The Titan Kingdoms

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For centuries, the continent has been ravaged by war. The Titan Overlord marched from the capital of her kingdom at the head of an army of giantesses. The kingdoms around her fell one by one; some surrendered at the mere sight of the titanic beings approaching their walls, other fiercely resisted, and witnessed their population decimated by the rampaging monsters. My name is $name. Once I was a simple orphan girl working the farms of the local lords, yet I became part of events that will remain in history as the turning point in the war of the first Titan Overlord. You may not believe me; you may not like what you will hear, but this is my story. *[[Character Customization]] *[[Continue->Prologue 2]]

My birth town was a small settlement at the eastern edge of the land controlled by the republic of Thearn, a prosperous trade city, governed by the wealthiest merchant families. I never met my parents: They died soon after my birth, killed by slavers during a raid. I was raised by the orphanage of the town, like many others. I was barely an adult when the overlord's troops finally completed their conquest of our republic. The titanesses descended upon the armies of Thearn like wolves on sheep. Their victory was swift and brutal: In but a year, the republic had fallen, and a governor was appointed by the ruthless empress, overlord of the titan. After the conquest, few things changed initially, in fact, many were grateful that we finally had peace again, although under another crown. Yet, it would not last: Taxes gradually became harsher, and more and more of the town's youth was recruited to serve the ravenous war machine of the empire. Still, as precarious and heavy as it was, the empress' peace was better than the alternative. But it was only when a dark shadow was spotted coming towards the village, that we truly realized what truly meant to be the overlord's subjects. [[Continue->Prologue 3]]

That day, I woke up rather early. The chilly air of the morning did not stop me from getting an early start on the work I had for the day. Exiting our house, I got to the well, when desperate screams reached my ears from my right. I paid them no heed, and went back to my task. It was by watching the perturbed surface of the water that I became first aware of the tremors. Soon enough, however, I could feel them in me, shaking my own body. Looking at the horizon, I finally spotted a giant figure coming towards the town. It was a titan warrior: A giantess of the overlord's legions. And she was coming straight towards us. The female colossus was quite the sight: She looked mature, a veteran of the army; dressed in a small and tight tunic that left little of her toned body to the imagination, with her muscles bare for everyone to witness. Her skin was marked by many scars, all over her limbs and even on her face, yet they did little to diminish her statuesque beauty, if anything, they gave her an aura of predatory allure. She looked at the town and smiled: She found her target. The village was overwhelmed by a tide of panic and terror. Fleeing peasants could be seen everywhere, but the giantess was faster than them, much faster. [[Continue->Prologue 4]]

You will follow $name, a young woman, that grew up as a war orphan, from the province of Thearn, during the final phase of the war with the overlord. The currently selected choices are the default choices. Name: <<textbox "$name" $name>> //Note: The name will not update until you leave this page// Body type: <<listbox "$bodyType" autoselect>> <<option "chubby">> <<option "average">> <<option "thin">> <<option "athletic">> <</listbox>> Curves: <<listbox "$curves" autoselect>> <<option "modest">> <<option "average">> <<option "generous">> <</listbox>> Skin Tone: <<listbox "$skinTone" autoselect>> <<option "pale">> <<option "fair">> <<option "caramel">> <<option "brown">> <<option "dark">> <</listbox>> Hair Color: <<listbox "$hairColor" autoselect>> <<option "blonde">> <<option "red">> <<option "auburn">> <<option "brown">> <<option "black">> <<option "gray">> <<option "white">> <</listbox>> Eye Color: <<listbox "$eyeColor" autoselect>> <<option "blue">> <<option "green">> <<option "hazel">> <<option "brown">> <<option "gray">> <</listbox>> [[Continue->Prologue 2]]

I was not immune to the terror. I dropped the bucket I was carrying and rushed back home, while the tremors became more and more powerful all around me. Suddenly an explosion shook the town. I found myself on the ground, then a warm sensation to my left side: My tunic was turning red, as blood poured out of me. A wood splinter struck me from behind. I turned around and saw the arrogant smirk of the giantess, towering above what once was the tavern, now just a pile of rubble under her bare feet. She bent down and scooped up two people into her hand. They easily fit into it, they were barely as wide as her palm. She licked her lips, and unceremoniously popped one in her mouth. Almost immediately, her throat took the man captive, and dragged him into her waiting stomach. With a contented sigh, the giant woman looked at her other prisoner, and slipped her in as well. In pain and with my vision blurring, I forced myself to stand up and run-or better limp-towards my home. More and more desperate screams reached my ears, as the giantess continued her rampage behind me, thankfully with other targets in her sight. I refused to look back again. [[Continue->Prologue 5]]

My movement was severely hampered by my wound, but I gathered all the energy I had left in me and jumped to my feet. I grabbed a piece of wood that landed nearby and charged her foot, screaming on top of my lungs. I hit her big toe with all the strength I could, the appendage as tall as my knees and almost as long as I was tall. Yet her skin repelled my assault unscathed. Her foot rose above me, and then fell again, trapping me under her toes. She bent down to inspect me. "My, my, that was ballsy of you, little girl. What made you think that would work?" She freed me from my fleshy prison, only to trap me between her fingers, bringing me up to her face. The rapid ascension almost knocked me out. "You are a cute thing." With my survival instinct in overdrive, I desperately clawed against her fingers, then I sunk my teeth into her flesh and bit as hard as I could. She barely acknowledged my effort. "You are tenacious, I'll give you that." She took a few seconds to think, scanning me time and time again with her eyes. "You know, you may just be worth keeping" she said. But I could barely hear her words, the blood loss was finally making me lose consciousness. [[Continue->Trials 1]]

<<set $mission to "The Trial">>I woke up in a bed, inside a tent filled with other beds and what looked like medical equipment. My wound had been well treated; I had no clue where I was or how long was I unconscious, but I felt surprisingly well. Getting out of the bed, I took a couple of steps to see how well I could move. Satisfied, I exited the tent. Outside, I discovered that I was in a camp of sort. There were numerous rows of tents in front of me, and a constant flow of soldiers in various states of readiness, wearing the colors of the overlord's army: blood red and sickly black. "You woke up? Good. You almost missed your chance. Come, follow me" a male voice said. I turned around to see an old man, with a long tunic and a white beard. "I said, there is little time, girl. Come on" he insisted. In my state of confusion, I blindly obeyed. The man brought me around the tent I was sleeping in, and there I saw three, no five, maybe even more titan warriors. The giantesses were wearing their bronze battle armor, placidly standing guard to the sector of the camp dedicated to the overlord's titanic soldiers. I had only ever seen one giant before in my life, the one that almost killed me, and now I was standing not even a hundred feet from half a dozen of them. Behind the gigantic figures, I could see their tents, each easily <<if $metric>>thirty meters<<else>>a hundred feet<</if>> in height, able to accommodate the <<if $metric>>24 meters<<else>>eighty foot<</if>> tall female warriors standing before me. They dwarfed the tents of the male legionaries, towering above their side of the war camp. [[Continue->Trials 2]]

I stood up and forced my legs to move, but it was immediately clear that I was not running nearly fast enough to escape my executioner. <<set _roll to either(0,1)>><<if _roll == 0>> The giantess did not hesitate for an instant. In fact, she seemed delighted that I was still lively enough to move. She brought her foot over me; the shadow covered my entire body. Then, she brought it down on me, slowly, so that I would not die instantly. The rough skin of her sole scraped against mine, while her weight pressed down on my battered body. She gradually increased the pressure, savoring my struggle, until my bones finally cracked. I was no more, reduced to a mere pool of blood and guts under her foot, dripping from her toes. <<else>> The giantess did not hesitate for an instant. In fact, she seemed delighted that I was still lively enough to move. She brought her foot to me and gave me a light tap with her big toe, causing me to tumble down immediately. I was too weak to move anymore. She brought down her fingers. I could feel them closing around me, then I felt her wet and slimy tongue probing my legs, savoring my flesh. Soon enough, I was trapped into her cavernous mouth. The humidity and heat took what little energy was left in me away. Her throat a dark cavern in front of me. She swallowed, and I disappeared into her stomach. <</if>> <div class="title">Game over.</div> <div class="center"><<link "Restart">><<script>>Save.autosave.delete();<</script>><<set $lastPassage to "Main menu">><<goto "Main Menu">><</link>></div>

It was when I could just see my house in front of me that the giantess reached me. Her foot came down mere inches from my body, the impact sending me flying a few feet into the air. I fell on my wound; a scream of agony escaped my throat. I looked up, to see the content smile of the giant soldier; her eyes, filled with glee and lust. *[[I Gathered my courage and charged at her.->Prologue attack]] If I had to die, I would die on my terms. *[[I fled as fast as I could.->Prologue flee]] I had little doubt that she would catch me, but desperation is a powerful motivator.

I would lie if I said that I was not intimidated. A giantess was a terrifying monster, but a whole army of them? That was a sight that would humble even the greatest of men. It was clear why our republic fell so easily, what mortal could hope to fight a legion of colossi and win? The man grabbed my arm and jerked me forward, muttering some words under his breath. We rapidly reached what was a large plaza among the giant tents. There I could see a crowd of women-normal sized women-waiting, surrounded by several giant guards. The man made me join the group and then left. We stood there in silence. Waiting. For what, I was unsure. Despite what the old man said, we would remain there for several more hours. The tension gradually rose, while we were left there, cooking in the sun. Then finally, an order came and the titanesses around us stood at attention. Then, a gigantic woman came, standing taller than the rest; they could barely reach the underside of her sizeable bust with the top of their heads. She wore a golden armor, with an intricate design, and carried herself with serene dignity. Surprising everyone in the crowd, the gigantic newcomer knelt before us, and extended her hand in front of her. There stood a normal sized woman. I could barely see her from where I was, but she radiated authority. "Welcome, candidates," she said, with a powerful and confident voice. With just two words, she captured the absolute attention of the entire plaza. "You are here because you were judged worthy by one of my soldiers. You are here because you have been given the chance to become part of my legions. You are here because you have been given the chance of ascending, to serve as invincible warriors of our all-mighty and merciful empress, overlord of the titan!" [[Continue->Trials 3]]

"You will undergo a trial, to determine which among you are truly worthy. Those that make it will be brought to the capital of our glorious empire, to undergo the sacred ritual. Those that do not..." She paused. Then she turned around and whispered some words to the titan that was holding her in her hand. The gigantic woman nodded and stood up. "Listen carefully: You will be brought to that hill" She said, pointing with her index finger. "Your task is to survive the night. If you try to escape, you will be killed on the spot." Her voice was powerful enough to make my bones rattle, yet her tone was relaxed and contained. "You will follow Captain Aurelia" she said, pointing to one of the titan soldiers standing guard "Good luck." After that, she walked away. The guards behind us closed in and forced us to march towards our destination. The trip was not too long, but the close presence of those titanic beings all around us made things quite difficult. The cacophony of their steps was a constant sonic barrage against our ears and stomachs, and their carelessness caused more than a couple of close calls with the slowest in the group. Fortunately, however, we all made it. We reached the foot of the hill, where the lush forest covering it entirely began. Once there, the soldiers split in two and marched around the perimeter of the hill, to cover every escape path. Then the captain gave us some simple directions to reach the peak of the hill and pushed us forward. That would be the beginning of the most terrifying night of my life. [[Continue->Trials 4]]

We climbed the hill and soon we reached the top. There, the crowd slowly dispersed. Only a few women chose to remain together in larger groups, most went their own way. The evening was fast approaching, I did not have many hours of light left. I had to decide on a strategy to survive. *[[I prepared a camouflage and looked for a good hiding spot.->Trials camouflage]] With some luck, I could go undetected the whole night. *[[I joined one of the small groups that stuck together.->Trials group]] There is strength in numbers, after all.

I spent some of the time I had searching for animal feces and even some plants I knew had strong scents. If they sent some kind of predator against us, it would be key. The rest of my time was invested in looking for a suitable hiding spot. In the end I found a nice little alcove in a rocky surface near a small waterfall; it was concealed by the leaves of a bush growing in front of it. If it was not for the situation, I would have considered the place quite beautiful, but I had other things in mind. My hiding spot was not perfect: It was small and required me to lay down on my stomach to fit in. If anyone would spot me, I would be done for, but at that point it was too late already. I remained there, silently waiting, exercising my breath control, in preparation for the night. [[Continue->Trials camouflage 2]]

<<set $trialGroup to true>>I looked around and saw a group of five or six women to my left. I approached them and asked them to join. They all seemed around my age, and more or less as clueless as me. The only exception was one girl, a charismatic brunette, who immediately took the lead. With how she behaved, I was almost certain she was of noble birth. Nonetheless, we all followed her. We spent the time we had by scouting the area and preparing some crude weapons for ourselves, mostly sharpened rocks and sticks. Who knows what we could bump into in the night. When the two women that were sent out to scout returned, we made our way to a cave they found. It was rather small, not tall enough for us to stand, but it was safer than open ground. We took some time to light a fire, to provide some light, then we waited. *[[We did not speak much.->Trials group 2]] The situation was too tense to engage in conversation. *[[We had some quiet conversation.->Trials group convo]] Despite the fear and terror, we found some comfort in each other.

A few hours in, and I was getting pretty comfortable in my spot. If the night did not feel that tense, I would have probably fallen asleep. What would happen in front of me would make me wish I had. It was somewhere around two o' clock when it happened. The sounds of footsteps reached my ears from my left. Curious, I peeked outside, struggling to see in the moonlight: A woman was coming, running as fast as she could through the difficult terrain of the forest's undergrowth. She glanced behind her, then hurried her steps. Then the tree behind her crashed against the ground; its trunk snapped in two by the creature pursuing her. Terror creeped into my flesh, as I watched a monster jumping out of the woods and into the clearing standing just outside my hiding spot. It was a woman. Or at least it was once. Her body was clearly human, no deformation marked her flesh. Yet she was clearly no longer one: her eyes were filled with animalistic ferocity, and her movements were brutal and violent, her mind was long lost, replaced by something else. She did not walk, she crawled towards the poor woman, who now found herself stuck against the rocky walls around the waterfall. [[Continue->Trials camouflage 3]]

In one, powerful jump, the creature reached the woman. The monster was gigantic, her fingers easily wrapped around the torso of her captive. She was not as big as the titanesses, but she was big enough to stomp a human to death with ease. The woman screamed, and flayed her arms against the monster's fingers in a desperate attempt to free herself. Yet, the giant feral woman did not even notice her efforts. Saliva dripped from her open maw. In one quick movement, she plunged the head of the captive woman into her throat. Her size made it a bit difficult to swallow her whole, but the monster pushed down, and ultimately her fate was sealed. The victim's outline was clearly visible in the monster's throat, while she slid down towards her stomach. With a satisfied sigh, the monster closed her mouth, and rubbed her stomach, where a small bulge was visible. She remained still for a peaceful moment. Her expression relaxed and became almost human again, showing a vague hint of regret. It changed the instant the wind changed direction, and brought the smallest whiff of my scent to her. [[Continue->Trials camouflage 4]]

The creature frantically searched the clearing, looking for that small trace of me that reached her. Swallowing my growing panic, I held my breath and forced my muscles to remain as still as possible, I was that close to being discovered. The monster creeped closer and closer, slowly closing down on me, until a loud bang coming from somewhere deeper in the forest distracted her. She looked back, then looked back at the clearing, and then left. I released my breath. My lungs hurt for the lack fresh air. I allowed myself to relax slightly. I survived. Fortunately, that was the only encounter that night. The rest of the time passed quietly, interrupted only by the distant sound of those creatures chasing the unfortunate souls that were sent on that cursed hill. The morning finally came, but I did not trust to get out of my spot yet. Eventually, I could hear something coming. I looked outside, and saw a titaness looking around. "The day has come, if you are still alive, come out. You have made it." She paused, looking around again. "Come out now or you will be executed for desertion." I obeyed. [[Continue->Ritual 1]]

<<set $mission to "The Ritual">>The group of survivors slowly gathered at the foot of the hill. From the generous hundred that we were the day before, there were maybe twenty of us left, with several badly injured. We were once again surrounded by giantesses, the soldiers of the overlord. The crowd was silent, meek, and defeated: Witnessing the destructive fury of creatures not even half the size of the titanesses was enough to put even the most courageous of us into a dark mood. Yet there was undeniable trepidation within the group. We survived. We passed the trial. We now had a chance to become one of these soldiers ourselves. That was the first moment I truly considered what it meant myself. What had my life turned into? And what was about to become? *[[I was worried.->Ritual gentle]] Those giant women were tools of war, and I would be forced to become one too. *[[I was intrigued.->Ritual neutral]] The sheer power of the titanesses was quite alluring, I had to admit to myself. *[[I was ecstatic.->Ritual cruel]] I never thought of myself as bloodthirsty, but what I witnessed the last few weeks awakened a side in me I never knew existed.

<div class="title">The Titan Kingdoms</div> <div class="center">A fantasy size adventure Version 0.2.1</div> Disclaimer: This work of fiction contains descriptions of explicit violence, sex, and questionable morality. If you are underage, or you are offended by such topics, do not proceed. Note: This game automatically saves your progress. Clearing your browser's data will also delete your save file. <div class="center"> <<link "Start">><<script>>Engine.restart();<</script>><</link>> <<link "Saves">><<script>>UI.saves();<</script>><</link>> <<link "Continue">><<script>>Save.autosave.load()<</script>><</link>> [[Options]] </div>

The night came. Initially, things went well. Despite the brief respite, however, the tension in the air was still high. It was around two o' clock that we heard the first sign of life outside of our little fortress. A scream and heavy stomps coming from somewhere in front of us. We all stood up, trembling. The shadows cast by the fire danced in front of our eyes, almost as if they were mocking us. Then the monster came. Terror creeped into my flesh, as I watched it jumping out of the woods and in front of us. It was a woman. Or at least it was once. Her body was human, no deformation marked her flesh. Yet she was clearly no longer one: her eyes were filled with animalistic ferocity, and her movements were brutal and violent; her mind was long lost, replaced by something else. She did not walk, she crawled towards us, with saliva dripping from her mouth. We slowly retreated into the cave, but it was not deep enough to bring us out of the creature's reach. Bracing our crude wooden spears and stone knives, we prepared to fight for our lives. [[Continue->Trials group 3]]

The monster acted first, and jumped upon one member of the group. The poor woman screamed, and fruitlessly tried to thrust her weapon into the creature's flesh, but it was all in vain. The giantess wrapped her fingers around the woman and picked her up, with glee in her eyes. She was gigantic, her fingers easily wrapped around the torso of her captive. She was not as big as the titanesses, but she was still big enough to stomp a human to death with ease. In one quick movement, she plunged the head of the captive girl into her throat. Her size made it a bit difficult to swallow her whole, but the monster pushed down, and ultimately her fate was sealed. The victim's outline was clearly visible in the monster's throat, while she slid down towards her stomach. With a satisfied sigh, the monster closed her mouth, and rubbed her stomach, where a small bulge was visible. She remained still for a peaceful moment. Her expression relaxed and became almost human again, showing a vague hint of regret. It soon faded away, however, and her hunger brought her eyes down on us again. We looked at each other, too terrorized to move or act. "Come on! We can take her down!" The informal leader of the group shouted. She then picked up a piece of burning wood from the fire, the heat cooking her skin, and charged forward. [[Continue->Trials group 4]]

Spurred by her fearlessness, we advanced as well. None of us was a soldier, or even a hunter, we all knew well that we were about to die, but we still charged, with the bravery of cornered animals. The monster, unexpectedly, did not react quickly enough to avoid our attack, allowing us to plunge our crude weapons into her flesh. Most of us did not even get through her skin, but another and I managed to draw blood, enough to make the monster howl in pain. With the creature's attention on us, the leader closed in and threw the burning stick into one of her eyes. Her aim was true, and the howls became desperate cries of burning pain. Our success did not last long. The wounded monster flayed her limbs wildly around her, hitting the leader and sending one of us flying against a tree; she dropped dead from the impact. The creature collapsed on her flank, flattening another poor soul under her immense mass. Only then she fled, crawling away, still screaming her pain and hate against the wind. Only three of us survived; our leader barely hung on to life. Fortunately, the rest of the night went quietly. At the first lights of dawn, we saw a titan soldier patrolling the area, in search of survivors. She spotted us easily, and brought us down the hill. We made it. [[Continue->Ritual 1]]

We were not left much time to think. One of the giant soldiers, the same captain that brought us there the day before, instructed us to follow them back to the camp. There, those of us that were wounded were patched up. Just a few hours after, we were marching again already, towards the heart of the titan empire, or so we were told. The trip was long and exhausting. I will not bore you with the details, not much did happen. Between our injuries, the long hours of march, and the constant overwhelming presence of the giantesses around us, we simply kept quiet and pushed forward. After what felt like a month of constant travel, we finally reached our destination. At first I was almost disappointed: After all of the build-up, I expected something grandiose, instead we were greeted by the sight of a rocky mountain, whose only notable feature was a titaness sized door carved directly into it. There was almost no sign of civilization around, in fact even the road was just cleared dirt. [[Continue->Ritual 3]]

As we entered the mountain, however, my opinion soon changed. The hall was finely decorated, with tall columns on both sides, and finely levigated stone on the floor. The ceiling was incredibly high, the soldiers escorting us were barely a third as tall. As the natural light dimmed, the giantesses lit up several oil lamps to illuminate the way. With the beauty of the hallway hidden among the shadows cast by the flickering flames, our path became more and more ominous. Eventually we reached another door, even bigger than the one we met at the entrance. It took six giantesses to push the immense door open. The captain urged us to enter. As soon as I entered my jaw dropped, the others remained stunned too. There, we truly did find ourselves at the heart of the empire, the source of its power, the beginning and end of the overlord. We found ourselves staring at the immense, petrified body of an ancient divine being, the remains of a true titan. [[Continue->Ritual 4]]

The room was immense, big enough to fit my entire town in and then some, even the titanic soldiers behind us looked small in comparison. Yet it was utterly dwarfed by the titan that occupied the entirety of the wall opposite to the entrance. The only visible part of the titan's body was the head and one hand; the rest was still underneath the mountain, completely encased in stone. The skin, if it could be called as such, was stone-like, barely distinguishable from the rock that surrounded it. Its eyes were open, looking at the void. It almost seemed like it was simply relaxing, placidly laying on a bed. It was hard to believe that such creatures once existed. Even the biggest titan warrior would be a mere insect to such a being, not even worthy of consideration. What kind of power could imprison such divine beings deep under the earth? The answer was beyond me. It still is. We were sent towards the hand. There, we saw more titanesses waiting. They were just tall enough to match the height of one of the titan's fingertips. We were brought to them, and arranged in a line. [[Continue->Ritual 5]]

In front of us, stood three giantesses. One was dressed in a long white tunic, covering most of her body; a priestess. Another was the same soldier that kept the general in her hand during the speech before the night of the trial; her golden armor sparked even under the light of the oil lamps. The third was an even bigger giantess, more than a head taller than the already oversized golden armored giantess. Her armor, however, was completely black. The white robed giantess stepped forward. "Candidates. You are here to witness the majesty of our titan mother. It is through her gift that we may ascend from our mortal bodies and be blessed by her with strength beyond the reach of mortals." She took a pause. "And it is thanks to our merciful empress, overlord of the titan, that we can receive her gift. She was her chosen, the first to reach and enter communion with the divine spirit of the titan mother." She paused again, letting her words sink in. "You are here to become the hands of general Furia Publicia Martinia, faithful servant of the empress. You will obey her in life and death. This is the overlord's wish." "This is the overlord's wish" the rest of the titanesses repeated. [[Continue->Ritual 6]]

The golden armored soldier knelt down, and a woman walked off her palm. It was the same woman as the trial: our future commander, general Furia. The comparatively tiny woman walked towards the black armored giantess, and knelt before her feet. She talked, but she was too far away to understand her words. "As representative of the overlord, I grant you permission to bless these candidates and bind them to you, so that they may serve the empress through your words, and your actions." The black armored giantess said. "Now rise." The general obeyed. The general then walked towards us. In the meantime, the white robed giantess approached the petrified finger of the titan. She then extracted a knife, black as the armor of the third giantess, and equally well crafted. Whispering a prayer, she proceeded to slowly stab the immense finger with it. It sank as if it struck flesh and not stone. She extracted the dagger, now covered in thick, ruby red blood. The priestess reached the general in front of the row of candidates. There, she knelt down and held the knife in front of her. The general took out another dagger, and cut her hand with it. Then, she dipped the tip of it in the drop of titan blood. [[Continue->Ritual 7]]

She approached the first woman in the row. "Kneel" she ordered. The woman obeyed without hesitation. "Open your mouth." As she did so, the general brought the dagger over her, and the let the drop of blood fall into her throat. After just a few moments, the woman's eyes rolled back. She opened her mouth, from which black smoke escaped. She fell on her knees, while her body slowly crumbled to dust in front of the general. The commander betrayed no emotion, her expression remained cold and steady for the whole gruesome process. As if nothing happened, she moved forward, to the woman beside me. "Kneel." This candidate was not as complaint as the first, however, she looked around nervously, and refused to obey. The general rolled her eyes and punched the woman in the stomach, making her fall down on her knees. She grabbed her jaw and then forced a drop of titan blood in her. Almost immediately, the woman began to choke. The candidate brought her hands to her throat, gasping for air. Meanwhile, her body expanded outwards with brute violence, growing her in quick and painful spurts. Her expression suddenly changed from surprise and pain, to fury and hunger. The woman, who now was easily close to <<if $metric>>nine meters<<else>>thirty feet<</if>> tall. She looked at the general, growling, and prepared to jump. Yet she never could. The titan soldier behind us stepped forward, and placed her foot on the woman, forcing her against the ground. Soon enough, her growth died down, but her eyes had lost all semblance of intelligence."How disappointing" the general simply stated. She got in front of me. "Kneel." I obeyed. My heart was bursting out of my chest. My breath became quicker. I looked up: The eyes of the general were glacial and stern, thoroughly unimpressed. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to calm down. "Open your mouth." I obeyed. The drop of blood fell in my throat. My vision went blank. And then nothing more. [[Continue->Training 1]]

<<set $becomeTitaness to true, $mission to "Training">>I do not know how long have I slept. I woke up after what felt like days, in one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in my life, though it is possible the transformation influenced my judgement. I looked around the room, which was surprisingly mundane, if a bit spartan. I stood up and stretched. My body felt normal, no pain, no weird feelings. It was like any other day. I almost suspected the ritual was just a weird dream I had. That suspicion was soon proven wrong, however. As I was moving my limbs around to test how my body had changed, I heard movement to my left, near the door. I looked down, and saw a tiny door beside the main one; there, I saw some men entering, dressed with simple loincloth, carrying what looked like a comparatively gigantic plate filled with fruits on their shoulders. It was the first time for me seeing normal humans from my new perspective. I was almost frozen in place, overwhelmed by the strange vision, and the sensations that were rising within me. [[Continue->Training 2]]

<div class="subtitle">$name</div> Appearance: I am $name, a young woman with $skinTone skin, $hairColor hair and $eyeColor eyes. I have <<if $$bodyType == "athletic">>an<<else>>a<</if>> $bodyType build, and $curves curves.<<scars>> Attitude: //under construction// <<if $rawNumbers>>Gentle Score: $gentleScore Cruel score: $cruelScore<</if>> People killed: $killCount People eaten: $eatenCount Traits: //under construction//<<if $becomeTitaness>> @@color:LightSeaGreen;Titan Warrior@@: I had successfully survived the trial and the ritual. Thus, I had become a titan warrior.<</if>><<if $leftEyeGone>> @@color:LightSeaGreen;One Eyed@@: During a battle, I had lost my left eye.<</if>><<if $rawNumbers>> Combat Rating: $combatRating<</if>> Social: //under construction//<<if $rawNumbers>> Furia: $furiaRelationship Laelia: $laeliaRelationship Valeria: $valeriaRelationship Clodia: $clodiaRelationship Flavius: $flaviusRelationship Lucius: $luciusRelationship Thearn: $thearnReputation Legion $legionReputation Overlord: $overlordReputation <</if>> Resources: //under construction//<<if $rawNumbers>> Gold: $gold <</if>>

<<nobr>> /*Game*/ <<set $autoSave to true, $navigation to false, $rawNumbers to false, $canAdd to true, $metric to false>> <<set $lastPassage to "Main Menu">> /*Appearance*/ <<set $name to "Medea", $hairColor to "auburn", $eyeColor to "brown", $bodyType to "average", $curves to "average", $skinTone to "fair">> <<set $trainingToRipped to 2>> /*Attitude*/ <<set $gentleScore to 0, $cruelScore to 0, $neutralRange to 2>> <<set $gentle to false, $neutral to true, $cruel to false>> /*general*/ <<set $combatRating to 0>> <<set $gold to 0>> <<set $wounded to false>> /*Story*/ <<set $chapter to "Prologue">> <<set $mission to "Beginnings">> <<set $killCount to 0>> <<set $eatenCount to 0>> <<set $trialGroup to false>> <<set $becomeTitaness to false>> <<set $M1TitusAlive to true>> <<set $M1BanditsAlive to true>> <<set $M1KilledBanditLeader to true>> <<set $minotaurScar to false>> <<set $I1MinotaurQuestCompleted to false>> <<set $MinotaurvaleriaPromisedSpoils to true>> <<set $M2Ending to "not completed">> <<set $leftEyeGone to false>> <<set $cheekScar to false>> /*Relationships*/ /*Furia: general of the X and VII legions, and protector of Thearn*/ <<set $furiaRelationship to 0, $furiaHistory to false>> /*Laelia: Veteran of the tenth*/ <<set $laeliaRelationship to 0, $laeliaHistory to false>> /*Valeria: recruit from noble family*/ <<set $valeriaRelationship to 0, $valeriaHistory to false>> /*Clodia: Ex-officer of the Thearnian army*/ <<set $clodiaRelationship to 0, $clodiaHistory to false>> /*Flavius: imperial legate (governor) of Thearn*/ <<set $flaviusRelationship to 0, $flaviusHistory to false>> /*Lucius: young, briliant alchemist*/ <<set $luciusRelationship to 0, $luciusHistory to false>> /*Reputation*/ <<set $thearnReputation to 0>> <<set $legionReputation to 0>> <<set $overlordReputation to 0>> <</nobr>>

<<updateLastPassage>><<if !(tags().includes("main")) && !(tags().includes("chapterTitle"))>>!!The Titan Kingdoms <<if $navigation>><<link "Go Backward">><<script>>Engine.backward()<</script>><</link>> | <<link "Go Forward">><<script>>Engine.forward()<</script>><</link>> | <</if>>[[Main Menu]] | [[Options]] | <<link "Saves">><<script>>UI.saves();<</script>><</link>> | [[Character]] | [[Notes]]<<if tags().includes("menu")>> | <<link "Return">><<goto $lastPassage>><</link>><</if>><hr><</if>>

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<<widget "attitude">><<nobr>> <<set _attitude to $gentleScore - $cruelScore>> <<if _attitude > $neutralRange>> <<set $gentle to true, $neutral to false, $cruel to false>> <<elseif _attitude < -$neutralRange>> <<set $gentle to false, $neutral to false, $cruel to true>> <<else>> <<set $gentle to false, $neutral to true, $cruel to false>> <</if>> <</nobr>><</widget>>

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There I stood, in my nightgown, still like a statue. The group of four men did not seem particularly disturbed by my presence, they must have been used to titanesses. They finally reached me, stopping in front of my feet. "Good morning, mistress. We are here to bring you a refreshment" one of the four said. The plate was about as wide as my hand, and filled to the brim with all kind of fruits. For a normal human, it was probably enough food for months; to me, it was barely a snack. I looked down at them. They looked so small and defenseless before my naked feet. My ankles came up to their belly button. I used to be like them, even shorter. Now I towered over them like a mountain. Just my feet-no, my toes-were big enough to be a lethal threat to them. I took a step forward and placed my feet beside them. It was a bit difficult to see them from such an angle, but it was evident they were not in the least comfortable with me being so close. Yet, it was a thrilling experience for me nonetheless. It was my first tiny taste of the size and power my body now possessed, of the effect it had on normal people, even with me just standing still. [[Continue->Training 3]]

"Thank you" I said, lowering myself down to get the plate. My fingers made them queasy and nervous. As soon as I grabbed it, they stepped back. <span id="comfort"><br><<linkappend "I tried to reassure them.">><<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>>"Don't worry. I don't want to hurt any of you" I said. They did seem to relax a little, but not completely. I brought the plate to my mouth and let its content slide on my tongue. The sensation of all those small, sweet, grain sized, squishy things in my mouth was rather weird, but not unpleasant. It took just a couple of bites to break everything down into mush. And then, it all went down my throat. I sighed, satisfied. I gave the plate back, and they quickly left. The general was likely waiting for me, so I hurried up as well, dressimg myself up and mentally preparing myself to meet her. Then, I left the room. @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ [[Continue->Training 4]] <<replace "#noComfort">><</replace>><</linkappend>></span><span id="noComfort"><br><<linkappend "I did not bother with them.">> I was not too interested in how they felt about me. And that snack looked rather appetizing. I brought the plate to my mouth and let its content slide on my tongue. The sensation of all those small, sweet, grain sized, squishy things in my mouth was rather weird, but not unpleasant. It took just a couple of bites to break everything down into mush. And then, it all went down my throat. I sighed, satisfied. I gave the plate back, and they quickly left. The general was likely waiting for me, so I hurried up as well, dressimg myself up and mentally preparing myself to meet her. Then, I left the room. [[Continue->Training 4]] <<replace "#comfort">><</replace>><</linkappend>></span>

The outside of the room was as mundane and as spartan as the inside. The simple hallway stretched both ways. There was a row of differently colored tiles on the floor, against the walls. They likely marked the area where normal sized servants moved around within the titan-sized building. On my left, there was light coming through from behind a corner. The entrance was there. I got out, and found myself in a large plaza, surrounded by several titan-sized buildings, and beyond them walls, just about taller than me. There was a lot of movement: There were several titanesses placidly walking around, clearly not in military attire; there were also a lot of normal sized humans, skirting along the walls of the giant buildings, carrying supplies, or marching in formation. "Recruit! Over here!" A commanding voice reached my ears. It came from the center of the plaza, where a few giantesses were standing in a row, with the giantess that called me standing before them. I hurried there, and put myself in the row. There were three of us, counting myself<<if $trialGroup>>; one of the others was the girl that guided our little group during the trial, I was glad she survived. Still, was<<else>>. Was<</if>> that all that was left of the original hundred something of candidates? [[Continue->Training 5]]

"Good to see you're awake, princess. Had a pleasant night?" The woman asked. She was a bit taller than me, and broader. Her muscles were quite evident under her tunic, and her skin was marked with numerous scars. My eyes opened wide. She raised an eyebrow, then she recognized me too. "Well, fuck me. You're one of my candidates! Ah! First time one of mine survives. Wait until the general hears this!" "Hear what, Laelia? What did you do this time?" The voice of the general reached our ears. The whole group looked left, where we saw her bodyguard, the stern bigger titaness, carrying the general in her hand as usual. "Oh, general! I did not know you were awake yet. I-Well, I just found out that one of the girls I brought as candidate made it." The muscular giantess said. "I see. Well done." She looked up at her bodyguard. "Remind me to send her a few slaves later." She nodded. And the buff giantess smiled. "Now, these are what we got for our trouble, uh?" The general said, studying the three of us. "Well, three new recruits is a decent number, all things considered. It could have gone worse. How are we on titans?" She asked. Her bodyguard answered: "Fifteen in the seventh legion. Thirteen in the tenth legion, twelve battle ready." [[Continue->Training 6]]

"Well then..." The general paused for a moment. "Listen up!" She said. "Congratulations, you made it. You are now officially titanesses. We will soon leave the capital's territory to go back to Thearn. There, you will be assigned to my legions. Our task will be to pacify the region, and establish firm control over it, in the name of the overlord. I know some of you are locals of Thearn, but I expect you to perform your duties without question. Your loyalty now is to the empress." Hearing a low growl coming from my side, I looked at the girl standing beside me. She was trembling in barely contained fury. Before anyone could react, she jumped forward, towards the general. Without hesitation, the scarred giantess stepped forward, and stopped the charging titaness with a solid punch in her abdomen. The recruit stumbled back, wheezing for air. "How dare you atta-" "No, it's fine, Laelia. It's understandable. Let the girl come, this is a lesson they will all have to learn eventually. Might as well do it now." The muscular giantess hesitated for an instant, then stepped back. "Come on, you wanted to kill me, right? Well, come and get me, these two won't intervene." The girl wavered for a moment, then she advanced. She brought her hand over the general, but she could not close her fingers. "What's the matter, girl? I thought you wanted me dead?" The general said. [[Continue->Training 7]]

"Now, go back in line" the general said. But her voice sounded different from the usual: It felt deep and powerful, coming from deep within my guts, and not from the lungs of a normal size woman. The order was not even directed at me, but I could feel compelled to straighten myself up anyway. The girl obeyed, walking back, shivering. It was only then that I could see that the general was holding a black object in her hands, the same material the priestess used during the ceremony to extract blood from the titan. Was it linked to that strange gut feeling? "Now, if you all have finished thinking with your stomach and not your brain, we can continue. Laelia, you're starting their training today. I want them ready for when we reach Thearn." "Yes, general" the muscular giantess answered. And with that, the bodyguard holding the general turned around and left. "Well, you heard her, girlies. We don't have much time to whip you into shape, so let's get this thing going. You!" She pointed at me. "Come over here and show me what you got; I need to see what I'm working with." I timidly stepped forward. "Come on, attack me." *[[I charged at her and gave everything I had.->Training all-in]] I was not a fighter, but I had energy to spare. *[[I used underhanded tactics.->Training dirty]] Fighting dirty may not impress her, but it may save me a few injuries. *[[I fought conservatively.->Training normal]] I knew I could not win, so I focused on just staying alive.

I charged at her with a roar, flinging my fist at her. Yet she dodged my blow with frightening ease. I tried again, but she avoided me once more, moving just enough and not an inch more than necessary. I kept at it, hoping to land at least one blow, but it was all for nothing. My anger was rising, but my body was warning me I could not keep that up. With every miss, I could feel my muscles losing strength. Until I found myself grasping for air. It was in that moment that she lifted her leg and kicked me, sending me down like a sack of potatoes. My stomach hurt from the blow, and I was feeling lightheaded. She walked up to me and offered me her hand, then she pulled me up. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, girl, but you fight like a child: no coordination, no strategy, just gut feeling. Ahhh, I was hoping for something more, but it's fine. We can make a warrior out of you." [[Continue->Training 8]]

She stood before me, with her arms crossed, and a smirk on her lips. I charged at her. At the last second, I bent down and scooped up some dirt, sending it flying towards her face. The woman was caught by surprise by my action, which gave me just enough time to deliver my punch. I was aiming for her jaw, but she still had enough time to partially dodge my attack. My fist landed on her shoulder. "Ah! Well done, girly" she commented. I smiled, and tried to retreat, but it was too late. Without giving me time, she used her legs to make me fall to the ground. She placed her knee against my back and held my head down. "All right. I like your guts. I'm glad to see someone with a brain here." <<if $canAdd>><<set $laeliaRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Laelia@@ [[Continue->Training 8]]

I approached her and tried to punch her, but the moment she moved to block me I retreated back. She raised an eyebrow, then she crossed her arms again and stared at me. I tried again, much to the same result. We kept going for a little bit, until the woman said: "All right, you're boring me." She jumped forward, with impressive speed, and threw me on the ground. She then immediately immobilized me. "You're clever enough to know that you don't stand a chance of hitting me, but not clever enough to think of a way around the problem" she commented. "Good enough for a start, I guess. All right, girl, get up." I obeyed. [[Continue->Training 8]]

Just the day afterwards, we left the fort for Thearn. We split the day between marching and training. Laelia was a brutal teacher, she did not hold back, but her methods were effective, we learned quickly. The trip went fast, mostly because there were no normal sized humans slowing down the titanesses, with the exception of the general, who was carried by her bodyguard. When we reached Thearn, I and <<if $trialGroup>>the girl from the trial<<else>>another recruit<</if>> was sent to the tenth legion, while the third recruit was sent to the seventh. Our training did not stop, however, I would dare say it had just started: Once in the legion, we began training with the whole contingent of titanesses, and the thousands of normal sized soldiers that made up the rest of the army. As titan warriors, we were afforded some liberty in how to approach our military training. *[[I focused on building up my strength.->Training strength]] My body had become a weapon, but it was up to me to sharpen it. *[[I focused on group and formation figthing.->Training group]] Learning how to fight was one thing, learning how to be a soldier was another one entirely. *[[I dodged my duties as much as I could.->Training slack off]] I never signed up to become the overlord's lapdog, and I had not intention to start then.

After spending months lifting weights, running and marching from dawn to dusk, and breaking my bones fighting Laelia, I was finally beginning to feel capable as a warrior. @@color:LightGreen;I had become a better fighter@@ <<if $bodyType is "chubby">>@@color:LightGreen;I lost some weight. I was no longer chubby@@<<elseif ($bodyType is "average") or ($bodyType is "thin")>>@@color:LightGreen;I felt stronger! I had become more athletic@@<<elseif $bodyType is "athletic">>@@color:LightGreen;I felt much stronger! I had become muscular@@<</if>> [[Continue->Training end]] <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating to $combatRating + 2>> <<if $bodyType is "chubby">><<set $bodyType to "average">><<elseif ($bodyType is "average") or ($bodyType is "thin")>><<set $bodyType to "athletic">><<elseif $bodyType is "athletic">><<set $bodyType to "muscular">><</if>> <</if>>

After many long days spent marching, digging trenches, building fortifications and fighting mock battles in formation, I finally began to feel capable as a warrior, and closer to my fellow soldiers of the tenth legion. <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating to $combatRating + 2, $legionReputation++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had become a better fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;I had gained reputation with the legion@@ [[Continue->Training end]]

I did everything I could to do as little work as possible. Before the whole ordeal, I had no intention of becoming a soldier, especially not one loyal to the overlord, or to the very same legion that laid waste to my home country; my opinion had not changed since then. Besides, I was not cut out for that life. I desired a life with more freedom, with fewer hierarchies. I even thought of escaping at some point, but fortunately I had enough brain to avoid doing something that catastrophically stupid. <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had become slightly better as a fighter@@ [[Continue->Training end]]

When my training had finally come to an end, the general called me in her tent. Inside, I found her sitting on a chair, resting on a titaness sized table. There was a full map of Thearn on top of it, in front of the general. Behind her, there was her bodyguard, as cold and emotionless as ever. Combined with her tremendous height and shaved head, she was quite the intimidating sight. "Oh, you're here, $name. Good" General Furia said. She stood up, and fixed her red hair. She walked forward, reaching the other edge of the table, towards me. "I have called you here because I have a mission for you, the first one of many I hope." "The governor of the Thearn province has sent me a request to provide an escort for one of his tax collectors. A bandint group in the area he is assigned to is becoming a serious nuisance." She smiled. "Don't worry, you won't have to do much. Just follow the collector around and look threatening. That should be enough; I doubt those thieves have the guts to attack a titaness. And even if they do, you should be able to handle them easily." "Yes, general" I said. The bodyguard pointed at the place I would meet with the tax collector. I nodded, then I turned around. *[[General, I do have some questions->Mission 1 Furia Questions]] I said, just before getting out of the tent. *[[And I got out, ready to begin.->Mission 1 beginning]]

It took us a while to speak to each other. We were all new faces, and the situation was not exactly ideal for a pleasant conversation. Still, in the little time we had, we did manage to exchange some words. Almost all of them were Thearnians, like me. There were some peasants, some city dwellers, even the daughter of a traveling merchant. Just like me, they had been taken by a giantess from their homes, and brought to the overlord's army camp. The only one that did not come from the republic was our leader. She refused to engage with the conversation, preferring to maintain a stoic distance. Still, we managed to coerce a couple of words out of her, and my suspicions were confirmed: She was of noble birth, and she volunteered to be part of the trial, which we did not know was even a possibility. I admit I was quite fascinated by her story; I wanted to know more, but little of what I did or said managed to move her. I would like to say that I remember their names, but I do not, I am not even sure if we even did share them with each other. I do remember their faces quite well, however. It would be hard to forget anything that happened during the trials. [[Continue->Trials group 2]]

"Of course, go ahead" the general said. *[[How did you become general?->general history question]] *[[Why are you not a titaness?->general titaness question]] *[[What is that stone you use to give us orders?->general stone question]] *[[Why are you sending me?->general why me question]] [[That was all. Thank you.->Mission 1 beginning]]

I made my way to the meeting point, on the road just outside one of the major towns in the area. The man I had to escort was already there: He was younger than I expected, maybe in his early thirties. A nice alternative to the cranky, old bureaucrat I expected to find. He, on the other hand, was not prepared to meet me. It was clear as day that he was uneasy with my presence. It only got worse as I got closer to him. To his credit, he kept his composure throughout. *[[I lowered myself and offered a smile.->M1 gentle presentation]] I wanted to prove him I was not a monster. *[[I kept some distance.->M1 neutral presentation]] There was no reason to antagonize him. *[[I placed my feet at his sides.->M1 cruel presentation]] Scaring people to death just by towering over them had not lost its appeal yet. In fact, I loved doing it.

<<set $furiaHistory to true>>"Well, an interesting question. I guess it is legitimate to wonder who and how good your commanding officer is. You are not from the empire, after all." She paused, to collect her thoughts. "If you recall, my full name is Furia Publicia Martinia. I am part of the Publicia family, an old noble house with roots in what was the Iratian kingdom, and today is the empire. Martinia was my mother's name, which I inherited." "My upbringing was rather normal, I would dare say. My mother raised me as a proper noble lady, ready to storm the imperial palace and enjoy a life of cut-throat deal-making, backdoor arrangements, and politics. I hated every second of it. As soon as I could, I joined the army, as imperial legate for the tenth legion." "My first deployment was the conquest of Misenum, a small kingdom to the north. We thought it would be an easy victory, but it proved to be a tough nut to crack. The high mountains and the terrain made movement and foraging difficult, if not impossible. Between avalanches and landslides, we even lost some titanesses in those mountains." "The general leading the invasion was an old soldier. A good man, but too stubborn to adapt. He died of an infection during the first siege. I was field promoted to general, and I lead the legion to victory. After that, I used all the leverage I had to make that promotion permanent." "By the end of the campaign, I had three legions under me, including the tenth. I was involved in two more invasions before coming here to Thearn, the last big obstacle left on the continent." "Well, that is most of my life. I hope that was sufficient, soldier." [[Thanks, general.->Mission 1 Furia Questions]]

"Isn't it obvious, soldier?" She smiled. "Our dear empress, in her infinite wisdom, prefers to avoid creating potential challengers. All generals in the army are normal humans, which insures that we all remember our proper place: at the feet of our own soldiers." It was a logical answer; I had to admit. Yet, it only raised more questions. If that was the reason... "Then why have generals at all, right? That is what you're thinking. Why not just have a giant army of titanesses and send the rest of the military home? The answer is quite simple: As much as she desires otherwise, our dear empress is still just a human. She can keep only so many titanesses under her direct control, before the blood bond becomes too weak to do anything of any use." Her smile becake a smirk. "And that's where generals like me come in." [[Thanks, general.->Mission 1 Furia Questions]]

"The blackstone pendant, you mean?" She asked, taking the stone out of her dress. "Well, it is a blackstone, unsurprisingly, which is imbued with my blood, and a drop of the titan's blood. It functions as bridge between my titanesses and me." She smiled. "Do you remember the ritual? I have been told the memory of the transformation gets very blurry, or even lost completely. In any case, if you recall I mixed my blood with the blood of the titan. That is the blood-bond, through which I am given authority over you." "Let us hope we will never have to make use of it, right titaness $name?" [[Thanks, general.->Mission 1 Furia Questions]]

"Well, I am pretty sure you can figure out why on your own. Why would I send the only titaness I have in my legions that is native to Thearn? I am hoping that you can smooth things over with the locals. If they see one of their own with us, and as giant, they may become more cooperative." [[Thanks, general.->Mission 1 Furia Questions]]

I bent my knees and smiled at him. Even in that position, I was still several times taller than him, but getting closer to his level still had a positive effect: He visibly relaxed, though not completely. "I am $name. I am your escort for the day. Nice to meet you..." "Titus Vesnius Corvus." He said, after some trepidation. "The pleasure is mine. I admit, when the governor said I would be getting a bigger escort, I did not think he meant it quite so literally. Not that I mind being in the company of such a beautiful woman." I smiled. "Well thank you, but we better get going. Do you mind if I carry you? That would make things go a lot faster." "If-If you don't mind I would prefer to use my horse" he said, pointing behind him. I did not notice the animal before that moment, but there was indeed a horse, tied to a tree. "I'm not sure it's a good idea. Animals tend to get pretty nervous around titanesses" I said. I thought about it for a second, then I said: "I will try to keep some distance, I should be able to intervene quickly enough anyway." "I appreciate it." @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M1.1]]

I remained a couple of steps away from him. I was not particularly worried about his feelings, but the day would go by faster without a nervous wreck for a companion. "I am $name. I am your escort for the day." "I..." He paused. "I'm Titus Vesnius Corvus. I admit, when the governor said I would be getting a bigger escort, I did not think he meant it quite so literally." "Is this going to be a problem?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Even from a distance, I could tell he almost choked hearing that. "N-No, absolutely not. I was just surprised, that is all." "All right. We better get going. Are you on foot?" "I-I have my horse" he said, pointing behind him. I did not notice the animal before that moment, but there was indeed a horse, tied to a tree. "Fine . Still, I'd suggest keeping some distance: Animals tend to get quite nervous around titanesses. Especially those not used to our presence." He audibly swallowed."Of course, no problem." [[Continue->M1.1]]

I reached his position. He was too terrified to move, so I took my time to position myself just above him, with my feet close to his tiny body. <<if $curves is "generous">>From that angle, I actually struggled to see him, under my boobs. <</if>> "I am $name. Are you the collector I was sent to protect?" Visibly struggling to remain calm, he took a deep breath. "Y-Yes, I am. I'm Titus Vesnius Corvus. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He waited for an answer. I simply smiled. I loved my new life. When I finally had enough of seeing him squirm beneath me, I spoke again: "All right. We better get going. Are you on foot?" "I-I have my horse" he said, pointing behind him. I did not notice the animal before that moment, but there was indeed a horse, tied to a tree. "All right. Oh, I'd suggest keeping some distance: Animals tend to get quite nervous around titanesses. And we don't want incidents, right?" He audibly swallowed."Right, of course. No problem." @@color:IndianRed;You feel slightly closer to your cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M1.1]]

We eventually got to a rather isolated farm. There, Titus, the collector, got off his horse and approached the house. I was not surprised to see that the family living inside was already aware of us and was standing just outside the door. It is hard to miss a moving titaness, after all, especially in rural areas. The family of four, father mother and two little children, nervously waited for the collector to get to them. I remained a couple of steps away, just close enough to hear them. "Good morning, I imagine you know why I am here" Titus said. "We do, sir. We do" the father meekly said. "However, we do not have what we need. With the war and all, we could not get help in the fields, and we did not sell much at all." He finally gave Titus a small satchel, with what I assumed was coin inside. The collector looked inside, and then stroke his chin. "I see. This is not going to be easy." He turned around and looked at me, expecting some kind of reaction. *[[I told him to let it go.->M1.2 gentle]] They had suffered enough, they needed some time to recover. *[[I told him that my job was to protect him.->M1.2 neutral]] I was not there to be his muscles. *[[I stepped forward and leaned over them.->M1.2 cruel]] I was certain I could squeeze what was owed out of them. At the very least it would be fun.

"Please, let them be" I said. "There is no squeezing blood out of stones: If you force them to starve themselves now, you won't collect anything the next time." The family of farmers remained stunned; their eyes wide open, while my words sunk in. I was not surprised: There are a lot of tales on titanesses and their perniciousness. Most are sadly true, but it did not mean we were all monsters. Not me at least. The collector raised an eyebrow. He stroke his beard a couple of times, then turned around towards the farmers. "Very well. I will close an eye this time. But do know that if you do not come up with the difference next time, or we discover you cheated us, there will be no more room for mercy. The overlord can be benevolent, bu only to those that are truly loyal to the cause." The farmers nodded vehemently, hardly believing their luck. I was slightly surprised as well, truth be told, I did not expect him to cave in like that. Still, I was happy we could agree on a course of action. @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M1.3]]

"I am not here to do your job, Titus. I am here to protect you, and that's all" I said calmly. He did not react immediately. Instead, he took a couple of seconds to think, stroking his beard in the mean time. "Very well" he simply stated. He then turned around and stepped forward, towards the farmer. Suddenly, he grabbed him by his shirt, bringing him closer to his face. "Now listen to me carefully, peasant: Either you give me what you own to the overlord, or your payment will not be made in gold alone." The farmer was a bit taller and heavier than the collector, but he nearly instantly caved. He looked at his wife and gave her a nod. She ran inside the poor house, while the collector relaxed and let the farmer go. Soon enough the old woman came back, with a few more coins in her hands. "This is all we have left, sir. Please forgive us for our impudence" the woman said. Titus silently snatched the coin and left them behind, without saying anything else. "Let's go" he finally said. [[Continue->M1.3]]

Without saying a word, I took a step forward, closing the distance between us. My feet were firmly planted before them, letting them feel how small they were to me. I bent down and unceremoniously picked up the farmer between my fingers. The man thrashed around, panicking, but he could do little to stop me. I brought the wrinkled, old face of the man in front of my eyes. "Now, now, citizen, why are you insulting our benevolent empress with your pathetic excuses? Do you think you can get away with this so easily?" I said, smiling. The man was shivering in pure terror. He was unable to even formulate a coherent sentence. In response, I saw his wife running inside the house. Soon enough the old woman came back, with a few more coins in her hands. "This is all we have left, my lady. Please forgive us for our impudence" The woman said. Titus silently snatched the coin. "They're enough. Let him go." I was very tempted to punish the little bastard further, but I stayed my hand, and let him down. As soon as his limbs touched the earth, he collapsed to the ground, in fetal position. "Let's go" Titus said. @@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@<<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M1.3]]

Our day started rather quietly. I walked behind him, trying to keep myself from getting to close, and he silently made way to wherever he had to get to. We were in a region of Thearn that I ws not familiar with, but it looked rather familiar, with its hilly landscape and sprawling forests, occasionally interrupted by cultivated fields. the first few stops went rather smoothly. We went to a small village first, then several farms in the vicinity. The peasants were all too eager to pay their dues and get rid of us; of me specifically, more likely. My presence was more than enough to discourage dissidence. It was a strange experience at first. That was the first time since my transformation that I could interact with fellow Thearnians, and the abyss between us could not have been deeper. In a way, I was glad that the collector did most of the talking. [[Continue->M1.2]]

The next visit is to another farm. That one, however, was much wealthier. The farmhouse was bigger, and more elaborate, with the exterior completely decorated. The fields also expanded much farther, and I could see a secondary building nearby: the servants', or maybe slaves', quarters. The owner came to us, a stocky man, with a pot belly. He was not only not particularly disturbed by my presence, but almost eager to meet the collector. "Welcome, welcome. Please make yourself at home; any servant of our merciful overlord is my guest of honor." Even Titus was taken back by the welcome. "Thanks. We appreciate the hospitality, but if you don't mind I would prefer to get down to business right away." "Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to waste your time. Can I offer you some wine? Some meat?" He looked at me. "My, what a beautiful woman. It's an honor to meet a titaness." Surprisingly, Titus pushed to leave the place as soon as possible. "We are grateful, but we really must be going." The owner finally let go and brought what was owed. By now the collector's satchel was getting quite heavy with coin. [[Continue->M1.4]]

The round was finally almost over. The day has gone better than I expected, with few incidents and no trace of bandits. Maybe the general had been right: My presence was more than enough to scare away a raider or two. "If you'll excuse me, titaness, I need to get... some private business sorted. I'll be back in a couple of minutes" He said, stopping his horse. "Hold on, where do you think you're going?" I said. "To-To do the business." He answered. "Just... do it behind a tree here and I'll look the other way. I won't let you out of my sight." Visibly uncomfortable, the collector nonetheless obeyed. I sat down in the mean time, to give some rest to my tired feet. I remained there for a minute, then another, then another still. I was starting to get quite annoyed. "Are you done already?" I said, looking at the tree behind which he was. There, I noticed something was wrong. There was rustling in the undergrowth of the forest around us, and no sound coming from behind the tree. I stood up and went to check. [[Continue->M1.5]]

The rustling around me got closer and louder. I turned around the tree. There the collector was standing still, in front of a man. Old, scarred, with an unkept grey beard, and clothes that were on the brink of falling apart. He noticed me and froze still. Titus turned around, staring at me with wide eyes. Then the man jumped forward and placed a knife against Titus' throat. "Not a step forward, giant bitch, or this bootlicker is done for." As he said that, more men sprung out of the trees, with bows in hand, staring at me in silence. There were no more than twenty of them. "Where's the rest of the army? You think //you// can take me down?" I said. The men squirmed upon hearing those words. They knew very well they did not stand a chance. But, they remained in their place, bows still aimed at me. "Is that all you got? Threats? Even if you kill us, he will still be dead!" The man threatening Titus answered. *[[ [Bluff] Do you think I care about him?->M1.6]] Maybe I could save him, and avoid a slaughter. I'll apologize to him later. *[[ [Truth] Do you think I care about him?->M1.6]] Who do they think they are talking to? Arrogant bastards.

"I-I..." The man gritted his teeth, and pushed the knife harder against TItus' throat, drawing a tiny bit of blood. "You're fucking lying, aren't you? I bet your little master will be royally pissed if this piggy does not get back home intact." I rolled my eyes. "As a matter of fact, they-" "Wait a bloody second! You're one of us, aren't you? You're from Ambracia. I'd recognize that accent anywhere!" Shouted one of the bandits around me. "You're a Thearnian! A giant Thearnian bitch!" He spat on the ground. "How could you betray your country? Your own blood?" Another one shouted. *[["They did not exactly give me a choice."->M1.6 explanation]] I said. Maybe there was still a possibility of avoiding bloodshed. *[[Well, I tried the nice way.->M1.6 massacre]] Time to have some fun.

"They did not exactly give me a choice. They kidnapped me and forced me to participate in their twisted ritual" I said. I was pretty certain none of them would believe me, but maybe I could put enough doubt in them that a peaceful solution would appear as the more appealing option anyway. They remained silent, so I used the opportunity to continue: "Listen, if you kill him, we both know you're not getting out of here alive, but..." I looked at him straight into his eyes. "There is another possibility: You let him go, and leave the gold, and I'll let you go free." "And who guarantees us you will keep your word, traitor?" The same bandit of before said. "My orders are to protect the tax collector. If there is no aggression against his person, I have no reason to act against you." "You think we're all stup-" The bandit said, but he was interrupted by the one holding Titus. "She is right, boys." He let Titus go. "We will meet again, titaness" he said, like stating a fact. "All right, troops. Retreat!" And just like that, they vanished in the forest. Titus caressed his throat. "Thanks, $name. We better get going now." @@color:aquamarine;I felt closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M1 governor]]

I stepped forward. "Don't you dare!" Screamed the man holding Titus, gripping his knife with all the strength he had. I took another step. I was just in front of them now. Their tiny form dwarfed by my enormous body. I lifted my foot, and hovered it over the two men. *[[I stomped them both.->M1.6 complete]] My patience had run out. *[[I narrowly avoided them on purpose->M1.6 saved Collector]] in a last attempt at retrieving the collector alive.

<<if $M1TitusAlive>><<if $M1KilledBanditLeader>><<include "governor titus alive leader alive">><<else>><<include "governor titus alive bandit leader dead">><</if>><<else>><<include "governor titus dead">><</if>> <<if $canAdd>><<set $gold++>><</if>>@@color:LightGreen;My wealth had increased@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

I stomped down with all my weight, pulverizing them both beneath my sole. A shiver run up my spine, the feeling of warm blood under my foot transformed into a feeling of pure euphoric power. A grown, armed man, who would have no trouble killing my human self, obliterated with almost no effort. It was the first man I have ever killed. It felt... incredible. It felt right. It felt proper. For an instant, I felt like I was on top of the whole entire world. No wonder most titanesses were all bloodthirsty monsters, it was the best feeling of the world.<<set $M1KilledBanditLeader to true>> The stunned crowd of bandits did not react immediately. I did not give them the same luxury. With just a few steps, I got on top of the closest ones, stomping one to death in one single movement. My heart was pumping fast in my chest; the rush of battle intensified every sensation: touch, hearing, sight, even taste. My mind had become a blur of ecstatic bloodlust. I grabbed a couple in my hand and crushed them against the trunk of a tree, coating the bark in blood. I pushed forward. By now the air was filled with arrows. I could feel them hitting my skin, some even drawing a single droplet of blood; but even the worst was no more painful than a mosquito bite. If anything, they spurred me forward with renewed vigor. Two more bandits died beneath my feet, two more crushed between my fingers like they were grapes. By now, they had given up on fighting me and were trying to flee in all directions. I managed to scoop one up. I smiled at him and dropped him in my mouth, enjoying his desperate thrashing. I swallowed him whole, basking in the delicious tingling sensation of him moving in my throat and my stomach. Three were trying to sneak past me. I theatrically tripped myself, and fell on my <<if $curves is "generous">>big<</if>> ass, squashing them against my <<if $bodyType != "athletic" || $bodyType != "muscular">>soft<<else>>taut<</if>> ass. Their bodies reduced to unrecognizable pools of guts and bones under my butt cheeks. "Oh, how clumsy of me!" I said, giggling. My fun, however, was unfortunately over. The remaining bandits had gotten away, deep into the forest. I looked back at the tax collector. There was no doubt he had died, in fact, there was not much left of him. Fortunately, I managed to find the bag with the money for the governor. It was still intact, more or less. I stood up and looked around, admiring my handiwork. Then I stretched my arms and began walking towards the governor's palace. @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $M1BanditsAlive to false, $M1TitusAlive to false, $kilLCount to $killCount + 13, $eatenCount++>><<set $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 5>><</if>> [[Continue->M1 governor]]

I stomped down with all my weight, pulverizing the bush unfortunate enough to be under my sole. The impact sent the two flying a few feet into the air. Titus hit his head against a rock, and instantly fell unconscious. The bandit instead hit his shoulder against a tree, he let go of his knife with a scream of pain. "Fuck! You cunt!" He screamed. But I was no longer interested in his words. I lifted my foot again, and squashed him without a second thought. His body immediately burst under my tremendous weight. A shiver run up my spine; the feeling of warm blood under my foot transformed into a feeling of pure euphoric power. A grown man, who would have no trouble killing my human self, obliterated with almost no effort. It was the first man I have ever killed. It felt... incredible. It felt right. It felt proper. For an instant, I felt like I was on top of the whole entire world. No wonder most titanesses were all bloodthirsty monsters, it was the best feeling of the world.<<set $M1KilledBanditLeader to true>> @@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $killCount++>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> *[[Last chance to get out of here with your life.->M1.6 spared bandits]] My bloodlust was sated, and I could not be bothered to chase all twenty of them. *[[I turned around.->M1.6 half massacre]] Time to finish the job.

<<if $canAdd>><<set $killCount++, $eatenCount++>><</if>>There was silence for a second or two. "You dirty giant traitor bitch!" screamed the man from before on top of his lungs. He then fired his bow. The arrow hit me in my thighs, barely penetrating my skin. It was no more painful than a mosquito bite. I moved towards him. He shot again, the arrow reaching my abdomen. I was almost on top of him when he fired his last shot, at my hand, while I bent down to pick him up. Thrashing and screaming, he tried to fire one last time, but I took his bow away before he could. I smiled and brought him up above my head. Then I opened my mouth and gave him a nice good look at my throat. And then I let him go. He fell on my tongue. The taste of dirt and grass hit me instantly, only to be quickly washed away by my saliva, to be replaced by the much more pleasant taste of his flesh. I moved him around my mouth for a couple of moments, enjoying his desperate movements. Then I swallowed him whole. Oh! The sensation of him traveling down my throat! Intoxicatingly pleasant. And then the tingling feeling of him moving around in my stomach. Wonderful. I rubbed my stomach, satisfied, then I looked around. There was no more trace of bandits around, they must have fled while I was enjoying my meal. I looked back at the tax collector. I picked him up in my hand, he was still alive, fortunately. And with the money on him. I left the forest with him in my palm. [[Continue->M1 governor]]

The stunned crowd of bandits did not react immediately. I did not give them the same luxury. With just a few steps, I got on top of the closest ones, stomping one to death in one single movement. My heart was pumping fast in my chest; the rush of battle intensified every sensation: touch, hearing, sight, even taste. My mind had become a blur of ecstatic bloodlust. I grabbed a couple in my hand and crushed them against the trunk of a tree, coating the bark in blood. I pushed forward. By now the air was filled with arrows. I could feel them hitting my skin, some even drawing a single droplet of blood; but even the worst was no more painful than a mosquito bite. If anything, they spurred me forward with renewed vigor. Two more bandits died beneath my feet, two more crushed between my fingers like they were grapes. By now, they had given up on fighting me and were trying to flee in all directions. I managed to scoop up one. I smiled at him and dropped him in my mouth, enjoying his desperate thrashing. I swallowed him whole, basking in the delicious tingling sensation of him moving in my throat and my stomach. Three were trying to sneak past me. I theatrically tripped myself, and fell on my <<if $curves is "generous">>big<</if>> ass, squashing them against my <<if $bodyType != "athletic" || $bodyType != "muscular">>soft<<else>>taut<</if>> ass. Their bodies reduced to unrecognizable pools of guts and bones under my butt cheeks. "Oh, how clumsy" I said, giggling. My fun, however, was unfortunately over. The remaining bandits had gotten away, deep into the forest. I looked back at the tax collector. I picked him up in my hand, he was still alive, fortunately. And with the money on him still. I left the forest with him in my palm. @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $M1BanditsAlive to false, $killCount to $killCount + 11, $eatenCount++>><<set $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 4>><</if>> [[Continue->M1 governor]]

<<set $mission to "Intermission">>With my duties taken care of, I was finally left with some freedom. <<if !$wounded>><<if !hasVisited("I1 general report")>> [[I made my report to the general->I1 general report]]<</if>><<if hasVisited("I1 general report") && !hasVisited("M1 reward")>> [[I went to enjoy my reward->M1 reward]]<</if>><<if !hasVisited("I1 laelia meet")>> [[I went to talk to Laelia.->I1 laelia meet]]<</if>><<if !hasVisited("I1 valeria meet")>> [[I had the opportunity to talk to the other titaness recruit.->I1 valeria meet]]<</if>><<if hasVisited("I1 valeria meet") && !hasVisited("I1 valeria wine")>> [[I asked to the servants about Iratian wine for Valeria.->I1 valeria wine]]<</if>><<if !hasVisited("I1 flavius meet")>> [[I asked to speak with the governor->I1 flavius meet]]<</if>><<if hasVisited("I1 side quest") && !$I1MinotaurQuestCompleted>> [[I tracked down the troublesome minotaur->I1 minotaur quest beginning]]<</if>> <<if !hasVisited("I1 governor proposal")>>I used the time left before the next mission: *[[Training hard on my combat skills->I1 training end]] *[[Volunteering for heavy duty in the legion's camp->I1 legion end]] *[[Enjoying life as much as I could->I1 hedonism end]] <<else>>I used the time left before the next mission: *[[Training hard on my combat skills->I1 training end]] *[[Helping in the post-conquest reconstruction->I1 country help end]] *[[Volunteering for heavy duty in the legion's camp->I1 legion end]] *[[Enjoying life as much as I could->I1 hedonism end]] <</if>><<else>> My wounds forced me to stay in bed for a quite a while. When I finally recovered, it was time for my next mission. [[Continue->I1 wound end]] <</if>>

I got to the general's tent. The place was much the same as I left it a few days before. Still perched on her chair on top of the titan-sized table, the general watched me enter and salute her. "So, first time alone in the field, how did it go?" She asked. "It went well, general. <<if $M1TitusAlive>>The round was completed without trouble" I said. I then proceeded to give her the whole report.<<else>>Well, we took some losses, but the round was completed successfully" I said, rubbing my neck. I then proceeded to give her the whole report.<</if>> <<if $M1TitusAlive>>She smiled "Well done, well done. I imagine that buffoon of a governor was happy that his little puppet was safe, right?" "He was, yes" I said, slightly confused.<<else>>She remained silent for a second, then she burst out laughing. "Oh goddess, I wished I was here to see his face. Well, a shame for the lad I guess, but he should have chosen his master more wisely."<</if>> "In any case," she said, "that was mission complete. And as it is your first one, I'll give you a small reward. You'll find some slaves in your quarters, have fun with them" she winked at me. "Thank you, general." <<if !$M1TitusAlive>><<if $canAdd>><<set $furiaRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;You have made a good impression on the general@@ <</if>> *[[I have some more questions.->I1 general questions]] If you have some time, general. *[[I'll be sure to enjoy your gift.->I1 side quest]]

It was an early morning. I was about to leave the camp to train in the fields nearby, when I saw Laelia just outside the walls, working on the corpse of some kind of animal. "Hello $name. Early birds, aren't we?" She said, without taking her eyes away from her prey. She was working its guts with her knife, butchering it. Her large muscles working the beast's meat like a potter with clay. "I... Yes." I was not sure how to respond. "It's a hydra, if you're wondering." The creature was indeed covered in green scales, and I could see several long necks growing from its quadrupedal body. "I heard there was one nearby. It's been a while since I could hunt such a big one. Five heads, meaning it was at least sixty years old." She extracted her hands from the abdomen of the dead monster, covered in slimy, gelatinous blood. In one she held her knife, in the other a piece of of the creature: an organ of some kind, of a dark color. "Want to taste?" My stomach immediately refused to even contemplate the proposition. "Aren't hydras highly poisonous?" I asked. She smiled. "Yes. This is the poison gland after all. But one of the perks of being a titaness is that your stomachs can handle pretty much everything." As she said so, she placed the gland in her mouth and sucked on it. *[[I gave it a taste.->I1 laelia taste]] *[[I refused to put that anywhere close to my mouth.->I1 laelia no taste]]

That day, we were scheduled to have a training session with two other titanesses from the tenth. Contrary to me and the other recruit, they were long time veterans, with several campaigns behind them. The four of us went out of the camp early in the morning, in full battle gear, and reached a clearing somewhere to the north of it. There, we prepared. The raven haired beauty set herself to my left side, while the other two titanesses lined up in front of us. "Now, we'll go easy on you two, rookies. We don't want to explain to the general why her shiny new toys are all bruised and broken, after all" one of them said, her face partially hidden beneath her helmet. "What a fucking pair: A barbarian and a traitor. They really let anyone in these days." At those words, my companion tensed up, but she remained quiet, keeping her usual stoic exterior. "Let's do this" she said, as coldly as she could, without taking her eyes away from the giantesses before us. With my shield in one hand and my spear in the other, I took a deep breath and charged forward. <<link "Continue">><<if $combatRating >= 2>><<goto "I1 valeria victory">><<else>><<goto "I1 valeria loss">><</if>><</link>>

<div class="subtitle">Furia Publicia Martinia</div> Furia is a middle aged woman, in her early forties. Her fiery red hair and hazel eyes fit her name quite well, just like her confidence, ambition, and domineering attitude. She is somewhat short, but with full curves and the toned figure of a professional soldier. <<if $furiaHistory>> An Iratian noble by birth, she is the general of the tenth and the seventh legion. A veteran of many campaigns, she was stationed in the ex-Thearnian republic as a peacekeeping force, after its conquest was completed a few years prior. <</if>> Relationship: //under construction// <<if $rawNumbers>>Value: $furiaRelationship<</if>> [[Back to notes->Notes]]

<div class="subtitle">Laelia Matho</div> A veteran of the tenth legion, in her middle thirties. Her blonde hair, pale skin and clear blue eyes, fairly uncommon colors in the empire, make her stand out among the titanesses of the tenth. Her <<if $metric>>twenty-six meters<<else>>eighty-seven foot<</if>> tall frame is made even more impressive by her powerful physique: broad shoulders, thick thighs and biceps, and impressive abs. Her skin is marked by numerous scars, accumulated in the long years of service. <<if $laeliaHistory>> Born in Misenum, once a small kingdom in the north, to very humble origins. She was recruited by the general right after the siege of the kingdom's capital. She has faithfully served the general, since then. <</if>> Relationship: //under construction// <<if $rawNumbers>>Value: $laeliaRelationship<</if>> [[Back to notes->Notes]]

<div class="subtitle">Valeria Vegetia Sylla</div> Valeria is a young woman, in her middle twenties. Her long, raven black and penetrating gray eyes are a good match to her cold, stoic personality. She has bronze skin, a rather typical skin color for Iratian natives. Her <<if $metric>>twenty-two meters<<else>>seventy-four foot<</if>> tall body is delicate and feminine, matched by her rather petite curves. <<if $valeriaToldStory>> Valeria is the youngest daughter of a noble family. Despite their wealth, their influence is very limited, due to their family head being found guilty of conspiring against the overlord. She lived her childhood humilitated by fellow nobles, and under the suffocating pressure of constant competition with her many siblings. When her father died, she voluntarily took herself out of the succession line by joining the army. She became a titaness together with $name. <</if>> Relationship: //under construction// <<if $rawNumbers>>Value: $valeriaRelationship<</if>> [[Back to notes->Notes]]

<div class="subtitle">Flavius Lucretius Volsenna</div> An old noble, in his late fifties, though his brown eyes are still as lively as they were in his youth. The same unfortunately cannot be said of his almost completely bald head, and his wrinkled skin. Despite his upbringing and career, he is a jovial and humble individual, but fiercely cunning when it is required. <<if $flaviusHistory>> Born in the Iratian capital to a rather modest noble family, he rose to preminence as a skilled stateman and administrator, as well as a scholar and patron of the arts. His transfer to the Thearnian province was dictated by a change in the equilibrium of power at court, who forced him to distance himself from the capital. <</if>> Relationship: //under construction// <<if $rawNumbers>>Value: $flaviusRelationship<</if>> [[Back to notes->Notes]]

//under construction// [[Back to notes->Notes]]

I decided to pay a visit to the governor. I did not have the opportunity to ask him some questions last time, I was hoping this time I could. I asked one of the servants in the legion's camp to ask for an appointment, and eventually it was granted. That day, I got to the governor's villa. The majestic building still had not lost its charm to me. I reached the governor's balcony and waited for a few minutes. Then, he finally came. "Good day, titaness. $name, if I remember correctly, right?" He said. "Yes, sir." He smiled, happy to be able to remember my name. "Well, to what do I owe this visit?"<<if $M1TitusAlive>> *[[I asked about Titus,->I1 governor titus question]] the tax collector I escorted for him. *[[I had some questions for him.->I1 governor questions]] *[[I asked if he had any work for me.->I1 governor proposal]]<<else>> *[[I had some questions for him.->I1 governor questions]] *[[I asked if he had any work for me.->I1 governor proposal]] <</if>>[[I bowed down and left->Intermission 1]]

I decided to look into the minotaur. As far as I knew, those monsters were rather primitive creatures, capable of using basic tools and weapons, but barely anything beyond that. Still, their impressive size, and strength made them extremely dangerous opponents. Under the right circumstances, they may prove difficult to take down even for a titaness. Nonetheless, I gathered my battle gear: Boots, reinforced tunic, helmet, spear, and shield, and moved out. [[I left the camp behind->I1 minotaur 1]], to the last known location of the minotaur.

"All right, ask" the general said. *[[How did you become general?->I1 general history question]] *[[Why are you not a titaness?->I1 general titaness question]] *[[What is that stone you use to give us orders?->I1 general stone question]] *[[What's your bodyguard's story?->I1 general bodyguard question]] *[[Why are all titanesses women?->I1 general female question]] [[That was all. Thank you.->I1 side quest]]

"Oh, one thing before you leave" she said, before you could exit the tent. "We have received several reports of a very ambitious minotaur getting closer and closer to Thearn. The governor has not asked us to take care of it yet, but it's only a matter of time." "Would you, by any chance, be interested in solving this little problem for me? You're free to refuse, of course. See it as a little extra opportunity to make a name for yourself." "I'll consider it, general. Thank you." "Good. Be seeing you, titaness." [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

<<include "StoryInit">> <div class="title">The Titan Kingdoms: Prologue</div> <div class="center">[[Continue->Prologue 1]]</div>

<<set $mission to "The Tax Collector", $chapter to "Chapter One">> <div class="title">The Titan Kingdoms: Chapter One</div> <div class="center">[[Continue->Chapter 1 beginning]]</div>

I used the time I had on training as hard as I could. I had a lot ground to cover before I could compete on equal ground with the veterans, so I concentrated my efforts there. <<if hasVisited("I1 laelia sex 1")>> <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating to $combatRating + 2>><</if>> True to her word, Laelia helped me improve. Her aid was greatly appreciated, and undoubtedly effective, though there rarely was a morning in which my body did not curse the decision to train with her.<</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had become a<<if hasVisited("I1 laelia sex 1")>> much<</if>> better fighter@@ <<if $bodyType is "chubby">>@@color:LightGreen;I lost some weight. I was no longer chubby@@<<elseif ($bodyType is "average") or ($bodyType is "thin")>>@@color:LightGreen;I felt stronger! I had become more athletic@@<<elseif $bodyType is "athletic">>@@color:LightGreen;I felt much stronger! I had become muscular@@<</if>> [[Continue->Mission 2 beginning]] <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++>> <<if $bodyType is "chubby">><<set $bodyType to "average">><<elseif ($bodyType is "average") or ($bodyType is "thin")>><<set $bodyType to "athletic">><<elseif $bodyType is "athletic">><<set $bodyType to "muscular">><<elseif $bodyType is "muscular">><<set $trainingToRipped-->><</if>> <</if>>

I spent most of the time I had volunteering for extra duties in the legion camp. Things like maintaining the titanesses' buildings and the exterior walls, cleaning and cooking duties, training with the human soldiers, and clearing out the land around the camp from dangerous beasts. I did not get much in the way of rest, but my effort was nonetheless appreciated, even if the veterans had trouble admitting it. <<if $canAdd>><<set $legionReputation to $legionReputation + 5, $combatRating++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had become slightly better as a fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;My reputation in the legion increased@@ [[Continue->Mission 2 beginning]]

I spent most of the time lazying around, enjoying life and the perks that came with being a titaness. A part of me felt guilty, about indulging in the same acts that the titanesses were known, and hated, for, but I was past the point of being stopped by such frivolous considerations. <<if $canAdd>><<set $killCount to $kilLCount + random(10)>><</if>> [[Continue->Mission 2 beginning]]

I spent most of the time I had contributing to the reconstruction of Thearn. As a titaness, my job mostly involved moving around construction material or clearing rubble. It was hard work, but it was not unpleasant, and it was a nice break from life at the legion's camp. I had not realized how much I had missed civilian life. Initially, my presence was not well received, but I slowly won the trust of the construction workers. By the end of our collaboration, we had become a well oiled machine. My efforts did not go unnoticed: The governor sent me several letters to thank me, while the general gave me a fair few weird looks. The biggest surprise, however, was discovering that, by the end, I was no longer the only titaness that participated in the reconstruction. <<if $canAdd>><<set $thearnReputation to $thearnReputation + 5>><</if>>@@color:LightGreen;My reputation in Thearn increased@@ [[Continue->Mission 2 beginning]]

"Work? Oh, I don't think our dear general would appreciate me giving you orders." He smiled, then stroke his beard a few times. "Well, actually there may be something you'd be interested in." "The overlord's armies are not the most... delicate in their conquests. Their passage always leaves a lot of rubble behind. There is a lot of rebuilding that must be done now. I am sure your fellow Thearnians would appreciate the help of a titaness, and one of their own on top of it." He brought his hands behind his back. "You don't have to answer me now, if you want to think about it. Just contact me when you decide and I'll organize things for you." [[Continue->I1 governor main questions]]

I reached the village the general told me about. It was about a dozen miles away from Thearn itself. The place was rather small, it could not have been more than a few dozen houses, and it was quite run-down. The villagers were not happy to see me, unsurprisingly. Most vacated the streets as soon as they saw me on the horizon; some even ran away, leaving the village for the nearby forest. I was not too bothered by the display, it was something I was getting used to. I walked to the center of the village. "I have been told a minotaur was sighted around here a few days ago" I said, then I waited for a couple of minutes. "You are indeed correct, titaness" a male voice said, behind me. I turned around and saw an old man with a long beard, in front of me. "I am the elder of this village. As a faithful servant of the empire, I am at your disposal." I looked down at the minuscule man, his back bent by his age. [[Continue->I1 minotaur 2]]

"Tell me what you know" I said. "There isn't much, I am afraid. That beast has already done a lot of damage to our poor village. We lost almost a dozen cows by this point, to its night raids. We tried asking for help to the city, but they would not send soldiers to deal with it, too dangerous they said." He sighed. "My nephew insisted to go to the legion's camp, to ask for help there, I haven't heard from him yet. Do you know what happened to him?" "I do not. The general informed me of this threat and I came to deal with it" I said. "Well, no matter. I am thankful for your presence. We believe it made its lair within the forest to the north of the village. A few of our hunters tried to track it down, but without success." I took a moment to think on how to approach the beast. *[[I decided to lure him into an ambush->I1 minotaur trap 1]] *[[I decided to venture into the forest and kill it in its lair->I1 minutaur cave 1]]

If the minotaur was interested in the livestock of the village, I could use that to my advantage. It would save me the trouble of finding another suitable animal, to be sure. On the other hand, the village had already suffered a lot, another lost cow would strain their limited resources even more. I looked at the elder again, who was still waiting in front of me. *[[I am going to hunt for some game->I1 minotaur trap game]], in the forest and use it as bait. *[[I am going to take one of your cows, elder.->I1 minotaur trap cow]]

"Thank you. Good luck, titaness." he said, bowing down. I gave him a nod, then stepped beyond him, towards the forest. It was a rather large area to cover, and I had little precious experience in hunting down animals. Still, I was pretty confident in my ability to find the beast's lair, and slay it. Navigating the thick vegetation of the woods proved harder than expected. The uneven terrain and tight spaces between the trees made my progress slow. Yet, I eventually found some promising trails, of a large animal moving through the trees. After hours of searching, I finally came what I believed to be the lair: A dark, surprisingly big cave, going deep within the earth. It was about half as tall as me, so I had to crawl to get into it. *[[I decided to wait outside.->I1 minotaur cave outside]] I would be an easy target in the tight passage of the cave. *[[I crawled in.->I1 minotaur cave inside]] With a bit of luck, I could surprise the beast in its sleep.

"Thank you. Good luck, titaness." he said, bowing down. I gave him a nod, then stepped beyond him, towards the forest. I hunted down animals before, but only small prey; I was anything but an expert. Still I was pretty confident I could capture a deer or a boar. I could easily outrun one. I reached the forest and began looking around for signs of passing animals. It definitely took me a while to find some promising tracks, and even longer to reach my target. Eventually, however, I did find a group of wild boars. Unfortunately, so did they. Of the many advantages my titanic body possessed, stealth was not one of them. The boars ran away in fifteen different directions. I pointed myself at one and started running. The thick vegetation was an annoying problem. Squeezing myself through the trees was slowing me down too much. Seeing my prey getting away, I growled in anger and launched myself forward, ramming myself against the trunks before me. The momentum of my charge uprooted the trees with ease, but the impact had definitely hurt. Still, I continued, thrashing the trees standing in my path, until I got it. The poor creature was absolutely terrified, and tried everything it could to get away from my hand. But my grip was stronger. I flicked my fingers and broke its neck, ending its rebellious movements. After exhausting and hurting myself in the chase, I prepared my trap, painting a clearing with the boar's blood, and setting the corpse up at the center of it. Then I waited. @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->I1 minotaur trap fight]]

His eyes opened wide. "I-What? Please, titaness, we are just poor peasants, we cannot afford to lose even more of our livestock." The village certainly looked poor; the inhabitants were not doing much better either. The minotaur likely harassed them for weeks before the general decided to move. *[[Fine, I'll do without.->I1 minotaur trap game]] I said, leaving for the forest. *[[See it as payment.->I1 minotaur trap cow 1]] One dead minotaur for one cow. *[[Are you refusing to obey a servant of the overlord?->I1 minotaur trap cow 1]] A little bit of intimidation would be more than enough to convince him.

It was night when my efforts finally gave fruit. I was slipping in and out of sleep, when a noise in the forest alerted me. The creature finally made its entrance. It was big, easily <<if $metric>>nine meters<<else>>thirty feet<</if>> in height if I had to guess. It reached past my mid thighs. Its hooved legs stomped heavily on the ground, supporting the enormous weight of its muscles, huge and nervous, stretching its hide with every movement. The human torso and arms were completed by a bovine head, with long, sharp horns at the top of it. Surprisingly, it wielded what looked like a stone axe in hand, or more precisely a crudely sharpened rock embedded into the trunk of a tree. The minotaur looked around, suspicious of the boar's corpse. I patiently waited, and eventually, it advanced, and dug its maw deep into the fresh meat. That was my moment. I sprung out of my hiding spot and charged at him, spear in hand. The beast saw me barely in time to dodge my attack. The iron tip of my spear hit its side, cutting through the thick layers of fur, fat and muscles, spilling blood on the grass of the clearing. Yet the wound was not fatal. My momentum carried me forward another couple of steps. The minotaur roared in anger and pain, and, before I could turn around and block it, swung its axe, striking my thigh and opening a large wound. I screamed in pain, as my own blood poured out and onto the monster's fur. I had enough. I braced my spear and thrust against its chest, striking its heart. The minotaur flayed its limbs around, but soon it stopped moving. I slowly extracted my spear, then I took the body and placed it on my shoulders. Finally, I left the clearing. [[Continue->I1 minotaur game victory]]

I reached the village with the first lights of dawn. If my first visit was met with fear, now my presence caused mass panic among the villagers. I could not blame them, I was covered in blood, some mine, some of the minotaur; I must have been quite the gruesome sight. "Elder! I killed the beast" I declared, dropping the heavy weight of the creature’s corpse, giving my shoulders some much needed rest. I did not have to wait long for the mood to change: The peasants, realizing the situation, came closer to observe the corpse of the monster that tortured them for weeks. Finally the elder came. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, titaness. We cannot offer you much to reward you, but know that your generosity will not be forgotten" He said. I looked at him for a couple of seconds. <<if $canAdd>><<set $minotaurScar to true, $thearnReputation++>><</if>> @@color:orangered;The fight left my thigh permanently scarred@@ @@color:LightGreen;My reputation in Thearn slightly increased@@ *[[I decided to leave the body to them.->I1 minotaur end village gift]] The village was not doing well. They needed help. *[[I decided to sell the body for myself.->I1 minotaur end sell]] I could use the extra gold. *[[I decided to gift the body to the governor.->I1 minotaur end governor]] I was sure he would appreciate the extra funds. *[[I decided to gift the body to the general.->I1 minotaur end general]] A nice trophy to add to her collection.

"Your problems are over. For the moment at least." I looked at the dilapidated village. "A lot of alchemists would be willing to pay a nice sum of gold for a minotaur's carcass. I am sure you can find a good buyer at Thearn." The elder opened his mouth wide open. "Ah-Well, we are not worthy of your generosity, my lady" He said, bowing down as far as his old back would allow him. "When I was told a titaness was coming to our village, I was sure our lives were over; yet you saved us not once but twice." "Well, you're welcome. Now, you'd better deal with this thing quickly, I don't think it will last long before starting to rot" I said. Then gave my goodbye and left. <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++, $thearnReputation to $thearnReputation + 5, $I1MinotaurQuestCompleted to true>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;The fight with the minotaur made me a better fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;My reputation in Thearn increased@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

It took me a while to get back to camp, with the minotaur on me. Once there, I left the body to the human servants of the camp. I then went to the nearby river, to wash myself, and made a quick trip to the camp healer, to check on my wound. Having finished taking care of myself, I went back to my prize, and asked around for a merchant willing to take it off my hands. It took a while, not many of the servants and soldiers at the camp knew much about alchemy, or trading, but eventually I found a buyer. A couple of days after, his helpers came to retrieve the body and left me with a heavy sack of gold in hand. <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++, $gold to $gold + 3, $I1MinotaurQuestCompleted to true>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;The fight with the minotaur made me a better fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;My wealth had increased@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

It took me a while to get back to camp, with the minotaur on me. Once there, I left the body to the human servants of the camp, telling them to send it to the governor, as a personal gift from me. I then went to the nearby river, to wash myself, and made a quick trip to the camp healer, to check on my wound. A few days later, I received a letter from the governor. "To titaness $name, I have received your gift. I appreciate the gesture, and I appreciate even more your willingness to put your life on the line for the benefit of Thearn and its inhabitants. As the governor of the province, I thank you for your service. I can assure you that the profits made from the beast's body will be used to improve the lives of the commoners affected by its raids. I have taken the liberty to give you monetary compensation for your efforts, from my own pockets, of course. Flavius Lucretius Volsenna." <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++, $flaviusRelationship++, $gold++, $I1MinotaurQuestCompleted to true>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;The fight with the minotaur made me a better fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on the governor@@ @@color:LightGreen;My wealth had increased@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

It took me a while to get back to camp, with the minotaur on me. Once there, I left the body to the human servants of the camp, so that they could take care of it. I then went to the nearby river, to wash myself, and made a quick trip to the camp healer, to check on my wound. Finally, I went back to report to the general. "Why, hello $name. I had just been informed you came back, with a little gift for me" she said, with a satisfied smile. "Yes, general." She took a good lok at me <<if hasVisited("I1 minotaur game victory", "I1 minotaur cave inside victory", "I1 minotaur cave outside victory")>>"Tough little beast, wasn't it? Well, see it as a reminder that you are not invincible, even as a titaness"<<else>>"And you seem mostly unscathed. Well done, minotaurs can be quite the tough opponents, even for a titaness<</if>> she said, smiling. "But enough of that. I think you deserve a little extra for your efforts." She snapped her fingers, and her bodyguard took out of her pocket a small sack of gold. "Don't spend it all in one night, all right?" <<if $canAdd>><<set $combatRating++, $furiaRelationship++, $gold++, $I1MinotaurQuestCompleted to true>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;The fight with the minotaur made me a better fighter@@ @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on the general@@ @@color:LightGreen;My wealth had increased@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

I was intrigued. The sheer power of the titanesses was quite alluring, I had to admit to myself. I had no desire to inflict pain and death to other people, at least consciously, but the strength of the titanesses was a hard gift to refuse. [[Continue->Ritual 2]]

I was worried. Those giant women were tools of war; if I would become one, I would be asked to destroy innocent lives, just like that soldier did in my town. Could I do that? Inflict pain and suffering to others, just like because I had the power to do so? Was it possible to remain a kind and compassionate person in such circumstances? I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I looked forward, and I gritted my teeth: If there was a way, I would find it. <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ [[Continue->Ritual 2]]

I was ecstatic. I never thought of myself as bloodthirsty, but what I witnessed the last few weeks awakened a side in me I never knew existed. How would it feel to crush a man to death under my feet? How would it feel to have one slide down my throat? A part of me was disgusted by these thoughts; but another part, a much bigger and louder part, was overjoyed. I could not wait for my new life to begin, for me to wield the awesome power of the titanesses and force lesser creatures to obey my whims. <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> @@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@ [[Continue->Ritual 2]]

It late in the evening, I was lazily relaxing on my bed, when my reward came to me. They knocked on the human sized door; I could barely hear it, but I gave them permission to come in. "Good evening, mistress. We are here at your complete disposal. Please use us as you see fit" one of them said. The six slaves came forward. Three men and three women. They looked rather tired, but clean and well taken care of. They reached the foot of my bed and bowed down, waiting for an order. *[[And what do you propose?->I1 reward speak]] I asked them. *[[You look tired, why don't you relax with me?->I1 reward relax 1]] *[[I was in the mood for some intimate fun->I1 reward sex 1]] *[[I was feeling a bit hungry.->I1 reward vore 1]] They did say they were at my disposal. *[[I stood up and told them to run.->I1 reward crush 1]] A good chase to get the blood pumping. <<set $gentleRelax to false>>

<<if $furiaRelationship <= 1>>"She..." She took a moment to think. "Well, there's not much to say about her, really. She has been with me for a long time, almost since the beginning of my career. And she has always been a devoted soldier of mine."<<else>>"She..." She took a moment to think. "She has been with me for a long time. She is an example of what happens if a titaness rebels against the blood bond too many times." Her voice was strangely remorseful, something you never expected to hear from the general. "Using the blackstone too many times on someone has consequences: They slowly lose themselves, piece by piece. She... could not accept what she had become, so I was forced to order her to obey." She looked at me straight into my eyes. "Well, you've got your answer. Consider it a cautionary tale, against disobeying the will of the overlord."<</if>> [[Thank you, general->I1 general questions]]

He gritted his teeth and looked down. "Very well, titaness. You will have your cow." He raised his arm and a man came to him. He whispered a few words, sending him to retrieve one. After a few minutes, he came back, with the animal in tow. As expected, the poor creature was not too happy to get close to me. The man had to pull with all of his strength to get it going forward. Eventually, I tired of the display and stepped forward, over the elder. I told to the man to let go and took the animal into my hands. The cow was surprisingly heavy, I could definitely feel its weight in my hand, it was like holding a small stone. It kept kicking and squirming around, to get away from my grip, but it had no chance of doing so. I left the village behind, with my bait in hand. In the forest, I looked around for a good spot. Eventually, I settled on a small clearing. There, I prepared my trap: I killed the cow with a flick of my fingers, and painted the clearing with the animal's blood; finally I set the corpse up at the center of it. Then, I waited. [[Continue->I1 minotaur trap cow fight]]

It was night when my efforts finally gave fruit. I was slipping in and out of sleep, when a noise in the forest alerted me. The creature finally made its entrance. It was big, easily <<if $metric>>nine meters<<else>>thirty feet<</if>> in height if I had to guess. It reached past my mid thighs. Its hooved legs stomped heavily on the ground, supporting the enormous weight of its muscles: huge and nervous, they stretched its hide with every movement. The human torso and arms were completed by a bovine head, with long, sharp horns at the top of it. Surprisingly, it wielded what looked like a stone axe in hand, or more precisely a crudely sharpened rock embedded into the trunk of a tree. The minotaur looked around, suspicious of the cow's corpse. I patiently waited, and eventually, it advanced, and dug its maw deep into the fresh meat. That was my moment. I sprung out of my hiding spot and charged at him, spear in hand. The beast saw me barely in time to dodge my attack. The iron tip of my spear hit its side, cutting through the thick layers of fur, fat and muscles, spilling its blood on the grass of the clearing. Yet the wound was not fatal. My momentum carried me forward another couple of steps. The minotaur roared in anger and pain, and swung its axe against my thigh. I had barely enough time to dodge, its crude weapon leaving behind only a superficial wound. I had enough. I braced my spear and thrust against its chest, striking its heart. The minotaur flayed its limbs around, but soon it stopped moving. I slowly extracted my spear, then I took the body and placed it on my shoulders. Finally, I left the clearing. [[Continue->I1 minotaur cow victory]]

I reached the village with the first lights of dawn. If my first visit was met with fear, now my presence caused mass panic among the villagers. I could not blame them, I was covered in the beast's blood; I must have been quite the gruesome sight. "Elder! I killed the minotaur" I declared, dropping the heavy weight of the creature’s corpse down, giving my shoulders some much needed rest. I did not have to wait long for the mood to change: The peasants, realizing the situation, came closer to observe the corpse of the monster that tortured them for weeks. Finally the elder came. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, titaness. We cannot offer you much to reward you, but know that your generosity will not be forgotten" He said. I looked at him for a couple of seconds. <<if $canAdd>><<set $thearnReputation++>><</if>> @@color:lightgreen;My reputation in Thearn slightly increased@@ *[[I decided to leave the body to them.->I1 minotaur end village gift]] The village was not doing well. They needed help. *[[I decided to sell the body for myself.->I1 minotaur end sell]] I could use the extra gold. *[[I decided to gift the body to the governor.->I1 minotaur end governor]] I was sure he would appreciate the extra funds. *[[I decided to gift the body to the general.->I1 minotaur end general]] A nice trophy to add to her collection.

The cave could hardly fit my body, if I got caught by the beast in there, I could be in serious trouble. Thus, I decided to wait outside, to strike when it finally came out. The wait would be long. I struggled to remain vigilant for all the long hours of the afternoon, evening, and then night. Then, finally, a roar reached my ears. I looked behind me, and saw the beast charging forward. It was big, easily <<if $metric>>nine meters<<else>>thirty feet<</if>> in height if I had to guess. It reached past my mid thighs. Its hooved legs stomped heavily on the ground, supporting the enormous weight of its muscles, huge and nervous, stretching its hide with every movement. The human torso and arms were completed by a bovine head, with long, sharp horns at the top of it. Surprisingly, it wielded what looked like a stone axe in hand, or more precisely a crudely sharpened rock embedded into the trunk of a tree. I had precious little time to prepare. [[Continue->I1 minotaur cave outside 1]]

I decided to venture inside. As I advanced, the light began to become scarce, until I was left in near complete darkness. The humidity was making my breathing heavy, while the sharp corners of the cave ceiling and walls scraped my skins. Eventually, I reached a larger room, where I could see a pile of hay on one side, and a pile of bones on the other. There was some wood, and the remains of a fire at the center of it. That must have been where the creature's slept. It was tall enough for me to stand on my knees. Satisfied with my exploration, I evaluated whether it would be better to wait for it outside or remain there, when a roar reached my ears. I looked behind me, and saw the beast charging forward, against my unprotected back. It was big, easily <<if $metric>>nine meters<<else>>thirty feet<</if>> in height if I had to guess. It reached past my mid thighs. Its hooved legs stomped heavily on the ground, supporting the enormous weight of its muscles, huge and nervous, stretching its hide with every movement. The human torso and arms were completed by a bovine head, with long, sharp horns at the top of it. Surprisingly, it wielded what looked like a stone axe in hand, or more precisely a crudely sharpened rock embedded into the trunk of a tree. I turned around to face him, but the tight confines of the cave made my spear useless. I had barely enough time to brace for impact. [[Continue->I1 minotaur cave inside 1]]

The minotaur's horns hit my arms dead on. The sharp tips penetrated my flesh with ease, causing blood to spill out on the cave's floor. I screamed in pain, while I tried to fling him away from me. The beast stepped away, my blood flowing down its head onto its thick fur. Its eyes locked with mine, filled with animalistic rage. I tried to retreat further into the room, but the minotaur acted faster, and swung its weapon against my leg. Another wound opened, letting out more blood, and forcing me to drop down on my knee. The minotaur threw itself forward, plunging its horns into my abdomen. I could feel them grazing my internal organs. I bent down in pain, while my stomach pushed to spill its contents. The minotaur retreated again and let out a victorious roar. Gritting my teeth, I crawled forward. I threw a punch at it, but it easily dodged it, striking my arm in retaliation. I had enough, I jumped forward, throwing myself over the beast, immobilizing him under me. I finally grabbed him with my hand, and tightened my grip around its neck, until it finally stopped moving. [[Continue->I1 minotaur cave inside victory]]

I reached the village with the first lights of dawn. If my first visit was met with fear, now my presence caused mass panic among the villagers. I could not blame them, I was covered in blood, a lot of it my own; I must have been quite the gruesome sight. "Elder! I killed the beast" I declared, dropping the heavy weight of the beast's corpse, giving my shoulders some much needed respite. I did not have to wait long for the mood to change: The peasants, realizing the situation, came closer to observe the corpse of the monster that tortured them for weeks. Finally the elder came. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, titaness. We cannot offer you much to reward you, but know that your generosity will not be forgotten" He said. I looked at him for a couple of seconds. <<if $canAdd>><<set $minotaurScar to true, $wounded to true, $thearnReputation++>><</if>> @@color:orangered;The minotaur inflicted me some serious wounds. I would need time to recover@@ @@color:LightGreen;My reputation in Thearn slightly increased@@ *[[I decided to leave the body to them.->I1 minotaur end village gift]] The village was not doing well. They needed help. *[[I decided to sell the body for myself.->I1 minotaur end sell]] I could use the extra gold. *[[I decided to gift the body to the governor.->I1 minotaur end governor]] I was sure he would appreciate the extra funds. *[[I decided to gift the body to the general.->I1 minotaur end general]] A nice trophy to add to her collection.

I spent most of the time I had in bed, recovering from my wounds. Fortunately, they healed well and I was able to fully recover, but the time lost left me with little room to improve my situation, or enjoy my freedom. <<set $wounded to false>> [[Continue->Mission 2 beginning]]

I stood up and braced my spear, but I was just a little bit too late. The creature struck against my thigh with its axe, opening a large wound. I screamed in pain, as my blood poured out, onto the monster's fur. I gritted my teeth and sent my knee against its maw. The beast staggered backward, dazed by the power of my strike. I used the moment to aim my spear and strike at its chest. the iron tip of my weapon sunk into the monster's flesh, reaching its heart. The minotaur flayed its limbs around, but soon it stopped moving. I slowly extracted my spear, then I took the body and placed it on my shoulders. Finally, I left the clearing. [[Continue->I1 minotaur cave outside victory]]

I reached the village with the first lights of dawn. If my first visit was met with fear, now my presence caused mass panic among the villagers. I could not blame them, I was covered in blood, some mine, some of the beast; I must have been quite the gruesome sight. "Elder! I killed the minotaur" I declared, dropping the heavy weight of the creature’s corpse, giving my shoulders some much needed respite. I did not have to wait long for the mood to change: The peasants, realizing the situation, came closer to observe the corpse of the monster that tortured them for weeks. Finally the elder came. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, titaness. We cannot offer you much to reward you, but know that your generosity will not be forgotten" He said. I looked at him for a couple of seconds. <<if $canAdd>><<set $minotaurScar to true, $thearnReputation++>><</if>> @@color:orangered;The fight left my thigh permanently scarred@@ @@color:LightGreen;My reputation in Thearn slightly increased@@ *[[I decided to leave the body to them.->I1 minotaur end village gift]] The village was not doing well. They needed help. *[[I decided to sell the body for myself.->I1 minotaur end sell]] I could use the extra gold. *[[I decided to gift the body to the governor.->I1 minotaur end governor]] I was sure he would appreciate the extra funds. *[[I decided to gift the body to the general.->I1 minotaur end general]] A nice trophy to add to her collection.

"Titus is fine. Don't worry.<<if $M1KilledBanditLeader>> He was a bit proven by the trip, but he got back on his feet.<<else>> He was surprisingly chirpy after the round with you.<</if>> I appreciate your concern, $name. It's rare to see a titaness so considerate of the lives of common humans. The raids against our agents continue, unfortunately, but they are much less frequent now. In no small part thanks to you I imagine." [[Thank you, governor.->I1 governor main questions]]

"Well, no problem. Go ahead" he said. *[[How did you become governor?->I1 governor history question]] *[[What is your relationship with the general?->I1 governor general question]] [[That was all I wanted to know.->I1 governor main questions]]

"Of course. Anything else you needed?"<<if $M1TitusAlive>> *[[I asked about Titus,->I1 governor titus question]] the tax collector I escorted for him. *[[I had some questions for him.->I1 governor questions]] *[[I asked if he had any work for me.->I1 governor proposal]]<<else>> *[[I had some questions for him.->I1 governor questions]] *[[I asked if he had any work for me.->I1 governor proposal]] <</if>>[[I thanked him one last time and left.->Intermission 1]]

<<set $flaviusHistory to true>>"I am afraid it is not a particularly interesting story." He stroke his beard. "I am here because I was kindly asked to leave the overlord's court." He smiled. "As you can imagine, there's a lot going on under the surface of the imperial city." "Don't get me wrong, I loved my life at the capital. It is not the horrible hive of debauchery and violence that it is often described as; quite the opposite, it is an exquisite center of knowledge and culture. I lost many years of my life reading books in its libraries, and debating with fellow scholars in the halls of the imperial palace." "As you may know, old farts like me are often sent to the provinces as a sort of retirement, mostly to take them out of the picture when their presence gets too heavy. I was never much of a politician myself, but my influence still felt too overbearing to some. Eventually, they were successful in their schemes; and here I am." [[Thank you, governor.->I1 governor questions]]

"Well, we do not exactly see eye to eye on many issues. I may not be a native Thearnian, so you may think my reasoning may be just cold pragmatism, but nonetheless I do want to show the good the empire can bring to the people of this province." "The general, on the other hand, is less interested in the people and more about the opportunities her assignment here can open her. She is a soldier through and through, her life was spent from battlefield to battlefield, always at the head of her legions. Here, she has the time and resources to recover and grow her army's strength, and her own influence." "The court may be the heart of the empire, by the titanesses are its blood. And whoever controls them has real, tangible power in hand. What she wishes to do with that power, I do not know. If I had to guess, she will push for an oversea invasion, to the eastern continent." [[Thank you, governor.->I1 governor questions]]

It was when we were almost at the governor's palace that Titus woke up. He was a bit bruised, and he had a killer headache, but otherwise, he was fine. Physically at least, mentally not so much: When he found out he was in my hand, he began to visibly shake and squirm, and refused to look me in the eyes. I could not blame the guy. I would be terrified too in his place. Hell, I've been on that side; I know how horrific it is from his perspective. Still, what was done was done. The palace was an opulent building, large and wide, though not much taller than myself. Even still, it was quite impressive and finely decorated. There was a titaness patrolling the outskirts of the villa, I gave her a quick nod, but I did not recognize her: She might have been from the seventh legion. We were briefly interrogated by the guards at the entrance, then we were let into the gardens. A servant walked in front of me, pointing at where I should place my feet, so that I would not damage the flowerbeds. Finally in front of the palace, we stopped before a balcony. There, after a couple of minutes, came the governor. He was a rather old individual, balding, shaved clean. He was in good shape despite his age, he must have been quite the looker a couple of decades before then. "Welcome. Titus, I'm happy to see you are alive, though not as unscathed as I'd have hoped" he said, then he looked at me. "And you must be one of the new girls, the local one. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, titaness. I hope your time with the imperial army has been a good one, until now." He smiled. I was taken back by his friendliness: I knew the general was in not exactly on friendly terms with him, so I expected some hostility. "It was, governor, thank you." He smiled again. "My, manners! From one of Furia's titans nonetheless. Well, that is one thing I came to appreciate of this country. In any case, how did the round go? Was she useful?" He asked, looking at the collector in my hands. "She..." He sighed. "She was effective." "I see. I imagine you met some resistance along the way, judging from your injuries." "We did. But she took care of them. I doubt we will hear from them again any time soon." "Interesting. Well, thank you, titaness, for protecting my agent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to hear his report. If you'd be so kind to leave him here." He pointed at his balcony. I brought my hand forward and let Titus off. "Thank you. It was a pleasure, again." <<if $canAdd>><<set $flaviusRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on the governor@@

After two more hours of marching, we reached the governor's palace. It was an opulent building, large and wide, though not much taller than myself. Even still, it was quite impressive and finely decorated. There was a titaness patrolling the outskirts of the villa, I gave her a quick nod, but I did not recognize her: She might have been from the seventh legion. We were briefly interrogated by the guards at the entrance, then we were let into the gardens. A servant walked in front of me, pointing at where I should place my feet, so that I would not damage the flowerbeds. Finally in front of the palace, we stopped before a balcony. There, after a couple of minutes, came the governor. He was a rather old individual, balding, shaved clean. He was in good shape despite his age, he must have been quite the looker a couple of decades before then. "Welcome. Titus, I'm happy to see you are alive, and unscathed" he said, then he looked at me. "And you must be one of the new girls, the local one. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, titaness. I hope your time with the imperial army has been a good one, until now." He smiled at me. I was taken back by his friendliness: I knew the general was in not exactly friendly terms with him, so I expected some hostility. "It was, governor, thank you." He smiled again. "My, manners! From one of Furia's titans nonetheless. Well, that is one thing I came to appreciate of this country. In any case, how did the round go? Was she useful?" He asked, looking at the collector in my hands. "She was, actually. I was skeptical at first, sir, but she really was of great help." "I'm happy to hear it. Did you meet any hostile resistance?" "We did. But she took care of them. I doubt we will hear from them again any time soon." "Interesting. Well, thank you, titaness, for protecting my agent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to hear his report. If you'd be so kind to leave him here." He pointed at his balcony. I brought my hand forward and let Titus off. "Thank you. It was a pleasure." <<if $canAdd>><<set $flaviusRelationship to $flaviusRelationship + 3>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a very positive impression on the governor@@

After two more hours of marching, I reached the governor's palace. It was an opulent building, large and wide, though not much taller than myself. Even still, it was quite impressive and finely decorated. There was a titaness patrolling the outskirts of the villa, I gave her a quick nod, but I did not recognize her: She might have been from the seventh legion. I was briefly interrogated by the guards at the entrance, then I was let into the gardens. A servant walked in front of me, pointing at where I should place my feet, so that I would not damage the flowerbeds. Finally in front of the palace, I stopped before a balcony. There, after a couple of minutes, came the governor. He was a rather old individual, balding, shaved clean. He was in good shape despite his age, he must have been quite the looker a couple of decades before then. "Welcome. You must be one of the new girls, the local one. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, titaness. I hope your time with the imperial army has been a good one, until now." He smiled at me. I was taken back by his friendliness: I knew the general was in not exactly friendly terms with him, so I expected some hostility. "It was, governor, thank you." He smiled again. "My, manners! From one of Furia's titans nonetheless. Well, that is one thing I came to appreciate of this country. Well, down to business, where is my agent?" I looked down. "I'm sorry to say that he was killed by bandits, sir. I could not protect him. But we did manage to conclude our round" I said, dropping the satchel on the balcony, at the governor's feet. His gaze darkened, and his tone fo voice lowered. "I see. A shame, he was a good kid. And loyal too, he was a Thearnian, but fiercely loyal to our cause. We will miss him." He sighed. "Well, thank you, titaness, for your service. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to." <<if $canAdd>><<set $flaviusRelationship-->><</if>> @@color:tomato;The governor was not too happy with me@@

"All right. I'll try it" I said. She smiled, and handed me the gland. I carefully brought it to my mouth. The stench of coagulated blood and guts was mixed in with the bitter, intense smell of what I assumed was the hydra's poison. I slowly brought it into my mouth, carefully keeping my tongue away from it as long as I could. Then I finally tasted it. I almost immediately choked. The gland was intensely bitter, with somewhat of an almond-like aftertaste. The poison attacked my flesh, burning my taste buds and my throat as it dripped down it. I felt like I had just eaten an entire feast of the spiciest food in existence. The burning sensation continued into my stomach, and even into my guts. I almost dropped on my knees from the pain. My vision went blurry for a few seconds, then finally the worst was over. "Well, I said you could handle it, not that you'd enjoy it." She let out a deep, satisfied laugh. Then she snatched the gland from my hands and threw it into her mouth, swallowing it whole. "It's an acquired taste, recruit. One day, you may enjoy it too." "So, you needed something?" She asked. <<if $canAdd>><<set $laeliaRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Laelia@@ *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 laelia questions]] *[[Can you help me with my training?->I1 laelia training help]] [[I took my leave.->Intermission 1]]

She shrugged. "Ah! I knew it. she said, as she threw the gland into her mouth and swallowed it whole. "Anyway, you wanted something?" *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 laelia questions]] *[[Can you help me with my training?->I1 laelia training help]] [[I took my leave.->Intermission 1]]

"Sure, why not" she said. *[[How did you become a titaness?->I1 laelia history]] *[[Why did you take me as a candidate?->I1 laelia candidate question]] [[That's all, thanks.->I1 laelia main questions]]

<<if $laeliaRelationship >= 1>>"You want my help?" She smiled. "Well, I am all too happy to help a fellow titaness. For a little something in return." I raised an eyebrow. "I guess I can pay you, if that's what you want." She laughed. "I don't want money, girly. What would I even do with it? No, I want you." She pointed her finger at me. "Fresh recruits are always the most fun." I admit, it took me a moment to understand. It was not what I expected from the burly veteran. *[[All right, let's do it.->I1 laelia sex 1]] *[[I cannot.->I1 laelia refuse sex]]<<else>>She sighed. "Look, I already had to deal with you rookies for a few months already. And now that I'm finally free, I have no intention of babysitting you anymore." [[Fine.->I1 laelia main questions]] <</if>>

<<set $laeliaHistory to true>>The veteran grumbled. "I'm not one for stories, girly. I don't like wallowing in the past. But I guess it's fair to be curious." She stood up and crossed her muscular arms. "As you may have guessed already, I am not a native imperial. I was born in Misenum, a little place in the north. My parents were poor farmers, that spent their whole lives working like mules in the fields of the kingdom. If you don't know, Misenum was the first military campaign our general participated in. She was the one, in fact, that rolled over my village." "She took me prisoner. I was resigned to a life of slavery in the fields of some rich fuck in the empire. Then, things changed when the old general died and she assumed the title. After the conquest was over, she sent me to the trial, much like you did, and the rest, as they say, is history." "At first, I was an angry ball of resentment. She took my parents, my life, my kingodm, and then she had to take my humanity away as well. Yet, in time, I grew to appreciate my new life. Her reasoning for recruiting me might have been purely pragmatic, but she did save me from a life of slavery." [[Thank you.->I1 laelia questions]]

"Anything else?"<<if !hasVisited("I1 laelia training help")>> *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 laelia questions]] *[[Can you help me with my training?->I1 laelia training help]]<<else>> *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 laelia questions]]<</if>> <<link "I took my leave.">><<if hasVisited("I1 laelia sex alt")>><<goto "I1 laelia sex man">><<else>><<goto "Intermission 1">><</if>><</link>>

"Why did I take you as candidate?" She thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure, to be honest." She smiled. "Well, you got my attention when you tried to murder my toe with a rotten piece of wood. That takes guts, and I like guts. But, truth be told, I made my decision when I looked at you in the eyes. At first I saw a bit of myself in there, what I felt when the general came for me in Misenum." "But then, I saw something else, behind the fear and the terror of the moment. I saw..." She touched her chin. "...something. A burning fire, admiration, envy, desire, ambition? I don't really know how to describe it." She shrugged. "Well, that's it really. I'm sorry if you expected something more elaborate or deep. None really knows why the ritual kills some, or turns some others into beasts. It's a bet. And luckily for you, I won." [[Thank you.->I1 laelia questions]]

"Good. Good. Well, come with me, we're going somewhere a bit more private." She said. We got to her room in the titanesses barracks. As soon as we got in, the veteran pinned me against the wall, trapping me between her arms, and kissed me, forcing her tongue into my mouth. At first I resisted, but soon, I let myself go to the sensation. Feeling that I was letting my defenses down, she became less forceful and more gentle in her kissing. Then, she let me go. "Not bad, for a farm girl." "Oh, I almost forgot." she brought her hand into her cleavage and extracted the squirming form of a young man. "I caught this little thief this morning. I'm sure we can have some fun with him, don't you think?" She winked. She sat down on her bed. "Now, strip for me." I stood before her and swallowed. My skin was getting warmer, and my cheeks flushed red. I sensually caressed my<<if $bodyType != "average">> $bodyType<</if>> hips, then went up to my sides, and my<<if $curves != "average">> $curves<</if>> boobs, and finally I began to undo the knots keeping my tunic together. In a couple of movements, the fabric began to slide down my skin, and I made a show of trying, and failing, to prevent its fall. Finally I stood before Laelia naked. The older woman watched me with a satisfied smile, while her hand was on her crotch, caressing her sex. "Nice. Good girl. Now come here and undress me." I obeyed, untying her own tunic, leaving her naked before me. The chiseled form of her arms just right in front of my eyes. Without waiting anymore, she took my head and forced it against one of her nipples, rubbing my mouth against it. A low moan arose from her lungs, I could feel the vibrations traveling through her chest. "Suck, girly." I did. [[Continue->I1 laelia sex 2]]

She shrugged. "Suit yourself. No skin off my back." [[Conutinue->I1 laelia main questions]]

I tended to her hardened nipple for a full minute, before she was satisfied. Then, she forced my head down, against her powerful abs. Finally, I reached her sex, wet and engorged with arousal. She gave me the man she was holding in her other hand. "Get him into me." I obeyed without questions, my own lust and arousal clouding my judgment. I eagerly took the terrified man, quickly stripped him down, shredding his clothes with my fingers, and plunged him into the warm folds of the veteran titaness. Laelia immediately reacted with a deep moan, while her hand stroked my hair. "Good girl, deeper." I pushed him in with my fingers, until the man was no longer visible, lost in the depths of Laelia's vagina. Then, without warning, she forced my head against her clitoris. Her wish was clear, and I began to kiss, suck and lick the aroused organ. Her orgasm steadily built. The heat coming off her aroused skin was almost suffocating, and I could feel her powerful thighs closing around my head, applying more and more pressure. I could not help but feel her lust and arousal seep into me. My own hand snaked onto my crotch, and I began fingering my wet vagina. Finally, her orgasm came, hitting her like a battering ram. Her muscles contracted all simultaneously. Her hand pushed me harder against her quivering sex, while her thighs threatened to crush my skull. Her powerful moans became shivering whines of pleasure, while her pussy pulsed in wave after wave of blissful release. My own orgasm came right after, making my limbs tremble, and my muscles weak, while my mind was assaulted by the pleasure. [[I tried to snatch the man away from her vagina->I1 laelia sex alt]] [[I kept pleasuring her until the end->I1 laelia sex 3]]

After what felt like entire minutes, she released me. My lungs finally filled with fresh air, as I realized I was holding my breath throughout our climax. She smiled at me, content and satisfied, stroking my hair. She then brought her hand down to her vagina. She inserted two fingers into herself and searched for the man trapped within her. After a few seconds, she extracted him. He was barely breathing and unable to move, as he was completely covered in her thick juices. One of his legs was bent at an unnatural angle. Without thinking too much about it, she brought the man to her mouth and dropped him in. She played with the thief for a moment, savoring her own cum, and finally, she swallowed him whole, patting her stomach with her hand. "Ahhh. I really needed it. Thanks girly." She laid down the bed. "I think you've earned my services. Call me when you begin your training sessions and I'll help you improve." She tossed me a towel, while she used cleaned herself up and dressed up again. I did the same. [[Continue->I1 laelia main questions]]

We charged together. The two veterans simply waited for us. Our first strike was easily blocked. The tip of my spear slid down the shield of my opponent. She responded with a strike of her own, which I could barely dodge in time. I kept trying to get over her defenses, but it was clear I was outmatched. Still, She had not hit me squarely yet, just a few minor bruises on my arms and legs, I was holding up better than I had expected, for the moment at least. As the fight went on, however, my endurance was put to the test, I simply could not keep up with her. My movements became slower and slower. I was sure I was about to be knocked off. A scream of pain came from the left. I turned around and saw my companion, the other recruit, down on the ground, with the veteran pointing her spear at her chest. In that moment of distraction, the other soldier lined up her attack, and hit my arm, disarming me. Then, she kicked me down, forcing me against the earth. The veteran laughed on top of me, then she bent down and offered me her hand. "I must say, rookie, that was pretty fucking decent. Good job." She lifted me up. "And welcome to the tenth." [[Continue->I1 valeria after training]]

We charged together. The two veterans simply waited for us. Our first strike was easily blocked. The tip of my spear slid down the shield of my opponent. She responded with a strike of her own, which I could barely dodge in time. I kept trying to get over her defenses, but it was clear I was outmatched. Still, She had not hit me squarely yet, just a few minor bruises on my arms and legs, I was holding up better than I had expected, for the moment at least. As the fight went on, however, my endurance was put to the test, I simply could not keep up with her. My movements became slower and slower. I was sure I was about to be knocked off. I looked at my companion, the other recruit: She was holding up, just barely, and getting more tired by the second. As I brought my eyes back to my opponent, however, I realized I just committed a huge mistake. In that moment of distraction, the other soldier lined up her attack, and hit my arm, disarming me. Then, she kicked me down, forcing me against the earth. It was no more than a few seconds later than I saw the other recruit fall to the ground as well. The veteran smiled and bent down and offered me her hand. "Well, rookie, that was acceptable, I guess." She lifted me up. "Better luck next time." [[Continue->I1 valeria after training]]

We got ourselves back up and began to walk back to the camp, limping along the way. My body hurting all over, that titaness really did not go easy on me. As my thoughts were occupied with the pain in my flesh, my eyes wondered off to the side, to the other recruit. She was probably about my age, slightly taller, with a thin, feminine body, and beautiful black hair. Her gray eyes locked with mine, her cold gaze penetrating me like a knife in butter. "Stop staring, Thearnian" she simply said. I averted my eyes. In that moment, the words of the veterans came back to me. They called us a barbarian and a traitor. I was pretty sure the former referred to me, if there was one thing imperials were known for was for their arrogance and disregard for the rest of the world. That meant the other recruit was... the traitor? Somehow, the other girl could read my confusion. "You have no idea of who I am, correct?" I nodded. "Good" she said, without adding anything else. That were the last words she said to me on the way back. Once back to the camp, we went our separate ways, but my curiosity kept nagging me. In the end, I decided to wait for the evening, and go talk to her. [[Continue->I1 valeria dialogue]]

After dinner, once we were dismissed, I went to the recruit's room and knocked on the door. "Who's there?" "It's me, $name. I wanted to talk for a moment." I could hear her sigh behind the door. "Fine, come in." I entered. She was laying on her bed. A slave stood on her nightstand, reading her a book out loud. She gestured to the slave to stop reading, and then looked at me: "To what do I owe the visit?" She asked.<<if hasVisited("Trials group")>> *[[We met before,->I1 valeria trials]] during the trial. *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 valeria questions]] *[[Can I do something for you?->I1 valeria help]]<<else>> *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 valeria questions]] *[[Can I do something for you?->I1 valeria help]] <</if>>

She squinted her eyes. "Well, we obviously did." "In the forest I mean" I said. "We were in the same group, that got attacked by that... thing." She raised an eyebrow, then she recognized me. "Oh, you're right. I remember now. That's a feral, by the way: Someone that had their mind shattered by the titan blood. They keep a few around, for the trials. I know some nobles like to keep one or two as pets." "Right" I said, opening my eyes wide. I could barely believe someone would voluntarily keep one of those monsters near them, let alone as a pet. She giggled. "That's really nothing unusual for the glorious imperial city." [[Continue->I1 valeria main questions]]

"Well, ask." *[[Why did they call you traitor?->I1 valeria history]] *[[How is your family?->I1 valeria family question]] *[[Why were you chosen as candidate?->I1 valeria titaness question]] [[That's all.->I1 valeria main questions]]

"Something for me? Why would you want to do that?" She asked. "Well, we are the at the bottom of the barrel here in the legion. Two new recruits, with some..." I searched for a word that would not give her a bad taste "uncomfortable past, for soldiers of the overlord. If we don't help each other, who will?" She puffed. "You have a point there, Thearnian, as much as I would like to say otherwise. Still, I don't really know what..." She brought her finger to her lips. "Actually, there is one thing I really miss from my old life: Iratian wine. I tried the local stuff, but it really is too sweet for me." "I would love to have a taste of it again." [[I'll see what I can do.->I1 valeria main questions]]

"You needed something else?"<<if hasVisited("Trials group")>> *[[We met before,->I1 valeria trials]] during the trial. *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 valeria questions]] *[[Can I do something for you?->I1 valeria help]]<<else>> *[[Can I ask you some questions?->I1 valeria questions]] *[[Can I do something for you?->I1 valeria help]]<</if>> [[Thanks for your time.->Intermission 1]]

The morning after our joint training session, I went to the servants' quarters in the camp. There, I asked around for information. They were not particularly helpful, but they did give me a few names, of merchants that could help me. Luck would have it that one of them was passing through the camp that day, to sell his goods to the soldiers. I waited just outside the normal sized part of the camp for him. "Are you Vibius?" I asked, bending down. The merchant looked around, confused, then he noticed my shadow and looked up, petrified. "H-Hello kind titaness. I-What can this humble man do for you?" He was barely able to keep himself from sprinting away. For someone that regularly traded with our legionaries, he was quite uncomfortable near me. "I was told you had a few barrels of Iratian wine with you, correct?" "I-I think I do." *[[I can pay you well,->I1 valeria wine pay]] for a fast delivery. *[[Have them delivered to me as soon as you can.->I1 valeria wine no pay]] Helping a servant of our merciful overlord is more than payment enough, correct?

<<if $valeriaRelationship <= 0>>Her lip curled in disgust. "That's not something that concerns you, Thearnian. Just know that my family name is not exactly held on high esteem."<<else>><<set $valeriaHistory to true>>She sighed. "I should have guessed you would ask that. Do you know anything about my family?" I shook my head. "Well, that's strangely comforting." She smiled, but her eyes were empty of emotion. "I am Valeria Vegetia Sylla. A generation ago, my family, the Vegetii, was involved in a conspiracy that aimed to take out the overlord. They came damn close to succeeding, but they ultimately failed." "Most of the conspirators were killed, fed to the titanesses or used in the gladiatorial games as cannon fodder. Our family was spared only because of our wealth. My grandfather managed to save our lives by emptying the vaults of the family. And by giving himself up." "We are still treated as scum by the other noble families, eager to show their loyalty to the empress. As you can imagine, my life at court was not exactly idyllic because of that."<</if>> [[Thanks.->I1 valeria questions]]

"My family?" A giggle escaped her lips. "As fucked up as you can imagine. Our... history with the overlord did not help either." She sighed. "Why are you even asking?" "I'm an orphan. I was curious; and I don't have many other options here at camp." "Oh" she said. "I see. Well, I'm the youngest daughter of the main branch of the Vegetii. Competition among children in the noble families of the empire is common, and encouraged. You want the best to inherit the reins of the family, after all." She looked at me, then she looked away. "I'm not going to say that I envy you, my life was still pretty comfortable all things considered, but only on a materialistic level. The rest... less so." [[Continue->I1 valeria questions]]

"I was not chosen. I offered myself" she said. Then, she noticed my stupefied expression. "It's not that unusual for younger children of imperial noble houses to volunteer." She shrugged. "Of course, I didn't do it out of a sense of duty or lust for glory. I did it to get away from my family, and my name. I volunteered the same day my father died; my siblings can kill themselves for the inheritance, I won't play their game." [[Thanks.->I1 valeria questions]]

"Of-Of course." As soon as I let him go, he fled as fast as he could. Fortunately he would prove to be a man of his word: Just a day after, the camp servants brought me two large, for human standards, barrels of wine. I brought them to Valeria, in her room. "I have it" I said, showing the two barrels in my hands; to us, each held about the equivalent of a normal glass of wine. Just like last time, she was in bed, with a slave reading her a book. She looked at me, then put the book down. "Really? I am impressed Thearnian." She tried to keep her usual stoic, detached attitude, but her eyes kept darting to the barrels, eagerly awaiting to taste the contents. I smiled. Without keeping her any longer, I handed one over. She snatched it from my hands, popped the top and poured its red content into her open mouth. "Ahhh, this is good stuff. From the southern vineyards, I'd say. Aged a couple of years. Personally, I prefer the sun of the eastern regions, but I cannot complain." A giggled escaped her lips. It was the first time I saw a genuine smile coming from her. "I guess it's fair to give you the same treatment. Is there something I can do for you, Thearnian?" "Well, calling me $name would be a good start." She giggled again. "I don't know. I'm not sure my tongue can properly pronounce your barbarian name, $name. But thanks." <<if $canAdd>><<set $gold--, $valeriaRelationship to $valeriaRelationship + 2>><</if>> @@color:orangered;My wealth had decreased@@ @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Valeria@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

"Of-Of course." As soon as I let him go, he fled as fast as he could. Fortunately he would prove to be a man of his word: Just a day after, the camp servants brought me two large, for human standards, barrels of wine. I brought them to Valeria, in her room. "I have it" I said, showing the two barrels in my hands; to us, each held about the equivalent of a normal glass of wine. Just like last time, she was in bed, with a slave reading her a book. She looked at me, then put the book down. "Really? I am impressed Thearnian." She tried to keep her usual stoic, detached attitude, but her eyes kept darting to the barrels, eagerly awaiting to taste the contents. I smiled. Without keeping her any longer, I handed one over. She snatched it from my hands, popped the top and poured its red content into her open mouth. "Ahhh, this is good stuff. From the southern vineyards, I'd say. Aged a couple of years. Personally, I prefer the sun of the eastern regions, but I cannot complain." A giggled escaped her lips. It was the first time I saw a genuine smile coming from her. "I guess it's fair to give you the same treatment. Is there something I can do for you, Thearnian?" "Well, calling me $name would be a good start." She giggled again. "I don't know. I'm not sure my tongue can properly pronounce your barbarian name, $name. But thanks." <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>>@@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $valeriaRelationship to $valeriaRelationship + 2>><</if>>@@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Valeria@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

"And what do you propose?" I asked them. The group remained silent for a moment. "We would be honored to help you relax, mistress" one of the girls said. "We are well trained as massagers." I thought about it for a second. *[[Well, why not?->I1 reward massage]] *[[How about, instead, you relax with me?->I1 reward relax 1]] *[[I was thinking of some more intimate fun->I1 reward sex 1]] *[[Well, you can massage me from the inside of my stomach->I1 reward vore 1]] *[[I find chasing prey quite relaxing. How about you start running.->I1 reward crush 1]]

"I am in the mood for some fun. What do you say?" Their reactions were mixed. Some happy, some worried. "We would be honored to bring you pleasure, mistress" the same woman from before said. I smiled, then I stood up and undressed myself, leaving myself naked before them. My old human self would never do something like that, I would hate to feel so weak and exposed. But right there and then, I felt perfectly comfortable and in control, if anything my nakedness only made those feelings stronger. I offered them my open hands and lifted them up to my bed. Then I laid down on my back, and let them spread all over my body. Three slaves ran up to my tits, while the other three got to my nether regions. Feeling their feet against my skin, going up and down the vast expanse of my body was quite delightful. I did not have to wait long before feeling their hands and mouths working on my erogenous zones. Their delicate but precise touch sent a constant stream of electric sparks down my nerves and into my brain. It did take long for my arousal to rise. I could feel my skin warming up, and my cheeks reddening. My nipples hardened under the ministration of the slaves, while my clitoris engorged and my sex began to drip. My throat let out moan after moan of pleasure, while my hands grasped the sheets and my muscles tensed up. The sweet tingling soon built up to become a growing, pleasant pressure in my groins. *[[Ahhh, don't stop.->I1 reward sex 2]] *[[But I needed more.->I1 reward sex alt]]

Sitting down, I took one between my fingers and brought him in front of my eyes. The little human squirmed, and struggled the whole way, punching and kicking my fingers, but I could barely feel its feeble attempt. The slave was rather young, maybe just older than me, and quite well built too. They must have fed them well. I could feel my mouth filling with saliva, as my stomach prepared for the meal. I licked my lips. The man froze for a second, then redoubled his effort. His panicked movements made me even hungrier for him. It felt wonderful, and he was not even in my mouth yet. I brought him above me and dropped him into my open mouth, closing it behind him. Immediately, my tongue wrapped around him, savoring the incredible flavor of a live human being. Without waiting any longer, my throat muscles grabbed his body and pulled him down. My stomach awaited him. But his struggle did not stop. I could feel him still moving within me, sending sparks after sparks of delicious pleasure thorough all of my body. A minute later, he finally stopped moving. [[Continue->I1 reward vore 2]]

<<if hasVisited("I1 reward sex 1", "I1 reward relax 1", "I1 reward massage")>>With a smile, I forced them down the bed, pushing them off the edge. <</if>>I stood up and told them to run. The slaves looked uncertain of what exactly I meant by that. Without wasting any more time, however, I carefully lifted my foot and hovered over one of them. Scared out of his mind, the tiny man remained still under my foot. I could not see him, but I could feel all the terror and panic oozing from him and his comrades. It was intoxicating. I bit my lips and brought my foot down, gently. I could feel his form beneath the ball of my foot, squirming and flaying around desperately. His weak movements were doing nothing to get him closer to freedom, but they were giving my soles a fantastic massage. I looked down, his head poked out of my toes. "Kiss it" I commanded, and he immediately obeyed. His lips felt almost imperceptible, but it was enough to send a wave of pleasure through my body. I started to put weight on my foot. His movements became more frantic, but they could do nothing to stop me. If anything, they excited me more and more. As I put some more pressure on him, I felt his rib cage collapse, soon after followed by the rest of his body, crumbling into a gooey pool, warm blood flowing through my toes. [[Now, run.->I1 reward crush 2]]

I gave them a warm smile, then I gently brought my finger upon the head of the closet slave. He was trembling, and almost slipped away, but then he calmed down, when he realized I had no ill intention. I gently caressed his hair. "It must not be easy, to serve the titanesses here, right?" I said. They did not answer, but their silence was eloquent enough. I took them all into my hands and sat down my bed. Then, I laid down. I left them on the soft mattress in front of my chest, caressing each one with my fingers. "You can lean on me, it's soft I promise." Encouraged by my words, they sat down, with their backs against my breast, enjoying my warmth. We remained like that for several minutes, just enjoying the silence. I kept stroking the hair the closest slave. I looked down and noticed he was getting quite excited. He noticed my gaze and tried to cover his excited member, apologizing to me. I just took him between my fingers and brought him to my lips, where I took his engorged malehood into my mouth and gently sucked on it. The slave resisted at first, but he soon let himself go to the sensation. I never did something like that before in my life, but judging by how quickly he climaxed, it must have been quite pleasant. I could taste the faint bitter trace of his seed on my tongue, but it was soon washed away by my saliva. "Feeling better?" I asked. The slave could barely nod. "Good. Anyone else wants to relieve some stress? Don't be shy, I don't mind." They hesitated for a bit, but then a woman pushed forward. "Please, mistress. I would love to feel your tongue on me." A giggle escaped my lips. "Of course, you cute little thing." [[Continue->I1 reward relax 2]]

<<if !hasVisited("I1 reward sex 1", "I1 reward relax 1")>>"Well, why not?" I said. Hearing my answer, they visibly relaxed. I brought my hand down and let them climb on. With all six on the bed, <</if>>I laid down on my stomach and let them do what they wanted. They did not wait long. As soon as I settled down, two ran down to my feet, two to my butt and two to my shoulders. Feeling their feet against my skin, going up and down the vast expanse of my body was quite the experience: empowering and sweet. They reached their position and began working on my muscles. Initially, I was a bit skeptical that they would be able to give me a proper massage, because of the size difference of course<<if $bodyType =="chubby" || $bodyType == "muscular">>, especially since I was not exactly a lithe gal<</if>>, but they really knew what they were doing. I could feel their hands and feet sinking into my flesh, with just the right pressure and at the right point, using their limited strength to its maximum potential. It did not take long for me to release a long, satisfied moan. They kept working on my muscles, while I drifted into a state of half-sleep, only conscious of the delightful sensation of their efforts against my skin. I do not know how long the massage lasted. What I remember is me waking up some time after, as fresh as I ever was in my life. My body felt incredibly relaxed and pleasant, no aches, no stiff muscles, only blissful perfection. The slaves were recovering from the effort at the side of the bed, not to far away from my body. *[[What do you say if we relax for a while?->I1 reward relax 1]] *[[I'm in the mood for some fun, right now.->I1 reward sex 1]] *[[You served your purpose, now I'm hungry.->I1 reward vore 1]] *[[You served your purpose, now you need to run.->I1 reward crush 1]] *[[You can go now. Thank you.->Intermission 1]]

Drunk on my power over them, I lifted my foot, blood dripping down my toes. With childish glee, I brought it down another slave. The body of the poor woman exploded in blood and gore beneath my sole in but an instant. I looked at the other slaves and brought my foot near another one, smiling in delight. The terrorized slave could not move, or maybe he knew it was futile. I brought my foot forward, and took his head between my big toe and second toe. Then I simply squeezed. His skull collapsed almost immediately. As more blood spilled onto my toes, his body fell limp on the floor. The survivors took a look at the lifeless corpse and bolted away, but they were pathetically slow to me. I took a step forward, then another, surpassing one of them. I placed my foot on his path, stopping him dead on his track, then I raised it, and stomped down on him. His body completely pulverized against my sole. I gave him a few twists, just to make sure I completely erased him from existence. There was one behind me, thus I lowered myself down, carefully positioning my <<if $curves =="generous">>juicy<</if>> ass over her. Then I crushed her under the soft walls of my butt cheeks. I dragged myself backward, smearing the remains all over my ass and the pavement. The last two slaves were not to far away, and close enough to one another. I smiled and brought myself over them, dropping my boobs on top of their defenseless bodies, feeling them struggle to breath under my tit flesh. I moaned in delight, as I put more and more pressure on them, until they collapsed, becoming red spots under my breast. "Ahhh" I sighed, satisfied. "I could really get used to this" I said, standing up again. I looked around one last time, admiring my handiwork. "Now, to clean up the mess..." @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 5, $killCount to $killCount + 6>><</if>> [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

The five survivors remained still during the ordeal. They were either frozen still or very well trained. In either case, I did not care. I needed more. I needed them in my belly. I quickly grabbed them all and, in my excitement, threw them all in my awaiting mouth. With it completely filled with my prey, my taste buds were assaulted by a storm of wonderful flavors. I sent one down, then another, and then the last two, in rapid succession. Sitting down on the bed, I massaged my stomach, bulging out due to its lively content. Their squirming were tickling my entire being. I never felt so alive. I basked in the feeling as long as I could. Then, a few minutes later their struggle ended. I laid down and burped, satisfied and happy. "Ahhh" I sighed. "I could really get used to this. @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 5, $killCount to $killCount + 6, $eatenCount to $eatenCount + 6>><</if>> [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

My words gave them a burst of energy, as they redoubled their effort to maintain the perfect rhythm they achieved, sending constant barrages of pleasure against my trembling mind and my shivering body. The pressure kept building up, until I could not hold my climax any longer. My groin exploded in an intense flood of pure bliss, that soon reached my mind and battered down its gates. I arched my back curled my toes, as my mouth let out a silent scream of pleasure. It took a good minute to regain control of my body, my muscles still shivering. "Fuck. That was great." I looked down towards the slaves on me, only to notice their numbers had decreased. I looked around, to see the missing slaves around me, on the bed, thrown off my body during my climax. "We are glad you enjoyed it, mistress." *[[What do you say if we relax for a while?->I1 reward relax 1]] *[[Now, how about a massage?->I1 reward massage]] *[[You served your purpose, now I'm hungry.->I1 reward vore 1]] *[[You served your purpose, now you need to run.->I1 reward crush 1]] *[[You can go now. Thank you.->Intermission 1]]

One of my hands sneaked towards my breast, and fell on top of the two slaves servicing my nipple, forcing them against it, while I kneaded my boob to heighten my pleasure. The other went down to my crotch and snatched one of them up. I pushed him against my folds, and finally forced him into me, in the dark cavern of my vagina. I gasped in pleasure, as the sensation of his thrashing against my sensitive walls reached my brain. With my fingers firmly holding him from his feet, I began pumping him in and out of myself. The pressure kept building up, until I could not hold my climax any longer. My groin exploded in an intense flood of pure pleasure, that soon reached my mind and battered down its gates. I forced the slave all the way into my pussy. I arched my back. I curled my toes. My mouth let out a silent scream of bliss. It took a good minute to regain control of my body, my muscles still shivering. "Fuck. That was great" I said, as I let go the slaves trapped against my tit, who immediately gasped for air. Then, I slowly slid the poor man out of my vagina. I brought him up to my face and admired his trembling body, covered in my juices. I smiled and licked him up, tasting my own cum, and feeling the quiet shivering of his form under my tongue. *[[What do you say if we relax for a while?->I1 reward relax 1]] *[[Now, how about a massage?->I1 reward massage]] *[[You served your purpose, now I'm hungry.->I1 reward vore 1]] *[[You served your purpose, now you need to run.->I1 reward crush 1]] *[[You can go now. Thank you.->Intermission 1]]

I brought the girl to my lips and began sucking her crotch and licking her vagina over and over, until I could feel her shake in pleasure. Unfortunately, i could barely taste her, her cum was washed away even more quickly than the man’s sperm. Still, I was enjoying myself a lot more than I would have thought. Two more volunteered. After my treatment, they left my fingers shivering in pleasure, and covered in my saliva. The last two refused, and I respected their wish. <<if $canAdd>><<if !$gentleRelax>><<set $gentleScore to $gentleScore + 3>><</if>><</if>> @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ *[[Now, how about a massage for me?->I1 reward massage]] *[[I'm in the mood for some fun, right now.->I1 reward sex 1]] *[[You tasted really good. And I'm feeling a little peckish.->I1 reward vore 1]] *[[Glad you enjoyed yourself, but now it's my turn. Run.->I1 reward crush 1]] *[[You can go now. Thank you.->Intermission 1]] <<set $gentleRelax to true>>

After months of exhausting drills, training, war games with our sister legion, the seventh, and shouting matches with Laelia, our training was finally over. The final day of training began early, with several human servants entering my room, bringing the pieces of a fancy ornamental armor. I quickly dressed up and took a moment to admire the armor's craftsmanship: finely detailed, of a beautiful golden color. It really looked way too expensive to be sitting on my chest, yet there I was. I got out of the titanesses' barracks and reached the central plaza, where I was joined by the other titaness recruit of the tenth legion. The whole contingent of titanesses was lined up to our sides, in full gear and standing at attention. Human soldiers announced our presence with their drums. Finally, the general came, in the hands of her faithful bodyguard, as usual. The towering titaness walked forward and ordered us to advance. When we came in front of her, she commanded us to kneel. We obeyed. Then the general spoke: "$name, Valeria, we welcome you today in the tenth as full titanesses. May our enemies tremble at the sound of your names. May your actions bring glory and prosperity to the empire. May your spirits be strong and loyal to the legion and the rest of your comrades." "Now rise, and be proud, because today you are titanesses, the swords of the empire!" The rest of the plaza exploded in unison with the general, while we silently obeyed her command. The shouts eventually died down and the celebration moved on to the much-awaited feast, which I had no doubt was the real reason for the jovial atmosphere of the day. [[Continue->chapter one 0]]

<<set $mission to "The Bandits">>It was not too long after that I was called once again by the general, to face another issue. That morning I had been woken up by one of the human servants, informing me presence was requested. I quickly dressed up and reached her tent. There, I also found <<if hasVisited("I1 valeria meet")>>Valeria<<else>>the other recruit<</if>>, waiting. "You're here. Good" the general said. She was walking up and down the titaness sized table. "I've called you two here because I'm sending you out together." She stopped and looked at me. "Do you remember that little excursion you had with that tax collector?" I nodded. "Well, it seems those bandits have found a new set of balls and began to harrass Flavius' agents again. You're going after them, this time. Your objective is to take them out, once and for all. Am I clear?" "Yes, general" <<if hasVisited("I1 valeria meet")>>Valeria<<else>>the other recruit<</if>> said immediately. I answered right after. "Good. We have reason to believe that their nest not too far from this village" she said, pointing at a circle on the map laying on the table. "Syreus I believe it is called. Well then, go now. I expect to hear good news soon." [[Continue->M2.1]]

Working fast, I plunged two fingers into her and took the man between them, then I threw it itno my mouth, to hide him from her. After what felt like entire minutes, Laelia released me. My lungs finally filled with fresh air, as I realized I was holding my breath throughout our climax. She smiled at me, content and satisfied, stroking my hair. She then brought her hand down to her vagina, but feeling no mvement in her, she looked at me. "Open your mouth, recruit." I obeyed, showing the man trapped under my tongue, weakly squirming against the wet organ. Laelia let out a jovial giggle. "If you wanted him, you just had to say it" she said, then she brought her hand under my chin and closed my mouth. "Now swallow him for me." Once again I obeyed. His tiny form traveled down my throat, to my stomach. I could still feel him move around. "Good girl!" She laid down the bed. "I think you've earned my services. Call me when you begin your training sessions and I'll help you improve." She tossed me a towel, while she used cleaned herself up and dressed up again. I did the same. [[Continue->I1 laelia main questions]]

Getting out of her room, my attention went to the man struggling into my stomach. <span id="gentle"><<link "I went to my room and puked him out">><<replace "#cruel">><</replace>><<replace "#gentle">><<include "I1 laelia gentle">><</replace>><</link>>. I snatched him out of Laelia to try and save his life, after all.</span><span id="cruel"> <<link "I patted my stomach">><<replace "#gentle">><</replace>><<replace "#cruel">><<include "I1 laelia cruel">><</replace>><</link>>, enjoying his desperate struggle, while my body turned him into nothing more than a quick snack.</span>

I went to my room and puked him out. I snatched him out of Laelia to try and save his life, after all. The man was barely breathing, but he was still alive. I called for a servant, and told him to bring the man to a physician, and then to let him go. He may have been a criminal, but surely a trip into my stomach was more than punishment enough for his actions. <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

I patted my stomach, enjoying his desperate struggle, while my body turned him into nothing more than a quick snack. In just another minute, he was no longer moving, lost in the depths of my guts. <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++, $killcount++, $eatenCount++>><</if>> @@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@ [[Continue->Intermission 1]]

Soon afterwards, we left the camp behind, with our battle gear on ourselves, and a small backpack each with a few supplies. The long days of march during our training paid off, as we kept our pace for most of the day with no interruption. The road ahead of us was traveled by numerous merchants, farmers, and artisans. Most stayed clear of us, some even changed their path at the first opportunity. I was still not completely used to that treatment, but I was no longer bothered by it; on the contrary, the empty road allowed myself to relax and not worry about accidentally squishing someone under my sandals. It took us a few days to reach the village.<<if !hasVisited("I1 valeria meet")>> In that time, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves properly, for the first time. It may seem strange that we did not do so before, but life at the legion's camp was not exactly the most accomodating for raw recruits like us. Her name was Valeria, a native Iratian, an imperial citizen through and through. And for what I could tell, of noble origins. My curiosity demanded to know more, but I stayed my tongue: She was not a talkative person, quite the opposite in fact, and she did not appreciate my questions all too much.<</if>> [[Continue->M2.2]]

We had a peculiar encounter towards the end of our march. It was evening at that point, and we were looking around for a good place to camp for the night. Sleeping outside was not a problem for us, we hardly felt the cold. With the last lights of the day, we spotted a young man hiding in the undergrowth of the woods to our left. Assuming he was just trying to avoid us, we went forward without paying much attention to him. As soon as we had reached him, however, he jumped out and charged Valeria, with a pitchfork in hand, screaming on top of his lungs. Valeria looked down and raised an eyebrow. She stopped and let the young man advance. The shoulders of the man slumped down when he felt the heavy gaze of the Iratian titaness on him, but he still kept running, until he reached her foot. He then threw himself against it, but even with the momentum of his charge the pitchfork could barely scratch Valeria's skin. He bounced back, losing his weapon, and landing several feet away from her on his behind. Valeria gazed down at him. "Are you done?" She bent down. The terrified man was violently shivering, while tears streamed down his cheeks. In response, she rolled her eyes and stood up again, leaving him behind without a second thought. [[Continue->M2.3]]

Seeing the titaness leaving him behind, the man recovered a little bit. "You monsters destroyed my village, killed my family, crushed my farm. I will have my revenge!" "Oh, please" Valeria said, turning around. "Revenge? You have clearly planned not to survive this encounter. Now go back to the hole you came out of and bother someone else." And with those words, she went on. I looked at her, then at the crying man beside me. *[[I tried to offer some words of comfort->M2.3 gentle]], I had little hope I would be able to snap him out of his depression, but I could try. *[[I ignored him as well and walked off.->M2.4]] *[[I gave him the fight he wanted.->M2.3 cruel]] Who am I to deny myself some fun, especially with such an eager participant?

I bent down and looked at the desperate man in the eyes. "I understand how you feel. I am Thearnian too. My village was destroyed by a titaness, just like yours, before I became one myself. But you should not throw away your life like this, there is still hope for the future." I offered him a smile. "Would it not be the greatest revenge you could take: to manage to grow beyond your pain and create new life where the overlord had snuffed it all out?" The man looked at me, his mouth wide open, unable to formulate a sentence. Tears still went down his face, but he was no longer trembling. I smiled again and stood up, leaving the poor man behind. @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M2.4]]

I bent down and looked at the desperate man in the eyes. "Well, if you want a heroic death, who am I to deny it to you?" I stood up again, letting my size speak for me. The terrified man crawled backwards, but he was too stunned to do anything more than that. I smiled and placed my foot above him, slowly increasing the pressure on his body, feeding myself upon his screams of pain and terror. Eventually, nothing was left of him but a red smear on the ground, and under the sole of my sandal. <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> @@color:IndianRed;I felt slightly closer to my cruel side@@ [[Continue->M2.4]]

I reached Valeria, who in the mean time went forward without me. "I did not expect you to just leave him there" I said.<<if hasVisited("M2.3 gentle")>> "Thanks."<<elseif hasVisited("M2.3 cruel")>> "A bit of a waste, if you ask me.<</if>> "You expected what exactly?" She said, without looking at me. "For me to be like <<if hasVisited("M2.3 cruel")>>you and the rest of those savages we call comrades<<else>>those savages we call comrades<</if>> and squash him under my foot? What would that accomplish?" She sighed. "Besides, these are my only pair of sandals, I don't want to ruin them. I already have precious few clothes as it is." We did not talk much for the rest of the day. The event, brief and inconsequential as it was, still left a trace on us. Our vojage did not last much longer: We were about to reach the village the general told us had had contact with the bandits. All that was left to do was to determine our approach. [[Continue->M2.5]]

It was early in the afternoon when we reached the village. We were standing on top of a hill overlooking it, when Valeria stopped and looked at it. "Here we are, I guess. It's even less interesting that I expected." She turned around and looked at me. "I'll do the talking; you stay behind me and... look threatening or something." *[[I did not say anything->M2 valeria leads 1]], and let her take the lead. *[[I would be more suited for the task->M2 discussion lead]], I pointed out. *[[With what authority did she order me around->M2 confrontation lead]], I asked her.

<<if hasVisited("M2 confrontation lead")>>"Good, I see you are not as brainless as the rest of you barbarians. Now stay quiet." After the brief altercation, we<<elseif hasVisited("M2 discussion lead")>>After the brief altercation, we<<else>>We<</if>> went straight to the village. As usual, our presence did not go unnoticed for long, the main road was already empty by the time we made our way to the center of the village. "Who leads this place?" Valeria said, loudly. Her voice carrying<<if hasVisited("Trials group")>> that same authoritative weight that made our inpromptu group stick together during the trial.<<else>> an authoritative weight that she had never used before.<</if>> "I do" A male voiced said. We both turned around to see an old man walking towards us. Despite his age, however, he stood proud and strong: His vigor had not yet abandoned him. "We have reason to believe you have been in contact with a dangerous group of outlaws, raiding our supply lines and harassing the overlord's agents. If you collaborate, I promise no harm will come to you" Valeria said. "And what are these reasons? I wonder" he said, smiling. "Regardless, I don't know what you are talking about. We are just poor farmers, what could these outlaws have to do with the likes of us?" [[Continue->M2 valeria leads 2]]

"I would be better suited for it, Valeria" I said. She crossed her arms. "Oh, and pray tell: Why is that? Do you have experience in dealing with situations like these?" I looked down. "Well, no. But I am was born a Thearnian, and lived all my life here. If someone can convince them to help us, it's me, don't you think?" <<if $valeriaRelationship >= 2>>Valeria remained silent for a few seconds, thinking. "I guess you have a point, $name. Very well, take the lead" she said, gesturing towards the village. "You better not do anything dumb, though." [[Continue->M2 PC leads]]<<else>>A giggle escaped her lips. "And? You think speaking with a familiar accent will open their hearts to you? Please. Just be quiet and follow me" she said, as she walked towards the village. [[Continue->M2 valeria leads 1]]<</if>>

"And with what authority are you ordering me around?" I asked, crossing my arms. She rolled her eyes. "With the authority of knowing what we need to do, because this is not the first time I do something like this, Thearnian. Hopefully your brain is capable of comprehending such an abstract concept as experience." *[[I reluctantly let it go.->M2 valeria leads 1]] It was not worth antagonizing her over something as trivial as this. *[[I stepped forward, as threateningly as I could->M2 PC leads]], clearly stating my intention of leading the mission.

<<if hasVisited("M2 confrontation lead")>>"I will lead" I said. For the briefest of moments, I could see concern on her face, but it was immediately replaced by barely concealed disgust. "Fine, have it your way, Thearnian. I look forward to reporting your fuck-up to the general." <<if $canAdd>><<set $valeriaRelationship to $valeriaRelationship - 2>><</if>><</if>>I advanced towards the city, thinking of how to approach the problem. As usual, our presence did not go unnoticed for long, the main road was already empty by the time we made our way to the center of the village. "I need to speak to the village elder" I stated, as firmly as I could. "Here I am" A male voiced said. We both turned around to see an old man walking towards us. Despite his age, however, he stood proud and strong: His vigor had not yet abandoned him. "We have informed that you may have had contacts witha dangerous group of bandits. We are here to further investigate and deal with the problem" I said. "And how exactly did you identify our village? I wonder" he said, smiling. "Regardless, I don't know what you are talking about. We are just poor farmers, what could these outlaws have to do with the likes of us?"<<if hasVisited("M2 confrontation lead")>> @@color:tomato;Valeria did not approve of my attitude@@<</if>> *[[I tried to convince him of our goodwill->M2 pc leads gentle]]. There was no need for hostilities. *[[I offered to buy the information I needed->M2 pc leads neutral]]. Mutual exchange is the base of every good relationship, after all. *[[I threatened him, and the rest of the village->M2 pc leads cruel]]. I had little time and patience to waste on that little smug bastard.

Valeria remained silent for an instant, then she advanced. "Are you sure that is the course of action you want to take?" The man kept still, despite the overwhelming presence of Valeria, just feet from him. "I do. You won't find anything here." Valeria sighed, then she took the man into her hand and brought him up in the air. "Do we really need to make this difficult? What are you even trying to accomplish? We will find them eventually." Impressively, the man still kept his calm demeanour, and refused to speak. "Very well then, have it your way" she said. Valeria moved towards the closest house and placed her foot on top of it. The wooden structure bent and creaked under her awesome weight, but she was careful not to smash through it just yet. "You have one minute to tell me what I want to know. I will smash one house for every minute you keep quiet." [[Continue->M2 valeria leads 3]]

The seconds passed and the man remained silent. When the time was up, Valeria spoke again: "Very well." Yet before she could enact her threat, we could hear a strange whizzing sound coming from the tree line. The sound became an acute scream, and then finally it revealed itself to be an arrow. It struck Valeria with force in her shoulder. She let out a small gasp, but it was barely more painful than a sting. "What the..." Surprised, Valeria looked at the arrow, and in that moment it exploded. Its light blinded everyone for a moment, making the titaness stagger backward, almost losing her grip on the village elder. What kind of arrow could do that? I gritted my teeth as I recovered from the blast. "Well, look at this! Two pretty ladies coming for my ass. I'm flattered, girls, but I am already taken." The voice came from somewhere near the edge of the village, from the same direction the arrow came from. We both looked that way, and saw a woman on top of a horse, wearing armor covered with a long coat. Her light brown hair was cut short, which together with her attire gave her an androgynous look. "I assume you're here for my little band of desperates, correct? Leave that poor man alone. He's harmless, I guarantee it." [[Continue->M2.6]]

<<if hasVisited("M2 valeria leads 3")>>Valeria dropped down the village elder and threw herself in pursuit of the mysterious woman, enraged by the trick she pulled on her. Glancing at her, I could see she was not severely wounded, just a very light burn, nothing serious, but it did look pretty painful.<<else>><<if hasVisited("M2 pc leads cruel")>>I dropped down the village elder and threw myself in pursuit of the mysterious woman, enraged by the trick she just pulled. Glancing at my shoulder, I could see that explosion caused only a very light burn, nothing serious, but it was still painful.<<else>>I threw myself in pursuit of the mysterious woman, enraged by the trick they just pulled. Glancing at my shoulder, I could see that explosion caused only a very light burn, nothing serious, but it did feel pretty painful.<</if>><</if>> We both let go of our backpacks, and took out our shields and spears, while we kept pursuing. The woman before us galloped away, into the thick of the forest; the narrow space between the trees slowed us down, but we kept going. More arrows came our way, impacting against our shields. Two more explosions temporarily blinded us, but we kept going. Finally, I could see other bandits on horses at our sides, with bows in hand, preparing another volley. "What's taking you so long? I'm right here!" She mocked us. [[Continue->M2.7]]

"Please, elder. We are not here to harm you, or any of your fellow villagers. Our qualms is only with the bandits" I said. He raised an eyebrow.<<if $thearnReputation >= 2>>"You are that Thearnian titaness, aren't you? I've heard of you, of the giant gal that had been helping around. Well, I'm pleased to see those were not merely rumors." He caressed his chin. "Still, I don't know what to tell you. Thearnian or not, we are still just a simple village. I don't know what you expected to find here."<<else>>"You are Thearnian, aren't you? I've heard rumors of one of us becoming one of the overlord's war dogs. I guess they were true." He caressed his chin. "Still, I don't know what to tell you. Thearnian or not, we are still just a simple village. I don't know what you expected to find here."<</if>> I took a moment to think. Could it be that the general's information was wrong? Could I trust him? He seemed genuine enough, but that was no guarantee. @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M2 pc leads 3]]

"Listen, I am not here to waste my time, or yours. Just tell me what I need to know: the location of the bandits' hideout. I will make it worth your while" I said, patting my pocket. The subtle tinkling of metal could be heard coming from it. The man looked at me with wide eyes, then he smiled, and then he laughed. "Well this is new! A titaness trying to bribe me. I guess it is preferable to being used as a living toy. Thank you, I appreciate your offer, but I must decline: I do not have what you seek." He caressed his chin. "I don't know what to tell you. This is still just a simple village. I don't know what you expected to find here." I took a moment to think. Could it be that the general's information was wrong? Could I trust him? He seemed genuine enough, but that was no guarantee. [[Continue->M2 pc leads 3]]

"Tell me everything you know about these bandits of yours" I said, placing myself above him, letting him feel his insignificance before me. "I'm sure you can find a few around, if you look hard enough, those are never in short supply. But I know nothing of this specific group you seek" he said, not in the last intimidated. Irritated by his stubbornness, I picked him up, trapping into my fist. Impressively, the man still kept his calm demeanour. He did not even attempt to wiggle free or bite my hand, like most people would do. I admit, I was impressed with his nerves. I started to apply more pressure. "Speak, or I will pop you like a grape" I said, coldly. @@color:IndianRed;You feel slightly closer to your cruel side@@ <<if $canAdd>><<set $cruelScore++>><</if>> [[Continue->M2 pc leads 3]]

<<if !hasVisited("M2 pc leads cruel")>>Before I could determine a new approach,<<else>>Before he could speak again,<</if>> we were distracted by a whizzing sound coming from somewhere north of us, from the tree line. The sound became an acute scream, and then finally it revealed itself to be an arrow. It struck me with force in my shoulder. I let out a small gasp, but it was barely more painful than a sting. "What the..." Surprised, I looked at the arrow, and in that moment it exploded. Its light blinded everyone for a moment, making me stagger backward. What kind of arrow could do that? I gritted my teeth as I recovered from the blast. "Well, look at this! Two pretty ladies coming for my ass. I'm flattered, girls, but I am already taken." The voice came from somewhere near the edge of the village, from the same direction the arrow came from. We both looked that way, and saw a woman on top of a horse, wearing armor covered with a long coat. Her light brown hair were cut short, complementing her androgynous look. "I assume you're here for my little band of desperates, correct? Leave that poor man alone, dear. He's harmless, I guarantee it." [[Continue->M2.6]]

Our pursuit continued for what felt like hours, always a few steps away from our prize. Eventually, we reached a clearing deep within the forest; there something very unexpected was waiting for us. <<if $metric>>A few hundred meters<<else>>Half a mile<</if>> away from us stood the ruins of an ancient fortress. The structure was in evident state of disrepair, its walls had collapsed in multiple points and all but one tower still stood That must have been their refuge. These bandits were quickly proving to be far better prepared than we could imagine. "What? Are you tired? We were just getting started!" The woman said, still going towards the fortress. We began running again, but soon enough we realized what a mistake that was: There, on top of the walls, we spotted two ballistae, preparing their shots. In preparation, we put our shields forward. The first shot came for Valeria, it barely missed her head. And we still had ground to cover. The second shot instead hit my shield, its iron tip poking out on my side. It took them a bit to reload their weapons. We advanced. Then, "They're close enough! Go for it!" The woman we had been pursuing shouted. Following her order, the ballista crew aimed again. A single bolt was shot, aimed at Valeria. It hit clipped the top of her round shield and struck her into her chest. The bolt was a bit longer than the length of the palm of our hands. It penetrated her flesh with ease, but it was not enough to wound her seriously, in theory. Yet, she became pale, slowed down, and collapsed on the ground. [[Continue->M2.8]]

I watched as she collapsed, then I got to her, covering the both of us with my shield. I looked at her, and saw that she struggled to breath, while a dark pattern was forming around her wound. No blood had poured out, despite the bolt being almost halfway into her body. I had to make a decision, and quickly. *[[I charged forward->M2 day assault]]. I could not just retreat. I had to finish the battle. Valeria would have to wait. *[[I placed her on my shoulders and ran off->M2 help]]. I did not like my chances, but I would not simply abandon her to her fate.

Having made my decision, I jumped forward and charged against the fortress. The woman was inside already, slipped in from one of the breaches in the walls. The two ballistae kept bombarding me with more bolts, opening several holes in my shield. I was careful not to let a single one even near my flesh. I reached the walls and turned around the corner, so that I was finally out of the ballistae's line of sight. I considered climbing the walls, they were a little less than a head shorter than me, but I decided against it: I would be vulnerable during the climb, and I did not trust the ancient structure to support my weight. I looked around for an entry point, and saw one just besides the only surviving tower. I went in without hesitation. That was my mistake. As soon as I began making my way through the rubble that once was the wall section, I heard a noise coming from the tower beside me. I looked up and saw several arrows stuck into the stone. A moment later, they detonated, bringing down the tall structure on top of me. I managed to jump forward and avoid the worst of it, but my leg got stuck under a heavy piece. I was working to free myself, when a voice reached me: "Stop, titaness, you are surrounded." I looked up, and in front of me stood the woman, still on her horse. I looked to the left, and saw the two ballistae aimed down at me, and more archers on the other side. [[Continue->M2 assault 2]]

Having made my decision, I placed Valeria's body on my shoulders, and ran back to the relative safety of the forest. <<if $bodyType is "muscular">>I was glad I had trained my strength, Valeria was a rather petite giantess, but she was still pretty heavy.<<else>>I struggled to move quickly under her weight, Valeria was a rather petite giantess, but she was still pretty heavy. Without the adrenaline of the moment, I doubt I could have ran as quickly.<</if>> Another bolt came, I turned around just in time for it to hit my shield. The bolt bounced off to the side, lodging itself into a nearby tree. My arm recoiled back a little, absorbing the momentum of the projectile. We were finally far enough to be safe from the ballistae. I relaxed slightly, especially when I realized they were not giving chase. In about twenty minutes, I reached the village. *[[I begged for a healer->M2 help village]] to look after my companion. *[[I asked for a healer->M2 help village money]], offering gold and more in return. *[[I demanded a healer->M2 help village threat]], threatening to exterminate the village if they refused.

"That is still a mystery. Honestly, considering the abysmal survival rate of the ascension ritual, it may simply be a case of protracted bad luck." She shrugged. "We do not know why exactly it is the case. Some scholars say it is because the female body is better suited to survive the transformation, some say because the titan was female, when it was alive. Some other say it is because the overlord is female." "Some even believe it was the empress' conscious decision to avoid making male titans, but I do not believe in such conspiracies, our dear lady is too pragmatic to bother with such frivolities." [[Thanks, general.->I1 general questions]]

The village had just gone back to its normal routine, when I barged in again. The terrified villagers ran away the moment I stepped out of the forest, begging for a healer. "Please help me! Elder? Where are you? I need a healer now! Please!" It was a rare sight to see a titaness in distress, rare enough to cause the panicked villagers to stop for a second. I let Valeria down. She was still barely breathing, and her skin was even paler. The dark patter has grown a few inches from the bolt. Was the bolt poisoned? I did not know of any poison that could have taken down a titaness, let alone so quickly. "Here I am, giantess. I had been trained as a healer in my youth; I'm the closest you'll find to one here" a familiar voice said. I turned around, to see the elder standing a few feet from me. "Please, help" I repeated. He remained silent, and advanced towards Valeria. "Let me see" He said, gesturing towards me. I picked him up and showed him my companion's wound. "I... am not sure what it is. I have not seen anything like this before. Let me down." I obeyed. "Helle! Bring me all the blue herb we have! And some embers." A woman watching us from a window nearby almost jumped hearing her name, but she quickly obeyed, dragging a sack with her, and a small ceramic pot with some burning charcoal inside. [[Continue->M2 help village 2]]

The village had just gone back to its normal routine, when I barged in again. The terrified villagers ran away the moment I stepped out of the forest, asking for a healer. "Elder! Where are you? I need a healer now! I will pay whatever you want!" It was a rare sight to see a titaness in distress, rare enough to cause the panicked villagers to stop for a second. I let Valeria down. She was still barely breathing, and her skin was even paler. The dark patter has grown a few inches from the bolt. Was the bolt poisoned? I did not know of any poison that could have taken down a titaness, let alone so quickly. "Here I am, giantess. I had been trained as a healer in my youth; I'm the closest you'll find to one here" a familiar voice said. I turned around, to see the elder standing a few feet from me. "Help her" I repeated. He remained silent, and advanced towards Valeria. "Let me see" He said, gesturing towards me. I picked him up and showed him my companion's wound. "I... am not sure what it is. I have not seen anything like this before. Let me down." I obeyed. "Helle! Bring me all the blue herb we have! And some embers." A woman watching us from a window nearby almost jumped hearing her name, but she quickly obeyed, dragging a sack with her, and a small ceramic pot with some burning charcoal inside. [[Continue->M2 help village 2]]

The town had just gone back to its normal routine, when I barged in again. The terrified villagers ran away the moment I stepped out of the forest, demanding a healer. "Elder! Where are you? I need a healer now! Or I will stomp this village to the ground and leave no survivors!" I let Valeria down. She was still barely breathing, and her skin was even paler. The dark patter has grown a few inches from the bolt. Was it poisoned? I did not know of any poison that could have taken down a titaness, let alone so quickly. "Here I am, giantess. I had been trained as a healer in my youth; I'm the closest you'll find to one here" a familiar voice said. I turned around, to see the elder standing a few feet from me. "Help her!" I comamnded. He remained silent, and advanced towards Valeria. "Let me see" He said, gesturing towards me. I picked him up and showed him my companion's wound. "I... am not sure what it is. I have not seen anything like this before. Let me down." I obeyed. "Helle! Bring me all the blue herb we have! And some embers." A woman watching us from a window nearby almost jumped hearing her name, but she quickly obeyed, dragging a sack with her, and a small ceramic pot with some burning charcoal inside. [[Continue->M2 help village 2]]

When the woman came, I lifted her up and left her beside the elder, on Valeria's chest. "I need you to extract it, titaness. Helle, you will help me coat the wound with the blue herb, we will need to be quick." I complied. Grabbing the bolt with my fingers, I quickly pulled it out. Meanwhile, the two humans waited for their moment, but as the bolt tip left Valeria's body, they remained still. "W-where is the blood?" The elder asked. As if Valeria heard him, blood did pour out, but just a meager quantity, struggling to trickle out. The man shook himself out of his stupor, and began his work, coating the wound with the plants, followed by the young woman. When he was satisfied, he grabbed the bowl with the embers inside, held it as low as he could and blew over it. An orange cloud of sparks left the bowl, and rained down the herbs, which quickly caught fire and burned for a brief but intense moment. A strong sweet smell filled the air, as the flames died down, leaving Valeria's wound bare once again. To my surprise, I could see that the mysterious dark pattern was receding, and Valeria's skin was regaining some color. "I would cover her wound with a bandage, titaness, but we do not have a piece of cloth big enough" the elder said. I nodded, then I teared a strip of fabric away from my tunic, and wrapped it around her chest. Valeria's breathing was becoming less troubled, and her eyes gave some sign of consciousness once again. "Well, this is interesting" the elder said. I looked down, he was holding the bolt in his hands, observing the tip: It was neither bronze nor iron, but blackstone. [[Continue->M2 help decision]]

The woman got down from her horse and got closer to me. Stuck as I was, I could do nothing but carefully watch her movements. She stopped just outside of my reach. Her smug expression just barely concealing her nervousness. <<if $M1TitusAlive && !hasVisited("M2 evening assault")>><<include "M2 titus">> <<else>><<include "M2 no titus">><</if>>

"So, you are the Thearnian that Titus talked about, aren't you?" She said, then she turned around and shouted something at her men. Just a minute afterwards, a man emerged from somewhere deeper into the fortress. He looked familiar. "We meet again, titaness" Titus, the tax collector, said. <<if !$M1BanditsAlive>>"Came to finish the job?"<<else>>"Fancy seeing you here."<</if>> My mouth fell wide open. [[Who in Tartarus are you?->M2 who question]] I asked the mysterious woman. [[Why are you here?->M2 titus question]] I said, looking at Titus. [[What did you do to Valeria?->M2 valeria question]] *[[What are your intentions?->M2 conclusion]] *[[I won't go down without a fight!->M2 fight]]

"Who are we? My, didn't you figure it out already?" The mysterious woman said. I did not. They were clearly not simple bandits. How would they have access to artillery pieces, and whatever those explosive arrows were? They must have had access to an alchemist, maybe even to an arcanist. Not to mention the armor the woman wore: It was hard to make out, under the heavy cape she wore, and it was not in pristine condition, but it was strangely familiar. My eyes opened wide, when I finally understood. "Oh good, finally. I was starting to doubt you were actually one of us" she said. "Yes, we were-no, we are-soldiers of the republic. We miraculously escaped the massacre at the battle of Aquae Sulis, me and my unit." She smiled. "Since then, we tried to organize an army, to retake our land."<<if $M1TitusAlive>> "You already know one of our allies" she said, pointing at Titus, "but he's not the only one."<</if>> *[[This is madness->M2 who question 2]]. This folly could only have one conclusion, with all of them dead and buried. *[[Ambitious->M2 who question 2]], but there was no path to victory against the overlord. *[[Admirable->M2 who question 2]], but they would only cause more death and destruction.

"I was recruited a little while ago. Her men captured me while I was doing my rounds for the governor," he said, pointing at the woman, "but they did not harm me; instead, they showed me this place and told me of their plans." He sighed. "Since then, I work for them, for a free Thearn." "An army marches on its stomach, and I need money for that. Thus, our mutual agreement was born" the woman intervened. "All clear, now, titaness?" [[Continue->M2 titus questions]]

"Your giant friend out there?" She smiled. "My, brave of you to charge in alone, and leave her there, defenseless. But don't worry, she is not dead, not yet at least." "Let's just say that we made some friends recently, that want what we want. And they had some very ambitious ideas on how to deal with you, giantesses." She got a few steps closer, taunting me. "I'd say the field test was quite successful." <<if $M1TitusAlive && !hasVisited("M2 evening assault")>>[[Continue->M2 titus questions]]<<else>>[[Continue->M2 no titus questions]]<</if>>

<<set $combatRating to 2>>"I won't go down without a fight!" I shouted, strongly enough to make the woman brace herself. I tried to reach for her, but I Was just short of grabbing her with my hand. She bolted away from me "Fire! Damn it! Fire!" She ordered. A storm of arrows came down on me, plunging into the flesh of my arm, as I raised it to protect my face. I expected them to blow up in a flash of light, but instead barely a couple detonated. They must have been out of those annoying blinding arrows. I finally freed my leg from the rubble, when I felt the ballista shots penetrating my shoulder and abdomen. I froze for a moment, fearing the worst, but I felt nothing but pain, as blood poured out of the wounds. Did they only have one of those special bolts? I stood up and jumped forward, on top of the woman, capturing her into my hands. As soon as the soldiers saw that I held their commander in hand, they stopped firing. *[[Last chance, surrender or die->M2 truce proposal]]. Drop your weapons, and I promise you may leave alive. *[[You had your fun->M2 massacre]]. Now it's my turn.

The woman's lips curled in disgust. "And what would you have us do? Bend the knee and live our lives as the overlord's puppets? No thank you. It might be good enough for you, but not for me, or for us." <<if $M1TitusAlive && !$M1BanditsAlive>>"Good enough indeed. She did not hesitate to massacre the men you sent to retrieve the money that day" Titus said. "Yes, I know" the woman said.<<elseif $M1TitusAlive>>"Well, she does seem different from the others. She did not just kill the men you sent to retrieve the money that day" Titus said. "Yes, I know" the woman said.<</if>> "And I do know that the overlord is nearly undefeatable, but I refuse to let her do whatever she wants with my city, with my republic, with all of Thearn! And as you could witness today, recent events may have given us a bit of an edge in this fight." <<if $M1TitusAlive && !hasVisited("M2 evening assault")>>[[Continue->M2 titus questions]]<<else>>[[Continue->M2 no titus questions]]<</if>>

"Well," the woman said, "you know who we are, you know where we are, you know of our agent." She shrugged. "I don't enjoy the idea of killing a fellow Thearnian, but do I have an alternative?" I took a good look at her. If that was her plan, why talk to me? They had me pinned, they could just shoot me and be done with it. It was then that I realized. "You do not have another one of those things you used on Valeria, do you?" Her smug smile became a pained smirk. "Eh, took you a while to notice." She bolted away from me, out of my reach. "Fire!" She ordered. A storm of arrows came down on me, plunging into the flesh of my arm, as I raised it to protect my face. I expected them to blow up in a flash of light, but instead barely a couple detonated. They must have been out of those annoying arrows as well. I finally freed my leg from the rubble, when I felt the ballista shots penetrating my shoulder and abdomen. I froze for a moment, fearing the worst, but I felt nothing but pain, as blood poured out of the wounds. I stood up and jumped forward, on top of the woman, capturing her into my hands. As soon as the soldiers saw that I held their commander in hand, they stopped firing. *[[There is an alternative, let me join you->M2 alliance proposal]]. We can work together to save Thearn! *[[There is an alternative, just leave->M2 truce proposal]]. Drop your weapons, and forget about this madness. *[[You had your fun->M2 massacre]]. Now it's my turn.

My mind worked fast to figure out what to do. The situation was dire, I had to be careful. [[Who in Tartarus are you?->M2 who question]] I asked the mysterious woman. [[Why are you here?->M2 titus question]] I said, looking at Titus. [[What did you do to Valeria?->M2 valeria question]] *[[What are your intentions?->M2 conclusion]] *[[I won't go down without a fight!->M2 fight]]

<<nobr>> <<set _acceptance to 0>> <<if $M1KilledBandits>><<set _acceptance-->><</if>> <<if $M1TitusAlive>><<set _acceptance++>><</if>> <<if $thearnReputation >= 5>><<set _acceptance++>><</if>> <</nobr>><<if _acceptance > 0>>The woman in my hands looked at me straight into her eyes. "You are a titaness, sworn to serve the overlord<<if $M1KilledBandits>>, you killed my men without any mercy<</if>>, why would I ever trust you?" "The imperials did not exactly give me a choice on the matter. And I had no idea of who you were" I said. <<if $thearnReputation >= 5>>" I only ever acted for the benefit of Thearn, when given the chance to; if you've heard of me, you know that."<</if>> I sighed. "What would I get from lying to you now? If I wanted you dead, I could have done it already." <<if $M1KilledBandits>>"She tells the truth, Clodia. She may be as bloodthirsty as the rest of those giant monsters, but she is one of us nonetheless" Titus said.<<elseif $M1TitusAlive && hasVisited("M2 day assault")>>"She tells the truth, Clodia. She is not as bloodthirsty as the rest of those giant monsters; and she is one of us!" Titus said, from somewhere to my right.<</if>> The woman took a long moment to think, her eyes still digging into mine to figure out my real thoughts. "You're asking us to trust you; if you want me to do that show me you're willing to trust us: Let me down." My eyes instinctively darted towards the soldiers on the wall, and the two ballistae. Yet, I took a deep breath and slowly lowered the commander down. I opened my fist, and let her walk out of it. I stood up again. "Satisfied?" The woman looked up, I could barely see her face from such an angle. [[Continue->M2 alliance]]<<else>>The woman in my hands looked at me straight into her eyes. "You are a titaness, sworn to serve the overlord<<if $M1KilledBandits>>, you killed my men without any mercy<</if>>, why would I ever trust you?" "The imperials did not exactly give me a choice on the matter. And I had no idea of who you were" I said. <<if $thearnReputation >= 5>>" I only ever acted for the benefit of Thearn, when given the chance to; if you've heard of me, you know that."<</if>> I sighed. "What would I get from lying to you now? If I wanted you dead, I could have done it already." <<if $M1TitusAlive && $M1KilledBandits>> "She tells the truth, Clodia. She may be as bloodthirsty as the rest of those giant monsters, but she is one of us nonetheless" Titus said. <</if>> The woman looked down. "No, I cannot put us all in jeopardy for you, titaness. I am sorry, but it is not going to happen." I gritted my teeth. I could not blame her, but her words were still as heavy as the stones that threatened to bury me a few minutes prior. "Very well" I said. *[[Surrender, then, and leave->M2 truce proposal]]. I swear I will let you go unharmed. *[[You leave me no choice->M2 massacre]], then. You will have your fight. <</if>>

"Well now, why would you show us mercy? We took down your friend, we very nearly killed you<<if hasVisited("M2 alliance proposal")>>, we clearly stated we do not trust you<</if>>, and you would still let us go? Just like that?" She asked. <<if hasVisited("M2 who question")>> I bit my lips. I had to carefully calibrate my words. "I do not wish to harm fellow Thearnians, especially ones that fought for the republic, and still believe in it. There is no need for bloodshed here."<<else>> "Do you really need a reason? What ulterior motive could I possibly have?" <</if>> "You would be disobeying your superior, girl. How would you explain that to them?" I gulped, thinking of how the general would react, if she came to know. "Well, my orders were to deal with the bandits. And bandits without weapons are not really that threatening, aren't they? One could even say you could not classify them as bandits, at all." She smiled, but remained silent. Thus, I continued: "If it's not me today, it will be another titaness tomorrow, one that will not give you this chance." She looked back to her men, still in position, ready to fight. "Very well then. Weapons can be replaced, lives not so much: We accept, titaness." [[Continue->M2 truce]]

<<if $combatRating <= 0>><<include "M2 massacre died">><<elseif $combatRating <= 2>><<include "M2 massacre eye">><<else>><<include "M2 massacre cheek">><</if>>

<<if $thearnReputation >= 2>>"So, you are the Thearnian that became a titaness, right? I've heard of you.<<else>>"You are a Thearnian, aren't you? I heard they were collecting candidates from around here, a while back. Interesting."<</if>> [[Who in Tartarus are you?->M2 who question]] [[What did you do to Valeria?->M2 valeria question]] *[[What are your intentions?->M2 conclusion]] *[[I won't go down without a fight!->M2 fight]]

My mind worked fast to figure out what to do. The situation was dire, I had to be careful. [[Who in Tartarus are you?->M2 who question]] [[What did you do to Valeria?->M2 valeria question]] *[[What are your intentions?->M2 conclusion]] *[[I won't go down without a fight!->M2 fight]]

I got back into the forest. The daylight quickly dying behind the hill overlooking the village. In another twenty minutes I was back at the fortress. I looked around, and saw the ballistae still in position. Cursing under my breath, I looked around for an attack path. Of course, I should have imagined that they would not let themselves be caught out of position. While I was thinking, I could see some commotion on top of the walls. I had been spotted. Before I could react, a man took two stones in his hands, brought them over his head, clapped them together and then plunged them into a brazier. As he completed the movement, the stones flooded the valley with light. I ran forward. The two ballistae bombarded me with bolt after bolt, opening several holes in my shield. I was careful not to let a single one even near my flesh. I reached the walls and turned around the corner, so that I was finally out of the ballistae's line of sight. I considered climbing the walls, they were a little less than a head shorter than me, but I decided against it: I would be vulnerable during the climb, and I did not trust the ancient structure to support my weight. I looked around for an entry point, and saw one just besides the only surviving tower. I went in without hesitation. That was my mistake. As soon as I began making my way through the rubble that was the wall section, I heard a noise coming from the tower beside me. I looked up and saw several arrows stuck into the stone. A moment later, they detonated, bringing down the tall structure on top of me. I managed to jump forward and avoid the worst of it, but my leg got stuck under a heavy piece. I was working to free myself, when a voice reached me: "Stop, titaness, you are surrounded." I looked up, and in front of me stood the woman, still on her horse. I looked to the left, and saw the two ballistae aimed down at me, and more archers on the other side. [[Continue->M2 assault 2]]

With Valeria stable, I had to determine my course of action. One option would be to go back to camp and abort the mission. After what happened, I was not confident I would be able to take them down on my own. Doing so may just give another kind of death, however, the general was not a forgiving person. I could go back in and hope that the temporary truce had encouraged them to leave their defensive position. It was getting a bit late, the light of day was dying down, with a bit of luck I may have been able to do it. *[[I ventured into the forest again->M2 evening assault]] *[[I took Valeria and began the march back to the camp->M2 abort ending]]

Thanking the elder for his help, I prepared myself for the trip back to camp. Valeria was still very weak, she could barely walk, so I had to support her along the way. Her breathing was still troubled, and she struggled to talk, so for the most part, we simply walked in silence. She did not ask me what had happened, after she went down, and I chose not to tell her anything yet. It was a brief but welcome truce, until we reached the camp. It took us several more days than the first time, but in a way I was grateful for it: It gave me more time to think of what to tell the general. <<set $M2Ending to "abort">> [[Continue->chapter two 0]]

The silence protracted for a while still. Time around us stopped. Then, the harsh expression of the woman warmed up, then it became a smile, then a laugh. "Well, of all the ways this day could have gone, I would have never expected it to go like this." She extended her hand towards me. "All right, giantess, I am willing to work with you. For now at least." I took a step back and bent down, awkwardly offering my little finger to her. "Trust me, the feeling is mutual. Though, I am getting used to things not making much sense in my life" I said, offering a smile back to her. "Well, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. How rude of me. You may call me Clodia, titaness." "$name. A pleasure to meet you." Seeing our change in demeanour, the soldiers relaxed and let their weapons down. I could hear them murmur and discuss, no doubt many of them had doubts about our alliance, but that was an inevitability. <<if $canAdd>><<set $clodiaRelationship to $clodiaRelationship + 2>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Clodia@@ <<if !hasVisited("M2 help")>> [[Do you know about blackstone?->M2 blackstone question]] [[How do you plan to free Thearn?->M2 plan question]] *[[Can you help my companion?->M2 alliance valeria 1]]<<else>> [[Do you know about blackstone?->M2 blackstone question]] [[How do you plan to free Thearn?->M2 plan question]] *[[Time for me to go->M2 alliance ending]] <</if>>

//under construction// [[Back to notes->Notes]]

"Blackstone? I know it's a rare type of stone, used in alchemy. The tip of the bolt that took your friend down was made of blackstone; the man that gave it to us promised it would be effective against titanesses. And we attested that." <<if hasVisited("M2 help village 2")>>"I know" I said. "I saw it."<<else>>"So that's how you managed that!" I said, a bit too loudly.<</if>> I continued: "What you probably do not know is that our commader uses a pendant, also made of blackstone, to bend us to her will. If the general gives me a direct order using that stone, I will not be able to resist her." The commander crossed her arms. "That is... bad news, but precious information, nonetheless. It explains why there are so few rebellious titanesses. We need to understand the connection between titans and blackstone as soon as we can. Do you know anything else? Can this pendant be destroyed? Do you need to be near her for it to work?" I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but that's about what I know. We tend to avoid making too many questions: the general is not exactly the friendliest of people. All I know is that being under the influence of that pendant is not pleasant. Did the man that gave the bolt to you say anything?" "No." The commander looked down. "To be honest, I was not too sure if I could trust his words, but the facts don't lie." [[Continue->M2 alliance questions]]

"The plan? Wouldn't you like to know?" She smiled. "Don't take this the wrong way, titaness, I'm not keeping you in the dark out of a lack fo trust, but out of necessity: The fewer people know of our plans, the higher our chances of success. It's enough of a risk to have you know of us. <<if hasVisited("M2 blackstone question")>>What would happen if your general ordered you to tell the truth? Would you be able to resist that pendant of hers?<</if>>" I bit my lips in frustration. She was right. I did not like it, but she was right. [[Continue->M2 alliance questions]]

"Help her? I'm not sure" she said, stroking her chin. "To be honest, we do not know much of the weapon we have used on her." She looked back at me. "I would suggest going back to the village and ask the elder for help, he was a healer in the past, and quite a good one too." She called one of her soldiers. "And while you do that, we will vacate the premises. We got lucky with you today, there's no reason to tempt fate further." She smiled. "This is a goodbye, for the moment at least. We have a few friends at your camp, we should be able to contact you if something comes up. Until then, good luck, titaness." I gave my goodbye as well, and left the fortress. I quickly made my way to Valeria, who was still on the ground. Thankfully, she was not doing much worse than before, there still was no blood coming out of the wound, and the dark pattern was just slightly bigger than before. She was till just breathing, however, so I lifted her up and brought her to the village. [[Continue->M2 alliance valeria 2]]

She called one of her soldiers. "Indeed. We will leave this place soon. We got lucky with you today, there's no reason to tempt fate further." She smiled. "This is a goodbye, for the moment at least. We have a few friends at your camp, we should be able to contact you if something comes up. Until then, good luck, titaness." I gave my goodbye as well, and left the fortress. I quickly made my way back to the village, where Valeria waited for me. There, the situation had fortunately not changed much. My companion was still pretty weak, but she was faring a bit better than before, and the village had gone back to normal, despite the presence of the wounded titaness. [[Continue->M2 alliance ending 3]]

//under construction// [[Back to notes->Notes]]

With the atmosphere relaxing, we sat down to discuss the situation. <<if hasVisited("M2 day assault")>> [[Do you know about blackstone?->M2 blackstone question]] [[How do you plan to free Thearn?->M2 plan question]] *[[Can you help Valeria?->M2 alliance valeria 1]]<<else>> [[Do you know about blackstone?->M2 blackstone question]] [[How do you plan to free Thearn?->M2 plan question]] *[[Time for me to go->M2 alliance ending]] <</if>>

When the woman came, I lifted her up and left her beside the elder, on Valeria's chest. "I need you to extract it, titaness. Helle, you will help me coat the wound with the blue herb, we will need to be quick." I complied. Grabbing the bolt with my fingers, I quickly pulled it out. Meanwhile, the two humans waited for their moment, but as the bolt tip left Valeria's body, they remained still. "W-where is the blood?" The elder asked. As if Valeria heard him, blood did pour out, but just a meager quantity, struggling to trickle out. The man shook himself out of his stupor, and began his work, coating the wound with the plants, followed by the young woman. When he was satisfied, he grabbed the bowl with the embers inside, held it as low as he could and blew over it. An orange cloud of sparks left the bowl, and rained down the herbs, which quickly caught fire and burned for a brief but intense moment. A strong sweet smell filled the air, as the flames died down, leaving Valeria's wound bare once again. To my surprise, I could see that the mysterious dark pattern was receding, and Valeria's skin was regaining some color. "I would cover her wound with a bandage, titaness, but we do not have a piece of cloth big enough" the elder said. I nodded, then I teared a strip of cloth away from my tunic, and wrapped it around her chest. Valeria's breathing was becoming less troubled, and her eyes gave some sign of consciousness, once again. [[Continue->M2 alliance ending 3]]

<<if $gold > 0>>"Thank you, elder. I have some gold I can repay you with."<<else>>"Thank you, elder. I wish I had some way to repay you."<</if>> "Do not worry about it. Don't take it the wrong way, but not seeing you ever again in my village will be more than enough of a reward" he said. I smiled and thanked him again. Then, I prepared myself for the trip back to camp. Valeria was still very weak, she could barely walk, so I had to support her along the way. Her breathing was still troubled, and she struggled to talk, so for the most part, we simply walked in silence. She did not ask me what had happened, after she went down, and I chose not to tell her anything yet. It was a brief but welcome truce, until we reached the camp. It took us several more days than the first time, but in a way I was grateful for it: It gave me more time to think of what to tell the general. <<set $M2Ending to "alliance">> [[Continue->chapter two 0]]

<<set $mission to "Intermission", $chapter to "Chapter Two">> <div class="title">The Titan Kingdoms: Chapter Two</div> <div class="center">[[Continue->Intermission 2]]</div>

//end for now//

She gave the order to her soldiers to drop their weapons; reluctanctly, they obeyed. "We will leave this place now." She smiled. "This is a goodbye, titaness. Hopefully, we will never see each other again." <<if hasVisited("M2 help")>> I waited for them to leave all their weapons in front of me, then I left the fortress. I quickly made my way back to the village, where Valeria waited for me. There, the situation had fortunately not changed much. My companion was still pretty weak, but she was faring a bit better than before, and the village had gone back to normal, despite the presence of the wounded titaness. <<if $canAdd>><<set $clodiaRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Clodia@@ [[Continue->M2 truce ending]] <<else>> I waited for them to leave all their weapons in front of me, then, before they left, I asked the woman for a way to help my fallen companion. "Help her? I'm not sure" she said, stroking her chin. "To be honest, we do not know much of the weapon we have used on her." She looked back at me. "I would suggest going back to the village and ask the elder for help, he was a healer in the past, and quite a good one too." With that information, I finally left the fortress behind and quickly made my way to Valeria, who was still on the ground. Thankfully, she was not doing much worse than before: there still was no blood coming out of the wound, and the dark pattern was just slightly bigger than before. She was till just breathing, however, so I lifted her up and brought her to the village. <<if $canAdd>><<set $clodiaRelationship++>><</if>> @@color:LightGreen;I had made a good impression on Clodia@@ [[Continue->M2 truce valeria 1]] <</if>>

<<if $gold > 0>>"Thank you, elder. I have some gold I can repay you with."<<else>>"Thank you, elder. I wish I had some way to repay you."<</if>> "Do not worry about it. Don't take it the wrong way, but not seeing you ever again in my village will be more than enough of a reward" he said. I smiled and thanked him again. Thanking the elder for his help, I prepared myself for the trip back to camp. Valeria was still very weak, she could barely walk, so I had to support her along the way. Her breathing was still troubled, and she struggled to talk, so for the most part, we simply walked in silence. She did not ask me what had happened, after she went down, and I chose not to tell her anything yet. It was a brief but welcome truce, until we reached the camp. It took us several more days than the first time, but in a way I was grateful for it: It gave me more time to think of what to tell the general. <<set $M2Ending to "truce">> [[Continue->chapter two 0]]

The little town had just gone back to its normal routine, when I barged in again. The terrified villagers ran away the moment I stepped out of the forest. "Elder? I need your help!" Just a minute later, the elder emerged from one of the houses. "Here I am, giantess. What can I possibly do for you?" He said. "The... that woman said you could help her, that you were a healer" I repeated. He remained silent, and advanced towards Valeria. "I was. Let me see" He said, gesturing towards me. I picked him up and showed him my companion's wound. "I... am not sure what it is. I have not seen anything like this before. Let me down." I obeyed. "Helle! Bring me all the blue herb we have! And some embers." A woman watching us from a window nearby almost jumped hearing her name, but she quickly obeyed, dragging a sack with her, and a small ceramic pot with some burning charcoal inside. [[Continue->M2 truce valeria 2]]

When the woman came, I lifted her up and left her beside the elder, on Valeria's chest. "I need you to extract it, titaness. Helle, you will help me coat the wound with the blue herb, we will need to be quick." I complied. Grabbing the bolt with my fingers, I quickly pulled it out. Meanwhile, the two humans waited for their moment, but as the bolt tip left Valeria's body, they remained still. "W-where is the blood?" The elder asked. As if Valeria heard him, blood did pour out, but just a meager quantity, struggling to trickle out. The man shook himself out of his stupor, and began his work, coating the wound with the plants, followed by the young woman. When he was satisfied, he grabbed the bowl with the embers inside, held it as low as he could and blew over it. An orange cloud of sparks left the bowl, and rained down the herbs, which quickly caught fire and burned for a brief but intense moment. A strong sweet smell filled the air, as the flames died down, leaving Valeria's wound bare once again. To my surprise, I could see that the mysterious dark pattern was receding, and Valeria's skin was regaining some color. "I would cover her wound with a bandage, titaness, but we do not have a piece of cloth big enough" the elder said. I nodded, then I teared a strip of cloth away from my tunic, and wrapped it around her chest. Valeria's breathing was becoming less troubled, and her eyes gave some sign of consciousness, once again. [[Continue->M2 truce ending]]

I sighed, as a wave of disgust rose from my stomach. My hands, lips, and feet were covered in a thick layer of blood and guts, I was bleeding all over, and the rush of the fight was quickly evaporating away, leaving me alone with the pain and exhaustion. The men in my hand were struggling desperately to get away. I bent down and let them go. They immediately bolted away, not even turning around for a second. I could not blame them, really. I could hardly believe I did all of that myself.<<if $canAdd>><<set $gentleScore++>><</if>> @@color:aquamarine;I felt slightly closer to my gentle side@@ <<if !hasVisited("M2 help")>>[[Continue->M2 massacre valeria 1]]<<else>>[[Continue->M2 massacre ending]]<</if>>

Without further delay, I observed as my fingers squeezed the men in my fist. They all died, and quickly, without struggle. Then, I dropped them off at my feet, and stomped on them hard, to finish off any survivor. It was over. I cleared them all out. My hands, lips, and feet were covered in a thick layer of blood and guts, I was bleeding all over, and the rush of the fight was quickly evaporating away, leaving me alone with the pain and exhaustion. They fought much harder than I expected, not many people are able to keep themselves from fleeing the moment they spot a charging giantess, yet they fought almost to the end. I had to give them that. <<if $canAdd>><<set $killCount to $killCount + 4>><</if>> <<if !hasVisited("M2 help")>>[[Continue->M2 massacre valeria 1]]<<else>>[[Continue->M2 massacre ending]]<</if>>

<<if hasVisited("M2 alliance proposal")>>"You leave me no choice"<<else>>"Well, you had your fun, now I will have mine"<</if>> I said, as I crushed the woman in my fist. In but a few seconds, her body was obliterated by my digits. Soon enough, arrows came pouring down on me. The little things felt like splinters penetrating my flesh. Individually, they were almost painless, but their sheer volume was really starting to affect me. And if that was not enough, the ballistae let their much deadlier bolts loose. One hit me directly into the shoulder, and at that close of a range, it sank in deep; a scream of pain left my mouth, as my skin was colored red. I turned around to finally eliminate those annoying little bastards, when the second ballista shot. I had no time to move out of the way, and the bolt hit right into my left eye. I screamed, strongly enough to burst the eardrums of the soldiers near me. Blood flowed down my cheeks, as the pain seeped into my entire being. It was lost. It was lost. My eye was gone. I gritted my teeth and looked forward, pain fueling my anger. I jumped and crashed against the section of the walls where the ballistae stood. The ancient structure could not stand my impetus, and exploded outward, sending the men and their damned siege engines flying. With a hand holding the tide of blood flooding out my eye, I turned around and charged the archers. <<if $M1TitusAlive && !hasVisited("M2 evening assault")>>I did not even realize, in the fury of my assault, that I had trampled Titus under my feet, obliterating him from existence in one fell swoop.<</if>> I swung my arm over the top of the walls, sending the bandits tumbling down to their deaths; those left atop died crushed mercilessly under my fists or snapped in half by my teeth. The rumble of horses galloping away reached my ears. I turned around to see outlaws leaving the fortress behind. I screamed my rage at them and ran after them. Their horses may have been fast, but they could not outpace a titaness. Those behind were trampled under my feet, while I took into my hand the last few. I stopped, and took a deep breath, feeling the wiggling mass of humanity in my hand. I looked down on them. <<if $canAdd>><<set $leftEyeGone to true, $combatRating--, $killCount to $killCount + (50 + random(5)), $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 5 >><</if>> @@color:orangered;I had permanently lost my left eye@@ @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ *[[And I let them go->M2 massacre gentle]]. My bloodlust was sated, and was left was pain and disgust. *[[And I sqeezed them like grapes->M2 massacre cruel]]. None was leaving that fortress alive.

<<if hasVisited("M2 alliance proposal")>>"You leave me no choice"<<else>>"Well, you had your fun, now I will have mine"<</if>> I said, as I crushed the woman in my fist. In but a few seconds, her body was obliterated by my digits. Soon enough, arrows came pouring down on me. The little things felt like splinters penetrating my flesh. Individually, they were almost painless, but their sheer volume was really starting to affect me. And if that was not enough, the ballistae let their much deadlier bolts loose. One hit me directly into the shoulder, and at that close of a range, it sank in deep; a scream of pain left my mouth, as my skin was colored red. I turned around to finally eliminate those annoying little bastards, when the second ballista shot. I had just enough time to dodge the shot, perfectly aimed for my left eye; still, it grazed my cheek, forming a deep and long cut all along my face. I gritted my teeth, swallowing the pain, as blood poured down my cheek. I looked forward, pain fueling my anger. I jumped and crashed against the section of the walls where the ballistae stood. The ancient structure could not stand my impetus, and exploded outward, sending the men and their damned siege engines flying. I turned around and charged the archers. <<if $M1TitusAlive && !hasVisited("M2 evening assault")>>I did not even realize, in the fury of my assault, that I had trampled Titus under my feet, obliterating him from existence in one fell swoop.<</if>> I swung my arm over the top of the walls, sending the bandits tumbling down to their deaths; those left atop died crushed mercilessly under my fists or snapped in half by my teeth. The rumble of horses galloping away reached my ears. I turned around to see outlaws leaving the fortress behind. I screamed my rage at them and ran after them. Their horses may have been fast, but they could not outpace a titaness. Those behind were trampled under my feet, while I took into my hand the last few. I stopped, and took a deep breath, feeling the wiggling mass of humanity in my hand. I looked down on them. <<if $canAdd>><<set $cheekScar to true, $killCount to $killCount + (50 + random(5)), $cruelScore to $cruelScore + 5>><</if>> @@color:orangered;My cheek had been permanently scarred@@ @@color:IndianRed;I felt closer to my cruel side@@ *[[And I let them go->M2 massacre gentle]]. My bloodlust was sated, and was left was pain and disgust. *[[And I sqeezed them like grapes->M2 massacre cruel]]. None was leaving that fortress alive.

I finally left the fortress. Then, I quickly made my way to Valeria, who was still on the ground. Thankfully, she was not doing much worse than before, there still was no blood coming out of the wound, and the dark pattern was just slightly bigger than before. She was till just breathing, however, so I lifted her up and brought her to the village. The little town had just gone back to its normal routine, when I barged in again. The terrified villagers ran away the moment I stepped out of the forest. Covered in blood, bolts and arrows, sticking out from me. I must have been quite the horrific sight. "Elder? I a healer!" A minute afterwards, he came, still as fearless as before, but somewhat more cautious. "Here I am, giantess. I had been trained as a healer in my youth; I'm the closest you'll find to one here" I picked him up and showed him my companion's wound. "I... am not sure what it is. I have not seen anything like this before. Let me down." I obeyed. "Helle! Bring me all the blue herb we have! And some embers." A woman watching us from a window nearby almost jumped hearing her name, but she quickly obeyed, dragging a sack with her, and a small ceramic pot with some burning charcoal inside. [[Continue->M2 massacre valeria 2]]

<<if $leftEyeGone>>When we finished treating valeria, he looked up at my lost eye. "I cannot do much to fix that, but I can at the very least clean that wound. Let me help you." Reluctantly, I accepted. I laid down and let him work to remove the bolt and clean it up as best as he could. Then, I teared away another strip of fabric from my tunic and wrapped it around my head.<<elseif $cheekScar>>When we finished treating valeria, he looked up at the long cut on my cheek. "I don't have enough herbs to properly treat that, but at the very least I can clean it. Let me help you." Reluctantly, I accepted. I laid down and let him do his work.<</if>> <<if $gold > 0>>"Thank you, elder. I have some gold I can repay you with."<<else>>"Thank you, elder. I will send some gold to repay you for your loyalty to the empire."<</if>> "No, I do not want that gold. Consider never setting foot here again as payment for my help" he said. With that, I nodded and gave my goodbye, then I prepared myself for the trip back to camp. Valeria was still very weak, she could barely walk, so I had to support her along the way. Her breathing was still troubled, and she struggled to talk, so for the most part, we simply walked in silence. She did not ask me what had happened, after she went down, and I chose not to tell her anything yet. It was, after all, only a momentary truce, before we got back to the general. With her in such conditions, and me not faring that much better, it would take us several more days than the first trip. <<set $M2Ending to "massacre">> [[Continue->chapter two 0]]

When the woman came, I lifted her up and left her beside the elder, on Valeria's chest. "I need you to extract it, titaness. Helle, you will help me coat the wound with the blue herb, we will need to be quick." I complied. Grabbing the bolt with my fingers, I quickly pulled it out. Meanwhile, the two humans waited for their moment, but as the bolt tip left Valeria's body, they remained still. "W-where is the blood?" The elder asked. As if Valeria heard him, blood did pour out, but just a meager quantity, struggling to trickle out. The man shook himself out of his stupor, and began his work, coating the wound with the plants, followed by the young woman. When he was satisfied, he grabbed the bowl with the embers inside, held it as low as he could and blew over it. An orange cloud of sparks left the bowl, and rained down the herbs, which quickly caught fire and burned for a brief but intense moment. A strong sweet smell filled the air, as the flames died down, leaving Valeria's wound bare once again. To my surprise, I could see that the mysterious dark pattern was receding, and Valeria's skin was regaining some color. "I would cover her wound with a bandage, titaness, but we do not have a piece of cloth big enough" the elder said. I nodded, then I teared a strip of cloth away from my tunic, and wrapped it around her chest. Valeria's breathing was becoming less troubled, and her eyes gave some sign of consciousness, once again. [[Continue->M2 massacre ending]]

<<widget "scars">><<nobr>> <<set $scarCount to 0>> <<if $minotaurScar>><<set $scarCount++>><</if>> <<if $cheekScar>><<set $scarCount++>><</if>><</nobr>><<if $scarCount == 1>>I have one scar, on <<if $minotaurScar>>my thigh<<elseif $cheekScar>>my left cheek<</if>><<elseif $scarCount > 1>>I have multiple scars, on <<if $minotaurScar>>my thigh,<</if>><<if $cheekScar>>my left cheek,<</if>><</if>><</widget>>