Trapped in pleasure, the world dark, dead... only a faint warmth, thoughts slowing... gone...
--
Hina woke up, panting hard, gasping, now naked on her knees in the throne room. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen, anymore, and the woman's chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes glassy with residual pleasure. There was a soft, feminine giggle, nearby, and she looked up, slow and pained, to see the woman from before, who'd tormented her... she looked like she was so young, far too youthful to be up to something like this...
"P-Please let me go..."
"No, I don't think I will just yet," The other purred, and Hina gasped, yelped as a pair of tentacles slowly grabbed her wrists, pulling them behind her back. "In fact, it was such a good show, rather than try something new, I think... I'd like to see it again~" She smiled innocently then, serene as Hina was lifted up slowly, tentacles amassing under her back, ass, and thighs, like some sort of twisted recliner. "Now, come on, don't fight too hard- no point, remember~?"
---
"Where the hell did she go?!" Emily spun in place, confused. One moment, Hina was with them, and the next... she'd just, vanished. It didn't make sense, she'd been, right there!
"It's magic," Charlotte answered, soft, voice lethal. "I'm not sure what, but she was grabbed out of space... but she's still here, in Wonderland. I'm afraid that us coming here might have caught the attention of something far stronger than us."
"Far stronger than... Hina? You?" Emily frowned worriedly, stepping toward Charlotte. "What could that even be?"
"This is one of the nine hells, I'm afraid it could be a lot of things," Charlotte murmured, quiet. "I'm afraid though, that it may be... the queen."
"The queen? Who is she?" It was Aurelia who spoke now, indignant, angry, hellfire in her irises, tail lashing the air angrily.
"Cthulhu." Charlotte answered, sighing softly. "She's a god of space, time, and the unconscious- she created wonderland based on the depraved and perverse dreams of all the brings who wandered into this hell. While it is dangerous, you're more apt to get fucked into a tree than killed by the monsters here- and as strong as Hina is... she may have noticed Hina."
"W-Wait, why would you bring us here, if you knew this could happen?" Nao narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
"Right, where the hell is she?" Akihiro narrowed his eyes, angry. "You bring us here for a trip, and now she's been KIDNAPPED the first moment?" Charlotte sighed, taking a moment to answer.
"I know Lu personally, as one of the higher ups for the military here. She swore in blood to me that none of us would be touched as long as I did what she wanted- so perhaps I'm wrong, and it wasn't her. It's Hina though, and I'm afraid Lu is the only thing strong enough to suppress Hina's abilities and kidnap her... whether it's her or not, I think we need to question her. Hopefully, she can help us find Hina, easy as that. Akihiro, I can't let you get into danger, I'm sorry."
"W-What?! I'm staying right here, I only just got my kid back, and-! What do you mean, did what she wanted?! You-"
"Fine." Charlotte cut him off, scowling, her tail flicking agitatedly. "I won't give you any bull about making you leave, but the first sign of danger to your life, you're going back to Mír and waiting. More important than your worry, Hina would be broken if you came all this way and we let you die. Understand? As for doing what she wanted, it was just a sexual favor a few months back." She glared, brooking no room for argument, and Akihiro stared, then slowly, tersely, nodded.
"Fine. Barring circumstances that could kill me though, I'm staying here until we find Hina. Deal?"
"Deal." Charlotte nodded.
"So how can we meet with... Cthulhu?" Aurelia angled her head, eyes narrowed. "Is it something that can be solved with one of those portals in the hall of exits you brought us through? Or...?"
"No," Charlotte shook her head. "Lu guards her territory a bit too well for that, so we'll have to hike on foot. it should be about a two days march- but, if Lu has Hina, then she's safe. You don't kidnap somebody here unless they interest you, and Lu isn't a murderer. If she doesn't have Hina, she can help, for a price."
"What kind of price?" Aurelia asked warily. "No helping you because you're a friend?"
"Not in a hell. Lu's been corrupted by the sexuality, this is the hell for lustful sinners who crave sexual deviancy, not murderers or child abusers. She'll want something sexual- but you can let me worry about that, I'll work it out since I know her. Harder for her to manipulate me, magically or otherwise." The Cheshire catgirl nodded stiffly. "We'll need to pass through a small town, then the city around Lu's palace. Are we ready to get moving? Sorry that our tour has been put on hold."
"Don't worry about that, let's just get moving." Aurelia scowled, slowly turning and waving. "Please do take the lead, Charlotte."
"Hold on," She, Charlotte, whispered, looking around slowly. "I hear something, we need to be careful."
"What?" Aurelia, obviously worked up, took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"I hear it too," Emily murmured, defensively moving in front of Akihiro, drawing a knife slowly.
"Remain calm please," A voice spoke out, feminine yet bold, and the party turned as a woman left the tree line, holding an... assault rifle? She was armed like earthen military, with a pistol at her hip, a knife in her vest, wearing gray camouflage and leather combat boots. She definitely wasn't of Underland, and it seemed that nobody could recognize the newcomer- aside from the human military appearance, she bore the ears and tail of a wolf.
"Who the hell are you?" Charlotte's knees were bent, casually defensive, on guard.
"My name is Fang." The armed woman spoke. "I... I think I'm here to help. You said your friend has gone missing, did I hear that right?"
"You did," Nao cut in, immediately, not giving anybody the chance to be rude. "How can you help?!"
"Would you trust me enough to come into the woods a bit? I've got a safe place to talk." Fang dropped the ammunition out of her rifle, put the clip in her belt, and threw the now-empty rifle over her shoulder. "I want to explain, I do. Please?" Hands raised, as if Fang meant to surrender... the girls couldn't seem to distrust her, she seemed more than honest.
"Alright..." Charlotte took the lead, slowly following the stranger. "Where exactly are you taking us? I'm a native, I'll know of it."
"No, you haven't heard of this place." Fang shook her head, softly. "I'm a traveler or a sort, but it's safer to explain when we get there- I'm stuck here, that's the long story short." Lights were becoming visible through the trees, and before more progress was made, all fell silent, seeing a bar through the trees. It wasn't anything like Wonderland's aesthetic, or Mír's, or Starria's- no, this was a bar from Earth's Victorian London, with highly polished wood, frosted signage on the windows, and a warm gilded sign reading, Simply; Wolve's Den.
"What is this...?" Charlotte angled her head, intrigued, as Fang led the way in.
---
Emily looked around as they entered the bar, fascinated- she didn't recognize the architecture from anywhere she'd ever been, and the lights hummed with magic, rather than flame, casting the bar in a warm, cozy atmosphere. Inside were more like the stranger who called herself Fang- men and women armed to the teeth in tactical clothing and camouflages, and behind the bar, a man standing well over six feet tall, almost seven, with dark hair swept to one side, neatly cut. Warm brown eyes sparkled as he smiled serenely to the newcomers.
"Hello, dolls." The man smiled, chuckling softly. "Welcome to our bar. Will you be the customers?"
"C-Customers?" Emily swallowed, nervous, and blinked slowly. "What's going on, exactly?"
"Sebastian, I need the bathroom, do me a favor and explain please." Fang walked around the bar, vanishing through a door, and the bartender smiled, planting his hands. Around the room, soldiers threw the party curious glances, but Emily and co. weren't paid much attention. Still, though... they were listening, not a word spoken among them at all.
"It's... a pleasure to meet you, for one. I am Sebastian, and we are the wolves, as well as horribly cursed." Slowly, this tall man smiled, but the look was infected with something like sadness, melancholy.
"The other woman-"
"Fang," Sebastian interrupted Akihiro, smiling pleasantly.
"Right. Fang, she- she said she wants to help? My daughter is missing, so-"
"Yes, sir, yes, we'll be getting to that, if you'd let me explain, kindly. "You see, in a time long past, we the wolves were an elite guard for the royals of a land long, long forgotten. We failed, and for that, we were cursed."
"I see where this is going," Emily whispered softly, her throat slightly tight.
"Indeed. This bar is where we drank, mourning the loss of our original employ... and as such, we have been trapped in a perpetual stasis for almost as long as I can remember, now. It does not matter the time, nor the place- when somebody has need for our protection, we shall be there, endlessly, to serve."
"Well, if that's the case... why don't you just say no?" Aurelia angled her head, sitting neatly on a stool across from Sebastian, tail idly flicking about in the air behind her.
"Excruciating agony," Sebastian answered, flicking back his dark hair. "Imagine, if you would- your bones break themselves and repair, over and over, ripping through your skin, body shattering times a thousandfold. At least, in this way, we can live our lives for the good of others- for to be selfish would lead to our agony, and we cannot die either way. Perhaps one day, the curse can be broken, but that day is certainly not today."
"I see... how awful," Emily whispered. "You guys though, you're like a small army. Our only problem is a missing friend, so are you sure you're here for us...?"
"It seems most likely, yes," The bartender leaned forward, hands splayed. "Fang was drawn to your group from the moment we landed. I'm sorry to tell you this... but your issue is much more than a missing friend, I'm afraid."
"What do you mean?" Nao asked, slow and lethal, her eyes narrowed.
"Well, let me put that simply." Fang, having returned, dropped her pistol on the bar and rested her chin on folded hands. "We get brought somewhere, we go against armies, gods, arch-demons and the like. If we've been brought to you, it's because trouble's afoot, and shit's about to go down. I did happen to hear you," She added, looking pointedly at Charlotte, "-mention going to the Capitol to find your friend with help of the queen. Was that right?"
"It was," Charlotte nodded, slow.
"Who, is the queen?" Eyes narrowed, now, Fang leaned closer.
"She's a dream demon, called Cthulhu," Charlotte murmured, and the room, the bar, went silent slowly.
"Well, there's our fucking issue," Fang sighed, closing her eyes. "How many times?"
"Four, now." Sebastian answered swiftly and confidently.
"Cthulu is a problem child. At least, we have tools to deal with her." Fang nodded, sighing. "Can you stay here, the lot of you, for tonight? Or do you have somewhere to be urgently?"
"We do need to find Hina, and now," Emily insisted, splaying her hands again, and Fang turned gentle red eyes on her.
"Listen. As you are, you don't stand a chance if Cthulu is even remotely involved."
"We don't know that she is," Charlotte huffed, shaking her head.
"I've seen your kind, cat." Fang turned eyes once again, cold now, brow furrowing. "You're a snake- and try as you might, it doesn't matter if you don't want to believe it. You know, and I know, I can see it in your face. Cthulu is to blame, here, isn't she." Not a question, nor an answer from the cat.
"She..." Charlotte sighed, drawing a breath. "She swore she wouldn't do anything..."
"Mn, well there's your problem," Fang responded idly, turning her gaze once again. "I know your kind, cat. You say that, and maybe you believed her, but you shouldn't have. Did you get soft hearted for a friend, then? What was it, for you?"
"Mn... I didn't want this to happen, or believe it would," Charlotte whispered, quiet.
"I see, I see." Silence fell, and for a moment, nothing was said. It seemed, at least, that Charlotte having had good intentions was genuine, at least.
"Alright, so we're gonna set out in the morning?" Emily nodded, trying to put some, any, decision into motion.
"I don't like it," Akihiro mumbled, expression dark. "It sounds smart, though."
"Good then," Fang nodded, settling it. "We'll head out at dawn. Until then, we should all get some rest- Sebastian, show them the beds please."
"Of course, Fang," The Butler nodded, smiling slowly. "Follow me, everybody, if you will- one night's rest, and we can get searching in the morning. Rather, you all may. I'll be here, as always- keeping your glasses polished."