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successfully established their cover operation in the heart of the Lands of the West, the succubus sisters Lady Lilith and Lucia Triteracle continue to develop their nefarious plans to upend The Chop Shop and the Kingdom of Westmarch for the indignities visited upon them. But a chance encounter with a traveling diplomat from far off Kehjistan threatens to undo everything they've built. Kidnapping her will, at least, provide the Daughter of Hatred the chance to try out some new and exotic recipes.\n\nWarning, Contains:\n-F/F Sex\n -Cooking\n-Non-Con\n-Torture\n-Snuff\n\n-----\n\nThe next story in the Tip and Tail series, commissioned by the always awesome https://www.furaffinity.net/user/darkgodesslilith/. It's always kinda fun working within some established lore, lots of ability to build off the world and explore how it fits with my usual delicious themes. Enjoy, and eat well as usual!","description_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Having successfully established their cover operation in the heart of the Lands of the West, the succubus sisters Lady Lilith and Lucia Triteracle continue to develop their nefarious plans to upend The Chop Shop and the Kingdom of Westmarch for the indignities visited upon them. But a chance encounter with a traveling diplomat from far off Kehjistan threatens to undo everything they&#039;ve built. Kidnapping her will, at least, provide the Daughter of Hatred the chance to try out some new and exotic recipes.<br /><br />Warning, Contains:<br />-F/F Sex<br />&nbsp;-Cooking<br />-Non-Con<br />-Torture<br />-Snuff<br /><br />-----<br /><br />The next story in the Tip and Tail series, commissioned by the always awesome <a href=\"https://www.furaffinity.net/user/darkgodesslilith/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://www.furaffinity.net/user/darkgodesslilith/</a>. It&#039;s always kinda fun working within some established lore, lots of ability to build off the world and explore how it fits with my usual delicious themes. Enjoy, and eat well as usual!</span>","writing":"Laughter does not usually go hand-in-hand with demonic presence in the world of Sanctuary. On the surface one might assume that laughter, spilling out the open windows of The Tip and Tail onto the streets of New Tristram, was a sign of healing and rebirth. That despite all odds, and against the hordes of demons which laid waste to the city, humanity had clawed back to the point that happiness was once again heard. Accompanying the sounds of laughter, exotic and lilting music whisked out the windows on the warm summer night air. Long and short-necked lutes intermingled with the flowery sounds of end-blown flutes, creating mesmerizing and rhythmic melodies over the steady beat of hand-held drums and clapping hands.\n\nIn time with the music came the happy sounds of dancing, as beautifully dressed townsfolk from New Tristram intermingled with colorful flowing robes of strange and foreign people. It was an auspicious day for the city, with the young town graced by the presence of a delegation from the far-off lands of Kehjistan. An entourage of Council mages and diplomats, on their way back to the port city of Lut Gholein, stopped into the burgeoning little town, pleased to report upon the city's progress reclaiming the area from the forces of the damned. The town's mayor greeted them with much aplomb, allowing acolytes to explore the dark underbelly of the cathedral, while merchants and envoys established their first contact with humans in the town since the Darkening of Tristram.\n\nLong after the sun had set, and the stars dotted the skies, this delegation had descended upon the City of Tristram's most comfortable public house, the Tip and Tail; the butcher and bakery had thrown its doors open to customers and weary travelers long before any other inn or way-stop was established in the city, and has continued to entertain esteemed guests ever since. With the sound of laughter filling the main hall, and a crackling fire in the hearth, conversation and dance flowed as quickly as the wine. It was almost too crowded for Lucia to escape from her bakery, a broad smile accompanying her slender frame as she skirted around guests milling about the main room, talking in many colorful languages. Carrying a platter of oven-fresh goodies, she would occasionally stop at a table to drop off a pastry or meat pie ordered by her guests. All the while, she kept her eye on her main goal, the large table situated nearest the hearth.\n\nThis particular table hosted the delegation's leader, the esteemed Kehjistani diplomat and sorceress Barani Jabir, currently locked in a warm yet animated discussion with Lucia's sister, Lylia. At least, that is the form she had assumed for the day - there would be no friendly banter or trading of recipes if Barani knew that she was talking to Lady Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred. As she approached the table, stepping carefully so as not to place her feet upon the esteemed diplomat's flowing orange and amber colored robes, Lucia placed a hearty platter of steaming-fresh pastries in front of her respected guest.\n\n``And for you my dear,'' the attentive and kindly baker said with a smile, ``my specialty!'' Surrounded by gooey cookies and fresh, jam-filled twists, an overstuffed cream puff sat, iced and drooling copious filling out if its stuffing hole. ``Sinfully decadent, and I even used a little locally made bourbon in the icing.'' Placing a fresh glass of beer down before the diplomat, Lucia caught the smoldering glance of her guest's dusky eyes, the olive-skinned sorceress peering up from under her saffron-fringed cowl.\n\n``Oh, Miss Lucia, you should not say that!'' With a chuckle, the sorceress carefully reached a slender finger out across the table to swipe a dab of the bourbon icing off the touch-soft pastry. ``You have so many lush and lavish dishes, I could not say any one was your specialty.'' With a groaning sigh of deep pleasure, Barani smiled as she suckled the sweet filling off her fingertip, before motioning to the chair next to her. ``Come, Lucia, rest a while. Your sister and I were discussing the flavors of my homeland.''\n\nLylia nodded in excited agreement, her lily-white face flush with a warm rush from many glasses of wine. The table before her was littered with so many items - platters of fresh meat she had butchered herself sat next to cloth bags of exotic herbs and spices she had purchased off the visiting dignitaries. Yet in the middle of all of these sat several bar napkins and scraps of paper, each one with a diagram, recipe or list that Lylia scrawled to ensure she understood exactly how best to use each spice. Of course, the moment Lucia sat down and had a chance to peer across the table, she realized that Lylia's scribblings included crudely drawn images of clearly human victims in place of the particular cuts of meat that she had been told to use.\n\n``You won't believe the methods we have discussed!'' Lylia said with a broad smile as Lucia carefully filled her glass with more wine, strategically planting the bottle in such a way to block Barani's view of the many crude doodles of cooking women. ``Barani was explaining the use of a clay pot for cooking?''\n\n``Indeed, it is quite common, and produces a most tender dish. You see, an unglazed pot that is seasoned with oils will rise in temperature until it is very hot. But the clay will ensure no moisture escapes the inside, so a chicken will cook tender and flavorful inside the pot.'' Lucia nodded in curiosity at the description, while Lylia continued to scribble her picture of a `chicken' in the pot.\n\n``I see,'' Lucia added with a smile, ``So it is not simply for stews as one would use a pot in our lands.''\n\n``It can be, but it does not have to be. Though I do recommend you use lighter flavors for meats like this. Citruses, maybe a little ginger or... ahhh forgive me...'' Reaching across the table, Barani's slender fingers gripped one of the bags from before Lylia, causing her to shield her latest drawing. ``I always forget the name in your tongue, ahhh, cumin?''\n\n``And for the seasonings that have more spice to them?'' Lucia said quickly to distract her guest's wandering eyes while she put the bag of herbs back on the table, ``Are there methods you could recommend for them?''\n\n``Oh certainly! In fact, there is quite the easy recipe, something native to our Kehjistani steppes. You are familiar with using a rotisserie, from what I can see over your hearth. In the steppes, no warrior would leave without a few metal skewers and a roll of twine. You would take your, say, chicken or other hearty meat and marinate it all day in a mixture of flavorful spices. Cumin and coriander and peppers and cardamom and other robust tastes. You mix that in with enough yoghurt to coat the meat and put it in your pack at the beginning of the day. When you are done and camped, you stack the meat upon the skewer, then hang it above your fire. Or if you can build a fire around it, you hang it between multiple small fires, twisting the string and spinning it the whole while.''\n\n``I see? So, a sort of vertical rotisserie?''\n\n``Indeed, the idea is to provide a meal that is both robust in flavor and hearty in content. The best part is that the outside will cook first. Being open, all one must do is carve off the outside when finished. Just an inch at a time can be eaten as it cooks. The hungriest of the soldiers can fill themselves first, while those who can wait will take their drink and tend the camp.\"\n\n\"It is ingenious!\" Lylia said with a broad smile as she savored the thoughts of what gorgeous dishes she might make. \"Perhaps served on fresh flatbread or a soft roll?\"\n\n\"Now you understand! Simple food but hearty in preparation.\" Reaching out to grab her glass, Barani sighed as she swilled a drink. \"I must thank you for your hospitality.\" With a smile, Barani lowered her cowl off the back of her head, revealing her flowing auburn hair. ``Your customs may be different, but your hearts are just as full of care as our own people.'' Lucia's face softened as a smile curled across her cheeks. Yet her eyes darted just momentarily to the right, noticing her sister seemed to be struggling keeping a smile upon her face, the Daughter of Hatred never quite comfortable being given positive praise that was not accompanied by worship.\n\n``My dear, you are most welcome,'' Lucia added as she tried her best to keep the sorceress's attention. ``I should hope that we will forge a bright future between our peoples.'' A toast, a raise of the glass, and a bit of laughter as one of the dancing magi nearly knocked a glass out of Barani's hand. This prompted the magic-wielder to playfully conjure a blast of fluttering wind to whip up his flowing robes in response to his rowdy whirling. As the moon rose high in the sky, and the stars above spun and shifted, the Tip and Tail guests laughed and drank, celebrating the success of the City of New Tristram. Well into the night, exhausted monks and tired townsfolk filtered out of the Tip and Tail to their lodging for the evening, eventually leaving Barani, Lylia and Lucia to head to their rooms in the butchery and bakery's upstairs.\n\nClosing the door to her room, Barani felt herself sink into the soft feather bed, a wistful sigh escaping her mouth as the wine-addled warmth took her to the edge of sleep. As Barani settled into her comfortable bed in the public house's guest room, her drink-addled mind attempted to relax in the still of the evening. Yet as the embrace of the night swelled around her, there was a moment of clarity as a shrill laugh hit her ears. With uncharacteristic frustration, Barani growled to herself as she rolled over in bed, the sorceress kicking her stockings off in another bid to get comfortable. But then it came again, the shrill laugh, accompanied by an added giggle or two. Kept awake between cackling outbursts by the low rumble of conversation coming from across the hall, the young diplomat tried to pull her pillow over her head to block out the sounds. After all, she needed to awaken at dawn to make the long trip to Lut Gholein.\n\nBut soon, her curiosity got the better of her. Individual words piqued her interest; demons, revenge, meat, power. On their own they made no sense, but the more she heard the voices, distorted and twisted they may be, the more that she realized they were those of her hosts, Lylia and Lucia. Unable to help herself, Barani lifted her hand, curling her fingers until a gentle wisp of mist escaped her hand. Swirling into a charm that settled above her head, she could soon hear the conversation clearly, magically amplified and channeled into her head. Her days as a precocious scamp at the Mage?s College paid off. Useful spells such as that ensured she could gain the upper hand in any discussion, even if it meant she was also eavesdropped upon her hosts.\n\n\"Hehehe,\" there was something off to Lylia?s voice, the warm laugh she shared downstairs turned to a cackle that sent shivers down Barani?s spine. \"Can you believe our luck? Not only do we expand our trade network northward, but we also get a visit from a diplomat from Kejistan in the same week?\"\n\n\"Exotic spices for exotic meats,\" Lucia might have sounded the same, but an edge to her voice seemed to come out when she thought she was speaking in confidence. \"Can you believe they ate every bite we served?\"\n\n\"Good to use up some of our larder, that patrol of forest rangers might have gone bad without their arrival.\" Larder? Forest rangers? Barani cocked her head to the side as she thought about what they were discussing. \"It is as she says, though, hearty spices can mask any flavor.\" \n\n``The illusions have been doing far better now that we have established ourselves in the city,'' Lucia added with a chuckle. ``No more worry of things unraveling around us or our thralls getting out of hand.'' It sounded for a second as if something spilled, perhaps a final late-night glass of wine, drawing their attention from the conversation momentarily. ``Ugh... I get sloppy when I've had too much, I'll get it.''\n\n``It was convenient that the cathedral already held such dark energies. Turning the crypts into a space for worship has only allowed my powers to spread across the city and the land...'' Powers? Worship? What sort of coven did Barani unknowingly walk into? She could not prepare herself for the knowledge as the next words rattled in the sorceress's ears. ``The Daughter of Hatred, setting up her own hell spawn right under the nose of the people of Westmarch...''\n\nThe Daughter of Hatred? That voice, that cruel cut that seemed to drip with and evil heard by so little. Could Lady Lilith herself truly be the host at this humble public house? Barani shuddered, doing her best to relax as she listened to the conversation meander and flow. Talk of revenge upon the chief demon hunters of Westmarch, of taking down some restaurant known as The Chop Shop. And of how easily, if all goes well, they could continue to undermine the human kingdoms. How easily they could scourge the land and plunge Sanctuary into darkness. At long last, when the last words of the night were traded, and the sounds of footsteps faded to their respective rooms, Barani was left alone in the quiet of the Tip and Tail. Once she was sure her hosts had settled in for sleep, the sorceress struck up the nerve to stand from her bed and examine this illusion more readily.\n\nPicking up a small candle from the bedside, Barani breathed a few soft words against the wick, causing the flickering light to erupt in a shimmer. For a moment nothing happened. But soon, the world about Barani began to flicker, the walls turning a strange glitchy glimmer as doorframes and windowpanes seemed to pop. As the little candle cast magickal dispel across the room, the illusion so clearly crafted by Lucia and Lady Lilith faltered before extinguishing to reveal the Tip and Tail for what it truly was. Broken floorboards, a draft flowing through a shattered window, with cobwebs and dust clinging off the door barely held up by hinges. The illusory prowess of the two was certainly exceptional; as Barani cast the light just outside the window, she came to realize that it extended far beyond the building, out into the town. Burnt out buildings, ravaged cobblestone streets and dead plants filled the city. But worst of all was the state of New Tristram's inhabitants. People she had danced and talked with before now simply lay still and cold just out of sight of the public house. Clearly the work of necromancy, their corpses were reanimated for the sole purpose of keeping up appearances of a living and functioning city. When no longer needed for the charade, they were allowed to drop back to their usual state of death and decay, swallowed by the illusion to blend into brickwork or decorative topiaries.\n\nIt was all just an illusion... With apprehension, Barani pulled on a simple night gown to head downstairs. Hopeful that a trip to fetch a glass of water would not go amiss. With her light in hand, the diplomat carefully tread over creaky floorboards and down the dusty staircase to the ground floor. This part of the Tip and Tail, in its real state, was not in the worst disrepair. The building itself was picked because it was in the most decent repair. Stout construction, and a lack of fire damage meant that it was move-in ready as a base of operations. Yet that did not mean that Barani's lamp did not illuminate far more disturbing sights. Peeking behind the display cases, and peering into the rear of the building, the sorceress's eyes grew wide with fright as she realized she was staring face to face with another person. Where during the day hung a mostly-butchered side of beef, Barani's dispel broke down the facade to revel a quartered human torso once the magic had worn off. In the flickering light of her candle, the diplomat stared at the open chest of a young girl, likely no older than her early twenties. Meat hook piercing her rib cage through the side, the victim had a single, slender arm still attached at the shoulder joint, hanging down at the side of the cut. The butcher had clearly carved her apart for meat, but perhaps had taken a liking to the meal's form, as what remained was crowned with a meaty and rounded breast, the tender nipple pert from how the skin tightened upon death. It was likely that this person was one of the forest rangers discussed earlier in the evening. The frightening discovery only confirmed the diplomat's suspicions that something truly awful happened in the town of New Tristram.\n\nBarani would quickly abscond to her room, the illusory kitchen re-forming behind her as the glow of her dispel candle disappeared up the staircase. This would be a highly delicate situation. The people of Westmarch needed to be warned, surely. But she could not be sure how deep the Daughter of Hatred and her twin sister truly held sway over the region. This would be a matter best suited for the Council of Mages to handle. Only once she secured allies in the battle against evil, could Kehjistan reach out a hand to help the Lands of the West.\n\nSighing to herself at how easily she stirred up trouble, Barani leaned over to extinguish the dispel magick from her candle, the wick softly shimmering with pale embers as the dank and musty room returned to its illusory and comfortable manner. Yet no matter how much she wished, the diplomat sorceress could not have a comfortable sleep knowing she lay her head just two doors down from the daughters of Mephisto himself.\n\n``Goodbye, my dear Barani,'' Lylia called out from the doorway as she bade farewell to the traveling diplomat's carriage and entourage. While the olive-skinned sorceress was always a bit stalwart and cool when she didn't have any drink in her, today she seemed particularly keen on keeping her hosts at arm's length. No breakfast, no warm bath, just a water skin for the road and a promise to return at the head of the next caravan to forge a deeper alliance with the people of New Tristram. \n\n``I look forward to my return to the Lands of the West. You should expect me to come during the fall season.'' As she closed the carriage door, Barani added, ``And make sure you practice with those spices, there are plenty more where they came from!''\n\nLylia too gave a warm and broad grin at the request. ``Perhaps you shall come back to find a lamb upon my rotisserie, my dear.'' Watching the carriage and carts rumble off into the distance, Lylia sighed as she allowed herself to turn towards the Tip and Tail. ``Next time,\" she muttered, \"I should find a girl more fitting than the beefy border guard we captured.''\n\nRe-entering the public house, Lylia decided there was enough distance between the carriage and the city that she could dispense of her human guise - if they forgot a toothbrush or carry case, they could surely do without it. As her concentration on the illusion faded, inky black tendrils began to flow from the curvaceous lady's body. Swirling in thick and gooey sensation up from her toes, the blackness enveloped Lylia, cushioning her breasts and hips with each revolution the tentacles made about her body. Collapsing into a roiling black expanse, the succubus Lady Lilith's true form began to emerge from the smoky vapor that swirled about her. \n\nOutstretching her arms from the swirling mass, her slender, lily-whitearms emerged from the writhing swarm, soon followed by the blackened, scaly skin of her upper body and cloven-hooved legs. With the same casual attitude one might carry stepping out of the shower, Lady Lilith shook off her human guise, cracking her neck from side to side as the swarm of tendrils dispersed and skittered away, leaving the Daughter of Hatred standing proud in her true form. Yet the reception she received was a little less the usual wails of the devoted or triumphant cries of hell-spawn welcoming their dark mistress back, as she would normally receive in her temple.\n\nInstead, Lucia was all that remained in the cozy public house, half-heartedly pushing the tables and chairs back into some semblance of order. ``Having fun?'' The illusionist prodded, a smug smirk on her face as she knew just how to tease her twin sister.\n\n``Heh, not like I'll get the usual fanfare here. But I spent all week cooped up in Lylia's form, at least let me stretch my arms.''\n\n``If you want, I can grovel for you a little, help you feel like we're back in the depths of hell.''\n\n``No need for you to sully yourself, just keep those thralls learning. They did wonderfully this past week.'' With a smirk, Lady Lilith looked about the room before adding, ``Hey, Lucia, why aren't you, uh... Why don't you just reset the illusion? I hate cleaning up the place by hand after we've made such a mess.''\n\n``I would, but something's messing with the magick.'' Stacking platters upon a tray to take back to the kitchen, Lucia added, ``And I can't place my finger on what it might be, because we catered all night to a pack of drunken mages.''\n\n``Do you think someone tossed a one-off spell that's lingering?'' Lilith suggested, the Daughter of Hatred offering a hand to push some of the tables and chairs back into place. ``But that doesn't make sense... Usually it takes more than an errant fireball to disrupt illusory magic.''\n\n``Perhaps, and even then, it usually leaves a trail or a mark. This is as if someone took the spell-source with them.'' Sighing, Lucia shook her head as she carried the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. ``It will take me a while to dismiss the old illusion and restart it fresh, so we should do our own cleaning in here for a little while. Speaking of, could you grab the dishes out from Barani's room, dear?''\n\nA little displeased that The Scourge of Westmarch was reduced to room service and linen cleaning, Lilith sighed as she headed up towards the staircase. ``Alright, alright, but will you put some leftovers on the hearth for lunch? I'm getting peckish again and best not to waste the meat we have.'' Cloven hooves clicking upon the staircase, the succubus walked her way up to the guest room, stretching her arms and swishing her reptilian tail behind her with a lazy little shake of the hips. It had been a while since Lady Lilith stooped so low as to clean house, but after seeing off her new guests, the Daughter of Hatred didn't seem to find a little mindless laundry work so bad. \n\nPicking up the linens and piling them into a bundle, the succubus nearly tripped as she felt something cold and metallic catch underfoot. Deftly keeping her weight off the item, Lilith tossed aside the bedsheets to see the simple brass candleholder resting on the floor next to the bed. It must have been knocked off in Barani's haste to ready herself this morning. Picking the candle up off the floor, Lilith gave a little rub to the smudged and broken tip, as if trying to fix it with a smooth fingertip's touch. Instead, the slightest shimmer seemed to escape the burned-out wick, smearing on her hand with an iridescent glow. Contemplating the strange soot, Lilith took a closer look to the blob of glowing aether. Giving it a test, she squeezed it between her fingers until she felt the softest crackle of fire form, snuffed out in an instant by the residue of dispel magick.\n\n``Lucia...'' Lilith swallowed hard, staring down at the candle as she realized that the sorceress had messed with their illusion. ``Lucia we have a big problem, I think I just found out what caused the disturbances... Our house guest.''\n\nConferring with Lucia down in the kitchen, Lilith snarled softly as she stared into the candle's iridescent wick. Lucia thoughtfully examined the smudge of shimmer, nodding in agreement. ``Well... it's certainly the cause of our problems. Anything the light touched was disrupted, which means she's seen through our guise from the upstairs and down to the kitchen.''\n\n``We invited that ungrateful bitch into our home, and this is what she does to repay us!?'' Lilith growled, curling her fingers into fists, before realizing the absurdity of it. Her anger fueled by the fact she spent so long being kind to her guest. The facade of friendliness was exhausting enough without having to deal with those who saw through the disguise. ``What do we do now?'' she asked at last. ``She's too far away to catch.''\n\n``We do have a few thralls stationed in Lut Gholein, don't we?'' Lucia added as helpfully as possible.\n\n``Rrrrr...'' Growling, Lilith added, ``And what if she's told her entourage?''\n\n``We can worry about that once we have her in our grasp. It might take destroying their ship or kidnapping them when we can, but we have to trust she made a poor decision not to tell anyone. Mages tend to live secretive lives, it is likely she will try to head directly to the Council''\n\n``I could burn her alive for this-'' A soft hand reached out, pressing to Lilith's shoulder as she fumed. ``This betrayal. We- We drank together...''\n\nStaring up into her sister's eyes, Lucia added, ``Patience, my dear... You have many recipes to try when she is delivered. I'll get to work organizing the thralls.''\n\n``Miss Jabir,'' a flowing robed monk reached up to guide Barani down from her carriage and onto the bustling streets of Lut Gholein. ``You have been acting strange all trip, will you at least tell me what is on your mind?'' Lowering her hood from her head, Barani sighed as she reached out to place a hand upon the dervish's shoulder.\n\n``I received some...'' there was a pause, a wonder how to describe the situation. ``Disturbing news late last night. I must depart to report to the Council of Mages. That is all that I can say.''\n\n``A mage can easily take their secrets to the grave. The trip across the twin seas may take those secrets with you.''\n\n``I...'' pausing, Barani felt her mouth quiver at the thought, before her resolve steeled once more, a smoldering smirk crawling across her face. ``I understand, Hosni. But as the head diplomat of this mission, it is my duty to deliver such a message directly to the Council.'' Reaching out to embrace her old friend, the sorceress added, ``I promise I shall see you when you return. And I entrust that you will finish the mission here in the West.''\n\nStepping away with a wave to her traveling companions, Barani headed through the city with purpose, walking along the cobbled streets towards the harbor. Yet something caught her ear as a voice called out across the roadway.\n\n``Swift travel to the Harbor District!'' A blue-cloaked coach driver gave his riding crop a wave through the air, catching Barani's eye out of the corner of her cowl. ``Catch your next ship or your money back, Ma'am!'' For a moment, she contemplated the idea of taking the coach, but perhaps it would be safer to walk. That theory shattered as, right on cue, a crash before her sent fresh produce and splintered wood flying. A spooked ox in the marketplace caused two peddler carts to collide right in front of Barani's path. As a cabbage or two rolled up to Barani's feet, she turned to the driver with a defeated sigh.\n\n``Can you get me around that mess?''\n\n``Heh, faster than your own feet, Ma'am. Climb aboard, you'll have some company in the back.'' With a tip of his hat, the coach driver reached back to pop open the carriage door for her. With a little smile, Barani climbed inside, greeting the two occupants in the back of the coach.\n\n``Good afternoon,'' she offered with a smile, pushing back her cowl out of respect for her fellow travelers. Closing the door behind her, the sorceress took in the sight of her travel companions as the carriage lurched to begin its drive. A druidess leaned back in the coach?s opposite corner, her supple wolf-skin clad arm petting a black-feathered grackle that rested upon her thigh. On the same side of the coach that Barani settled into, a warrior rested with his helm over his face to block the sun. The hired muscle did not seem to take much notice when the sorceress entered, or if he did, he didn?t care that one more person had hopped into the carriage.\n\n\"Headed to the docks?\" the druidess asked idly, her green-tinted eyes giving the sorceress a looking up and down.\n\n\"Back home at long last, to Kehjistan,\" Barani offered with a polite smile, folding her hands across her stomach as she did.\n\n\"A long way from home, are you a fellow traveler?\"\n\n\"Of a sort, I have a thing for adventure, most certainly...\" Barani seemed a little uneasy as the raven-black bird hopped about on the druidess?s leg, flitting between her fingers. Turning her head towards the window, the sorceress gasped in shock as she watched her entourage pass by on the street, followed by the city gates of Lut Gholein. \"H- Hey, where are...\" Turning her head upwards she called out, \"Where are we going? you?re leaving the city!\"\n\nBefore Barani could react, the druid?s grouse pet leapt off her lap, wings flapping and feathering in her face. As the sorceress flared a flash of fire off her palm to try and scare away the bird, she felt thick tendrils wind and wrap about her legs and thighs. Thick and woody vines, called forth from the druid?s connection to nature, quickly began to squeeze and constrict Barani?s slender frame, forcing her back against the carriage seat. Snarling, Barani conjured another palmful of fire, a thick and sooty smoke filling the carriage as the green and moist roots began to smolder. Yet through the smoke she could see the druidess?s eyes, a darkness consuming them as the guise of a friendly traveler dropped away. \n\nHorrified, Barani felt the squeezing constriction push the air out of her lungs, squashing any hope of calling out for help as the carriage thundered off down the dark path. Feeling her midriff bruise and bones ache inside of the tight coils of her captivity, the fire in Barani's eyes extinguished just as a thick crack shook the air. The warrior had clearly awoken, but instead of coming to Barani's aid, he stared with the same sunken and void-filled eyes that the druidess did. Bringing the pommel of his short sword down upon Barani's frame, he intended to strike her upon the head to render her unconscious. Missing, he managed to hit her in the chest, shattering one of her ribs that was already under intense strain and pressure.\n\nThe thrall didn't seem to care about the mistake - when the only rules were to ensure she lived, there was nothing wrong with a little injury. The sudden jolt of pain incapacitated the diplomat, the flames at her fingertips sizzling out in a gout of embers as her concentration faltered. After a moment, a second strike came down hard, landing a knockout blow upon the kidnapped diplomat. \n\nTime floated for Barani, glimpses of lucid thought and sight in between immeasurable darkness. A vague memory of being bound with rope and gagged with a cloth kerchief. A few bumps in the road awakening her dazed mind momentarily. An awareness that the sun was setting just about the time she reached that familiar bend in the road she had seen just that morning... When she awoke for the last time, Barani felt herself being manhandled out of the coach, slung under both arms as she was forcedly marched by the two thralls towards the festival square of New Tristram. Regaining her composure, Barani could only wrench her bound arms side to side, snarling at the pair that held her tight as she was walked towards the Tip and Tail. The agony throbbing in her chest was more than enough to ensure her compliance - a sorceress needed concentration to complete her spells, and the wracking pain each time she sucked in a breath was enough to silence her magic for good. \n\nEerie silence seemed to swaddle the empty city. However, empty was, perhaps, not the word to use. New Tristram happened to be devoid of the friendly faces and townsfolk that had visited with the Kehjistani mages just a day prior. Instead the only welcome came in the form of her two hosts from yesterday. At least that's what Barani assumed, as she could only recognize one of her two hosts. Despite her nature as a succubus, Lucia always enjoyed keeping her human form trim and proper, a holdover from her time living amongst the humans. By contrast, her sister was in no mood to trifle with her human form, especially not for the one who dared repay the Daughter of Hatred's hospitality with betrayal and suspicion. The black-scaled and fair skinned succubus practically emanated a radiance of lightning as rumbles of far off thunder and brewing storm clouds above seemed to perfectly show Lady Lilith's boiling fury. Standing before the sorceress with her arms folded, a scowl upon her face, Lilith watched as the thralls brought forth their captive for her to see. \n\nBarani steeled her gaze at the pair, spitting on the ground as she snarled, ``You dare kidnap an envoy of Kehjistan? The Council of Mages will learn their envoy went missing.''\n\n``She's a lot feistier when she's not drinking,'' Lilith chuckled aloud, licking her lips before turning her attention to Barani. ``It's so fortunate our enterprise includes some places far afield, we might never have caught you.''\n\n``Hasn't anyone ever told you not to go sticking your nose in other peoples' businesses?'' Lucia added with a soft sigh.\n\n``When the business is human flesh, I believe I have a right to stick my nose in!'' Barani scowled, trying to jerk one of her arms free from the druidess.\n\n``Oh Barani,'' Lilith feigned offense, ``And here I thought you liked my cooking? But something tells me that's not all you dislike about our little home here. Many a mage won't bat an eye at the thought of trading spell books with a necromancer, should they learn a thing or two.''\n\n``I heard enough.'' Standing in defiance Barani refused to offer any more to her captors, testing Lilith's patience. After a moment of pause, the succubus reared back a hand, whipping a fireball across the square. Unable to defend herself, Barani screeched as the glancing blow sent a gout of flame arcing over her right breast and shoulder, singeing her long locks of auburn hair as it grazed over her body.\n\n``Insolent worm!'' Lilith snarled, preparing to throw a second fireball, only to be held back by Lucia. ``What more do you know?!''\n\n``You...'' A gentle exhale, complete with a touch of smoke, escaped her nostrils as she tried to recover from the flare. ``Your plans to lay waste to the Lands of the West. Your disdain for the Baroness Kuznetzov, and also you hate some restaurant because they gave you bad service or something? Heh, I assumed that part was just drunken ramblings in the depths of the nighttime.''\n\n``...well you're only partly wrong, that part about the restaura- n- never mind that. There's a more important question you've yet to answer. Who have you told?''\n\nBroken, singed and exhausted from her ordeal, Barani didn't have much time to contemplate how she would answer that question. Hosni's warning resonated in her ears as she stood staring at the impatient pair. Had she just said a single word, then the fate of all Sanctuary might have changed. But the bonds of honor certainly shackled her tighter than she should have. With nothing but defiance in her heart, Barani smirked as she said aloud, ``The message will return to the Council of Mages.'' Swallowing hard, she turned her gaze down to the ground before adding, ``Even if I won't.''\n\nThere was no question as to the sort of fate that awaited Barani. One who knew too much, one who knew that the daughters of Mephisto were building an empire in plain sight in the middle of the western kingdoms. Especially since this was a tenuous moment, when the credibility of their cover in the Tip and Tail was nearly established. Barani was too dangerous to be allowed to leave. But the threat that she might have told others, that word might have gotten out, only ensured that her death would be anything but pleasant.\n\nWith the same unceasing steps they used to bring Barani to their Mistresses, the thralls quickly bundled the sorceress towards the town square in front of the Cathedral. Lilith and Lucia followed close behind the procession of the condemned, rather pleasantly discussing the work they had put in to prepare for Barani?s return.\n\n\"I?ve not seen you throw yourself into a project as hard as this, not in a long while,\" Lucia commented aloud. \"You always were driven by vengeance, dear sister.\"\n\n\"Perhaps in another life, we could have shared many drinks together, Barani...\" Lilith mused as she stepped up behind her victim, planting a cold hand on her shoulder and receiving a feisty shake off in return. \"I certainly enjoyed our conversation, so much so that I decided to recreate it.\"\n\nBefore them sat a strange looking device set into a flat stonework square near the old Tristram Cathedral. A large metal disc, three feet wide and rimmed around the edge, sat in the center of the square, surrounded by what looked to be five braziers made of welded iron bands. Filled with charcoal and firewood, the massive burners were ready and waiting for a light. Yet the strange metal disc was not what worried Barani just yet. Off to the side sat a large wooden table, laden with the slew of gorgeous and exotic Kehjistani spices amidst local ingredients to round out the meal. Leaning against the table sat a long metal rotisserie spit. The sorceress had no illusions that she was the next victim the cold iron was waiting ford\n\n\"I see you took my ideas to heart,\" Barani commented coldly as she was led to the table.\n\n\"I promised we would have roast lamb when you returned... I suppose neither of us expected you would be the lamb led to slaughter.\"\n\nCold comfort came in the form of Lucia reaching a hand to help Barani climb upon the table, the two thralls relaxing their grip upon the fiery sorceress. Finally free, yet no less pained by her ordeal, the envoy stood scowling with her arms crossed before her sore chest as she stared coldly down to the ingredients laid before her. Lilith stepped up from behind, giving Barani a firm strike to the back of the shoulder, causing her to stagger forwards, but not convincing her to submit to the sick game she was being forced to play.\n\n\"Don?t make this harder than it must be, dear,\" Lucia offered. ``You are not getting out of this.'' A sort of apprehensive resignation fell upon Barani's face as she climbed upon the table under her own power, trying to claim the last ounce of dignity she had as her impending fate drew near. Lying down on her back, Barani sighed as her sadistic captors circled like vultures, her tender body offered up to appease their ravenous appetite. There was but the slightest hope that her disappearance might bring further investigation, and she could only cling to that hope in the face of her own overconfidence. \n\nThe butcher she was, Lilith wasted no time gripping the sorceress?s flowing robes, her fingers snagging in the beautiful fabric and tearing at the fire-scorched garment. For a moment, Barani tried to resist, gripping her hands over her breasts in half-shock when the flowing orange fabric was ripped from her body. All that got her in return was a hard slap across the face and a set of fingers reaching to tug at her underwear, the modest silken panties quickly ripped from her supple form, exposing the body she never showed publicly. Gorgeously shaped, with sun-kissed olive skin, Barani was indeed quite the treat for the eyes as well as the touch. To call her a tender lamb was no understatement, her body plush in just the right spots, from her curvaceous hips, up to her rounded breasts. There was a touch of modesty to her actions, accented by fear, as she cradled her ample tits beneath her arms. Yet the attempts to shy from the touch of her captors only whet their appetites as the pair reached out to caress and inspect their next meal.\n\nCoaxed to lay back by Lucia's sensual touch, Barani shivered as she watched the petite succubus lean forward over her, slight frame and chest obscuring the sky overhead as she allowed her hands to explore her upper body. At the same time, just as Lucia's fingers reached her rounded breasts, Barani twitched and jerked as she felt Lilith's fingers slide up along her inner thigh, coaxing the slightest reaction out of her fidgety captive.\n\n``Ohhh, she's more beautiful than I could have ever imagined,'' Lilith commented aloud, her touch soft compared to the brooding rage she harbored. ``Such lush and tender meat on these haunches.'' Slow and sensual, Lilith's touch seemed almost calming as it slipped up Barani's tender thigh, right up until her two fingers reached the crook of her thighs. The sorceress gasped, shuddering as her head shot upwards, nearly planting her face into Lucia's chest as she did. Lucia's groping hands blocked most of her view as they teased Barani's ample breasts, but they perfectly framed Lilith's actions down between her thighs.\n\nThe succubus held a wicked smirk upon her face, eyes focused on the tender, reddened slit that two of her fingers occupied. Slowly, as if testing how easily the flesh yielded, she worked them in deeper, curling softly at the knuckles while allowing her thumb to seek out that supple pleasure button. A little attention to Barani's most sensual spots was all it took to melt her back down to the table, eyes going cross ever as she relaxed into a soft, if forced, moan of pleasure. Removing her now well-moistened fingers, Lilith lingered a bit longer, using both hands to gently stroke over the girl?s sexual mound. This, of course, was no lover's touch, as each stroke allowed the succubus a chance to better examine her future meal.\n\nMuch like her hips and midriff, Barani's nicely padded form only helped frame her fillet, giving the tender lips just the right amount of curvature. Her sexual mound was just the slightest bit pronounced, the swarthy flesh a perfect accent compared to her sun-kissed body. Her labia lips were beautifully plump, still protruding even after Lilith's hand had withdrawn from inside them. Crowned by the swollen button of flesh, even the smallest stimulation caused her clit to swell under its hood, the cherry-red nub already shimmering with moisture from the slightest touch.\n\n``Perhaps in another life I might have enjoyed your company, my dear,'' Lilith crooned, a sensual smirk crossing her face as she gave a sensual lick to her fingertips, a little chuckle escaping her mouth as she began to untie various bags of spices. Wafted on the breeze, Barani shuddered as she could smell her homeland, the tastes and exotic scents hitting her nose as each bag was carefully dumped into a large mixing bowl. ``I need to stop saying that,'' the succubus added, scolding herself. ``It is so hard being a demoness of lust. A fuel of sexual energy only makes my hunger grow when I am faced with a gorgeous meal.''\n\n``She does have a pretty body,'' Lucia chimed in, allowing her hands to move off the firm and meaty breasts, having worked each nipple up to a perfectly pert peak atop the hefty mounds. ``Perhaps we could keep her?'' Barani didn't see the little wink Lucia gave to her sister, but there was no need to, she knew that the idle banter was only meant to keep her occupied while preparations were made.\n\n``Oh, but Lucia,'' Lilith chuckled, licking her lips as she opened a leather skin filled with cool and silky yoghurt, carefully adding to the mixing bowl of cayenne, paprika, cumin, coriander, peppers and cardamom until a supple paste formed. ``We can't do that... What would we eat tonight?'' Testing the waters, Lilith was perhaps a little disappointed that Barani did not take the bait. ``Nothing? Not even a plea for mercy?'' She asked aloud, dipping her nectar-soaked fingers into the cool mixture.\n\n``What more can I give you, Daughter of Hatred?'' Barani replied, swallowing as she felt Lilith's slender fingers wandering up her calves. ``Aside from the satisfaction of my death.''\n\n``Shame,'' Lucia added, reaching across the table to dip into the mixture herself. ``They're so much more fun when they beg for their lives.''\n\n``Every woman breaks, Barani...'' Lilith growled, smearing the fragrant marinade over her form, the ruddy-brown mixture clinging to her body like a thick foundation as Lilith worked up her body. ``Perhaps a little pleasure will convince you.'' Two fingers carefully spread the sorceress's supple lips, a gentle gasp escaping her mouth as a tingling rush hit her most sensitive flesh. As Lucia returned to her breasts, lathering up the hefty mammaries, Lilith allowed her spice-laden fingers to slip between Barani's tender folds once again. Slickened with the smooth and creamy sauce, there was a momentary pleasure as two, then three fingers worked their way inside of the former diplomat's body. But as quickly as it began, the pleasure faded to a rush, her face breaking out in a hot sweat as the mixture of exotic spices coated the inside of her pussy.\n\n``A- Aaaaahhhhnnnn!'' Barani panted, arching her back as Lilith spread her fingers softly, the tips of each digit sliding up and down against the squeezing folds as the sensual rush turned to hot and burning pain. ``Mmmpfh! M- Make it s- stop please!''\n\n``Ohhh, sweetie... Does that hurt?'' Without pausing, Lilith took up a handful of the creamy sauce in her free hand, before funneling it down her fingertips in a fiery waterfall, allowing the slow-flowing fluid to drip between her knuckles and lubricate her agonized folds. ``Good, it should.'' As tears rolled down Barani's eyes, she felt Lilith's hand slowly, far too slowly, remove itself from her folds, leaving behind a world of agony.\n\nThe seething burn of capsaicin and spice in her most sensitive spots caused the envoy to kick and struggle, her body writhing in discomfort on the table. It was not an all-encompassing agony, as Lucia experienced when dropped in boiling oil, but more akin to the slow and horrific pain Lilith felt turning upon the spit. Ever-present and unable to stop. Any time the diplomat kicked and spasmed, a hand reached down to hold her or return her to a more manageable position on the table, the gooey marinade smearing this way and that, leaving ruddy streaks across the wooden tabletop. Her captors simply cooed and shushed, talking over her panicked moans and pleas to make the pain stop. Lilith took it upon herself to ensure every inch was coated, even going so far as to `wipe away her tears' by rubbing her spice-soaked thumb against each of Barani's cheeks, streaking them with the same horrid cocktail of spice that caused her agony in the first place.\n\nIt would not take long before the diplomat was flipped on her stomach, moaning and struggling as she felt the slickened touch all about her back and thighs. Just as she started to feel used to the burning agony rocking her loins, Lilith surprised her victim again, this time by running her finger down the girl's shapely ass, casually swiping the stinging sauce over her tense and taught pucker.\n\n``Mmmm... my, my Barani, I thought your front was beautiful, but this gorgeous rump of yours is practically begging me to bite in raw.'' A sensual lick of the lips only helped drive home the point as Lilith thumbed over her victim's tender pucker, toying with the clenched-tight ring. ``I suppose it is time I make you scream again.'' Lilith mused aloud as she gathered a thick blob of marinade on her finger, before nonchalantly asking aloud, ``Are you a virgin back here, my dear?''\n\nThe words didn't register with Barani, her tear-streaked and quivering body racked with pain as she whimpered, ``P- Please... N- No...''\n\n``No? You don't want me to show you the flavors of your home?''\n\n``P- Please no... N- Not there...'' Stifling back sobbing whines, Barani seemed utterly defeated as she lay half-curled on the tabletop. Lucia, busy running oil through the sorceress's flowing auburn hair so it would not burn, couldn't help but shoot a glance up to Lilith.\n\n``You have a way with breaking girls,'' she added with a chuckle, before leaning down to whisper in Barani's ear. ``Do you deserve to have your hole left unmarinated? I don't think you've been good enough to deserve that, do you?''\n\n``Please!'' Lifting her head, Barani arched her back in a bid to beg. Rather than struggle, she had wormed her arms between her legs in a vain attempt to quell the burn that ravaged her loins. ``N- No, please! I... I'll do... do... a- anything...''\n\nFor a moment, Lilith continued to toy with the girl's supple pucker, tracing the sensitive flesh with her finger until the outer ring tingled with more than just anticipation. But the words `anything' also caused her to take pause; it may be cliche that a demon loves a good bargain, but despite her initial assertion that there was nothing she could offer, Lilith knew there was plenty of value to be milked from her captive's desperation. With a low and sensual chuckle on her lips, Lilith slowly removed her finger from Barani's hole, instead using her finger to draw sensual little circles and whorls on her ass.\n\n``Anything...'' She crooned listlessly, pretending to ponder the word, before saying, ``I will save you the indignity of burning from both ends.'' Removing her hand from Barani's rump, she reached out to grab the rotisserie off the table next to her victim, Lucia making sure to ready herself at Barani's head to keep her steady. ``If you give me your soul in service. Freely and willingly.'' Sniffing back her tears, the broken envoy shuddered as she watched the thick inch-diameter rod lift off the tabletop next to her. ``I could easily resurrect you as a thrall or revenant... a shade of your former self... You know this well, I suspect.'' Carefully lining the rotisserie up with her victim's clenched ass, Lilith gave one last whisper as she planted the tip of the steel rod against Barani's hole. ``Give yourself to me, body, mind and soul... and your end will hasten.''\n\nSobbing, broken, whimpering through her teeth, Barani could hardly keep herself together as she whispered, ``Yes...''\n\n``Yes, what, my dear?''\n\n``Y- Yes, ma- make it s- stop...''\n\n``Yes you will...?'' A smirk crossed Lilith's face as she coaxed the words out.\n\n``Y- Yes, Daughter of H- Hatred... I... I will... S- Serve you, Mistre- HYRK!'' Barani's puffy and tear-swollen eyelids shot wide, a deep gasp rasping in her mouth as Lilith thrust her rotisserie spit deep into Barani's ass. Feeling the long metal shaft spasm as her victim's body clenched tight in pain, Lilith re-positioned her hands upon the shaft and gave it another thrust. Barani's scream echoed across the empty capital of New Tristram as the metal spit pierced through the girl's bowels. Lucia gripped the disgraced diplomat tight about the shoulders, holding her still as possible while cooing gentle words of encouragement to keep her from trying to double-up upon the spit lodged deep in her body. Another forceful shove and Lilith punctured her diaphragm, the sudden depressurization making just enough room for the rotisserie to slip up and between her vital organs.\n\nKeeping pressure on the hefty iron rod, Lilith eased her weight behind the pointed spit, allowing it to slide closer and closer until it slipped past Barani's heart. Lucia's guiding assistance was crucial for the final step, her slender fingers firmly grasping the wailing diplomat's head and neck to force her into a more amenable position. One last push, and Barani felt as if her stomach was about to turn. Instead, what emerged through her throat was an inch-thick iron rod, sliding up along her throat until it nearly blocked off her entire airway. Tinted with coppery blood, the massive spit ground upon Barani's tongue as it escaped her jaws, forcing the horrified girl to stare blankly forwards as her writhing body focused solely on the act of breathing.\n\nWorking in tandem, Lucia and Lilith lifted the spitted `lamb' upon their shoulders, carrying her towards the ominous setup that awaited her just a few feet away. Instead of being hung horizontally, like most rotisseries would, Lilith carefully slotted her end into a space in the center of the large metal disc, before helping Lucia lift the opposite side and lock it upright. Gravity quickly assisted their efforts to guide Barani down the length of the spit until she rested upon her knees atop the large metal disc, forced to stare upwards into the roiling skies above. Settled with her plump and plush ass against her feet, the diplomat groaned as her legs were secured at the ankles while her arms were tugged behind her back in a tight-fitting box tie. Intent to keep air flowing into her restricted throat, Barani hardly understood what was happening around her, until the first whiff of smoke caught her nose.\n\n``MNNN??? MNNNGLLLGH!'' Horror turned to panic as she realized each iron-banded brazier about her body was set aflame with a snap of Lilith's fingers. Before the flames established themselves fully, Lucia added the finishing touch to the strange vertical rotisserie, wrapping a wet hempen rope about a flange in the large metal disc. That rope was connected to a small hand crank jig settled a few feet away. With but a word, the obedient warrior thrall mindlessly began to turn the crank, ensuring a perfect power source to rotate tonight's tender lamb roast. As the world began to spin like a horrid carousel, Barani got the perfect view of her wicked captors looking on with pride, their sneering faces only encouraging that one, final, primal scream from deep within her body. Perhaps she was saved from the indignity of having her ass slathered in capsaicin, but as the flames gouted and flared around her in each of the burning braziers, Barani realized just how foolish she had been to bargain away her soul in the heat of the moment. And as the gurgling screech escaped her jaws, teeth clenched tight on the rotisserie, for a moment, Lilith and Lucia could see the whole jig vibrate in time with their little innocent lamb's heartbeat, before her agonized struggles took back over once more.\n\nTurning, slow and low, Barani endured as best she could, the clouds above melding as distant lightning occasionally lit the sky. Each ticking minute brought worse agony to her body, assailed on all sides by the inescapable heat. She could not tell whether she was dripping sweat or oils and fats, the fluids sizzling and intermixing with the gently simmering sauce that scorched her body. By now, the agony within her pussy had abated, only to be replaced with the swelling torment from roasting alive, inch by inch from outside in. Unable to stop the pain, the agony, Barani could only close her eyes and hope that she would not open them again. Yet each time, her eyes lidded open once more, jerking her back to the hellscape she existed in; a cackling jeer from her captors, a snap of hot embers landing upon her bared flesh, or just a pain she had not felt before as flesh cracked or split. \n\nIt would take close to forty-five agonized minutes for Barani to fade. A gurgling exhale was the only notice that her life was nearing its end. With her bronzed skin turned a decidedly deeper color, accented with the glisten of fat and steam wafting off her form and onto the moist, warm breeze. Of course, as Barani felt her eyes close, tears rolling down her face as her heat-addled mind gave rejoicing thanks that her suffering was over, the ex-diplomat was made acutely aware that her new Mistress, Lady Lilith, would not allow her death to face in comfort.\n\nShe could not see the knife leveled against her breast, nor feel pain as the blade bit into her flesh. Perhaps it was the delirium causing her to dissociate from her own body. Most likely, it was the deadening of outermost nerves as her last functions ceased. All Barani felt was pressure as Lilith carefully carved down the front of her body, the outer flesh shaved off into thin, debris-like bites of perfectly medium-rare flesh. Careful not to spend too much time too close to the roaring braziers, Lilith was quick to slice the jagged and crumbling cuts from Barani?s fat-dripping breasts, taught belly and folded thighs, catching them on a plate before retreating in haste. Even the Daughter of Hatred was unprepared for the wall of roiling heat she had created around Barani?s body. As she turned away from her victim, holding the grease-tinted platter filled with gorgeously cooked girlmeat, Lilith needed to wipe her brow, a thin sheen of smoky ash clinging to her face from the nearby fires.\n\nReturning to the preparation table, Lilith found a clean spot to set down the first of many carvings from her rotisserie lamb. Lucia had returned from the Tip and Tail with a basketful of fresh ingredients; warm flatbread she had baked in preparation for the meal, along with leafy lettuce, thin sliced carrots, and even fresh and crunchy cucumber. Setting up their evening meal on the table, the pair were treated to a little surprise in the form of some dinnertime `music.' Though incoherent, exhausted and struggling at the edge of her life, Barani began to vocalize once more. Rousing groans quickly turned to animalistic cries rising from her broken and impaled body once more. Lilith always loved finding new and inventive methods of torture, and she clearly stumbled upon a new method. Removing a layer of already cooked meat, exposed Barani?s mostly uncooked flesh just an inch underneath. The aching and raw nerves, suddenly licked with flame, caused the dying girl to leap back to life, her struggles refreshed and uncontrolled as a brand-new pain racked her body. Of course, there was no higher-level sentience to it by now. The weak and exhausted moans coming from Barani's flame-roasted body were only a swan song for the tortured little lamb's fading mind.\n\n``A beautiful end to a beautiful girl...'' Lilith crooned, carefully rolling the tender shawarma so as not to tear the soft bread underneath, before opening her jaws wide to take a deep and hearty bite. Indeed, there was something special about the meal. Though not simple by any means, it was exactly as Barani had described it. Hearty and flavorful, perfect to warm the stomach and soul. ``Mnnpfh! Ohhh... that is perfect.''\n\nStill working on hers, Lucia couldn't help but chuckle as she asked, ``So were you serious about claiming her soul to serve for all eternity?''\n\nMid-chew, Lilith shrugged her shoulders, swallowing her mouthful before speaking again. ``Suppose it depends. She's put on a good show, and she did willingly give her eternal soul in return for a little less physical pain...'' With a chuckle, Lilith turned towards the rotisserie in time to watch Barani's animalistic struggles fade to stillness at long last. ``Not like I need a servant, but I suppose I can always call her up if the need should arise.''\n\n``And would that need be the Mage's Council?'' Lucia smirked as she took her own first bite, eyes rolling back in her head as the warm and supple girl meat melted upon her tongue.\n\n``Now that I've had my chance to get revenge...'' Lilith said, her finger reaching down to swipe a dab of the spice mixture off the flatbread. Savoring it, she shot a side-eyed look back towards her sister before adding, ``I'm not sure I'm convinced just yet. The Council will not leap to conclusions so drastically without their chief diplomat to corroborate them. And even if one of them returns with news of our little enterprise, I should doubt they will leap to war over hearsay.''\n\n``Indeed... The Council has a reputation for caution.'' Lucia sighed, taking another bite, this time talking with her mouth full as she added. ``Mnnnnn... we should continue our efforts in Lut Gholein. The spice trade between continents would be a perfect way to tempt visitors from Westmarch.'' \n\n``Heh, you like them as much as I do, huh?'' Lilith ribbed playfully, before nodding in agreement. Staring down at the gorgeous `lamb shawarma' in her hands, the Daughter of Hatred smiled at the thought of serving more unsuspecting visitors the meat of their fellow humans. To rival The Chop Shop in the sale of exotic meats was, it seemed, the best way to begin discrediting them in the eyes of their fellow humans. ``I think that's a good idea. Let's help the people of Westmarch expand their palates for rare flavors and even rarer meat.''\n\n  PAGE   \\* MERGEFORMAT  2 \n\nExpanding your Palate\n\nWritten by Choice Cuts Deli\n\nCommission for DarkGoddessLilith | June 2021 | 10455 Words\n\n(c) 2021 Choice Cuts Deli Freelance Author \n\nAll Rights Reserved\n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Laughter does not usually go hand-in-hand with demonic presence in the world of Sanctuary. On the surface one might assume that laughter, spilling out the open windows of The Tip and Tail onto the streets of New Tristram, was a sign of healing and rebirth. That despite all odds, and against the hordes of demons which laid waste to the city, humanity had clawed back to the point that happiness was once again heard. Accompanying the sounds of laughter, exotic and lilting music whisked out the windows on the warm summer night air. Long and short-necked lutes intermingled with the flowery sounds of end-blown flutes, creating mesmerizing and rhythmic melodies over the steady beat of hand-held drums and clapping hands.<br /><br />In time with the music came the happy sounds of dancing, as beautifully dressed townsfolk from New Tristram intermingled with colorful flowing robes of strange and foreign people. It was an auspicious day for the city, with the young town graced by the presence of a delegation from the far-off lands of Kehjistan. An entourage of Council mages and diplomats, on their way back to the port city of Lut Gholein, stopped into the burgeoning little town, pleased to report upon the city&#039;s progress reclaiming the area from the forces of the damned. The town&#039;s mayor greeted them with much aplomb, allowing acolytes to explore the dark underbelly of the cathedral, while merchants and envoys established their first contact with humans in the town since the Darkening of Tristram.<br /><br />Long after the sun had set, and the stars dotted the skies, this delegation had descended upon the City of Tristram&#039;s most comfortable public house, the Tip and Tail; the butcher and bakery had thrown its doors open to customers and weary travelers long before any other inn or way-stop was established in the city, and has continued to entertain esteemed guests ever since. With the sound of laughter filling the main hall, and a crackling fire in the hearth, conversation and dance flowed as quickly as the wine. It was almost too crowded for Lucia to escape from her bakery, a broad smile accompanying her slender frame as she skirted around guests milling about the main room, talking in many colorful languages. Carrying a platter of oven-fresh goodies, she would occasionally stop at a table to drop off a pastry or meat pie ordered by her guests. All the while, she kept her eye on her main goal, the large table situated nearest the hearth.<br /><br />This particular table hosted the delegation&#039;s leader, the esteemed Kehjistani diplomat and sorceress Barani Jabir, currently locked in a warm yet animated discussion with Lucia&#039;s sister, Lylia. At least, that is the form she had assumed for the day - there would be no friendly banter or trading of recipes if Barani knew that she was talking to Lady Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred. As she approached the table, stepping carefully so as not to place her feet upon the esteemed diplomat&#039;s flowing orange and amber colored robes, Lucia placed a hearty platter of steaming-fresh pastries in front of her respected guest.<br /><br />``And for you my dear,&#039;&#039; the attentive and kindly baker said with a smile, ``my specialty!&#039;&#039; Surrounded by gooey cookies and fresh, jam-filled twists, an overstuffed cream puff sat, iced and drooling copious filling out if its stuffing hole. ``Sinfully decadent, and I even used a little locally made bourbon in the icing.&#039;&#039; Placing a fresh glass of beer down before the diplomat, Lucia caught the smoldering glance of her guest&#039;s dusky eyes, the olive-skinned sorceress peering up from under her saffron-fringed cowl.<br /><br />``Oh, Miss Lucia, you should not say that!&#039;&#039; With a chuckle, the sorceress carefully reached a slender finger out across the table to swipe a dab of the bourbon icing off the touch-soft pastry. ``You have so many lush and lavish dishes, I could not say any one was your specialty.&#039;&#039; With a groaning sigh of deep pleasure, Barani smiled as she suckled the sweet filling off her fingertip, before motioning to the chair next to her. ``Come, Lucia, rest a while. Your sister and I were discussing the flavors of my homeland.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Lylia nodded in excited agreement, her lily-white face flush with a warm rush from many glasses of wine. The table before her was littered with so many items - platters of fresh meat she had butchered herself sat next to cloth bags of exotic herbs and spices she had purchased off the visiting dignitaries. Yet in the middle of all of these sat several bar napkins and scraps of paper, each one with a diagram, recipe or list that Lylia scrawled to ensure she understood exactly how best to use each spice. Of course, the moment Lucia sat down and had a chance to peer across the table, she realized that Lylia&#039;s scribblings included crudely drawn images of clearly human victims in place of the particular cuts of meat that she had been told to use.<br /><br />``You won&#039;t believe the methods we have discussed!&#039;&#039; Lylia said with a broad smile as Lucia carefully filled her glass with more wine, strategically planting the bottle in such a way to block Barani&#039;s view of the many crude doodles of cooking women. ``Barani was explaining the use of a clay pot for cooking?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Indeed, it is quite common, and produces a most tender dish. You see, an unglazed pot that is seasoned with oils will rise in temperature until it is very hot. But the clay will ensure no moisture escapes the inside, so a chicken will cook tender and flavorful inside the pot.&#039;&#039; Lucia nodded in curiosity at the description, while Lylia continued to scribble her picture of a `chicken&#039; in the pot.<br /><br />``I see,&#039;&#039; Lucia added with a smile, ``So it is not simply for stews as one would use a pot in our lands.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It can be, but it does not have to be. Though I do recommend you use lighter flavors for meats like this. Citruses, maybe a little ginger or... ahhh forgive me...&#039;&#039; Reaching across the table, Barani&#039;s slender fingers gripped one of the bags from before Lylia, causing her to shield her latest drawing. ``I always forget the name in your tongue, ahhh, cumin?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``And for the seasonings that have more spice to them?&#039;&#039; Lucia said quickly to distract her guest&#039;s wandering eyes while she put the bag of herbs back on the table, ``Are there methods you could recommend for them?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Oh certainly! In fact, there is quite the easy recipe, something native to our Kehjistani steppes. You are familiar with using a rotisserie, from what I can see over your hearth. In the steppes, no warrior would leave without a few metal skewers and a roll of twine. You would take your, say, chicken or other hearty meat and marinate it all day in a mixture of flavorful spices. Cumin and coriander and peppers and cardamom and other robust tastes. You mix that in with enough yoghurt to coat the meat and put it in your pack at the beginning of the day. When you are done and camped, you stack the meat upon the skewer, then hang it above your fire. Or if you can build a fire around it, you hang it between multiple small fires, twisting the string and spinning it the whole while.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I see? So, a sort of vertical rotisserie?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Indeed, the idea is to provide a meal that is both robust in flavor and hearty in content. The best part is that the outside will cook first. Being open, all one must do is carve off the outside when finished. Just an inch at a time can be eaten as it cooks. The hungriest of the soldiers can fill themselves first, while those who can wait will take their drink and tend the camp.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It is ingenious!&quot; Lylia said with a broad smile as she savored the thoughts of what gorgeous dishes she might make. &quot;Perhaps served on fresh flatbread or a soft roll?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Now you understand! Simple food but hearty in preparation.&quot; Reaching out to grab her glass, Barani sighed as she swilled a drink. &quot;I must thank you for your hospitality.&quot; With a smile, Barani lowered her cowl off the back of her head, revealing her flowing auburn hair. ``Your customs may be different, but your hearts are just as full of care as our own people.&#039;&#039; Lucia&#039;s face softened as a smile curled across her cheeks. Yet her eyes darted just momentarily to the right, noticing her sister seemed to be struggling keeping a smile upon her face, the Daughter of Hatred never quite comfortable being given positive praise that was not accompanied by worship.<br /><br />``My dear, you are most welcome,&#039;&#039; Lucia added as she tried her best to keep the sorceress&#039;s attention. ``I should hope that we will forge a bright future between our peoples.&#039;&#039; A toast, a raise of the glass, and a bit of laughter as one of the dancing magi nearly knocked a glass out of Barani&#039;s hand. This prompted the magic-wielder to playfully conjure a blast of fluttering wind to whip up his flowing robes in response to his rowdy whirling. As the moon rose high in the sky, and the stars above spun and shifted, the Tip and Tail guests laughed and drank, celebrating the success of the City of New Tristram. Well into the night, exhausted monks and tired townsfolk filtered out of the Tip and Tail to their lodging for the evening, eventually leaving Barani, Lylia and Lucia to head to their rooms in the butchery and bakery&#039;s upstairs.<br /><br />Closing the door to her room, Barani felt herself sink into the soft feather bed, a wistful sigh escaping her mouth as the wine-addled warmth took her to the edge of sleep. As Barani settled into her comfortable bed in the public house&#039;s guest room, her drink-addled mind attempted to relax in the still of the evening. Yet as the embrace of the night swelled around her, there was a moment of clarity as a shrill laugh hit her ears. With uncharacteristic frustration, Barani growled to herself as she rolled over in bed, the sorceress kicking her stockings off in another bid to get comfortable. But then it came again, the shrill laugh, accompanied by an added giggle or two. Kept awake between cackling outbursts by the low rumble of conversation coming from across the hall, the young diplomat tried to pull her pillow over her head to block out the sounds. After all, she needed to awaken at dawn to make the long trip to Lut Gholein.<br /><br />But soon, her curiosity got the better of her. Individual words piqued her interest; demons, revenge, meat, power. On their own they made no sense, but the more she heard the voices, distorted and twisted they may be, the more that she realized they were those of her hosts, Lylia and Lucia. Unable to help herself, Barani lifted her hand, curling her fingers until a gentle wisp of mist escaped her hand. Swirling into a charm that settled above her head, she could soon hear the conversation clearly, magically amplified and channeled into her head. Her days as a precocious scamp at the Mage?s College paid off. Useful spells such as that ensured she could gain the upper hand in any discussion, even if it meant she was also eavesdropped upon her hosts.<br /><br />&quot;Hehehe,&quot; there was something off to Lylia?s voice, the warm laugh she shared downstairs turned to a cackle that sent shivers down Barani?s spine. &quot;Can you believe our luck? Not only do we expand our trade network northward, but we also get a visit from a diplomat from Kejistan in the same week?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Exotic spices for exotic meats,&quot; Lucia might have sounded the same, but an edge to her voice seemed to come out when she thought she was speaking in confidence. &quot;Can you believe they ate every bite we served?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Good to use up some of our larder, that patrol of forest rangers might have gone bad without their arrival.&quot; Larder? Forest rangers? Barani cocked her head to the side as she thought about what they were discussing. &quot;It is as she says, though, hearty spices can mask any flavor.&quot; <br /><br />``The illusions have been doing far better now that we have established ourselves in the city,&#039;&#039; Lucia added with a chuckle. ``No more worry of things unraveling around us or our thralls getting out of hand.&#039;&#039; It sounded for a second as if something spilled, perhaps a final late-night glass of wine, drawing their attention from the conversation momentarily. ``Ugh... I get sloppy when I&#039;ve had too much, I&#039;ll get it.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It was convenient that the cathedral already held such dark energies. Turning the crypts into a space for worship has only allowed my powers to spread across the city and the land...&#039;&#039; Powers? Worship? What sort of coven did Barani unknowingly walk into? She could not prepare herself for the knowledge as the next words rattled in the sorceress&#039;s ears. ``The Daughter of Hatred, setting up her own hell spawn right under the nose of the people of Westmarch...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The Daughter of Hatred? That voice, that cruel cut that seemed to drip with and evil heard by so little. Could Lady Lilith herself truly be the host at this humble public house? Barani shuddered, doing her best to relax as she listened to the conversation meander and flow. Talk of revenge upon the chief demon hunters of Westmarch, of taking down some restaurant known as The Chop Shop. And of how easily, if all goes well, they could continue to undermine the human kingdoms. How easily they could scourge the land and plunge Sanctuary into darkness. At long last, when the last words of the night were traded, and the sounds of footsteps faded to their respective rooms, Barani was left alone in the quiet of the Tip and Tail. Once she was sure her hosts had settled in for sleep, the sorceress struck up the nerve to stand from her bed and examine this illusion more readily.<br /><br />Picking up a small candle from the bedside, Barani breathed a few soft words against the wick, causing the flickering light to erupt in a shimmer. For a moment nothing happened. But soon, the world about Barani began to flicker, the walls turning a strange glitchy glimmer as doorframes and windowpanes seemed to pop. As the little candle cast magickal dispel across the room, the illusion so clearly crafted by Lucia and Lady Lilith faltered before extinguishing to reveal the Tip and Tail for what it truly was. Broken floorboards, a draft flowing through a shattered window, with cobwebs and dust clinging off the door barely held up by hinges. The illusory prowess of the two was certainly exceptional; as Barani cast the light just outside the window, she came to realize that it extended far beyond the building, out into the town. Burnt out buildings, ravaged cobblestone streets and dead plants filled the city. But worst of all was the state of New Tristram&#039;s inhabitants. People she had danced and talked with before now simply lay still and cold just out of sight of the public house. Clearly the work of necromancy, their corpses were reanimated for the sole purpose of keeping up appearances of a living and functioning city. When no longer needed for the charade, they were allowed to drop back to their usual state of death and decay, swallowed by the illusion to blend into brickwork or decorative topiaries.<br /><br />It was all just an illusion... With apprehension, Barani pulled on a simple night gown to head downstairs. Hopeful that a trip to fetch a glass of water would not go amiss. With her light in hand, the diplomat carefully tread over creaky floorboards and down the dusty staircase to the ground floor. This part of the Tip and Tail, in its real state, was not in the worst disrepair. The building itself was picked because it was in the most decent repair. Stout construction, and a lack of fire damage meant that it was move-in ready as a base of operations. Yet that did not mean that Barani&#039;s lamp did not illuminate far more disturbing sights. Peeking behind the display cases, and peering into the rear of the building, the sorceress&#039;s eyes grew wide with fright as she realized she was staring face to face with another person. Where during the day hung a mostly-butchered side of beef, Barani&#039;s dispel broke down the facade to revel a quartered human torso once the magic had worn off. In the flickering light of her candle, the diplomat stared at the open chest of a young girl, likely no older than her early twenties. Meat hook piercing her rib cage through the side, the victim had a single, slender arm still attached at the shoulder joint, hanging down at the side of the cut. The butcher had clearly carved her apart for meat, but perhaps had taken a liking to the meal&#039;s form, as what remained was crowned with a meaty and rounded breast, the tender nipple pert from how the skin tightened upon death. It was likely that this person was one of the forest rangers discussed earlier in the evening. The frightening discovery only confirmed the diplomat&#039;s suspicions that something truly awful happened in the town of New Tristram.<br /><br />Barani would quickly abscond to her room, the illusory kitchen re-forming behind her as the glow of her dispel candle disappeared up the staircase. This would be a highly delicate situation. The people of Westmarch needed to be warned, surely. But she could not be sure how deep the Daughter of Hatred and her twin sister truly held sway over the region. This would be a matter best suited for the Council of Mages to handle. Only once she secured allies in the battle against evil, could Kehjistan reach out a hand to help the Lands of the West.<br /><br />Sighing to herself at how easily she stirred up trouble, Barani leaned over to extinguish the dispel magick from her candle, the wick softly shimmering with pale embers as the dank and musty room returned to its illusory and comfortable manner. Yet no matter how much she wished, the diplomat sorceress could not have a comfortable sleep knowing she lay her head just two doors down from the daughters of Mephisto himself.<br /><br />``Goodbye, my dear Barani,&#039;&#039; Lylia called out from the doorway as she bade farewell to the traveling diplomat&#039;s carriage and entourage. While the olive-skinned sorceress was always a bit stalwart and cool when she didn&#039;t have any drink in her, today she seemed particularly keen on keeping her hosts at arm&#039;s length. No breakfast, no warm bath, just a water skin for the road and a promise to return at the head of the next caravan to forge a deeper alliance with the people of New Tristram. <br /><br />``I look forward to my return to the Lands of the West. You should expect me to come during the fall season.&#039;&#039; As she closed the carriage door, Barani added, ``And make sure you practice with those spices, there are plenty more where they came from!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Lylia too gave a warm and broad grin at the request. ``Perhaps you shall come back to find a lamb upon my rotisserie, my dear.&#039;&#039; Watching the carriage and carts rumble off into the distance, Lylia sighed as she allowed herself to turn towards the Tip and Tail. ``Next time,&quot; she muttered, &quot;I should find a girl more fitting than the beefy border guard we captured.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Re-entering the public house, Lylia decided there was enough distance between the carriage and the city that she could dispense of her human guise - if they forgot a toothbrush or carry case, they could surely do without it. As her concentration on the illusion faded, inky black tendrils began to flow from the curvaceous lady&#039;s body. Swirling in thick and gooey sensation up from her toes, the blackness enveloped Lylia, cushioning her breasts and hips with each revolution the tentacles made about her body. Collapsing into a roiling black expanse, the succubus Lady Lilith&#039;s true form began to emerge from the smoky vapor that swirled about her. <br /><br />Outstretching her arms from the swirling mass, her slender, lily-whitearms emerged from the writhing swarm, soon followed by the blackened, scaly skin of her upper body and cloven-hooved legs. With the same casual attitude one might carry stepping out of the shower, Lady Lilith shook off her human guise, cracking her neck from side to side as the swarm of tendrils dispersed and skittered away, leaving the Daughter of Hatred standing proud in her true form. Yet the reception she received was a little less the usual wails of the devoted or triumphant cries of hell-spawn welcoming their dark mistress back, as she would normally receive in her temple.<br /><br />Instead, Lucia was all that remained in the cozy public house, half-heartedly pushing the tables and chairs back into some semblance of order. ``Having fun?&#039;&#039; The illusionist prodded, a smug smirk on her face as she knew just how to tease her twin sister.<br /><br />``Heh, not like I&#039;ll get the usual fanfare here. But I spent all week cooped up in Lylia&#039;s form, at least let me stretch my arms.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``If you want, I can grovel for you a little, help you feel like we&#039;re back in the depths of hell.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``No need for you to sully yourself, just keep those thralls learning. They did wonderfully this past week.&#039;&#039; With a smirk, Lady Lilith looked about the room before adding, ``Hey, Lucia, why aren&#039;t you, uh... Why don&#039;t you just reset the illusion? I hate cleaning up the place by hand after we&#039;ve made such a mess.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I would, but something&#039;s messing with the magick.&#039;&#039; Stacking platters upon a tray to take back to the kitchen, Lucia added, ``And I can&#039;t place my finger on what it might be, because we catered all night to a pack of drunken mages.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Do you think someone tossed a one-off spell that&#039;s lingering?&#039;&#039; Lilith suggested, the Daughter of Hatred offering a hand to push some of the tables and chairs back into place. ``But that doesn&#039;t make sense... Usually it takes more than an errant fireball to disrupt illusory magic.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Perhaps, and even then, it usually leaves a trail or a mark. This is as if someone took the spell-source with them.&#039;&#039; Sighing, Lucia shook her head as she carried the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. ``It will take me a while to dismiss the old illusion and restart it fresh, so we should do our own cleaning in here for a little while. Speaking of, could you grab the dishes out from Barani&#039;s room, dear?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />A little displeased that The Scourge of Westmarch was reduced to room service and linen cleaning, Lilith sighed as she headed up towards the staircase. ``Alright, alright, but will you put some leftovers on the hearth for lunch? I&#039;m getting peckish again and best not to waste the meat we have.&#039;&#039; Cloven hooves clicking upon the staircase, the succubus walked her way up to the guest room, stretching her arms and swishing her reptilian tail behind her with a lazy little shake of the hips. It had been a while since Lady Lilith stooped so low as to clean house, but after seeing off her new guests, the Daughter of Hatred didn&#039;t seem to find a little mindless laundry work so bad. <br /><br />Picking up the linens and piling them into a bundle, the succubus nearly tripped as she felt something cold and metallic catch underfoot. Deftly keeping her weight off the item, Lilith tossed aside the bedsheets to see the simple brass candleholder resting on the floor next to the bed. It must have been knocked off in Barani&#039;s haste to ready herself this morning. Picking the candle up off the floor, Lilith gave a little rub to the smudged and broken tip, as if trying to fix it with a smooth fingertip&#039;s touch. Instead, the slightest shimmer seemed to escape the burned-out wick, smearing on her hand with an iridescent glow. Contemplating the strange soot, Lilith took a closer look to the blob of glowing aether. Giving it a test, she squeezed it between her fingers until she felt the softest crackle of fire form, snuffed out in an instant by the residue of dispel magick.<br /><br />``Lucia...&#039;&#039; Lilith swallowed hard, staring down at the candle as she realized that the sorceress had messed with their illusion. ``Lucia we have a big problem, I think I just found out what caused the disturbances... Our house guest.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Conferring with Lucia down in the kitchen, Lilith snarled softly as she stared into the candle&#039;s iridescent wick. Lucia thoughtfully examined the smudge of shimmer, nodding in agreement. ``Well... it&#039;s certainly the cause of our problems. Anything the light touched was disrupted, which means she&#039;s seen through our guise from the upstairs and down to the kitchen.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``We invited that ungrateful bitch into our home, and this is what she does to repay us!?&#039;&#039; Lilith growled, curling her fingers into fists, before realizing the absurdity of it. Her anger fueled by the fact she spent so long being kind to her guest. The facade of friendliness was exhausting enough without having to deal with those who saw through the disguise. ``What do we do now?&#039;&#039; she asked at last. ``She&#039;s too far away to catch.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``We do have a few thralls stationed in Lut Gholein, don&#039;t we?&#039;&#039; Lucia added as helpfully as possible.<br /><br />``Rrrrr...&#039;&#039; Growling, Lilith added, ``And what if she&#039;s told her entourage?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``We can worry about that once we have her in our grasp. It might take destroying their ship or kidnapping them when we can, but we have to trust she made a poor decision not to tell anyone. Mages tend to live secretive lives, it is likely she will try to head directly to the Council&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I could burn her alive for this-&#039;&#039; A soft hand reached out, pressing to Lilith&#039;s shoulder as she fumed. ``This betrayal. We- We drank together...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Staring up into her sister&#039;s eyes, Lucia added, ``Patience, my dear... You have many recipes to try when she is delivered. I&#039;ll get to work organizing the thralls.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Miss Jabir,&#039;&#039; a flowing robed monk reached up to guide Barani down from her carriage and onto the bustling streets of Lut Gholein. ``You have been acting strange all trip, will you at least tell me what is on your mind?&#039;&#039; Lowering her hood from her head, Barani sighed as she reached out to place a hand upon the dervish&#039;s shoulder.<br /><br />``I received some...&#039;&#039; there was a pause, a wonder how to describe the situation. ``Disturbing news late last night. I must depart to report to the Council of Mages. That is all that I can say.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``A mage can easily take their secrets to the grave. The trip across the twin seas may take those secrets with you.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I...&#039;&#039; pausing, Barani felt her mouth quiver at the thought, before her resolve steeled once more, a smoldering smirk crawling across her face. ``I understand, Hosni. But as the head diplomat of this mission, it is my duty to deliver such a message directly to the Council.&#039;&#039; Reaching out to embrace her old friend, the sorceress added, ``I promise I shall see you when you return. And I entrust that you will finish the mission here in the West.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Stepping away with a wave to her traveling companions, Barani headed through the city with purpose, walking along the cobbled streets towards the harbor. Yet something caught her ear as a voice called out across the roadway.<br /><br />``Swift travel to the Harbor District!&#039;&#039; A blue-cloaked coach driver gave his riding crop a wave through the air, catching Barani&#039;s eye out of the corner of her cowl. ``Catch your next ship or your money back, Ma&#039;am!&#039;&#039; For a moment, she contemplated the idea of taking the coach, but perhaps it would be safer to walk. That theory shattered as, right on cue, a crash before her sent fresh produce and splintered wood flying. A spooked ox in the marketplace caused two peddler carts to collide right in front of Barani&#039;s path. As a cabbage or two rolled up to Barani&#039;s feet, she turned to the driver with a defeated sigh.<br /><br />``Can you get me around that mess?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Heh, faster than your own feet, Ma&#039;am. Climb aboard, you&#039;ll have some company in the back.&#039;&#039; With a tip of his hat, the coach driver reached back to pop open the carriage door for her. With a little smile, Barani climbed inside, greeting the two occupants in the back of the coach.<br /><br />``Good afternoon,&#039;&#039; she offered with a smile, pushing back her cowl out of respect for her fellow travelers. Closing the door behind her, the sorceress took in the sight of her travel companions as the carriage lurched to begin its drive. A druidess leaned back in the coach?s opposite corner, her supple wolf-skin clad arm petting a black-feathered grackle that rested upon her thigh. On the same side of the coach that Barani settled into, a warrior rested with his helm over his face to block the sun. The hired muscle did not seem to take much notice when the sorceress entered, or if he did, he didn?t care that one more person had hopped into the carriage.<br /><br />&quot;Headed to the docks?&quot; the druidess asked idly, her green-tinted eyes giving the sorceress a looking up and down.<br /><br />&quot;Back home at long last, to Kehjistan,&quot; Barani offered with a polite smile, folding her hands across her stomach as she did.<br /><br />&quot;A long way from home, are you a fellow traveler?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Of a sort, I have a thing for adventure, most certainly...&quot; Barani seemed a little uneasy as the raven-black bird hopped about on the druidess?s leg, flitting between her fingers. Turning her head towards the window, the sorceress gasped in shock as she watched her entourage pass by on the street, followed by the city gates of Lut Gholein. &quot;H- Hey, where are...&quot; Turning her head upwards she called out, &quot;Where are we going? you?re leaving the city!&quot;<br /><br />Before Barani could react, the druid?s grouse pet leapt off her lap, wings flapping and feathering in her face. As the sorceress flared a flash of fire off her palm to try and scare away the bird, she felt thick tendrils wind and wrap about her legs and thighs. Thick and woody vines, called forth from the druid?s connection to nature, quickly began to squeeze and constrict Barani?s slender frame, forcing her back against the carriage seat. Snarling, Barani conjured another palmful of fire, a thick and sooty smoke filling the carriage as the green and moist roots began to smolder. Yet through the smoke she could see the druidess?s eyes, a darkness consuming them as the guise of a friendly traveler dropped away. <br /><br />Horrified, Barani felt the squeezing constriction push the air out of her lungs, squashing any hope of calling out for help as the carriage thundered off down the dark path. Feeling her midriff bruise and bones ache inside of the tight coils of her captivity, the fire in Barani&#039;s eyes extinguished just as a thick crack shook the air. The warrior had clearly awoken, but instead of coming to Barani&#039;s aid, he stared with the same sunken and void-filled eyes that the druidess did. Bringing the pommel of his short sword down upon Barani&#039;s frame, he intended to strike her upon the head to render her unconscious. Missing, he managed to hit her in the chest, shattering one of her ribs that was already under intense strain and pressure.<br /><br />The thrall didn&#039;t seem to care about the mistake - when the only rules were to ensure she lived, there was nothing wrong with a little injury. The sudden jolt of pain incapacitated the diplomat, the flames at her fingertips sizzling out in a gout of embers as her concentration faltered. After a moment, a second strike came down hard, landing a knockout blow upon the kidnapped diplomat. <br /><br />Time floated for Barani, glimpses of lucid thought and sight in between immeasurable darkness. A vague memory of being bound with rope and gagged with a cloth kerchief. A few bumps in the road awakening her dazed mind momentarily. An awareness that the sun was setting just about the time she reached that familiar bend in the road she had seen just that morning... When she awoke for the last time, Barani felt herself being manhandled out of the coach, slung under both arms as she was forcedly marched by the two thralls towards the festival square of New Tristram. Regaining her composure, Barani could only wrench her bound arms side to side, snarling at the pair that held her tight as she was walked towards the Tip and Tail. The agony throbbing in her chest was more than enough to ensure her compliance - a sorceress needed concentration to complete her spells, and the wracking pain each time she sucked in a breath was enough to silence her magic for good. <br /><br />Eerie silence seemed to swaddle the empty city. However, empty was, perhaps, not the word to use. New Tristram happened to be devoid of the friendly faces and townsfolk that had visited with the Kehjistani mages just a day prior. Instead the only welcome came in the form of her two hosts from yesterday. At least that&#039;s what Barani assumed, as she could only recognize one of her two hosts. Despite her nature as a succubus, Lucia always enjoyed keeping her human form trim and proper, a holdover from her time living amongst the humans. By contrast, her sister was in no mood to trifle with her human form, especially not for the one who dared repay the Daughter of Hatred&#039;s hospitality with betrayal and suspicion. The black-scaled and fair skinned succubus practically emanated a radiance of lightning as rumbles of far off thunder and brewing storm clouds above seemed to perfectly show Lady Lilith&#039;s boiling fury. Standing before the sorceress with her arms folded, a scowl upon her face, Lilith watched as the thralls brought forth their captive for her to see. <br /><br />Barani steeled her gaze at the pair, spitting on the ground as she snarled, ``You dare kidnap an envoy of Kehjistan? The Council of Mages will learn their envoy went missing.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``She&#039;s a lot feistier when she&#039;s not drinking,&#039;&#039; Lilith chuckled aloud, licking her lips before turning her attention to Barani. ``It&#039;s so fortunate our enterprise includes some places far afield, we might never have caught you.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Hasn&#039;t anyone ever told you not to go sticking your nose in other peoples&#039; businesses?&#039;&#039; Lucia added with a soft sigh.<br /><br />``When the business is human flesh, I believe I have a right to stick my nose in!&#039;&#039; Barani scowled, trying to jerk one of her arms free from the druidess.<br /><br />``Oh Barani,&#039;&#039; Lilith feigned offense, ``And here I thought you liked my cooking? But something tells me that&#039;s not all you dislike about our little home here. Many a mage won&#039;t bat an eye at the thought of trading spell books with a necromancer, should they learn a thing or two.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I heard enough.&#039;&#039; Standing in defiance Barani refused to offer any more to her captors, testing Lilith&#039;s patience. After a moment of pause, the succubus reared back a hand, whipping a fireball across the square. Unable to defend herself, Barani screeched as the glancing blow sent a gout of flame arcing over her right breast and shoulder, singeing her long locks of auburn hair as it grazed over her body.<br /><br />``Insolent worm!&#039;&#039; Lilith snarled, preparing to throw a second fireball, only to be held back by Lucia. ``What more do you know?!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You...&#039;&#039; A gentle exhale, complete with a touch of smoke, escaped her nostrils as she tried to recover from the flare. ``Your plans to lay waste to the Lands of the West. Your disdain for the Baroness Kuznetzov, and also you hate some restaurant because they gave you bad service or something? Heh, I assumed that part was just drunken ramblings in the depths of the nighttime.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``...well you&#039;re only partly wrong, that part about the restaura- n- never mind that. There&#039;s a more important question you&#039;ve yet to answer. Who have you told?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Broken, singed and exhausted from her ordeal, Barani didn&#039;t have much time to contemplate how she would answer that question. Hosni&#039;s warning resonated in her ears as she stood staring at the impatient pair. Had she just said a single word, then the fate of all Sanctuary might have changed. But the bonds of honor certainly shackled her tighter than she should have. With nothing but defiance in her heart, Barani smirked as she said aloud, ``The message will return to the Council of Mages.&#039;&#039; Swallowing hard, she turned her gaze down to the ground before adding, ``Even if I won&#039;t.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />There was no question as to the sort of fate that awaited Barani. One who knew too much, one who knew that the daughters of Mephisto were building an empire in plain sight in the middle of the western kingdoms. Especially since this was a tenuous moment, when the credibility of their cover in the Tip and Tail was nearly established. Barani was too dangerous to be allowed to leave. But the threat that she might have told others, that word might have gotten out, only ensured that her death would be anything but pleasant.<br /><br />With the same unceasing steps they used to bring Barani to their Mistresses, the thralls quickly bundled the sorceress towards the town square in front of the Cathedral. Lilith and Lucia followed close behind the procession of the condemned, rather pleasantly discussing the work they had put in to prepare for Barani?s return.<br /><br />&quot;I?ve not seen you throw yourself into a project as hard as this, not in a long while,&quot; Lucia commented aloud. &quot;You always were driven by vengeance, dear sister.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Perhaps in another life, we could have shared many drinks together, Barani...&quot; Lilith mused as she stepped up behind her victim, planting a cold hand on her shoulder and receiving a feisty shake off in return. &quot;I certainly enjoyed our conversation, so much so that I decided to recreate it.&quot;<br /><br />Before them sat a strange looking device set into a flat stonework square near the old Tristram Cathedral. A large metal disc, three feet wide and rimmed around the edge, sat in the center of the square, surrounded by what looked to be five braziers made of welded iron bands. Filled with charcoal and firewood, the massive burners were ready and waiting for a light. Yet the strange metal disc was not what worried Barani just yet. Off to the side sat a large wooden table, laden with the slew of gorgeous and exotic Kehjistani spices amidst local ingredients to round out the meal. Leaning against the table sat a long metal rotisserie spit. The sorceress had no illusions that she was the next victim the cold iron was waiting ford<br /><br />&quot;I see you took my ideas to heart,&quot; Barani commented coldly as she was led to the table.<br /><br />&quot;I promised we would have roast lamb when you returned... I suppose neither of us expected you would be the lamb led to slaughter.&quot;<br /><br />Cold comfort came in the form of Lucia reaching a hand to help Barani climb upon the table, the two thralls relaxing their grip upon the fiery sorceress. Finally free, yet no less pained by her ordeal, the envoy stood scowling with her arms crossed before her sore chest as she stared coldly down to the ingredients laid before her. Lilith stepped up from behind, giving Barani a firm strike to the back of the shoulder, causing her to stagger forwards, but not convincing her to submit to the sick game she was being forced to play.<br /><br />&quot;Don?t make this harder than it must be, dear,&quot; Lucia offered. ``You are not getting out of this.&#039;&#039; A sort of apprehensive resignation fell upon Barani&#039;s face as she climbed upon the table under her own power, trying to claim the last ounce of dignity she had as her impending fate drew near. Lying down on her back, Barani sighed as her sadistic captors circled like vultures, her tender body offered up to appease their ravenous appetite. There was but the slightest hope that her disappearance might bring further investigation, and she could only cling to that hope in the face of her own overconfidence. <br /><br />The butcher she was, Lilith wasted no time gripping the sorceress?s flowing robes, her fingers snagging in the beautiful fabric and tearing at the fire-scorched garment. For a moment, Barani tried to resist, gripping her hands over her breasts in half-shock when the flowing orange fabric was ripped from her body. All that got her in return was a hard slap across the face and a set of fingers reaching to tug at her underwear, the modest silken panties quickly ripped from her supple form, exposing the body she never showed publicly. Gorgeously shaped, with sun-kissed olive skin, Barani was indeed quite the treat for the eyes as well as the touch. To call her a tender lamb was no understatement, her body plush in just the right spots, from her curvaceous hips, up to her rounded breasts. There was a touch of modesty to her actions, accented by fear, as she cradled her ample tits beneath her arms. Yet the attempts to shy from the touch of her captors only whet their appetites as the pair reached out to caress and inspect their next meal.<br /><br />Coaxed to lay back by Lucia&#039;s sensual touch, Barani shivered as she watched the petite succubus lean forward over her, slight frame and chest obscuring the sky overhead as she allowed her hands to explore her upper body. At the same time, just as Lucia&#039;s fingers reached her rounded breasts, Barani twitched and jerked as she felt Lilith&#039;s fingers slide up along her inner thigh, coaxing the slightest reaction out of her fidgety captive.<br /><br />``Ohhh, she&#039;s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined,&#039;&#039; Lilith commented aloud, her touch soft compared to the brooding rage she harbored. ``Such lush and tender meat on these haunches.&#039;&#039; Slow and sensual, Lilith&#039;s touch seemed almost calming as it slipped up Barani&#039;s tender thigh, right up until her two fingers reached the crook of her thighs. The sorceress gasped, shuddering as her head shot upwards, nearly planting her face into Lucia&#039;s chest as she did. Lucia&#039;s groping hands blocked most of her view as they teased Barani&#039;s ample breasts, but they perfectly framed Lilith&#039;s actions down between her thighs.<br /><br />The succubus held a wicked smirk upon her face, eyes focused on the tender, reddened slit that two of her fingers occupied. Slowly, as if testing how easily the flesh yielded, she worked them in deeper, curling softly at the knuckles while allowing her thumb to seek out that supple pleasure button. A little attention to Barani&#039;s most sensual spots was all it took to melt her back down to the table, eyes going cross ever as she relaxed into a soft, if forced, moan of pleasure. Removing her now well-moistened fingers, Lilith lingered a bit longer, using both hands to gently stroke over the girl?s sexual mound. This, of course, was no lover&#039;s touch, as each stroke allowed the succubus a chance to better examine her future meal.<br /><br />Much like her hips and midriff, Barani&#039;s nicely padded form only helped frame her fillet, giving the tender lips just the right amount of curvature. Her sexual mound was just the slightest bit pronounced, the swarthy flesh a perfect accent compared to her sun-kissed body. Her labia lips were beautifully plump, still protruding even after Lilith&#039;s hand had withdrawn from inside them. Crowned by the swollen button of flesh, even the smallest stimulation caused her clit to swell under its hood, the cherry-red nub already shimmering with moisture from the slightest touch.<br /><br />``Perhaps in another life I might have enjoyed your company, my dear,&#039;&#039; Lilith crooned, a sensual smirk crossing her face as she gave a sensual lick to her fingertips, a little chuckle escaping her mouth as she began to untie various bags of spices. Wafted on the breeze, Barani shuddered as she could smell her homeland, the tastes and exotic scents hitting her nose as each bag was carefully dumped into a large mixing bowl. ``I need to stop saying that,&#039;&#039; the succubus added, scolding herself. ``It is so hard being a demoness of lust. A fuel of sexual energy only makes my hunger grow when I am faced with a gorgeous meal.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``She does have a pretty body,&#039;&#039; Lucia chimed in, allowing her hands to move off the firm and meaty breasts, having worked each nipple up to a perfectly pert peak atop the hefty mounds. ``Perhaps we could keep her?&#039;&#039; Barani didn&#039;t see the little wink Lucia gave to her sister, but there was no need to, she knew that the idle banter was only meant to keep her occupied while preparations were made.<br /><br />``Oh, but Lucia,&#039;&#039; Lilith chuckled, licking her lips as she opened a leather skin filled with cool and silky yoghurt, carefully adding to the mixing bowl of cayenne, paprika, cumin, coriander, peppers and cardamom until a supple paste formed. ``We can&#039;t do that... What would we eat tonight?&#039;&#039; Testing the waters, Lilith was perhaps a little disappointed that Barani did not take the bait. ``Nothing? Not even a plea for mercy?&#039;&#039; She asked aloud, dipping her nectar-soaked fingers into the cool mixture.<br /><br />``What more can I give you, Daughter of Hatred?&#039;&#039; Barani replied, swallowing as she felt Lilith&#039;s slender fingers wandering up her calves. ``Aside from the satisfaction of my death.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Shame,&#039;&#039; Lucia added, reaching across the table to dip into the mixture herself. ``They&#039;re so much more fun when they beg for their lives.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Every woman breaks, Barani...&#039;&#039; Lilith growled, smearing the fragrant marinade over her form, the ruddy-brown mixture clinging to her body like a thick foundation as Lilith worked up her body. ``Perhaps a little pleasure will convince you.&#039;&#039; Two fingers carefully spread the sorceress&#039;s supple lips, a gentle gasp escaping her mouth as a tingling rush hit her most sensitive flesh. As Lucia returned to her breasts, lathering up the hefty mammaries, Lilith allowed her spice-laden fingers to slip between Barani&#039;s tender folds once again. Slickened with the smooth and creamy sauce, there was a momentary pleasure as two, then three fingers worked their way inside of the former diplomat&#039;s body. But as quickly as it began, the pleasure faded to a rush, her face breaking out in a hot sweat as the mixture of exotic spices coated the inside of her pussy.<br /><br />``A- Aaaaahhhhnnnn!&#039;&#039; Barani panted, arching her back as Lilith spread her fingers softly, the tips of each digit sliding up and down against the squeezing folds as the sensual rush turned to hot and burning pain. ``Mmmpfh! M- Make it s- stop please!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Ohhh, sweetie... Does that hurt?&#039;&#039; Without pausing, Lilith took up a handful of the creamy sauce in her free hand, before funneling it down her fingertips in a fiery waterfall, allowing the slow-flowing fluid to drip between her knuckles and lubricate her agonized folds. ``Good, it should.&#039;&#039; As tears rolled down Barani&#039;s eyes, she felt Lilith&#039;s hand slowly, far too slowly, remove itself from her folds, leaving behind a world of agony.<br /><br />The seething burn of capsaicin and spice in her most sensitive spots caused the envoy to kick and struggle, her body writhing in discomfort on the table. It was not an all-encompassing agony, as Lucia experienced when dropped in boiling oil, but more akin to the slow and horrific pain Lilith felt turning upon the spit. Ever-present and unable to stop. Any time the diplomat kicked and spasmed, a hand reached down to hold her or return her to a more manageable position on the table, the gooey marinade smearing this way and that, leaving ruddy streaks across the wooden tabletop. Her captors simply cooed and shushed, talking over her panicked moans and pleas to make the pain stop. Lilith took it upon herself to ensure every inch was coated, even going so far as to `wipe away her tears&#039; by rubbing her spice-soaked thumb against each of Barani&#039;s cheeks, streaking them with the same horrid cocktail of spice that caused her agony in the first place.<br /><br />It would not take long before the diplomat was flipped on her stomach, moaning and struggling as she felt the slickened touch all about her back and thighs. Just as she started to feel used to the burning agony rocking her loins, Lilith surprised her victim again, this time by running her finger down the girl&#039;s shapely ass, casually swiping the stinging sauce over her tense and taught pucker.<br /><br />``Mmmm... my, my Barani, I thought your front was beautiful, but this gorgeous rump of yours is practically begging me to bite in raw.&#039;&#039; A sensual lick of the lips only helped drive home the point as Lilith thumbed over her victim&#039;s tender pucker, toying with the clenched-tight ring. ``I suppose it is time I make you scream again.&#039;&#039; Lilith mused aloud as she gathered a thick blob of marinade on her finger, before nonchalantly asking aloud, ``Are you a virgin back here, my dear?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The words didn&#039;t register with Barani, her tear-streaked and quivering body racked with pain as she whimpered, ``P- Please... N- No...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``No? You don&#039;t want me to show you the flavors of your home?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``P- Please no... N- Not there...&#039;&#039; Stifling back sobbing whines, Barani seemed utterly defeated as she lay half-curled on the tabletop. Lucia, busy running oil through the sorceress&#039;s flowing auburn hair so it would not burn, couldn&#039;t help but shoot a glance up to Lilith.<br /><br />``You have a way with breaking girls,&#039;&#039; she added with a chuckle, before leaning down to whisper in Barani&#039;s ear. ``Do you deserve to have your hole left unmarinated? I don&#039;t think you&#039;ve been good enough to deserve that, do you?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Please!&#039;&#039; Lifting her head, Barani arched her back in a bid to beg. Rather than struggle, she had wormed her arms between her legs in a vain attempt to quell the burn that ravaged her loins. ``N- No, please! I... I&#039;ll do... do... a- anything...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />For a moment, Lilith continued to toy with the girl&#039;s supple pucker, tracing the sensitive flesh with her finger until the outer ring tingled with more than just anticipation. But the words `anything&#039; also caused her to take pause; it may be cliche that a demon loves a good bargain, but despite her initial assertion that there was nothing she could offer, Lilith knew there was plenty of value to be milked from her captive&#039;s desperation. With a low and sensual chuckle on her lips, Lilith slowly removed her finger from Barani&#039;s hole, instead using her finger to draw sensual little circles and whorls on her ass.<br /><br />``Anything...&#039;&#039; She crooned listlessly, pretending to ponder the word, before saying, ``I will save you the indignity of burning from both ends.&#039;&#039; Removing her hand from Barani&#039;s rump, she reached out to grab the rotisserie off the table next to her victim, Lucia making sure to ready herself at Barani&#039;s head to keep her steady. ``If you give me your soul in service. Freely and willingly.&#039;&#039; Sniffing back her tears, the broken envoy shuddered as she watched the thick inch-diameter rod lift off the tabletop next to her. ``I could easily resurrect you as a thrall or revenant... a shade of your former self... You know this well, I suspect.&#039;&#039; Carefully lining the rotisserie up with her victim&#039;s clenched ass, Lilith gave one last whisper as she planted the tip of the steel rod against Barani&#039;s hole. ``Give yourself to me, body, mind and soul... and your end will hasten.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Sobbing, broken, whimpering through her teeth, Barani could hardly keep herself together as she whispered, ``Yes...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes, what, my dear?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Y- Yes, ma- make it s- stop...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes you will...?&#039;&#039; A smirk crossed Lilith&#039;s face as she coaxed the words out.<br /><br />``Y- Yes, Daughter of H- Hatred... I... I will... S- Serve you, Mistre- HYRK!&#039;&#039; Barani&#039;s puffy and tear-swollen eyelids shot wide, a deep gasp rasping in her mouth as Lilith thrust her rotisserie spit deep into Barani&#039;s ass. Feeling the long metal shaft spasm as her victim&#039;s body clenched tight in pain, Lilith re-positioned her hands upon the shaft and gave it another thrust. Barani&#039;s scream echoed across the empty capital of New Tristram as the metal spit pierced through the girl&#039;s bowels. Lucia gripped the disgraced diplomat tight about the shoulders, holding her still as possible while cooing gentle words of encouragement to keep her from trying to double-up upon the spit lodged deep in her body. Another forceful shove and Lilith punctured her diaphragm, the sudden depressurization making just enough room for the rotisserie to slip up and between her vital organs.<br /><br />Keeping pressure on the hefty iron rod, Lilith eased her weight behind the pointed spit, allowing it to slide closer and closer until it slipped past Barani&#039;s heart. Lucia&#039;s guiding assistance was crucial for the final step, her slender fingers firmly grasping the wailing diplomat&#039;s head and neck to force her into a more amenable position. One last push, and Barani felt as if her stomach was about to turn. Instead, what emerged through her throat was an inch-thick iron rod, sliding up along her throat until it nearly blocked off her entire airway. Tinted with coppery blood, the massive spit ground upon Barani&#039;s tongue as it escaped her jaws, forcing the horrified girl to stare blankly forwards as her writhing body focused solely on the act of breathing.<br /><br />Working in tandem, Lucia and Lilith lifted the spitted `lamb&#039; upon their shoulders, carrying her towards the ominous setup that awaited her just a few feet away. Instead of being hung horizontally, like most rotisseries would, Lilith carefully slotted her end into a space in the center of the large metal disc, before helping Lucia lift the opposite side and lock it upright. Gravity quickly assisted their efforts to guide Barani down the length of the spit until she rested upon her knees atop the large metal disc, forced to stare upwards into the roiling skies above. Settled with her plump and plush ass against her feet, the diplomat groaned as her legs were secured at the ankles while her arms were tugged behind her back in a tight-fitting box tie. Intent to keep air flowing into her restricted throat, Barani hardly understood what was happening around her, until the first whiff of smoke caught her nose.<br /><br />``MNNN??? MNNNGLLLGH!&#039;&#039; Horror turned to panic as she realized each iron-banded brazier about her body was set aflame with a snap of Lilith&#039;s fingers. Before the flames established themselves fully, Lucia added the finishing touch to the strange vertical rotisserie, wrapping a wet hempen rope about a flange in the large metal disc. That rope was connected to a small hand crank jig settled a few feet away. With but a word, the obedient warrior thrall mindlessly began to turn the crank, ensuring a perfect power source to rotate tonight&#039;s tender lamb roast. As the world began to spin like a horrid carousel, Barani got the perfect view of her wicked captors looking on with pride, their sneering faces only encouraging that one, final, primal scream from deep within her body. Perhaps she was saved from the indignity of having her ass slathered in capsaicin, but as the flames gouted and flared around her in each of the burning braziers, Barani realized just how foolish she had been to bargain away her soul in the heat of the moment. And as the gurgling screech escaped her jaws, teeth clenched tight on the rotisserie, for a moment, Lilith and Lucia could see the whole jig vibrate in time with their little innocent lamb&#039;s heartbeat, before her agonized struggles took back over once more.<br /><br />Turning, slow and low, Barani endured as best she could, the clouds above melding as distant lightning occasionally lit the sky. Each ticking minute brought worse agony to her body, assailed on all sides by the inescapable heat. She could not tell whether she was dripping sweat or oils and fats, the fluids sizzling and intermixing with the gently simmering sauce that scorched her body. By now, the agony within her pussy had abated, only to be replaced with the swelling torment from roasting alive, inch by inch from outside in. Unable to stop the pain, the agony, Barani could only close her eyes and hope that she would not open them again. Yet each time, her eyes lidded open once more, jerking her back to the hellscape she existed in; a cackling jeer from her captors, a snap of hot embers landing upon her bared flesh, or just a pain she had not felt before as flesh cracked or split. <br /><br />It would take close to forty-five agonized minutes for Barani to fade. A gurgling exhale was the only notice that her life was nearing its end. With her bronzed skin turned a decidedly deeper color, accented with the glisten of fat and steam wafting off her form and onto the moist, warm breeze. Of course, as Barani felt her eyes close, tears rolling down her face as her heat-addled mind gave rejoicing thanks that her suffering was over, the ex-diplomat was made acutely aware that her new Mistress, Lady Lilith, would not allow her death to face in comfort.<br /><br />She could not see the knife leveled against her breast, nor feel pain as the blade bit into her flesh. Perhaps it was the delirium causing her to dissociate from her own body. Most likely, it was the deadening of outermost nerves as her last functions ceased. All Barani felt was pressure as Lilith carefully carved down the front of her body, the outer flesh shaved off into thin, debris-like bites of perfectly medium-rare flesh. Careful not to spend too much time too close to the roaring braziers, Lilith was quick to slice the jagged and crumbling cuts from Barani?s fat-dripping breasts, taught belly and folded thighs, catching them on a plate before retreating in haste. Even the Daughter of Hatred was unprepared for the wall of roiling heat she had created around Barani?s body. As she turned away from her victim, holding the grease-tinted platter filled with gorgeously cooked girlmeat, Lilith needed to wipe her brow, a thin sheen of smoky ash clinging to her face from the nearby fires.<br /><br />Returning to the preparation table, Lilith found a clean spot to set down the first of many carvings from her rotisserie lamb. Lucia had returned from the Tip and Tail with a basketful of fresh ingredients; warm flatbread she had baked in preparation for the meal, along with leafy lettuce, thin sliced carrots, and even fresh and crunchy cucumber. Setting up their evening meal on the table, the pair were treated to a little surprise in the form of some dinnertime `music.&#039; Though incoherent, exhausted and struggling at the edge of her life, Barani began to vocalize once more. Rousing groans quickly turned to animalistic cries rising from her broken and impaled body once more. Lilith always loved finding new and inventive methods of torture, and she clearly stumbled upon a new method. Removing a layer of already cooked meat, exposed Barani?s mostly uncooked flesh just an inch underneath. The aching and raw nerves, suddenly licked with flame, caused the dying girl to leap back to life, her struggles refreshed and uncontrolled as a brand-new pain racked her body. Of course, there was no higher-level sentience to it by now. The weak and exhausted moans coming from Barani&#039;s flame-roasted body were only a swan song for the tortured little lamb&#039;s fading mind.<br /><br />``A beautiful end to a beautiful girl...&#039;&#039; Lilith crooned, carefully rolling the tender shawarma so as not to tear the soft bread underneath, before opening her jaws wide to take a deep and hearty bite. Indeed, there was something special about the meal. Though not simple by any means, it was exactly as Barani had described it. Hearty and flavorful, perfect to warm the stomach and soul. ``Mnnpfh! Ohhh... that is perfect.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Still working on hers, Lucia couldn&#039;t help but chuckle as she asked, ``So were you serious about claiming her soul to serve for all eternity?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Mid-chew, Lilith shrugged her shoulders, swallowing her mouthful before speaking again. ``Suppose it depends. She&#039;s put on a good show, and she did willingly give her eternal soul in return for a little less physical pain...&#039;&#039; With a chuckle, Lilith turned towards the rotisserie in time to watch Barani&#039;s animalistic struggles fade to stillness at long last. ``Not like I need a servant, but I suppose I can always call her up if the need should arise.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``And would that need be the Mage&#039;s Council?&#039;&#039; Lucia smirked as she took her own first bite, eyes rolling back in her head as the warm and supple girl meat melted upon her tongue.<br /><br />``Now that I&#039;ve had my chance to get revenge...&#039;&#039; Lilith said, her finger reaching down to swipe a dab of the spice mixture off the flatbread. Savoring it, she shot a side-eyed look back towards her sister before adding, ``I&#039;m not sure I&#039;m convinced just yet. The Council will not leap to conclusions so drastically without their chief diplomat to corroborate them. And even if one of them returns with news of our little enterprise, I should doubt they will leap to war over hearsay.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Indeed... The Council has a reputation for caution.&#039;&#039; Lucia sighed, taking another bite, this time talking with her mouth full as she added. ``Mnnnnn... we should continue our efforts in Lut Gholein. The spice trade between continents would be a perfect way to tempt visitors from Westmarch.&#039;&#039; <br /><br />``Heh, you like them as much as I do, huh?&#039;&#039; Lilith ribbed playfully, before nodding in agreement. Staring down at the gorgeous `lamb shawarma&#039; in her hands, the Daughter of Hatred smiled at the thought of serving more unsuspecting visitors the meat of their fellow humans. To rival The Chop Shop in the sale of exotic meats was, it seemed, the best way to begin discrediting them in the eyes of their fellow humans. ``I think that&#039;s a good idea. Let&#039;s help the people of Westmarch expand their palates for rare flavors and even rarer meat.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;PAGE&nbsp;&nbsp; \\* MERGEFORMAT&nbsp;&nbsp;2 <br /><br />Expanding your Palate<br /><br />Written by Choice Cuts Deli<br /><br />Commission for DarkGoddessLilith | June 2021 | 10455 Words<br /><br />(c) 2021 Choice Cuts Deli Freelance Author <br /><br />All Rights Reserved<br /><br /></span>","pools_count":1,"title":"Expanding your Palate | Entree Sized Comm","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"4","name":"Sexual Themes","description":"Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal","rating_id":"2"},{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"230"}