Into the Great Green Sea

[theWatcher]

Thanks a bunch for checking out my story! It's a work in progress that I whip up whenever I feel the writing bug and have no role-plays to answer to. This is definitely my most ambitious writing project yet. It feels like a draft, and I reckon if I ever finish it, I'll have to go through it and make it look nice and polished.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, criticism, or any advice you might have. Feel free to shoot me a PM anytime!​

One

Dairen woke at the sound of the roosters crowing. He didn't move a muscle except to open his eyes. He looked at the room as the light of dusk started to creep in. Dairen closed his eyes again and reached out with his other senses. He wanted to savour the feeling of being hugged by the widow, Sorcha, from behind as he slept. He could feel her ample bosom pressing against his shoulder blades, her thigh hooked over his like she never wanted to let him leave. Dairen wanted the same thing. He would have married Sorcha and made their relationship official if the law permitted it. He didn't want to compete in the games that day. But then again, he had never met anyone that did. If he won, Dairen would venture into the heart of the forest. Nobody knew what happened when the winner reached the heart, because they were never seen or heard from again. If he lost, he would be bought by one of the other four villages that formed the Pentamun, five communes surrounding the Great Green Sea. No matter what happened. This would be his last morning with the woman that he had found a sliver of happiness with after he himself was widowed.

Moving his leg to scratch and itch, Dairen felt the arm and leg dropped over him tighten ever so slightly. "How long have you been awake?" He whispered and felt a gust of warm breath caress his face. "Since well before dawn," came a soft reply that almost tapered to an inaudible volume before the last syllable. "It's not fair! Haven't we suffered enough?" Sorcha suddenly erupted, sounding like she was going to start sobbing.

"Shhhh, we always knew that it would come to this. I passed my fortieth ciren the summer before last. I have no wife and no dependants. It is the Pact. You know we cannot disobey the Pact," Dairen said as he turned to face his lover. He looked into the slate-coloured eyes of his de facto wife. Her earthy brown hair was flecked with strands of grey. It steamed back in the pillow behind her as she held and looked at the man that she had fallen in love with after her husband was slain by one of the beasts of the forest. Neither of them had planned it to happen; the widower had simply helped the widow out of kindness in the beginning. He knew exactly how she felt, and it also returned some meaning to his life outside of his mundane work as a furniture maker.

The couple had made love the night before. Their last night together. Dairen hated seeing anyone sad, Sorcha most of all. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her, softly at first to remind her that he was still there, that he was still hers. Alone in bed together, it was natural for Dairen to become hungrier, his kisses and hand moving to Sorcha's ass, indicating that he wanted her one last time while he had the chance. His lover would feel him swell against her thick thigh.

"No, Dair, you need your strength," Sorcha whined as her man kissed her neck while he kneaded her ass with one hand. She wanted him too, but also she didn't want to see him become a slave to another commune. She wanted to feel pride at seeing him leave the victor of the games. "You have been my strength for so long now, Sor," Dairen mumbled into her neck as he tried his hardest to persuade his lover by teasing her body just the way he liked it.

After a groan indicating that she had relented, Sorcha rose to prop herself on one elbow and look down at Dairen. "I don't know why I will miss such an insufferable man," she said with a grin and threw one of her thick thighs over her lover to mount him. She teased herself against his erect cock as she leaned down and kissed him, her large breasts sitting on his chest. Moments later, her hand guided Dairen to her entrance and Sorcha pushed herself down onto him with a moan. A grin filled Dairen's face when he felt how hot and wet Sorcha had been for him, even though she had been trying to deny him.

"You just lie back and save your strength," Sorcha said as she moved her hips. She looked down on her man. They would shave off that mop of brown hair and his beard and moustache before the games. The slaves, men who had lost their games in other communes, would perform the rite. Sorcha wanted to be the one to do it, but of course, there was the Pact to consider. "Of course, my dear," Dairen said, still grinning. His hands were kneading Sorcha's breasts, holding them up against gravity as he teased her nipples with his thumbs. He had planted his feet into the bed and was grinding his hips up into her as she fell down onto him. Both of their movements became more frantic, a sign that they were close to release. Finally, Dairen sat up, wrapping his arms around Sorcha. He kissed her and used his body weight to pull her down to the bed on top of him. Dairen's hips worked faster, Sorcha's grinding more violent, then they moaned into each other's mouths as they shared their final climax together. Dairen stayed deep inside Sorcha, filling her with his seed. They had done that countless times over the last five ciren. For whatever reason, their love had never borne fruit. Even out of wedlock, a young child would have spared Dairen from the games, but that was never to be his fate.

"I will always love you, Sor. No matter what happens. If I go into the sea, or another commune. You will always be in my heart and thoughts," Dairen whispered to Sorcha as they cuddled in the afterglow of their lovemaking. There were more noises from outside now, the sun fully risen. The pair knew that they may have woken Sorcha's two children, but they were of an age to understand; her son, the eldest, soon to take Dairen's trade of furniture making in his place. A clanking gong that sounded like a pan hit with a stick sounded. The alert that the men of the games would have an out to present themselves within the hour. The town centre would be like a trade fair. Stalls to sell or trade wares with the visitors from the other communes. The games at spring solstice were the only time that the communes mingled.

———​

In the centre of the vast forest known as The Great Green Sea, another alarm sounded. Pebbles dropped from a ceramic water timer onto copper cymbals to rouse the only occupant of the small cottage from her meditation. In the centre of a circular, grassy clearing sat the woman, naked as a newborn babe. Her long red hair was arranged in a loose braid that trailed down her back as she sat there kneeling on the grass. Slowly she opened her eyes and stood. White, fibrous strands that seemed to connect her shins and feet to the earth broke as she stood. It was almost like the fungi in the soil had grown and joined to her. She nonchalantly brushed them away as she moved towards the cabin a stone's throw from the clearing.

Liora headed into her small cabin house. She would need to rest before the games. Listening took its toll on her, and it was dangerous if she did it for too long. She had learned that the hard way. That was the reason for the water clock. Before the games, she was always alone, but that would soon change. Liora smiled as she ate some bread, dipping it in oil and herbs for flavour. She closed her eyes and tried to make better sense of what she had heard. One thing shone through though. This ciren, the games looked promising. The most promising in over a hundred ciren if her memory served.

 

[theWatcher]

Two

Liora surfaced from the cool water, pushing her long red hair from her face as she took a deep breath. Her wet, alabaster skin shimmered in the dappled light as the late morning sun filtered through the trees surrounding the natural spring. Shifting to float on her back, Liora closed her eyes and felt the sun and water on her body, blissfully aware of the near silence. Suspended in water, there was no listening, only hearing. If there was anyone to observe the woman, the first thing they would notice was the contrast of her white skin and brilliant red hair. Perhaps they would notice her petite, almost girlish frame, or maybe her slightly pointed ears and delicate nose and sharp cheekbones. None would miss her emerald green eyes.

Floating there on the top of the deep spring, one of Liora's hands cupped her breast. She kneaded it as the other hand moved to her crotch. She petted the red curly hair there, her index finger pressing down on her clitoris, the sensitive bud still hidden inside its protective hood of skin. Eyes still closed, Liora gently teased herself. It wasn't because it would be her last morning alone for almost a ciren, she simply just wanted to.

———​

Dairen and five other men sat on stools by the edge of the square in just their loincloths. Several topless older men approached some with razors, others with bowls of hot soapy water approached. As the older men that had lost their own Game saved the participants from Dairen's commune, the town celebrated. Tourists from the other communes mingled and shopped. Once all six men had been shaved completely free of any hair whatsoever, a gong sounded to announce the Games would begin.

The six naked men walked to the centre of the dusty square. From the other side of the square two mysterious hooded men walked forward. The Priests. Nobody knew who they were, or where they came from, but they informed the Pact and officiated the Game. Soon, they would learn the three trails that they would have to endure.

 

[theWatcher]

Three

The five communes of the Pentamun all chose an event for the games. It was in the 'spirit of working together'. A concept trumpeted by the priests. Everyone knew that was a load of garbage. How could the towns work together when travel was only possible leading up to the games every year? Nobody had any idea why this short window was the only time that the monsters retreated into the Great Green Sea and left the people of the five communes alone.

The naked and freshly shaved Dairen and his fellow competitors drew stones to pair for each competition. The rules were simple. The winner of each match took the other player's stone. The competitor at the end of five rounds with the most stones was the winner who travelled to the heart of the Great Green Sea. The remaining men were sold to the other communes. Their slavery wasn't harsh, more like enforced relocation to another town with no option of return.

The matches were all rather straightforward. Wrestling, stone throwing, archery, a log toss, and a foot race. All events except the wrestling and race were best of three tries. In the event of a tie, a decider event would be held.

Most of Dairen's matches were quite evenly matched. He lost the archery event. It was a skill he had never taken to. A lifetime of physical work, moving lumber and furniture, gave him the advantage in his other events. All of which he won. They weren't easy wins, but that made no difference. In previous years, eight stones had crowned the victor on many occasions, but with the pool of six competitors, the scales had tipped to the stronger men, of whom there were three that year.

The three men were given time to rest and drink some water, but not allowed to leave the hot, dusty square. They watched the men that had come to their commune after losing their own games erect a large scaffold. Everyone knew what was to come. The tiebreaker was simple. The three men tied on stones would hang from their hands until only one remained not standing on the ground.

It was during this wait that Dairen looked to the crowd. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw his lover, Sorcha, standing at the edge of the town square, leaning on the railing that kept the spectators away from the competitors. He had said his goodbyes. There was nothing more to be done. Win or lose, he would never speak to her again. To make matters worse, Sorcha had both of her children with her. After an afternoon in the sun, nobody would notice the extra colour in Dairen's cheeks, but he felt ashamed that Elia, Sorcha's daughter, was present watching the naked men compete. Yes, she was almost a woman, but Dairen had helped raise her as his own daughter and somehow it felt wrong for her to see his manhood.

The sharp clack of a pair of wooden clappers broke Dairen and the other men from their thoughts. The final event was to begin. Three men, all strong and proud. Nobody wanted to lose, even if winning meant disappearing into the heat of the sea and never being seen or heard from again. At least the losers went to a different commune for the rest of their lives. The winners, though, what happened to them was a complete mystery.

———​

Deep in the heart, Liora was bored. She knew that today was finally the day that she would have company again. Like every year, she would have all the nonsense questions and complaints, but she would rather put up with that than be alone. She had been in and out of her listening. While it was hard to focus with so many people and over such a long distance, her network so sparse in the communes, the redhead knew that the competition had been especially close. Perhaps her guest would be too tired and forgo all the boring banter, at least for the first evening.