Worlds Collide [HeavenSundered x Inwiththebooks]

Ika felt her own lower lips moistening as she watched Izumi go through her climax, her body practically gushing forth her juices. Some sprayed upon the taller woman but that was just even more arousing to her, that she’d forced this reaction from the other slave. Slowly she withdrew her strapon and started unfastening it, smirking down at the wild eyed and disoriented woman. The device was slick with Izumi’s fluids and would certainly need a good cleaning before being useable again. Ika shrugged and tossed it onto the bed for the moment, seizing Izumi’s hair and jerking back her head hard.

“Felt good, didn’t it? Savor it for now, we’ll be back tomorrow for some more fun. Your schedule will be the same as normal so don’t be late for your activities. If you are… we’ll make this seem pleasant compared to what we can really do.” Ika threatened, delivering a couple more slaps to the samurai before removing herself from the bed.

“Oh, and clean up that before we visit you tomorrow night. I want to be able to see my reflection on it, bitch.” Ika said, helping her sister remove Izumi’s bindings before they both departed.

The next day was fairly normal though Izumi would likely find a few sympathetic looks from her fellow slaves, most looked slightly amused. Her quite ways had rubbed a number of them the wrong way, leading some to think that she thought herself better than they. As far as they were concerned she’d been put in her place. Ika and Riza were patrolling as they normally did, Riza didn’t so much as glance at Izumi if seen while Ika would lick her lips at her. Ophelia said nothing of the events of the previous night to the slave, simply delivering her instructions as needed and departing.

It was only, once Izumi arrived back into her room that she’d find the twins waiting for her once more. They were dressed in their full armor this time though they lacked their weapons. Riza lounged about on the bed, her legs crossed and her eyes upon the ceiling while Ika smiled at the foreign slave. The woman was clearly more than ready for round two with the slave as the events of last night had only served to whet her appetite for conquering Izumi.

“Well, someone finally opted to grace us with her presence. Get in here and close the door, cunt. Or try to run if you like. Makes little difference to me since I like beating your ass.” Ika said.

Having been dishonored and defeated in yet one more way, Izumi's spirit was shattered as she laid there at the twins' mercy, her taut stomach contracting and her chest heaving up and down with the cadence of her breath. When Ika tossed the strapon covered in her own fluids by her on the bed, the samurai turned her head away in shame and disgust, only to have the sadistic guard seize her by the hair roughly. She barely felt the sting of the additional slaps that Ika decided to leave her with for good measure after growling some more threats, the pain from both of her abused holes still at the forefront of her mind.

Izumi was still exhausted when she woke up the next day, not just physically but mentally too, which was not something that the battle-hardened warrior was accustomed to. Fearing the repercussions that Ika had promised, she undertook the humiliating task of cleaning the artificial phallus that she'd been raped with before moving on to her daily activities. The considerable soreness between Izumi's legs made physical exercise uncomfortable, but it was the sexual portion of her training that was truly awful.

She didn't want to be touched by anyone, much less be intimate, but she forced herself to act like she wasn't completely miserable to the best of her abilities, remembering the reason that Ophelia had set her dogs loose on her in the first place. Displaying a 'poor' attitude during her training would only make it worse. When she went to bathe, Izumi was acutely aware of the snickering and the disdainful looks thrown her way by most of the other slaves. Obviously they were aware of her ordeal, and they seemed to take pleasure from it. Normally, the samurai would have never let something so petty and insignificant affect her, but with her psyche being left so fragile, it made her feel completely isolated and forsaken.

The only one there for her was Calypsa, who did her best to comfort her while they bathed together, even though Izumi didn't utter a single word. The blonde's efforts were well appreciated, even though Izumi was still crushed, and any relief was short lived since she was soon forced to return to her own room.

Her heart sank and her shoulders drooped when she saw the twins already waiting for her. Izumi did expect them to return, as they'd promised, she just didn't expect it so soon. She wasn't ready to go through another nightmare yet...not that she would have been any more ready in a few hours, or a few weeks, or ever, for that matter. Stepping inside, she closed the door slowly, her gaze dipping down to the floor between her and Ika. "You can tell your mistress...I..." she struggled with finding the appropriate words, "...I obey her wishes." Izumi said, sounding absolutely depressed. It was difficult and humiliating for her to submit, but she just hoped that the twins would have no reason to continue tormenting her if she promised to correct the issue that Ophelia had supposedly sent them to address.

Ika raised a brow and Riza actually sat up and stared at Izumi with an almost pitying look upon her face. The twin got down from the bed and strode past Ika, cupping Izumi’s chin to allow her to look upon her. Her movements were rather gentle compared to her earlier ones and her eyes possessed the same pity as her expression did. Ika pouted at Riza having beaten her to Izumi but otherwise simply leaned back against the bed. She crossed her arms and glared at her sister’s back and even past her to glare at Izumi as well.

“It is not Ophelia we do this for; she is not your mistress. The Empress is your mistress. Ophelia, rather rightly, judged you were unlikely to be receptive of the Empress’ attentions. That is why we do this, well, I do this. My sister just likes having a new toy to play with.” Riza said, before drawing closer and whispering so only Izumi could hear.

“Ophelia is also hoping to render you… unusable to the Empress so you’ll be disposed of. Empress Selana intends to have you as the Imperial Concubine, thus outranking Ophelia. My advice? If you want vengeance on Ophelia then the best thing you can do is humor her.” Riza said, stepping back and offering Izumi a wink.

With those words spoken her expression changed as though a switch had been flicked, going from slightly friendly to ice cold in a moment. She jerked her head for her sister to stand beside her, who looked pleased to finally be included in whatever her sister had planned. Ika licked her lips at Izumi in an obvious attempt to unnerve her before curling her fists as though she expected or rather hoped for some form of resistance from the broken samurai.

“Get on your knees. From now on you'll answer to cunt since that's all you are. Lick at our sandals and feet until I decide you can stop, cunt. I’m sure Ika would be rather pleased if you resisted so you could disobey for her sake.” Riza said, gesturing down to the strapped up sandals both wore.

Catching the look from Riza, Izumi could only assume that the woman was being sardonic to mock her. She tried to take a step back when the armored guard stood up from the bed and strode towards her, but with the closed door right behind her, there was nowhere for the samurai to go. Izumi flinched slightly when Riza made her lift her head up, expecting another beating, but she was only met with the guard's almost sympathizing gaze rather than her fists.

She wasn't sure at first why Riza made such a point of distinguishing between Ophelia and the Empress, considering that both women seemed to have absolute power over her regardless of titles or semantics, but it became somewhat clearer when Riza leaned in closer to whisper the rest. Of course, Izumi was weary of taking anything at face value from someone who'd beaten and raped her less than twenty-four hours ago, but as she considered the guard's words, she also recalled how she'd picked up on something in Ophelia's tone whenever the slave mistress spoke of the Empress.

It sounded plausible, at the very least, and the samurai didn't really see what the point of lying about this would be, especially after she'd already submitted, promising to do whatever was asked of her. More confusing to Izumi, however, was why Selana would want her as the 'Imperial Concubine' in the first place. With her beauty, her mastery of the art of pleasure and her adoration for the Empress, Ophelia seemed like the perfect candidate. As for Izumi, she had no wish to become anyone's concubine, much less the Empress', although it would put her in a position to claim vengeance over her nemesis, and being abused to the point of becoming unusable certainly did not sound very appealing.

Izumi managed to keep her confusion from showing upon her face, hiding it from Ika while her twin pulled away and returned to her usual persona. The samurai hesitated at first, but Ika's body language as she approached was enough to make her sink down to her hands and knees obediently. Flipping all of her hair over to the left side of her head, Izumi started with Riza, leaning down and dragging her tongue over the length of the guard's foot. Choking down her humiliation, she repeated the process a few and then moved on to the woman's toes, licking over and in between each of them thoroughly before doing the same to Riza's other foot.

It was even more difficult for Izumi when she had to switch to Ika, knowing that the more sadistic of the twins would likely grow impatient if she was ignored any longer, but she forced herself to do it, giving Ika the same treatment that her sister had gotten. Unwilling to give Ika any reason to punish her - not that the guard really needed on - Izumi would continue to alternate between the twins' feet until they were satisfied.

Ika very clearly enjoyed humiliating Izumi, giggling slightly as the samurai relented and began debasing herself before she and her sister. Riza merely went through the entire thing in silence though an amused smirk did cross her lips as Izumi’s tongue tickled at her toes. She had to give the samurai credit for being able to restrain herself and hold in her shame. Perhaps she was not as hopeless as Ophelia claimed she was. In the end that would be for the Empress to decide. The tall woman allowed Izumi to continue for a couple more minutes before she finally spoke again.

“You have a very nice tongue. I want you to take it between my legs and make me squeal with delight. I’ve heard you were quite adept at it from my sister and from the other slaves.” Riza commanded.

Ika frowned slightly, no doubt hoping for a bit more humiliation however the frown vanished in the next instant. She started to unfasten her armor just as her sister did, tossing it aside before taking a position behind Izumi. Riza raised a brow at her before shrugging and positioning herself so that Izumi could get to work pleasing her. As much of a brute as her sister was she was quite devious in her own way so she had no doubt whatever she had planned would not be pleasing for Izumi.

“Do a good job and maybe we won’t do too much today. If you are sloppy of course I’ll let Ika do as she pleases with you again.” Riza said.

“So please do a half assed job. You could do with a few more bruises I think, bitch.” The other sister chimed in.

“Ika…” Riza said, her tone bearing the faintest hints of reproach towards the other sister.

Ika shrugged and it was only then that Riza realized what she was doing. Her hand had strayed between her legs and was teasing at her own folds. At her current position it was likely that when Izumi worked on her then Ika would end up depositing a gift in the samurai’s hair. A rather juvenile idea but Riza had to give Ika credit for the thought. The other sister had this self-satisfied smirk on her face as she worked, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she teased at herself before her fingers started dipping inside of herself. Riza rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Izumi.

By now, Izumi was familiar enough with the twins to understand that the task of licking their feet was merely foreplay, and that they were far from done making her debase herself. When Riza was finally satisfied, her feet as well as her sister's having been entirely coated in the samurai's saliva, she spoke up and gave Izumi her next demand in that firmly authoritative tone of hers. The woman evidently got enjoyment out of what she was doing, but she seemed to treat it more professionally like a job or an official task, while with Ika it always seemed far more personal.

Izumi wasn't terribly surprised by Riza commanding her to eat out her cunt, since it seemed like the most obvious escalation up from the foot licking, but that didn't make the idea any more appealing. However, the twins had made it abundantly clear on the previous night that they would get their pleasure one way or the other, and Izumi was terrified of being raped again, so her only choice was to maintain her obedience. Izumi also got the feeling that Riza would object if Ika wanted to abuse her without cause, which was another incentive to behave, though of course she couldn't be sure if that was truly the case.

Being given a few moments of reprieve while the two women unfastened and removed their armor, she straightened herself up until she was seated in traditional Naginarian, her buttocks resting on her heels and her ankles turned outwards so that the tops of her feet were flat against the ground, big toes overlapping slightly. Izumi wiped the saliva from her lips with the back of her hand while she waited for the now nude Riza to return, but she couldn't get the aftertaste of the twins' flesh off of her tongue. Not that it mattered much, since she was just about to get another mouthful.

The samurai frowned when Ika taunted her, imploring her to fail at her task, but she kept her head down and managed to remain quiet. It unnerved her when the more sadistic of the two sisters circled around behind her, out of her line of sight, but Izumi forced herself to overcome the instinct which made her want to turn around, instead focusing on her given task.

Reaching up to place her hands upon Riza's hips, she scooted closer to the statuesque woman and extended her tongue out to lap over her soft outer folds. After dragging her tongue up and down a few times, she stuck it into Riza's slit, tracing across it before flicking her tongue from side to side, teasing her inner lips as well. Izumi alternated between inner and outer for a while, rolling her eyes up to gaze submissively at the other woman and to gauge her reactions while she licked her cunt, just like she'd been instructed to do during her training. Eventually, when she could notice Riza's breath quickening and literally taste her arousal, Izumi moved on to the sensitive little bundle of nerves at the apex of the guard's sex, enveloping the entire clitoral hood with the warmth of her mouth.

She repositioned her arms, passing them through Riza's legs and wrapping them around so that her hands rested on the back of the woman's toned thighs. Like that, she could pull Riza's pelvis slightly further towards her while pushing herself forward at the same time, allowing her lips to form a tight seal before she started to suck, coaxing the engorged nub further out of its hiding place. At the same time, Izumi began flicking the tip of her tongue over Riza's clit, moaning lightly as she varied the speed and pattern that she moved her tongue in pretty much at random to keep her guessing. The samurai was so engaged in what she was doing that she didn't even pick up on the sounds of Ika masturbating behind her.

Riza was not disappointed when Izumi finally got going, the teasing serving to really get her going. The woman let out a breathy groan as the tongue teased at her outer lips and soon moved to her inner ones. A flush crept upon her skin and soon enough she started breathing a little more heavily. She allowed Izumi to find her hold upon her legs and moved her pelvis forward of her own volition. It had been a few days since she herself had been pleasured by anyone and the tall woman was more than willing to indulge in this little delight.

She gasped when Izumi took the hood of her clit into her mouth, her heart racing and her breathing becoming faster and faster. Her eyes moved towards the ceiling as her back arched slightly, her toes curling slightly. When Izumi started sucking away and playing at her clit with her tongue she started moaning aloud. Heat pooled between her legs as her womanhood drooled with arousal. The samurai’s work was quite well done and the guard felt the pressure rising within her though it still was not enough for a release. She needed a little more and Izumi’s random motions with her tongue were enough to place her on edge.

Behind Izumi Ika was easily able to find a steady rhythm, working at her own sensitive flesh expertly and suppressing the sounds that wanted to leave her throat. Riza’s eyes found the scene and a smile crossed her lips, her twin’s self-pleasure arousing her even more. Her attention was then taken from that as another intense wave of bliss crossed through her mind, dashing logical thought. Assuming Izumi kept up at this pace the tall woman would soon find a blissful release, her body tensing up momentarily before she felt her world go blissfully white with a singular cry. The fruits of Izumi’s labor squirted outwards a bit, likely enough to stain her flesh.

Behind Izumi at this moment Ika also found her release with a grunt and her juices ended up directed towards back of the samurai’s head. The tall woman chuckled slightly while Riza merely wobbled a bit to find her balance from her climax. Izumi had done rather well in her mind. Enough to warrant a bit less torment from her though her sister probably had other ideas. Raping her again was not something Riza intended on doing, between her training for the day and last night the tall woman figured her body needed time to recover.

“Thank my sister and I for our generous gifts to you. After that you can sleep on the floor tonight while we bunk up in your bed, cunt.” Ika said, guessing Riza’s pleasure from the ministrations from the other slave.

“I suggest you rest your ass for tonight, tomorrow I am going to make it sore again.” Riza said, willing to lay back in the bed while Ika had a few other ideas.

“Actually, before you go to sleep… I want you to kiss my ass.” The cruel woman said, smirking at the samurai.

As much as she knew that it was wrong, as much as she wished that it wasn't the case, Izumi drew a certain satisfaction from observing Riza's reactions to her ministrations. Not only the way that the guard's countenance twisted with exaltation, but also the sounds of her heavy breaths and moans, the way that she thrust her hips forwards greedily...the aroma of her dripping cunt. It was enough to make the samurai uncomfortably moist between her own legs, and that sensation of unwanted arousal only grew more troublesome when Riza's nectar exploded upon her face and tongue.

Almost instinctively, Izumi swallowed rather than spitting it out, a burning feeling of shame already washing over her even as the warm liquid flowed down her throat. Simultaneously, Ika compounded Izumi's humiliation by spraying her own juices all over the back of the samurai's head, partially drenching her thick brown locks. Izumi's body tensed up suddenly, anger flaring through her from the utter lack of respect, but she managed to restrain herself, holding her breath for several seconds before exhaling, not even turning around or acknowledging the more sadistic twin at all. However, that became impossible when Ika commanded Izumi to thank her and her sister for their 'gifts'.

"Thank you," she said through gritted teeth, that anger in her belly attempting to resurface yet again. However, out of all the insults and violations that the twins had inflicted upon her, those last two on Ika's part still ranked comparatively low, so she refused to break now when she seemed so close to placating her tormentors after having already debased herself for their amusement. When Riza spoke up as she retreated to them bed, Izumi believed that she was finished, only to have those hopes dashed by Ika the very next moment.

Sighing heavily, Izumi swiveled around on her knees to face Ika, lowering her head in resignation and submission as she waited for the cruel woman to turn around. Feeling exhausted and mentally strained, she just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible without incurring any additional punishments. Placing her hands onthe guard's legs, the samurai leaned forward and extended her tongue out of her mouth, dragging it up from the top of Ika's thigh over the curve of her ass and all the way to her lower back. She repeated the same process several times over each of Ika's cheeks, dampening the majority of the area with her saliva before switching to shorter flicks and strokes of her tongue. Izumi worked as thoroughly and enthusiastically as she could, blocking out her humiliation for the time being as she prayed that Ika might be satisfied enough without making her kiss between her ass cheeks too.

Ika smirked, clearly pleased with herself as Izumi worked. Riza watched the entire affair with a detached look on her face. She noted the woman’s restraint and marked it up in her favor as her likely being able to provide the Empress pleasure. She might just survive Ophelia’s jealousy yet. Once Ika was pleased enough she waved Izumi away and took her place next to her sister on the bed, giving Riza a peck on the cheek. Riza herself tussled the other woman’s hair and turned in the bed, quickly falling into slumber with Ika opting to watch Izumi for a good bit with a predatory look in her eyes.

The next few days was much of the same, the twins violated and beat Izumi though Ika was the more judicious with Riza holding back for the most part. Despite this Ophelia did not ruin the foreigner as she might have hoped and when the end of Izumi’s time there would finally arrive an envoy of the Empress visited the Harem. The woman was to deliver Izumi to the throne room for her to be granted audience with Selana for the first time in a month. Ophelia did not look pleased at all but allowed the foreigner to be taken.

A trio of guards was Izumi’s escort and she would be granted time to find clothing if she desired it. Once at the throne room Izumi would likely notice another of her people was there, the man she had come here to hunt. Selana sat upon her throne looking as imperious as ever though the faintest traces of a frown could be seen upon her face. The Empress would peer down at the slave, her shoulder aching slightly as the now mostly healed wound reminded her of their fight a month ago. She had received quite the berating from her guard captain and from the Senate for that particular escapade.

“Izumi. I trust you enjoyed your time with the members of my harem?” The Empress inquired.

“Depending on how pleased I am by your progress I’ll see fit to move you from the Harem permanently and into the Quarters of the Imperial Concubine. However that is for later and for now I’m sure you are interested to know why this man is here at the moment. The traitor you were hunting for I believe? The one I’ve granted asylum in Antara just yesterday.” Selana stated, drawing it out just a bit to twist the knife.

In part the asylum was to torment Izumi just that little bit more with her goal being in arms reach but beyond her grasp. However Selana also desired information regarding this distant empire. It was likely to come into conflict with Antara sooner or later so she wanted to be informed. She watched the two carefully, looking to gauge both reactions. Izumi’s reactions were more for amusement however she wished to see how her new… resource conducted himself. Especially seeing Izumi collared and shackled like a slave.

At the end of her ordeal at the hands of the twins, Izumi was left battered and degraded, carrying emotional scars that would likely never entirely fade, but much to Ophelia's disappointment, she wasn't broken. She'd somehow managed to piece together enough fragments from her shattered pride to keep holding on, if only by a string. Thankfully, it was enough to deny Ophelia the excuse that she needed to keep the samurai from being brought before the Empress when the time came. Izumi would have been glad to never see the cruel slave mistress or her sycophants again.

Even after taking everything from her, they'd kept taking, making her lesser than she once was. More than anything else, more than she wanted to taste vengeance, Izumi wanted to feel whole again. She would confront Selana and show the Empress than she was her equal, not just a mere slave to be used and mistreated. Whatever else happened afterwards, that needed to happen first.

Finally being allowed to put some clothes on after Ika and Riza had kept her completely nude but for her metal cuffs and collar, Izumi put on a blood red dress with a single thick strap, leaving one of her shoulders bare. The dress was cinched with two thin silver belts, one at her waist and another just below her bust, putting extra emphasis on her breasts. Them hemline was high and cut asymmetrically, reaching just above Izumi's knee on one side while leaving almost her entire thigh bare on the other. On her feet, she wore a pair of leather sandals with ten straps circling either one of her legs up to an inch from her knees.

When she was brought into the throne room flanked by three armed soldiers, the metal cuffs around her wrists attached together, Izumi's eyes first went to the Empress sitting upon her elevated chair before she noticed Takomoru standing by the foot of the throne. Her sense of duty immediately flared up from within, a flash of anger crossing her dark eyes as she glared directly at the reason that she'd traveled to Antara in the first place. A powerful sensation of indignity crashed over the samurai her like a tsunami at the thought that filth like Takomoru remained free and protected while she was enslaved, forced to wear chains and debase herself.

Izumi's eyes darted only momentarily back to the Empress when she spoke before returning to Takomoru, shooting daggers at him while he smirked smugly. Her daimyo's brother was just as she remembered him. Of average height and build for a Naginarian, his jet black hair slicked back into a ponytail and a sparse but neatly trimmed beard covering the bottom half of his face. He'd always liked to dress opulently to flaunt his superiority, only now he'd apparently adopted the Antarans' clothing. Unsurprising, since he'd always been one to act obsequiously towards those who held more power than him so that he might leech some of it away.

"Imperial Concubine?" Takomoru asked Izumi, sounding quite obviously amused. "You should consider yourself lucky, I wouldn't rate you any higher than a common whore," he spat venomously. "I'm certain that my brother knew that firsthand. Why else would he have bestowed such a high rank to a lowly bitch like you?" Takomoru had despised Izumi ever since she'd humiliated him in a practice duel, being the only one who refused to let him win simply because he was the daimyo's brother. Despite only being a mediocre swordsman at best, Takomoru had an incredibly inflated ego from the dozens of undeserved victories that he'd been handed, so losing to a woman of all people was something that he deemed unacceptable.

"You should have slithered far away when you had the chance, snake," Izumi retorted coldly. "I won't rest until you no longer draw breath."

Takomoru laughed caustically. "Yes, well, I'm certain that you said the same thing about apprehending me, and look at how well that turned out for you," he said, that wicked smirk returning to his lips. "Shouldn't this slave bow down before the great Empress?" he asked the guards flanking Izumi in fairly refined Antaran, sweeping his arm theatrically towards Selana.

The samurai could only growl her displeasure as she felt the back of her knees being kicked out, forcing her down into a kneeling position. "This traitor tried to kill his own brother. He will betray you, also," she cautioned the Empress, her pronunciation of Antaran words not nearly as good as Takomoru's, but still enough to get her point across.

Selana would never admit it out loud but seeing Izumi dressed how she was pleased her a great deal. She looked as beautiful as when the Empress had first laid her eyes upon her and her clothing screamed of her rank. The way her cuffs were bound and how they chimed together as she moved. The fire in her eyes though was what most aroused her. Had Ophelia managed to extinguish it the Empress might have lost interest in Izumi. It was still there however, perhaps not as strong but it was enough to set her heart racing just like that day in the Bloodpits.

The Empress watched the display between the two Naginarians with some amusement. Her grasp of the Naginarian tongue was rough though her translator was willing to fill in the gaps in her knowledge. The two obviously hated each other and hatred was a tool she could use quite well. She watched the emotions flare and listened to the almost lyrical syllables of their tongue, the words twisting in her head as some were understood. It irked her to not know what was being proper until it was told to her, a measure of control currently beyond her.

The traitor Takomoru hadn’t been overly difficult to track down, mostly because he had appeared before the Senate a week into Izumi’s training. At first Selana had been irritated but had conceded to Senator Adelia’s points that he knew much of a foreign nation and had seemed more easily controlled than Izumi. So, after some negotiations, the Empress had granted him official asylum yesterday. She trusted him as far as she could throw him but recognized his worth to her cause in uniting the world under Antaran rule. His nation was still a distant threat but that could easily change in a moment.

When he made a suggestion to her guards that was when Selana’s amusement turned to anger and her eyes flashed. She stood from her throne after Izumi made her warning. “Enough! You men, do you answer to Master Takomoru’s suggestions or to the descendent of the Gods standing before you? If I want my slaves to kneel I will inform you of that.” The Empress bellowed, her voice ringing through the throne room. The members of the Phoenix Guard flinched and swallowed hard.

Her intense gaze turned to Izumi next. “As for you, slave. If I require your advice or suggestions or council I will inform you first. Do not presume to act beyond your station. If you do I’m certain I can acquaint you with my needles once more.”

Finally the full weight of her golden eyes fell upon Takomoru. “Master Takomoru. You possess asylum within Antara because you possess information useful to my ambitions. I also sympathize with your right to your lands and property. Never forget however that in agreeing to asylum you are now my subject and a probationary citizen of Antara. I protect my citizens, however I also rule my citizens. Never make the mistake of attempting to assert authority you do not possess in my presence again. I will brook no challenge to my right to rule and will enforce that right at the end of a sword if need be. Am I understood?” She stated.

The Empress of Antaran stood for a good moment longer as she allowed her words to sink in for all attending. If she had allowed that little event slip by unchallenged or unchecked it would both show a weakness and let her guest think he was dealing with some demure weakling. She was descended from the blood of the Gods and showed it in every word and action. After she felt certain her indignation was heard she sat down once more.

"Now then. Master Takomoru, your lodgings have been set up. You will be granted a suite of rooms in the western wing of the palace until a more permanent arrangement for one of your rank is made. You are free to move about the palace and the city, however I insist that you keep a detail of guards with you. For your protection." And also so Selana could keep an eye upon him.

The exchange between Takomoru and the Empress wasn't particularly surprising or unexpected, and Izumi couldn't even feel any satisfaction out of watching him get put back into his place. She'd witnessed numerous scenes between Takomoru and his brother that played out in similar fashion, with the snake constantly trying to push the envelope and test his limits, seeing how much he could get away with. Slowly, insidiously he always found ways to steal away more and more power from whoever he was leeching onto.

The last time, Takomoru's mistake had been that he became overconfident and acted too hastily, so he probably wouldn't repeat it. On the other hand, Selana wouldn't be hindered by the same blind-spot that Izumi's daimyo had in regards to his brother, so that would slow down Takomoru's efforts considerably. It was likely understood by everyone in the room that the guards assigned to Takomoru were not strictly there for his protection, but he thanked the Empress profusely for her generosity nonetheless before taking his leave.

As for Izumi, her hands balled into fists and her toes curled as a feeling of profound dread swept over her when Selana reminded her of the needle torture that she'd suffered through. That was most certainly not something that she ever wanted to experience again, so the threat was enough to dissuade her from any further comment. Still, she stood and returned the Empress' gaze without flinching. Her dark eyes were hard but not overtly defiant, her aim being to hold Selana's interest rather than earning her ire. At the same time, the samurai couldn't make her intentions too obvious either.

The Empress clearly held strength in very high regard, so Izumi tried to tempt her with that, showing that she could remain unbroken even after all of the merciless torture and training. It was a subliminal challenge, but this time one to be fought in the bedchamber rather than the bloodpits. Maintaining eye contact, the samurai pushed herself back up to her feet, her body already warming and tingling with adrenaline in anticipation of getting a chance to 'show Selana her progress', as the Empress herself had put it. Izumi was certainly determined to do just that, and then some.

Selana sighed as her guest took his leave; he would bear much scrutiny for the time being if she was to make proper use of him. At her side she noted a frown from Markus. He had certainly been vocal against offering the foreigner asylum, citing that the loyalty of a traitor was worth nothing at all. The Empress cared little for his loyalty. She was no lordling who could have her empire usurped so easily, she controlled the known world and would soon know what the unknown held. She merely needed his compliance, his knowledge that they shared common interests.

Her gaze turned to Izumi, who had stood and met her gaze without flinching. It was very good to see Ophelia’s tampering had not utterly ruined her spirit. She had half expected a broken, hollow, shell of a woman being delivered. The head of her harem could be… vindictive to imagined threats to her position. Regardless the tall woman met Izumi’s fierce gaze with a look of mild amusement. The Empress anticipated a fight in her quarters very soon. Not with swords or weapons of steel but more with iron wills and possibly fists. Her blood was positively sizzling with the promise of what was to come.

The Empress stood and motioned for her escorts to bring Izumi along with her. They would pass through the great wings of the palace and through the Imperial garden, nobles bowing their heads as she passed. Soon enough they arrived at her personal residence within the palace. The place was unto a manor itself, more a vaulted cathedral than the personal quarters of any one woman. Standing on in the entrance chamber was a massive statue of a woman that looked strikingly similar to Selana. In her right hand stood a man, in her left the Sun.

“I suspect your education on our theology was lacking, Izumi. That is Rya, Goddess of Fire and the Sun. It is from her womb the first Emperor was born. The man in her right hand was her mortal husband, Lyon. All members of the Imperial Family possess her divine blood, blood which… well, you’ll find out soon enough.” Selana said before moving past the entry hall.

She turned right and they reached a long and expansive hallway lined with columns. Her guards stopped before the hall, knowing full well that unless invited one was never to enter the bedroom of the Empress. Izumi would be allowed to follow alone with the tall woman. Selana reached the double doors of her quarters and pushed them open. When Izumi entered she would shut them to leave the utterly alone in the heart of Selana’s palace. Exactly how the Empress wanted it, she wanted no guards interfering here.

The bedroom itself was massive. It was a circular space with a bed in the direct center of the room. The floors were of fine marble and various fires burned through the space. Columns ringed the domain of the Empress and the great ceiling depicted Rya coupling with Lyon. The chambers had passed from Emperor to Empress through the generations since the palace was created. Very little was changed though Selana certainly possessed fewer containers of wine lying about than her mother had possessed.

The Empress sighed and turned her back to Izumi as she walked to a desk off to the side. She removed various pieces of jewelry and her crown in a clatter of gold. “Now then. I certainly that time with Ophelia hasn’t slowed your reflexes. I don’t roll over for just anyone.” She said.

The next instant she had spun and was upon Izumi, swinging a right hook at her. She would follow that up with a swift knee aimed towards her stomach. Sex was not so much what she was looking for here, more to see if Izumi could properly take her. Rough didn’t begin to describe how the Empress enjoyed her time. The samurai had set her blood pumping and now she’d find out if she got the same feeling now. She wanted to feel those sensations again, minus the stab to the shoulder naturally.

“Come now, Izumi. Don’t hold back on my account. Show me the warrior, not the slave.” Selana growled.

Even sitting down, the Empress still exuded a fearsome and imposing presence that Izumi couldn't deny. She'd stood before highborns and lords, faced all manner of soldiers, samurai and barbarians in battle, and yet none had made her feel so small...so insignificant. It shook Izumi to her core, perhaps bothering her even more than all of the punishment and training which had been inflicted upon her. She could handle a lot, more than even she herself could have imagined, but living a meaningless life was something that she simply could not accept.

One way or another, she was either going to escape or make something out of her new situation, but before anything else, she needed to gain the Empress' respect - to force Selana to respect her. When the statuesque woman stood from her throne, the tension between them was dense and palpable, foreshadowing the contest of wills that lay ahead of them. Eagerly anticipating her opportunity for redemption, the samurai complied with her armed escorts and refrained from struggling.

Just like the throne room and the rest of the imperial palace, the Empress' personal living quarters were an incredible feat of architecture unlike any that Izumi had seen prior to entering Antara. Everything from the massive columns to the high, vaulted ceilings gave the impression that the residence was more fit for a god than a mortal ruler. Of course, emperors and empresses from all nations tended to consider themselves as divine beings, so it was no surprise.

Most striking of all, of course, was the massive statue watching over the entrance. At first, Izumi thought that it was a representation of Selana herself until the Empress explained that it was actually a representation of a goddess. All that she could think of was the staggering level of narcissism required to shape a god into one's own image as she nodded and kept her mouth shut. She'd have her chance to bring Selana down a few pegs and to remind her that she was only mortal soon enough.

The prudent thing for the Empress to do would have been to have guards posted even within the bedroom, but Izumi had correctly guessed that the woman would be far too arrogant and self-assured for that. Instead, the soldiers unlinked her manacles in the hall leading up to the Empress' bedchamber, where the two of them would be completely alone. Still, even in spite of Selana's obvious hubris, the samurai remained weary for some sort of trap or ruse. Surely Selana wasn't oblivious to the very likely possibility that Izumi still wanted to end her life.

Izumi remained on her toes, expecting something as the Empress began removing all of her jewelry all too nonchalantly, but nothing happened. And then the attack suddenly came from the most obvious source, which also happened to be the last thing that Izumi had expected. A solid punch clipped her on the side of the jaw, leaving her momentarily dazed as Selana followed up with a knee strike. The product of years of rigorous training and experience in real combat, Izumi's reflexes allowed her to at least partially block Selana's knee with her forearms, dampening the blow.

She still felt some pain from the knee connecting with her taut stomach muscles, driving some of the air from her lungs, but that was a relatively small price to pay for a blow that could very easily have left her crumpled on the ground if it had landed squarely. Taking a quick step back so that she could reset and recover, the samurai adopted a fighting stance, turning her body sideways towards her adversary with one arm held up in front of her face, the other at torso level and her knees slightly bent.

Izumi didn't need Selana's goading to spur her into action, but it did give her an extra little push. Realizing that her adversary had a massive height and reach advantage over her, Izumi decided that she needed to counteract that by relying more on her feet than her fists. Dashing forward, she started turning her body as if she were about to throw a left punch before suddenly stopping and twisting around the other way to launch a brutal spinning heel kick aimed at Selana's ribs. If it connected properly, then Izumi would capitalize on her opponent's vulnerability, driving an elbow into Selana's solar plexus before throwing a knee of her own, aiming it right up between the taller woman's legs.

Selana was pleased Izumi had recovered quickly from the punch, her block of her knee saving her from ending up crumpled on the ground. The fallen samurai adopted a fighting stance quickly enough and Selana fell into one of her own. Her opponent would have better maneuverability due to her thinner clothing however the Empress’ thick clothing was useful enough as a flimsy form of armor. Defense would be the best offense in this situation. Winning was of course quite important to the Empress though less so than enjoying a good fight with Izumi. The samurai was more skilled in martial combat but Selana knew how to get under her skin.

The resulting counterattack appeared to be a punch so she directed her arms there to block it, only to gasp and stumble back as the samurai’s foot connected to her ribs. She growled and managed to block the brunt of the oncoming elbow. A blow to the solar plexus would have seen her crumpled on the ground at Izumi’s tender mercies. She had no intentions on losing so easily to Izumi. The knee connected between her legs, resulting in a howl of pain from Selana. She turned this pain into rage and used it against Izumi.

She took advantage of Izumi’s close proximity and her height advantage to try and grip her hair on either side. Assuming she managed that she’d roughly butt her forehead against Izumi. The blow was a double edged sword as it scattered Selana’s thoughts a bit, fortunately her fist was already moving to try and strike at Izumi’s side. The pain, the adrenaline, and the fear created an intoxicating cocktail that drew a chuckle from the taller woman. She found this to actually be fun, mere foreplay to whatever was to come. As a fighter she actually somewhat respected Izumi.

“You are weaker than I last remember. Perhaps Ophelia did damage you too much. Maybe you are just that weakling I violated with her own sword.” Selana taunted, trying to goad a reaction from her opponent.

Selana held no illusions that without resorting to dirty fighting and taunts she could win against Izumi. By far she was a superior fighter. Selana had honed her skills to a middling degree but according to her guest warriors like Izumi were practically born with blades in their hands. These Samurai were fierce combatants though their honor was clearly a weakness. Antarans had some concept of honor; generals that failed horribly often took their own lives, but were content to use most any tactic to achieve victory. The ends justified the means. Apparently it was not so for the Samurai.

Reading Selana's body language and the way that she was bracing herself to defend against a punch that would never come, Izumi could already foresee her kick landing before she'd even begun throwing it, and it did - perfectly. As the thrill of battle suddenly rushed through her body, the samurai remembered just how badly she'd missed it, and it only invigorated her to press the attack harder. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, however, as Izumi threw caution to the wind and got a little bit too eager to swiftly put her nemesis down.

Even though her elbow had been partially parried, her knee still connected hard against Selana's nether regions, so she certainly didn't expect to immediately be faced with such a ferocious counterattack. Instead of anticipating it, Izumi was already getting ready to unleash another volley of aggression when her foe gripped two fistfuls of her hair and punished her with a vicious headbutt.

The lights went out momentarily as she stumbled back, her nose buzzing with a dull pain. It wasn't broken, but blood still began pouring from Izumi's nostrils leaving a bright red streak the same color as her dress over her lips and chin. A strong metallic taste filled her mouth as her vision came back in random splotches, still leaving her disoriented and ill-prepared to block or evade the punch coming at her. What Selana lacked in technique, she certainly made up for in sheer power; Izumi could attest to that as she continued to reel back, clutching her side where she'd just been struck while attempting to catch her breath.

It was fortunate for her that the Empress chose to taunt her then rather than capitalizing on her vulnerability. Izumi knew what the woman was trying to do, but even still, the reminded of her humiliating defeat and rape in the bloodpits hit all kinds of nerves. Settling back into her fighting stance, the samurai looked almost like a feral animal now with her hair disheveled, her eyes narrowed into two slits, blood still flowing down her face and her mouth half-agape as she panted heavily.

Her adversary's words also reminded Izumi of one more thing: that she craved this victory at all costs, even if it meant crossing some of her own personal boundaries. If there was one lesson that the Empress had taught her during their last duel, it was that honor was far from sacred in Antara. Assuming that Selana would still expect her to try to fight cleanly, Izumi decided to prey upon that misconception by doing the unexpected.

Carefully closing back in on her opponent, the samurai flashed Selana a bloody smile before suddenly spitting a glob of blood right into her face, aiming for her eyes. Hoping that the Empress would be impaired and distracted for at least a short while, Izumi rushed in to deliver a lightning fast combination, throwing two hard punches against Selana's chest followed up by an uppercut. They were decent strikes, but the true purpose was to divert Selana's focus towards defending her upper body so that she'd be utterly vulnerable to the fist that Izumi planned to stab into her liver. If that one connected, surely it would be enough to at least bring the statuesque blonde down to her knees if it didn't just make her collapse outright.

Selana watched the blood pour from Izumi’s nose and found she rather enjoyed the sight. Her own head still run from the headbutt however it was a small price to pay for having caused such damage to the samurai. She looked so bestial when she prepared herself once more, like a wild creature fighting against those that would tame her. The Empress was pleased the head of her harem had failed to break that spirit. She liked demure women who writhed beneath her as much as the next mistress; however power struggle was always something that got her adrenaline pumping.

The slave confused her as she smiled at her, before turning the Empress’ world into stinging pain and crimson spittle. Selana swung her fist at empty air trying to hit Izumi, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. The damned bitch had repeated what she had done to her in the Bloodpits! It was the last thing that crossed her mind before she found herself enduring Izumi’s relentless assault. She desperately tried to block the blows, managing to push aside the uppercut. She then blocked high as she anticipated a blow to her face. Unfortunately for her she was dead wrong in her assumption.

Her lips parted in soundless pain as Izumi’s fist smashed into the spot where her liver was, eyes painfully being forced wide. She stumbled back a few steps before collapsing onto her side, writhing in agony. She finally managed to howl in pain, thrashing out with her legs in the hopes of catching Izumi low and forcing her back. The throbbing in her side made her light headed though no blood of her own had been yet spilt. Selana realized with a shot of fear that she was losing badly at this stage, sprawled out on the ground as she was.

“You bitch! Gah, you fucking bitch!” She screamed.

The fallen Empress tried to rise though in the back of her mind she had no doubt her opponent was going to capitalize on her momentum very quickly. Though there was true fear in her there was also no small amount of arousal intermixed with the intense pain flaring through her. Her eyes blinked open, squinting at the faintly red tinted world in stinging pain. It appeared Izumi had learned a few things in her time in Antara. Things which currently set her as the one very likely to win this little bout of theirs. What she would do in her victory was the thought at swam in her mind.

A familiar visceral feeling of triumph swept over Izumi as her fist sunk deep into Selana's abdomen, the force and precision of the strike managing to rattle her liver even through thick layers of ribs and muscle. She relished the sight of the Empress' face contorting in anguish as she stumbled back on shaky legs before they finally let out and she collapsed ungracefully onto the opulent marble floor. It was but an insignificant fraction of the pain that Selana had inflicted upon her, but it was extremely satisfying nonetheless, and Izumi could take additional satisfaction in knowing that the taste of defeat would wound the proud Empress more than physical pain ever could.

Her adversary proved to be quite resilient, however, screaming and refusing to submit even when the fight was clearly lost. That suited the samurai just fine, since she was happy to hurt and humiliate Selana further by toying with her. The wild sweeping kicks coming her way were hardly a threat, but rather than back away and give her nemesis any time at all to begin recovering, Izumi met them with far more expertly delivered kicks of her own, punishing Selana's knees and shins every time she dared to lash out. Licking some of the blood from her lips, she smiled again, this time genuinely as she watched the arrogant woman writhing and struggling pathetically at her feet.

After deflecting another kick, the samurai mercilessly stomped her heel down into her opponent's gut before falling on top of Selana, throwing a vicious hook to her left eye as she settled into a straddling position over her midsection. Gripping a fistfull of Selana's short hair in her left hand, Izumi lifted the Empress' head off the floor and followed up with a second punch, then a third and fourth, wanting to make sure that her foe was left completely defenseless. Still, she held back enough to keep Selana conscious, because she very much wanted her to be aware and to remember everything that was happening.

"Now you will be the slave," Izumi sneered, carelessly dropping Selana's head back against the floor before moving her hands down to grasp at the neckline of the Antaran Empress' thick robes. Yanking hard, she tore them open as much as she could before standing up again and continuing to pull with violent jerking motions, aiming to tear the other woman's clothes off and to leave her nude and vulnerable the same way that it had been done to her so many times over the past months. If Selana dared to resist, Izumi would have no qualms about pacifying her with a few more well placed kicks.

The only thing Selana’s kicking and thrashing earned was abuse to her legs as Izumi seemed to relish in beating her fallen adversary. The Empress held no illusions that the Samurai was in a particularly merciful mindset given the abuses that had been piled upon her. Of course with the fear and pain she felt her arousal grow despite herself. Her other slaves, even the twins, feared marring the mighty Empress but Izumi was not held back by such loyalty. As she blinked her eyes clear she managed to get a glimpse of the underside of Izumi’s sandal just before it slammed into her gut.

Pain exploded through her body as her breath was knocked from her lungs, followed by pain flaring over the left side of her face as Izumi punched her. The foreign slave mounted her midsection and started hammering away at her. Of course there was the fear that Izumi might very well kill her now to claim her revenge, she had tortured and raped her after all. The taller woman felt defenseless as Izumi rained down judicious blow after blow. Her right eye was still unmarred so it and its squinting partner caught sight of Izumi’s sneer as the next words left her lips.

Selana struggled against her grip. “No! I am no one’s slave, bitch! I am Empress Selana Imperator!” The Empress screamed as Izumi tore at her clothing.

All her struggles earned her was a couple more kicks, eliciting yelps of pain from the tall woman. Selana’s head lolled to the side as she writhed weakly while her clothes were peeled from her body. She groaned in pain as her eyes slowly shifted back towards Izumi as the slave stripped her. Of course part of her got a thrill out of this while the majority was fearful of being at Izumi’s mercy. The emotion was clear in her eyes as she stared up at the victorious combatant. She had lost this little bout and it had cost her pride and now her fate was in Izumi’s hands.

As soon as her clothes were torn from her Selana tried to stumble back to her feet but found her abused legs protested the action. She groaned as she was resorting to try and crawl away from Izumi. How the mighty had fallen it seemed. The Empress hadn’t anticipated Izumi adopting the more… honor free tactics of the Antarans. Now she would be subject to the abuses of this enraged slave. She needed to recover, to get away before she could actually do what she intended to do. These were the only thoughts crossing her mind at the moment as she slowly tried to crawl towards the double doors. Of course the illicit part of her that was aroused expected the samurai would have no qualms with dragging her back by the ankles and punish her for her continued resistance.

Finally managing to tear the entirety of Selana's robes away, Izumi panted as she stood proudly over her defeated nemesis, discarding the torn clothing carelessly to the side. "We will see," she replied to the Empress' defiant claims, the excitement easily discernible in her tone. The samurai watched with both amusement and a certain measure of respect as Selana proved her considerable resilience, still attempting to regain her feet after all of the abuse that she'd endured, and then still trying to crawl away sluggishly when her legs failed her. Izumi even let the woman make it to within a few feet of the double doors leading back out into the hall before putting an end to the feeble escape attempt.

Easily catching up to her, Izumi grabbed Selana by the back of the head and slammed her face into the unforgiving marble. Again, not so hard that she would knock the woman unconscious, but certainly hard enough that she'd have some serious trouble coordinating her body to do much more than writhe around helplessly. "You crawl like a slave," she taunted, grabbing Selana by both ankles to drag her back towards the bed at the center of the spacious bedroom.

Pulling the Empress by the hair once again, Izumi forced her to kneel at the foot of the bed, keeping her pinned firmly against it with a knee between her shoulder blades. She undid one of the thin leather belts cinching her red dress and grabbed one of Selana's wrists, placing it against one of the massive ivory bedposts. After wrapping the belt around Selana's wrist several times, Izumi tied it securely enough that it would hamper blood circulation and be uncomfortable without completely cutting it off. Then she undid her second belt, causing he dress to float loosely around her more like a nightgown, and used it to tie Selana's other wrist to the bedpost on the opposite side.

"Up!" the samurai commanded as if speaking to a dog, giving the Empress a harsh slap to the back of the head for good measure. She knew fully well that Selana wouldn't be able to make herself stand yet, even if she wanted to. "Weakling," she scoffed derisively, doling out another slap before walking away to fetch something from one of the tables in the room. A few moments later, Izumi returned and put her hands on the other woman's waist, pulling her up until she was bent over with her face on the bed and her legs spread and fully extended. Then she slipped the tall candlestick that she'd went to fetch across the floor between Selana's long legs. The candle was positioned so that the Empress would be able to feel the heat radiating against her thighs and her mound, but she wouldn't get burned...as long as she kept her ass nice and high in the air without swaying much to either side.

"What are you?" Izumi asked, carelessly running a hand over one of Selana's bruised sides, then down over her hip and outer thigh before she moved it back up to grope one of Selana's nicely toned ass cheeks. She wanted to hear the word coming out of the Empress' own mouth.

Selana was surprised she made it so far to the doors, just a little further and she could take control back. Of course Izumi was merely toying with her, which became apparent when she gripped her by the hair and smashed her face against the floor. Blood spurted from her nose; it didn’t feel broken but it certainly hurt as she mirrored the samurai’s injury. She managed to writhe weakly and vainly grope at the floor to try and keep from being dragged back. A low groan escaped her lips as she struggled to reorient herself after the extensive beating Izumi leveled at her.

The Empress grunted as she was roughly pressed up against the bed, yelping when Izumi’s knee connected between her shoulder blades. Her arm was roughly yanked and despite her weak struggles was tied to the bedpost. Her other arm quickly followed, leaving Selana battered and broken as she kneeled at the foot of the bed. Fear lanced through her heart at this position as she tried to turn her head to see Izumi. Control of the situation was utterly out of her hands. The slave had her in an extremely compromising situation with no clear way out. The delicious switch in their positions was enough to get Selana’s blood pumping faster and louder.

Weakly she tried to stumble to her feet, the smack automatically spurring her to the failed action. Shame crept through her mind as she realized she had acted as a dog might, another illicit thrill shooting though her soon after. She growled when Izumi smacked her again and called her weak, mustering her imperial pride. The slave departed to find something before returning and helping Selana to get up and stand awkwardly. The Empress found her face pressed into the bed, blood staining the expensive sheets.

Heat. She felt heat very close to her more intimate area. A candle was what the other woman had most likely fetched in that case, positioning it so that Selana would need to move herself just so in order to avoid the flickering flame. She swallowed hard as she kept her ass high, fear of getting burned trumping most all concerns. A wince crossed her features when Izumi ran her hands over her abused form, the Empress feeling utterly powerless. She was not just going to give the samurai the words she wanted to hear, not this easily.

“Fuck you, cunt! I am Empress Selana Imperator.” The tall woman spat, refusing to call herself a slave to Izumi.

Izumi smiled knowingly to herself, having of course expected such a response out of the extremely prideful Empress, but she'd come much too far now to give up without getting - or taking - what she desired. Her hand crept back up along Selana's bruised side, and this time she was considerably rougher and more deliberate than before, squeezing and digging her fingers deep into the tenderized flesh until she heard the bitch scream out in pain. Izumi kept at it for several agonizing minutes, knowing that it would be especially torturous for Selana since she would need to constantly keep herself from moving to avoid being burned.

A faint voice at the back of the samurai's mind told her that what she was doing was barbaric and inhuman, and normally that might have been enough to make her stop and reconsider her actions, but in this specific case, her hatred towards Selana burned so fiercely that it drowned out her conscience. This woman deserved no mercy. She didn't even deserve death. What she deserved was to feel the same agony, shame and humiliation that Izumi had felt at her hands.

The samurai's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as a pungent scent wafted up to her nostrils, something that was simultaneously foreign and vaguely familiar. Her almond eyes dipped down to the Empress' exposed folds as she contemplated whether it could truly be what her instincts were telling her. Could Selana truly have gotten aroused from the brutal beating that she'd endured? One benefit of Izumi's dominant position was that she could very easily check for herself.

Without warning, she jabbed two fingers into Selana's cunt all the way up to the third knuckle, as far as they could go, finding the woman's soft inner walls to be blazing hot and shockingly moist. Shaking her head slightly in disbelief, Izumi started pumped her fingers in and out vigorously enough to draw loud sloshing sounds from Selana's cunt, intentionally highlighting her wetness in the hopes of shaming her further. "Disgusting pig," she commented scornfully, inspecting the slightly sticky fluid which clung to her fingers after she'd pulled them out. "Did you want this?" Izumi asked, circling around to the other woman's side so that she could smear Selana's own juices over her lips and nose, rubbing her face in it like one might do to a dog who'd just made a mess.

Izumi's fingers coming away covered in her enemy's blood, she brought them up to her mouth and slowly, sensually sucked the mixture of blood and arousal off of them, purring softly as she did it. She wasn't even sure why she'd wanted to, it was just a craving from deep within that had taken over her.

The samurai hadn't forgotten about her previous craving, though, and she wouldn't be satisfied until Selana told her what she wanted to hear. Moving back behind the woman, she lifted a foot and pressed it against the back of Selana's knee, applying enough pressure to force it to bend slightly. Izumi would keep going until Selana's bare and vulnerable mound was just close enough to the candle's flame that the heat would become excruciating within just a few short seconds. "What are you?" she repeated the earlier question more insistently, keeping Selana locked in that position.

Selana shrieked in agony as Izumi twisted the proverbial knife into her side, writhing in pain. She yelped when she almost burned herself from her struggles. It hurt but at the same time the abuse served to get her going like nothing else might. The pain kept going on and on and Selana had to fight the urge to beg Izumi to stop at one point. She enjoyed pain as much as the next masochist but even she had her limits. She bit her lip and refused to beg the samurai to stop, burying her face in the blood-soaked sheets to muffle her screams.

Finally and mercifully Izumi stopped and by now she could feel her arousal burning between her legs. An odd mix of pain and pleasure Selana was quite familiar with. She had discovered these urges quite a long time ago when she was still a princess of sixteen. Markus had been the judicious task master he was and beaten her quite horridly in a sparring match. There reached a point where pain mixed with pleasure and she had been forced to excuse herself to attend to her arousal. Of course she enjoyed utterly dominating her slaves; however she also enjoyed being beaten and dominated by them.

Her eyes shot wide and her knees wobbled like jelly when Izumi roughly inserted two of her fingers into her as far as they would go. They sloshed about in her wetness, drawing mixed emotions of shame and of course further pleasure. Her walls clenched up around the digits as they desperately tried to hold them in vain. Selana groaned when Izumi removed her fingers and moved around from her back. She smeared Selana’s own juices over her blood-soaked face, treating the Empress like an animal needing to be disciplined for making a mess. The Empress smelled her own arousal and her eyes flicked up towards Izumi before she moved back, desperation playing out.

Selana yelped as Izumi moved her closer to the candle flame, the burning sensation causing the woman to struggle against the foot pressing her down. Tears of pain leaked from her eyes as she felt the painful flames intensify. Fire was the sacred symbol of her bloodline and now Izumi was using it to torture her. The irony was not lost upon her. At the moment she was desperate. Desperate to escape the flames, to find a form of release at Izumi’s hands. Her pride was promptly swallowed as she all but screamed the words Izumi wanted to hear.

“I am your slave! I am Izumi Sato’s filthy slave! Please, stop! I’ll do anything just take the fire away!” Selana screamed desperately.

Another illicit thrill shot through her shame at having spoken the words. None of her other slaves had ever dared forced her to say anything like that. Certainly they hurt her when she asked but they were afraid of her and afraid of her wrath afterwards. Izumi was clearly afraid of her but she also was willing to make her debase herself. To fully switch things around where she was the mistress and Selana the slave. Her pride was naturally quite wounded but that took a back seat in this matter.

Izumi could not recall every taking pleasure in witnessing another person's suffering, not even an enemy's, but there was no denying or mistaking the jolts of excitement arcing through her body at the sounds of Selana's tortured wails. Perhaps that was simply the nature of revenge, or she'd somehow acquired a taste for the Empress' perversion. Either way, in the present moment she didn't care, nor did she stop to contemplate or analyze her actions. All that mattered was that watching her nemesis suffer and scream at her hand had completely regalvanized her, restoring her own confidence and sense of self-worth. Izumi's honor was still tarnished in ways that could never be repaired, but it was still countless steps up from feeling like a disposable piece of meat.

All of the control and power was in the palms of her hands now, and she had no intention of stopping, especially after how impossibly sweet the Empress' submission turned out to be. Her own abdominal muscles and the inner walls of her womanhood tensed up with twisted arousal as Selana's shouted words rang through her head. It truly was a rush unlike any other, possibly even more euphoric than the triumphant feeling after winning an important duel or a crucial battle. Wanting to prolong it, the samurai continued applying enough pressure with her foot to counteract Selana's weak struggling for several more seconds before finally allowing the woman's leg to straighten.

Wrapping her fingers around the golden candlestick, Izumi was about to move it away like Selana had begged her to do, but then she hesitated, remembering just what a cruel and sadistic bitch the woman was. She didn't deserve any mercy. "No," Izumi replied coldly, leaving the candlestick right where it was and pulling her hand away from it. She might not lower Selana closer to it again unless given cause to do so, but it would still serve as a warning and prevent her from finding any comfort, forcing her to remain bent over with her weary legs held straight.

"Your 'divine blood' does not protect you?" the samurai asked mockingly, obviously enjoying the irony of having made the Empress, who fancied herself a descendant of a goddess of fire and sun, submit with the very element that she claimed dominion over. Taking advantage of Selana's compromising position, Izumi wound her arm back and gave the woman's exposed cunt a vicious slap, another shiver of pleasure running up her spine as she heard the loud smack of flesh against flesh accompanied by another delicious cry from Selana. "Squeal, pig!" she laughed, delivering another slap, and another, and another...

Selana had once lashed her thirty times, so that seemed like an appropriate number. "Squeal or meet the fire again!" Izumi growled threateningly before her palm made contact with Selana's moist and increasingly red and puffy nether lips yet again.

Selana screamed bloody murder until Izumi finally allowed her legs to straighten and allowed her to stand above the flame. Idly in the back of her mind she suspected her guards might very well be a tad worried considering who exactly was attending to her. The Empress was pleased no interruption had come forth and she was allowed to enjoy the pain meted out by the vindictive samurai. Her heart sank when Izumi kept the candle there, swallowing hard as she kept her legs as straight as she could manage. A whimper left her lips, rather uncharacteristic for the ruler of Antara.

She yelp in surprise when Izumi slapped at her moistening folds, pain and arousal flooding her mind in a twisted cocktail. Oh, she squealed as the samurai commanded, mewling and moaning between the painful smacks. Her mind was a haze of the sharp stings and the mind numbing pleasure she got from the abuse. This was a new pain and she rather found it got her going. Her lower lips drooled with pleasure, staining Izumi’s fingers more with each slap. Her eyes rolled in their sockets as she squealed and screamed at her slave- mistress’ pleasure. Just the thought of calling her that sent another thrill through her.

Selana managed to make it to twenty six slaps. Each on built up the pressure more and more within her, her frothing inner walls tensing and moistening with each strike. Eventually it felt like she was being poked with a brand each time and she only barely managed to keep her legs up. When she reached twenty six smacks she let out the loudest scream yet, one that mixed pain and pleasure in its tone. Her entire body tensed up and she felt a loud roaring in her skull from the flames of her sheer and utter bliss.

The spasms of her body were far greater than Selana could ever recall, the orgasmic pleasure obliterating every sensation in her mind. The following four slaps weren’t even felt as she practically exploded. Her legs wobbled and it was only through sheer force of will that she managed to keep herself from falling. She made a sound in her throat that was a mix between a gurgle and a moan, her face buried in the sheets. In her afterglow she felt the pain radiating through her form but found herself drinking it in.

It was at that moment the doors flew open and both guards from the hall entered, swords in hand. “Your grace! Are you alright?”

The illusion shattered for Selana and she groaned, lifting her head enough to speak. “Did I shriek for you to come and help me!? No? Then piss off and go back to standing around outside before I flog you both!” The Empress yelled, her authority snapping back in place effortlessly.

Both men paled before their faces turned cherry red as they got a good eyeful of the empress in a most compromising position. They rushed back out of the doors with shouted apologies, their exit sounding out with a resounding echo. Selana slumped her shoulders in irritation. If her time with Izumi was going to be so violent she’d need to inform her guards to just ignore the sounds of her being murdered. To be fair, they were just doing their duty. Only their duty tore her from the highly arousing scenario that had just played out. Her gaze turned back, trying to catch a glimpse of Izumi.

“Apologies… mistress. I don’t think we’ll be having any interruptions from now on.” Selana said, trying to get back in the mindset from before as she wrestled with her aftermath still.