficient understanding of the layout of the land. She immediately cloaked herself before entering and proceeded to stroll through the masses, unseen and unheard. Rather than going under, however, she went above this time, walking discreetly among those who were considered actual residents of the kingdom.

At the centre of the chapel were three large trees with a fourth much larger tree between them. Jane discreetly climbed the tallest of those trees and pondered, still cloaked, resting her chin on her hand. ~This won't be as easy as Sampson was. I was only able to sway him so easily due to having bitten him in his sleep and sampled his blood countless times. That and having thoroughly examined every corner of his psyche, understanding all of his desires, fears, interests, preference, and everything else about him, a process that took 2 and a half years. But this 'Noveria'... I've never even seen her before. Never bitten her, don't know what her blood tastes like, don't know anything about her. This will take years. If she's clever, then decades. But communion with the Marquis of Pleasure cannot be forsaken for ANYTHING. A path which, in the right hands, grants infinite power over the flesh, far more than I already have. This is mandatory.~

She sat back and leaned against the tree. ~From what I saw in Sampson's mind, this Noveria character is bold, incredibly strong-willed, short-tempered yet tempered, a powerful sorceress and a clever one. If I make a mistake, I could lose everything. Hmm... I could simply lie to Ezarin, it's not like she actually intends on teaching me. At this point, all I'm doing is running errands for a millipede with an incredibly unsavoury attitude. No, my best chance is to forget about this Noveria and simply take what I want from the millipede. I already placed her in a contract by making her promise to give me what I want so any resistance from her should be ineffective. And I never specified HOW I would remove this thorn from her side, so the promise should be quite flexible.~

She pondered a bit longer before climbing up to a higher branch of the tree. ~Now, what could I possibly tell Ezarin that would make her believe that Noveria will no longer be a thorn in her side? Or... hmm... perhaps I don't even need to tell her anything. Perhaps, millipoid creatures need to sleep too at some point. Perhaps I could take what I need then. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to stop me.~ After heavily deliberating her next course of actions, she descended from the tree and made her way back to Ezarin's abode, cloaked.

_-_-_-_

When she arrived she found that the entrance had been sealed by large rocks. Being naturally formless, she effortlessly squeezed through the tiny cracks, emerging from the other side in one piece.

~Well, can't say I'm surprised. This might be her way of saying 'and don't come back'.~

The hall in front of Jane was permeated with millipedes, scurrying around. ~I wonder if touching any of these insects would alert Ezarin... best not to find out.~ She looked around. ~There must be another way through to her room.~ From the floor to the walls to the ceiling, every inch of the hallway was covered in millipedes.

~Or perhaps...~ she thought, ~what I could do... no. She would have far greater control over these insects than I could ever hope to.~ She sat down and pondered. ~Hmm, potentially die by the hand of a powerful sorceress queen or alert Ezarin to my intentions...?~ She looked back at the sealed entrance she slipped through earlier. ~Those rocks look a bit... unstable... like they could... fall... at the slightest touch...~

_-_-_-_

~Yes, try and trespass now, you naïve creature. To truly believe that I, Ezarin, would EVER give anything of mine to an enemy. Such stupidity!~

~Don't worry, you will, 'Master'.~

~The moment that creature sets foot in the halls, the ground will swallow her up and she will be devoured by thousands of millipedes...~"hehehehehehehahahHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

~Very intriguing plan. I wonder if they eat rocks.~

~If she surv-~ Suddenly, Ezarin heard several loud disturbances. ~Intruder!~ She quickly opened the entrance to her sealed room to observe the spectacle only to find that the seal she had put in place had collapsed into the hallway, taking most of the millipedes with them. ~What is this? Could... no. My millipedes found no sign of trespassing? What in the maker's name occurred here?~

Ezarin began having thoughts that sounded like her own suggest her impregnable defence may not have been as stable as she would have liked to think. ~Could I... "~could it be that the seal collapsed due to being placed improperly? Unimaginable! Surely I would have... *sigh*... I suppose it cannot be helped. I need a much better seal and a new army of millipedes. Yes. But first, I haven't slept in weeks and I am beginning to lose my mind. That dark creature should be gone for a very long time after being sent to face Noveria, if she even survives that is. I should have enough time to rest. Yes, rest first. I have earned it. I fooled her into getting rid of her own ally, and now, she will die at the hands of Noveria. By the grace of Kalosini, they will both kill each other.~"~

Ezarin returned to her room, sealed the entrance, moved to the most comfortable area and closed her eyes. Having avoided sleep for over a month, Ezarin immediately fell fast asleep. Not soon after, a mass of darkness began to emerge from her body.

~Sleep well, Master.~ Jane placed her hands on Ezarin's temples. ~Time to keep your promise. Don't worry. Noveria will never be a thorn in your side again. Have the sweetest of dreams as you fade into eternity.~

Jane's body slowly engulfed Ezarin's entire, large millipoid form until Ezarin was completely swallowed by darkness. As the hours passed, Jane's 'stomach', now the shape and size of Ezarin, began shrinking, consuming and absorbing everything that used to be Ezarin. As the process unfolded, various vivid images and scenes flashed across Jane's field of vision. She almost moaned from the sights alone. ~Marvelous.~