5 comments/ 11764 views/ 3 favorites Inanna's Descent into the Underworld Ch. 01 By: KatieTay Chapter 01: Inanna and Ereshkigal -- Battle in Irkalla [This is a one-off story, or so I intend at this time, inspired by several elements: the Mesopotamian myth of Inanna's Descent into the Underworld, and a few stories written by a certain "GW" from another website, a noted portal for the female muscle fetish. This story draws upon various ideas and scenarios presented in GW's stories, and it is not intended to be plagiarism.] [This story is also predicated on a fetish: women who are paragons of muscular development, and who are engaged in intense struggle for physical and mental dominance. If you have thematic objections to this, please do not read this story.] * High Priestess Puabana shook with anger. "The demon queen has gone too far! How could Ereshkigal have the gall to break the peace of Inanna, her sister and ruler?" The severely-wounded runner was at death's door. She sported several claw marks along her bronzed, lean legs, but Puabana knew no ordinary animal had made those wounds. Nothing but a demon could cause gashes that suppurated in this fashion -- demons under the command of Ereshkigal, Goddess of Irkalla the Land of the Dead, Queen of the Realm Beneath. The runner croaked, while supported by two other priestesses, "I know not the reason for her boldness, O Blessed One. I know... what I saw... they come... for us..." She collapsed in a fit of coughing, and blood spotted the floor in front of her. The healers rushed forward -- but it was too late. Her soul had passed on, passed on into the realm of that very entity whose demon armies now marched on the Great Temple of Uruk, the glorious city wholly dedicated to the worship of Warlike Inanna, Supreme Goddess of the Sky. Silently, Puabana prayed for her brave soul, and the souls of all who had suffered and died so far. Then the reports came in from the soldiers. The men's faces were frozen into rictuses of terror. Other men they could battle fearlessly, creatures of flesh and blood they could fight. Bold enough they were, certainly, when taking the spoils of war after a successful sack of a city. They could not stand firm when faced with demons from the Netherworld, horrors from nightmares come to life. Not for centuries had such a thing happened. Now, the reign of the indolent fatuous king Dumuzi would be marked by this event forever. The warrior priestesses under Puabana's command were far more courageous. As the demons ravaged the streets of the city and approached the steps of the Great Temple, the women silently formed ranks and levelled their spears. The sunlight glinted off their shields of bronze and gold. Their shoulders and arms were strong, their feet were firm. Puabana was proud of them, even when it became clear that they were completely overmatched. By degrees, they were forced back until they stood in the inner sanctum, before the statue of Inanna herself, the survivors grimly blinking the sweat and blood from their eyes, forming a protective wall around a wounded Puabana. Here of all places, they would not flee or surrender. They would fight and die for their goddess. But then they quailed, as the slavering demons parted ranks, and a figure that so obviously was of deific origin strode through. Puabana gasped. It was Ereshkigal herself! And now the entire chamber seemed filled with a palpable cold dread, as the personal aura of the dark goddess emanated from her. She was almost naked, pale-skinned and voluptuous, clad in black flowing strands of cloth that seemed to coil around her body like sensuous tendrils. Her hair, black as midnight, was tied up and pinned in the traditional fashion of royalty. She was so pale that her skin almost seemed grey with a ghostly pallor. She wore no weapons, no protective armour or other accoutrements. "Well, proud lackey of my haughty sister, there you stand, defiant to the last," Ereshkigal's voice seemed to be a chill penetrating Puabana's very bones. The involuntary moans of her stalwart priestess soldiers and their shuddering told her that they were reacting similarly to the voice of the goddess. Not for nothing are they gods and goddesses, who rule over us, Puabana thought, breaking into cold sweat. When their divinity is manifest, no mortal can endure it. But she drew herself up as far as she was able and declared, "This place is sacrosanct, Ereshkigal, Mistress of the Netherworld. We are the children of Inanna, your divine sister, and we are under her protection. This invasion of yours breaks the peace of the gods, and offends Enki himself. I charge you, in the name of Inanna..." It was not so much a shout as a direct imperative forced upon every cell in her body, imprinted directly upon her brain. Puabana froze, finding herself unable to move. Ereshkigal's eyes were black pits of hatred and rage, and she strode forward, ready with one sweep of her arm to slay them all in a stroke. Summoning up every ounce of her will and devotion to her beloved goddess, Puabana raised her eyes to the heavens and screamed, "Queen Inanna! Your daughters are in need! Come to us!" And there was a flash of light, brighter than the sun, and the demons shrank back, gibbering with sudden terror. And lo! The statue of Inanna behind the women had disappeared -- had come to life! The priestesses gasped as one body at this miracle. As the glare slowly faded into a warm soothing glow, they turned to their goddess made manifest and fell on one knee in adulation. Inanna herself was there in the flesh. Like her sister, she towered over her mortal devotees, standing at nearly eight feet. Her hair was like the mane of a lion, reddish-gold framing her divinely beautiful face, strong feminine features given a leonine cast. In shade and colour her hair was like that of most Sumerians, but her shimmering hair possessed unearthly vibrancy of colour. All over her body, clad in a flowing white robe and her divine armour, a soft sheen glowed. She was sleekly muscled, her womanly curves moving sinuously with a powerful intimation of strength, so that she seemed an incomparably graceful Lioness, much like the seven golden lions she had tamed that pulled her chariot when she wished to traverse the skies or the land. Now her golden eyes were flashing, and she raised a tawny arm to point at Ereshkigal, who had drawn back slightly but was standing her ground, baring her teeth in a show of belligerence. Puabana and her followers fell onto their knees in awe before their goddess. Several were weeping openly, never having expected the honour of seeing Inanna incarnate before their very eyes in their lifetime. It seemed that her bright presence burned away the chill and despair of Ereshkigal's aura. Where Ereshkigal was darkly sexual, a creature of the night, the embodiment of umbral temptation, Inanna was truly the mother of life, her curvy body the epitome of womanly perfection, her strong sun-browned limbs possessing the strength to nurture and protect. "Sister! Has your earlier chastisement at my hands escaped your memory so soon? Why do you now wreak havoc throughout the mortal realm with such impunity, such little regard for your fate? Your punishment will be severe indeed, Ereshkigal. My mercy will be less this time, for my patience is limited, and the harm you have caused is great. I shall suffer you to explain yourself and your evil acts, before I pass judgement upon you!" Inanna's regal voice rang out, resounding through the chamber with holy wrath tempered by a serene, unflappable calm. "For too long have I suffered at your 'mercy', Sister!" Ereshkigal spat, and now her voice seemed as the venomous hissing of a serpent. "You took the sunlit realms for yourself, and grew strong on the worship of credulous mortals, while for me, you left the cold, dark netherworld, far beneath the earth, far from the sun, far from warmth, far from joy, far from life. You thought to trap me there for eternity, as I languished in my exile. "But you made a mistake when you condemned me there! I have fed upon the misery of death. I have fed upon the pain and suffering of mortal souls, and I have grown strong, Inanna! Stronger even than you! And now, I am come to claim my throne and dominion over all the world, and I will cast you down into the deep darkness, where you will reside for all eternity, and only then will I call my vengeance sated!" Such blasphemous words, uttered within Inanna's own Holy of Holies! Puabana stepped forward, trembling with fury, but Inanna herself raised an arm to stay her. Awed, Puabana looked up at the countenance of her goddess. Inanna bestowed her chief follower, the most devout High Priestess who had ever served her, with a smile and a kindly look. Puabana communed often with Inanna, at all hours of the day and the night. Inanna heard her often, and spoke to her from time to time. Being the supreme goddess of love and life, the sexual orgasm was the most powerful gift Inanna had given to all of humanity. An act of physical pleasure was a sacrament to her; the throes of bodies entwined in passion were her sacred dance; the moans and cries of release were her songs of praise. High Priestess Puabana had received that rarest of gifts -- she had received a Visitation from Inanna herself, on one memorable night. She knew, with humble pride, that she occupied a special place in Inanna's heart. "High Priestess Puabana, I know well your love of me. Your courage and strength are an inspiration to my followers. With such women as you and your brave sisters in my Temple, my demonic sister will never triumph over the living lands," Inanna proclaimed, sending a surge of pride through Puabana's chest, and through all the priestess warriors who heard. "See well the untruth of your words, sister!" Ereshkigal cried out. The room darkened, and a dark circle seemed to form in the air. The hair on the nape of Puabana's neck rose, as she gazed upon this portal with mounting terror. It was something every mortal feared to see: the gateway to the Land of No Return. "You took the realms of life and love as your dominion," hissed Ereshkigal, her dark eyes glittering pinpoints of hate. "But mine is the law of the dead. Mine is the judgement of the ending of a life. And now, I decree -- their time has come! Puabana, High Priestess of my contemptible sister -- your judgement is here!" And she gave Puabana the Look of Death. Inanna was powerless to prevent this -- by ancient compact, the judges of the underworld, the Anunnaki, decreed when a mortal would die -- and Ereshkigal was the Queen of the Anunnaki. The entire phalanx of women warriors reeled, caught up in the Look, and they were slain where they stood -- such was the remorseless power of Ereshkigal. Their souls passed swiftly into the Land of No Return. One by one, the doughty warrior-women of Inanna fell to the floor and lay still. Puabana staggered. She fell to her knees. Raising a hand towards Inanna, she looked up, smiled, and croaked, "My goddess... save... your people... you are... the stronger... you will... triumph..." Then she slumped, and her soul passed on into the Land of No Return, beyond the veil of life, to join her courageous women warriors. "No!" Inanna cried, but to no avail. Her eyes flashed with fury as she rounded on the laughing Ereshkigal. "Yours it was not given to cause untimely death, despicable sister of mine! Your abuse of power stinks to the heavens -- and it is I who shall bring you your judgement! You will face your condemnation before me!" "Come, then!" Ereshkigal's eyes flashed as well. The two divine sisters locked eyes and glared. Ereshkigal's demons had moved forward, eager to begin befouling the corpses of the priestesses with lewd intentions. With a contemptuous wave of her hand, Inanna banished them, causing them to burn up with howls of agony, leaving no earthly trace behind. Ereshkigal spoke. "Lesser demons you may have dominion over, Inanna, Courtesan of the Heavens. But over me, you shall have none." "I invoke the Rite of the Trial," Inanna intoned, her voice taking on the tones of formality. "I shall prevail over you and deliver to you my judgement." "I accept, and I choose the place of our Trial," Ereshkigal replied swiftly. "Come down to my chamber, in the deep parts of Irkalla! I invite you, sister, so that you may return from my realm freely should you chance to triumph over me!" Inanna hesitated a moment, but her sister had the right to choose the place of the Trial, according to divine formula. She remained confident -- the previous Trial had been little more than a formal gesture, and she had brought heavy chastisement upon her sister in front of all the gods, forcing her to accept her judgement and punishment. In Irkalla, the gaze of the gods would easily reach the battle, and all the denizens of the deep netherworld would be spectators as well, but of course unable to interfere. Perhaps even the recently departed spirits of the dead would be able to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. Her favoured High Priestess, Puabana, would surely be comforted when Inanna exacted justice upon the dark demon queen! "Very well -- I accept your invitation, and your challenge," she stated. "Your foul unwanted presence will be banished from the sunlit lands. Death will come in the fullness of time, and not by your wanton wishes. I will bring this to pass." "Come then," Ereshkigal gave a throaty chuckle, and crooked a black-painted fingernail. She stepped into the portal, and disappeared. Inanna took a few strides forward, and within moments, she had followed her sister into the portal. Instantly, she found herself in a high-ceilinged cold stone chamber. This was the anteroom of the gate she knew from long memory. It had been many hundreds of years since she had had occasion to pass this way, nigh unto a thousand years. The gates could not be smashed by any force -- not even by her considerable might. The sepulchral tones of the first gatekeeper echoed through the chamber. "Inanna, Courtesan of the Gods, Mistress of Life and War. Why have you come?" "I come at my sister Ereshkigal's behest. She has challenged me to combat, and I come to bring justice upon her," Inanna declared. The cold, dead voice continued, "You may enter, Queen of the Heavens, but your garments must be shed. You may not enter the Nether Realms except with a humble heart and a countenance to match." "Insolence!" Inanna's fury flared. Her dark mascaraed eyes seemed to blaze with anger, and she drew herself up to her full height. The glory of her divine power seemed to envelope her physical form. "Know you not who I am? How dare you attempt to impose such strictures upon me!" "It matters not who you are, Mighty Inanna," the gatekeeper, Neti, responded, still in that toneless voice. "Enlil Himself would have to obey these laws, for He was the one who set them from the beginning of time. For this, the first gate, remove your crown, and enter the gate with humbled head shorn of glory." Inanna gritted her teeth, but she had to comply. She raised her hands and took off her crown, her shurgarra -- the Crown of the Steppe. Her red-gold hair framed her face like a mane -- surely any could see that even bareheaded, her glory and beauty were not diminished. Still, the crown was a great loss, for it conferred a large part of her warlike prowess upon her. The crown disappeared from her hands as she offered it up. The gatekeeper intoned, "Proceed." Inanna strode forth, and into another chamber, facing the second gate. Neti spoke again. "Here, remove and surrender unto me your necklace." It was lapis-lazuli, finer than any that could be found in the earthly realm. Inanna stripped it off and gave it up, feeling yet more of her power disappear. The third gate took from her the breast beads adorning her chest, the double strand that hung from her neck. She fumed as the fourth gate compelled her to take off her breast plate, which was better protection than any mortal armour could provide. The fifth gate deprived her of her bracelets, and she felt the strength of her arms diminish. By then it could be seen clearly by any onlooker that her divine radiance was dimmed, though the sheer beauty of her strong and sleek form remained astounding. At the sixth gate, she balked at having to relinquish her judgement rod, which she wielded sometimes as a mace. It was inlaid with the same lapis-lazuli as her necklace, and contained immense power against all enemies. The gatekeeper remained adamant and unyielding, and took the rod from her. And at the seventh and final gate, without her consent, her shimmering robes suddenly vanished. "What is this?" she demanded furiously. Her nipples stiffened at the sudden exposure to the chill air of the underworld. Her muscular body was abruptly revealed in all its glory, but not in a manner that she had desired. "Be you silent, Queen Inanna," Neti was as implacable as ever. "The ways of the underworld are perfect. They may not be questioned. Enter, then, holy courtesan of the Heavens, with head bowed low." Thus did Inanna step past the threshold, and into Ereshkigal's throne room. Immediately her senses were assailed with the overpowering odour of the unguents used in embalming rites by the mortals. The air here, cold and dank, was redolent with the scent of those oils. The chill air caused her pink nipples to swell and become erect, and she shivered involuntarily. She was in a huge stone chamber, illuminated only by a faint eerie glow suffusing the entire area, which did not seem to emanate from any particular light source. This was the dark light of Irkalla, her sister's dark and cheerless realm. In the middle of the chamber was a large circular dais, the borders of which were inscribed with cuneiform runes of power. And across the chamber from her stood the demon Queen Ereshkigal, as naked as her heavenly sister, in front of her throne of skulls. She was holding a goblet, and beside her something hung suspended from chains, dripping blood. Inanna gasped in horror as her eyes adjusted and she saw what it was -- it was the form of Puabana, her High Priestess, and her blood was dripping from a wound in her neck into the goblet Ereshkigal held! "Release her! Release my High Priestess!" she screamed with righteous fury, filling the entire hall with the reverberations of her voice. For a moment the shadows in the deepest corner were dispelled, and Ereshkigal snarled as she felt the force of Inanna's rage. But then the pale alabaster-skinned goddess smiled, and raised the goblet of blood to her blackened lips. "I shall consign her to her fate soon enough, sister mine, once I have supped of her lifeblood! She was your favoured one once, was she not? Her blood fortifies me, Inanna -- the blood of your most devout worshipper fortifies me against you!" And with that, she drank deeply of the goblet, letting some of the blood trickle from the corners of her lips. And indeed, she seemed to glow with increased power in some undefinable way. This was ancient magic -- in a battle between deities, if one should consume the blood of the other's defeated followers, there was an exchange of strength and potency. The more devout the followers, the greater the corresponding exchange. Inanna could feel the flow of energies, conferring some of her power upon her sister. The soul of Puabana, she could see, was trapped, a prisoner of Ereshkigal's whims. The form of Puabana turned its head to Inanna, and the goddess was sick at heart to see the sheer depth of suffering in the pits that constituted her eyes. How could she allow her most loyal follower to be subject to such a cruel fate? Inanna gathered her energies, preparing to force the release of Puabana's soul from durance vile. "Goddess... no... do not... your strength... drained... I will suffer... for you..." Puabana's croaking, rattling voice was a parody of the clarion one she had possessed in life, the voice that had rendered judgement, offered paeans of praise, commanded soldiers in battle. But for all that, it was unmistakably hers, and she was displaying such unwavering nobility of spirit even in the midst of such suffering. She, a mortal, able to do this! Inanna's Descent into the Underworld Ch. 01 "All the more you shall have your just reward, my beloved Puabana!" Inanna declared, her eyes filling with tears. "Anunnaki, hear me! I exert my right to the soul of this woman! By my holy power, this woman is free of the Underworld, and will depart this realm!" A whirlwind built up around the chamber. Slowly, a circle of light appeared, an unprecedented sight here in this place -- the radiance was a flame that pushed back the darkness, and into this luminous glow the liberated form of Puabana soared and vanished. The divine passageway closed as well. The wind died down, and the gloom once again reclaimed its domain. Inanna stood still, feeling the bone-deep fatigue wash over her -- this feat would have been much easier if all her items of power had been still with her, and it was hard to focus her energies in the realm of the dead. Still, she knew she could not have let Puabana suffer one moment longer in Ereshkigal's grasp. Ereshkigal's cruel smirk told her that she had, perhaps, played into a trap laid by her sister. With a resolute tilt of her head, Inanna squared her shoulders and strode forward, stepping onto the dais. She would not give Ereshkigal the satisfaction of detecting any weakness on her part. As she walked, the sinuous movements of her muscles made her appear to be the very embodiment of martial prowess that, in truth, she was. Her breasts were large and sat high on her chest with a proud upward tilt. She was the Strong Mother, the Matron of Might, the Mistress of War, and even here in Irkalla, naked, she still looked every bit the part. An elegant tuft of golden hair pointed the way to her divine womanhood, from which all fertility and sexuality emanated. Ereshkigal tossed the empty goblet aside and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, and strode forward too, stepping onto the dais as well. Her movements were of the sultriest of courtesans, and firm flesh rippled as well underneath her smooth pale skin, hinting at strength where Inanna's flesh proudly declared it. Her breasts were round and soft, hanging slightly lower than Inanna's, but were lush and full. Her dark nipples were swollen as well, and pointed rigidly outwards. The curve of her hips was the curve of the gibbous moon, and the mound of her womanhood was completely hairless, like a statue's might be. They came to a stop and stood before each other in the middle of the dais, which was clearly to be the ring in which they would have their Trial. The runes around the edges glowed, and Inanna knew their purpose: the ritual combat would take place, and the loser of the Trial would be killed, her powers claimed by the victor. The two goddesses, embittered sisters, glared silently for a time at each other in mutual appraisal, their eyes wandering up and down each other's bodies, evaluating strengths and weaknesses. "Think you that you can challenge me again, my dark sister?" Inanna spoke first, her voice oozing disdain. "Do you not remember the outcome and proceeding of our last such encounter? I threw you into the sides of the cliffs, I hurled you far into the sea, I crushed and bent you until you cried out your submission to the winds and the sun. You knelt and begged for mercy, uttering many promises which you have this day broken. Have the chill odorous airs of the Nether world addled your brains, Ereshkigal?" "Sanctimonious sister of mine, you shall swallow your insults and weep with shame when I defeat you," Ereshkigal hissed in reply. "You thought to punish me with this exile, you thought I would rot and wither here, in this realm devoid of light or life -- but you did not reckon with the powers of death and darkness! You did not foresee, for all your wisdom," this last said with a sarcastic sneer, "that I would be strengthened, not weakened, by my reign here, in Irkalla! I have fed upon the souls of the damned, and I have gazed into the Endless Void and seen the power that exists for me to grasp. I am strong now, Inanna -- I shall overthrow you, and overthrow the entire pantheon, and take my rightful place as ruler of all!" "You are much more of a fool than I had imagined, Ereshkigal!" Inanna's voice snapped forth like a whip. "You would think to depose Utu the Just, our brother who judges the souls of the righteous? Battle the invincible Ninurta and his mace Sharur, against whom even I hesitate to raise my arm? Establish dominion over Primeval Tiamat, Mother of All? Challenge Boundless Enlil, Lord of the Air, for supremacy? You are foolish, foolish beyond belief!" "When I have added your strength to mine, it shall be the first step to my journey to ultimate victory! I broke the compact and released demons upon your treasured city of Uruk, sister, simply to draw you down from your idylls in the Heavens! I wonder that you could tear yourself away from your disporting with that worthless man whom you call lover, that king Dumuzi who is as a worm to us! But you have behaved most predictably, my dear sister, and now, your fate is sealed, for you will lose this Trial to me, and I will take your power for my own!" "It is you who have miscalculated," Inanna asserted grimly. "My strength is still greater than yours, and I have not been idle. Gaze upon my power again, sister, lest you forget whom you have chosen to battle." She struck up a pose, a posture from a martial dance of war meant for women to adopt, that displayed womanly grace combined with a bold display of strength. Her arms she crooked, and her fists she clenched, so that the muscles of her arms and shoulders flexed powerfully. Her magnificent legs she turned sideways, and she pointed one foot forward, pressing on the stone floor with her toe, causing each muscle on her leg to bulge in its own place. Even the silent shadowy watchers, denizens of Irkalla, who were able to perceive this encounter even from beyond the stone chamber, were struck dumb by the spectacle. Truly, Inanna was the goddess of war and of sex, and in her body the twin elements had formed union. Ereshkigal, unfazed, struck up a pose as well, but from a difference dance, a dance of seduction and lust. Her pose accentuated her already mesmerizing curves, and took her sensual appeal to new heights. Any mortal man gazing upon her in that pose would have been overcome with uncontrollable concupiscence within a moment, and would have given up his seed without anything touching his male member. Her breasts curved upwards, following the movement of her upraised arms. She epitomized the combination of strength and flexibility, and the cruel look in her lidded eyes completed the image of her dark power. "Look well, sister, upon the one who has the power to defeat you. I shall revenge myself upon you for the wrong you have done to me. Shame shall be heaped upon your name. Scorn shall be your meat, and pain your wine, as you suffer, dead but undying, your body a trophy for me to display in my hall." Inanna bared her teeth, showing a hint of the feral ferocity that made her so fearsome in battle. She would exact retribution for her dearest Puabana, the other priestesses of her temple, and the innocent people of Uruk and the mortal realms. She would be the champion of the Heavens, the one who would curtail Ereshkigal's ill-conceived rebellion before it could properly bear its dark fruit. Ereshkigal grinned back mirthlessly. What a joy it would be to overcome that strong, tawny body, to dominate the haughty Inanna and bend the proud goddess to her own dark will, before consuming Inanna's power to add to her own, making her the single most powerful goddess in existence. Here in this realm, she had set everything up perfectly -- all the advantage was hers, none was Inanna's. She knew she would have to be a weakling indeed, to lose this fight, and she was utterly determined not to show herself weak in any way. Deciding to make the first move and disconcert Inanna, Ereshkigal dropped her pose. She put her right foot forward, and put out her right arm as well, her hand opened invitingly. This was the arm pulling game, the one that children and sometimes soldiers played. It was a contest of strength and balance. Inanna would have to brace her foot against Ereshkigal's, and grasp her hand. They would then pull, and the first to lose her footing and stumble would be the loser. Harmless, when soldiers or the priestesses of Inanna played this game. Here, it was a challenge to Inanna's sense of pride, with Ereshkigal's own pride at stake. The pride of a goddess was not something lightly lost. "I am still the stronger goddess, Ereshkigal," Inanna said confidently, accepting the challenge by matching her dark sister's pose, rubbing the outside of her right foot against Ereshkigal's. "We shall see, Inanna," Ereshkigal replied, as their thumbs hooked and their fingers curled around each other's hand. Ereshkigal clenched her hand -- and immediately Inanna felt her sister's dark strength. Her eyes widened a fraction with surprise, but she squeezed hard herself, and was satisfied to see Ereshkigal suck in her breath at the pressure Inanna could inflict. Their strength test began. The biceps on both arms bulged with power, and so did the muscles on their thighs and calves. Giving a lurch to the side, Ereshkigal attempted to throw Inanna off balance, but the proud bronze goddess was wise to such tricks, and she maintained her footing, curling her strong arm and pulling Ereshkigal forward. Ereshkigal remained firm on her feet, though now her long shapely arm was stretched out and forced to the side. With a big heave, flexing her supple trunk, she repaid Inanna in kind, and Inanna suddenly found herself the one pulled forward, her forward leg bent, her back foot stumbling slightly. "She is strong!" Inanna realized. Gritting her teeth, she stabilized her footing -- then she curled her arm up at the elbow, matching Ereshkigal for arm strength. Ereshkigal bared her teeth -- her canines had been filed to sharp points, giving her a dark feline appearance, in contrast to the leonine Inanna. Their arms now were locked straight up in the middle, bent at the same angle, and here the Lion Goddess found that her arm strength had sufficed so far but no further, for somehow Ereshkigal could match her power. Her arm trembled finely but made no further progress. Both goddesses now tensed their entire bodies in their effort to throw the other. Their muscles now rippled in full relief. Sweat drops began to appear on their bare skin, despite the chill of the air in Irkalla. "Ughh... unnghh..." Inanna could not help moaning with the exertion as she strove with her dark sister. Then, Ereshkigal gave a feral cry, and Inanna felt her arm wrenched forward with irresistible force. With a twist of her body, Ereshkigal heaved -- and Inanna went flying, her whole body vaulting head over heels, to land flat on her back on the cold stone dais! Stunned, the mighty goddess of war lay there, blinking. She felt winded by the impact. How had this happened? She had lost...! Ereshkigal had won this game of strength! Clumsily, she scrambled to her feet. Ereshkigal laughed at the ungainly movements of her sister, and struck up another pose. Now it seemed as if her muscles were glowing preternaturally, with hitherto hidden power now revealed. Inanna swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. No, it could not be -- surely not? She was the stronger, had always been the stronger. But the sensations came to her -- her strength was a fraction of what it was, her powers largely taken from her by the gatekeeper Neti. This place was the seat of Ereshkigal's dominion, and the cold, dark aura of death and despair was like a miasma enveloping Inanna. And she had expended much of her divine essence liberating the captive spirit of Puabana -- whose life essence had caused a transfer of yet more divine essence from Inanna to Ereshkigal. She squared her shoulders, and gave a proud toss of her reddish locks. She was still mighty Inanna. No challenge could faze her. Ereshkigal dropped into a crouch, and began to stalk her, her long legs undulating with rippling muscles underneath the smooth alabaster skin. Inanna followed suit, circling Ereshkigal, who made a few darting feints. Inanna decided to seize the initiative, and made a bold lunge for Ereshkigal's midriff. With an adroit twist and sidestep, Ereshkigal evaded Inanna's grasping arms. Quick as a striking viper, Ereshkigal wrapped her own arms around Inanna from the side, and slid around to the back even as Inanna grabbed Ereshkigal's wrists and forearms. "Arrgh..." she cried, as Ereshkigal tensed her arms and applied squeezing pressure to Inanna's sculpted abdomen. "Release me!" "And why would I do that, sweet sister?" Ereshkigal hissed back disdainfully in reply. "I will crush the life force from your body, Queen of the Whores!" "You lack the strength, Ereshkigal," Inanna gritted her teeth, tensing her abdominal muscles to resist the pressure even as she grabbed hold of her sister's wrists, attempting to break the hold by main force. "Do I? We shall see, Inanna. You will scream for mercy soon enough," Ereshkigal promised grimly, as they settled down to this struggle. The sweat broke out on Inanna's forehead as she flexed her arms mightily, first pulling, then pushing, trying to break Ereshkigal's hold. Ereshkigal had gripped her own forearms as tightly as she could, and the cords of muscle stood out on her arms as she tried to keep Inanna trapped. It was by no means easy. Inanna jerked and strained like a force of nature, and several times Ereshkigal almost lost her footing, as they staggered around in a frenzy. Both now drew in ragged breaths as their tussle continued, but Inanna was at an increasing disadvantage -- she could not draw a full breath, and each time she exhaled, it seemed as though Ereshkigal intuited it and tightened her grip just a fraction more, increasing the crushing pressure. With mounting dismay, Inanna realized her arm strength was not enough to break Ereshkigal's leverage. Her own abdominal wall could not hold out much longer. "You're mine," Ereshkigal gasped, as she sensed Inanna's strength flagging. With a wild cry, Inanna made a move of desperation, and swung her elbow back, striking the side of Ereshkigal's head. The dark goddess reeled, stunned and surprised, relinquishing her grip. Inanna extricated herself and quickly stepped away, putting some much needed space between her and her opponent. She gasped with pain, and clutched her belly -- Ereshkigal's arms had been far stronger than she could have anticipated. Ereshkigal's eyes glittered triumphantly with a she-wolf's menace, as she rubbed the side of her face. "I will win this contest, sanctimonious slut of a sister," she snarled. "You know now, you cannot match my strength." A worried Inanna did not make reply immediately, but used the time to try and collect herself. She drove the thought from her head -- she could not afford to let Ereshkigal dominate her will. She also knew she could not afford to be careless, or to underestimate her sister further. She had to prevail. For the sake of all the living lands, and all her brothers and sisters in the pantheon, she had to! She put up her arms and set her feet in a martial stance. Seeing this, Ereshkigal adopted a stance of her own as well. The two inched closer to each other, ready to begin this pugilistic contest. Inanna struck first. Her left fist shot out, and then she swung her body the other way suddenly, swinging her right leg up like a bronze ball upon a chain. Ereshkigal easily dodged the fist strike, refusing to be taken in by the feint, and made a grab for Inanna's leg. The kick connected with a meaty smack into Ereshkigal's side, and the dark queen gasped with pain for an instant, but she managed to wrap a strong arm around Inanna's shin. Launching her body off her left leg, she swung a heavy right kick at Inanna's head. Despite her trapped leg, however, Inanna was immensely flexible and agile, and she twisted away from the kick, ducking just under it, close enough to feel the wind against her face. Her left leg swung up, connecting with Ereshkigal's right flank, eliciting another satisfying gasp from the pale goddess. However, Ereshkigal did not release her grip. On the contrary, even as she recovered from her whiffed kick, she grabbed hold of Inanna's left leg as well. Inanna bent backwards to brace her body against the ground with her arms, and twisted her body with a powerful motion, ignoring the spasm of pain around her trunk and at her belly. Seemingly every muscle in her body bulged and flared, and Ereshkigal was sent flying to the side, with the sheer torque Inanna had created. Ereshkigal displayed her own dexterity -- she landed on her hands, performed a cartwheel, and ended in a feline crouch, as Inanna recovered her stance. The whole exchange had taken mere seconds. Their eyes narrowed as they studied each other for openings. Inanna shifted into a more aggressive martial stance, her fingers curling into claws, her biceps coiling as she raised her arms. She resembled a lioness in her pose, her haunches tense and ready to launch her at her enemy. Ereshkigal also shifted her stance, and somehow her movements became more fluid and languid. Her fingers were brought close together and stiffened. She brought her arms up as well, to resemble the posture of a snake poised to strike. Once again Inanna struck first, her hands striking out like claws, swiping powerfully. But Ereshkigal dodged away with sinuous movements -- then, suddenly, she seemed to drop to the stony floor, and slither underneath Inanna's guard. Taken aback, Inanna swiped downwards at what she thought was Ereshkigal's unprotected back -- but the cunning demon queen had twisted around, and blocked Inanna's blows, striking hard and fast with stiffened fingers at Inanna's forearms. Inanna felt the stinging numbness where Ereshkigal's strikes had connected -- then her eyes widened, as Ereshkigal's legs came swinging up, and the pale luscious thighs clamped around Inanna's head! Her eyes bulged now, as Ereshkigal flexed her whole body, sending Inanna head over heels to land with a meaty smack, the impact causing Inanna's divinely muscled bronzed body to bounce off the stone once. The pain! Inanna was unused to such sensations. She was still disoriented from having been tossed, and she only dimly realized that Ereshkigal had followed through with the whole movement, and was now perched on top. Inanna's face was trapped in between Ereshkigal's unyielding thighs, and she was staring straight up at Ereshkigal's moist sex. Her shoulders were pinned beneath Ereshkigal's knees, limiting the movement of her arms. Her body was stretched out before Ereshkigal... completely defenceless. The pale dark-haired goddess arched her back languidly, her arms rising in the air, fists clenching slowly, and for a moment she posed like a splendid muscled statue -- then her fists came crashing down, one after the other, smashing into Inanna's strong proud breasts, into the spectacularly ridged belly, into the firm flesh of Inanna's perfect physical form. Blow after blow she landed, her barrage relentless. Finally, after what seemed like an interminable time, she rose gracefully, her skin glistening with sweat. Her loins were wet, as she had experienced an episode of pleasure while battering the supine form of her heavenly sister. Some of her juices had flowed down her thighs and onto Inanna's face. Ereshkigal turned away from Inanna's quivering form and paraded around, displaying her body to the unseen spectators. Inanna gave a long shuddering moan, and her body twitched and spasmed. Bruises were beginning to appear all over her brutalized torso. She rolled onto her side, curling up slightly, struggling to rise. Ereshkigal turned to watch, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Inanna, struggling bit by bit to rise to her feet, using every ounce of her strength and will, to stand unbroken before her nemesis! Inanna's Descent into the Underworld Ch. 01 Ereshkigal's eyes narrowed. "So, you are a glutton for punishment and pain, my sister," she crooned, eyes gleaming wickedly. "You wish to suffer more at my hands, instead of yielding to me?" Inanna blinked the tears of pain out of her eyes. She knew with grim certainty that if she submitted, her sister's mercy would be scant indeed. She tried to draw herself upright, but gasped with pain. It was all she could do not to double over. Yet, once more she imposed her indomitable will upon her body. The mighty Queen of War held herself straight, muscles gleaming all over, and raised her hands in a posture of readiness. "I will never submit to you, Ereshkigal," she vowed. She would exact divine retribution upon her twisted sister. She would bring this evil sibling of hers to justice. "Then I will make you," Ereshkigal said, her voice low with menace. She would utterly crush this vision of divine beauty before her. She would make the mighty Inanna squirm and scream. She matched Inanna's pose. The two goddesses approached each other, slowly closing the distance, exchanging no further barbs or taunts. Wordlessly, they moved their hands together for a test of strength, lacing their fingers together, each putting one foot in front of the other to brace themselves. This would be the final test, both sensed. Neither goddess would back away or seek to break the test some other way. This contest, the entire Trial, would be decided by strength, endurance and will. If Inanna won here, she would throw down her dark sister and take over the cold dominion of the Underworld, perhaps bringing some justice to it to replace the cold horror of Ereshkigal's reign. If Ereshkigal should triumph, Inanna would be broken, her mortal body dead, her spirit consigned to as much suffering as Ereshkigal could devise. More -- her powers would be claimed, and Ereshkigal would become inconceivably potent. They stared deeply into each other's eyes as each took a deep breath. Then the contest began. The muscles on their bodies stood out -- each was a perfectly formed woman in her own way. The onlookers -- the dark inhabitants of Irkalla -- gasped as one at the sight, and looked on raptly. "I must win this Trial," Inanna thought. "I must defeat you, my evil sister, in this contest of strength and supremacy. For my dear Puabana... for the innocents you have caused to suffer... for the many innocents to come!" Her magnificent leonine flanks bulged. Her powerful arms, the strong arms of a divine mother, rippled. Giving a loud cry, she surged forward, overpowering Ereshkigal and bending the dark goddess back! Ereshkigal's face was a rictus of effort as she found herself bent over, almost down on one knee, her arms pushed back and out to the sides. "Argh... arrghhh..." Ereshkigal's grunts and groans of effort echoed Inanna's own. Sweat began to trickle down both their faces and bodies in rivulets, until they were both drenched with their exertion. Inanna exulted silently. She was still the stronger! Ereshkigal's panic was etched on her face, mere inches from her own. She wondered if her sister was regretting that she had miscalculated. "I must show you no further mercy, sister," she whispered, a little breathlessly. "You have had your chance to atone. Now comes my judgement." "Sanctimonious bitch," Ereshkigal spat back, almost literally, in Inanna's face. "You have not defeated me yet... nor will you." Gathering her remaining strength, Inanna braced and pushed, as hard as she could. Her body trembled all over. So did Ereshkigal's. Their arms shook as trees in a gale. Long moments passed -- and Ereshkigal did not fall. Her knee still hovered just above the stone floor, her back was bent far back, her body was stretched out to its limits, yet somehow, her strength held. Inanna found she could not seal her victory yet -- it was still as much a struggle as at the beginning of the match. And try as she might to put the thought from her mind, she was weakening. Her fiery surge of passion had given her a burst of power that was starting to fade here in the cold, cold air of Irkalla. The strength was being sapped from her by the unseen aura of the place, little by little, but inexorably. She was shorn of all her divine accoutrements that contained a large part of her essence and her strength. And she had been weakened, injured, by the combat with Ereshkigal, and by the strength transfer that Ereshkigal had worked with the death of Puabana. A portion of her own strength was, even now, being used against her. Her lips pressed together, trembling. Then she bared her teeth. She would not give up -- she could not let her fatigue be the cause of her defeat! Surely Ereshkigal was tired too -- surely Ereshkigal, with her inferior physical prowess, did not have the stamina to hold out for much longer. Surely she could outlast and outmuscle Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal's face showed the strain too, as much as Inanna's -- but she still managed a feral grin. Despite her massive disadvantage and her being on the brink of defeat, she could draw upon the negative energies of the Underworld to sustain her. The despair of her victims, the distilled agony of their suffering, the simmering resentment she had been nursing all these centuries after being banished here by her sister -- all fed her now, fuelling her muscles, strengthening her limbs and her trunk. A long time passed. The observers could see no change in their postures. It seemed as if they were magnificent statues, except for the shaking and trembling all over their bodies, the rivers of sweat now pooling beneath their struggling forms, and the masks of agony their faces had become. And now Inanna felt the first stirrings of despair and horror. No matter how hard she pushed, how much she strained and flexed, Ereshkigal was just refusing to go down. If she could just push Ereshkigal back and down an inch more, she knew, it would be the tipping point. She would be the winner, for she would have Ereshkigal subdued and defeated. But no matter how hard she tried, she just could not do it, just could not get that one inch of movement she needed. And now Ereshkigal's slitted eyes began to gleam with dark anticipation. She could sense her opponent's strength flagging. She could feel Inanna's hot breath on her own lips, as Inanna gasped and panted. Drops of perspiration fell from Inanna's face onto Ereshkigal's, but she welcomed the sensation, for it spoke to her of Inanna's growing fatigue. "Only a little... only a little more!" If Inanna had been a mortal, she would have been calling upon the gods for strength. As it was, she could only dredge up what strength she could from deep within herself. Then a lance of pain shot through Inanna's overly strained back, and Inanna threw her head back and gave a little scream of pain and shock. That was when both goddesses knew -- Inanna could do no more. She had done her best, her very best -- and it was not enough. Ereshkigal still had more to give. Inch by inch, she began to regain lost ground. Her arms, shoulders and chest flexed as she pushed Inanna's hands back and up. Her abdomen muscles undulated as if alive, as she unbent her taut body, and slowly reversed Inanna's advantage. Her leg muscles stood out, pillars of strength, as she raised her lower knee further and further off the floor, straightening out her supporting leg and thrusting against Inanna. Inanna was now forced on the defensive, and could do no more than slow down Ereshkigal's progress. She could no longer stop it. Grimly, she hung on, to the bitter end. Inch by shuddering inch, Ereshkigal pushed Inanna back up to the neutral position. Their arms were high overhead then, straight upwards. Their breasts pressed together, and Ereshkigal felt her own dark nipples stiffening against Inanna's pink ones, swelling larger and harder, overwhelming Inanna's in this ancillary contest. She grinned through her fatigue. Then she reached deep into herself, and pushed. For several moments Inanna resisted -- then her resistance crumbled, and she gave way with excruciating slowness. Her body bent, sinking lower, until now she was the one who was on the verge of a humiliating defeat. Ereshkigal leaned low, pressing her breasts to Inanna's, using body weight to exert extra pressure on Inanna's tortured trunk muscles. Inanna's own arms felt leaden and numb. Every muscle was still flexed to the limit, but her body seemed devoid of strength. A few moments more -- then her knee felt the cold shock of the stone floor. Ereshkigal had forced her down onto one knee. Yet Ereshkigal was not done. She continued pushing, pushing. Inanna was in a world of pain now, unwilling to yield, yet unable to hold back the tide of power that was Ereshkigal. It was like trying to hold up a mountain. Her back was bent back to an agonizing degree, and she was forced to go down onto her other knee. Now Inanna knelt before Ereshkigal. Unable to move; subdued, defeated. Her fingers were limp now, her wrists bent to the point of breaking, her arms stretched out to the sides straining her shoulder joints. Her back trembled for a few moments more as she was bent back further and further, like a bow -- then gave out as well, and she fell backwards, her shoulders and hands touching the cold stone floor. Tears of pain and shame streamed now from her eyes. She had lost. The unthinkable had happened! Inanna had lost in this battle of strength and dominance to Ereshkigal -- she had lost the Trial! Keeping her sister's body completely pinned, Ereshkigal threw back her head and gave an unearthly shriek of triumph. It resounded through all the halls of Irkalla -- it darkened the skies of the mortal realm -- a faint hint of it even reached the high heavens, where the gatekeeper deities frowned as if a chill wind had just blown, which was impossible on that plane. Ereshkigal released Inanna's hands at long last, and rose languidly off her, to stand proud and victorious, her eyes dark with long-awaited triumph and vindication. Inanna curled up in a foetal position, rubbing the life back into her numb arms, sobbing and gasping. "I have beaten you, sister," Ereshkigal stated calmly. Inanna could make no reply. Her pride and her hauteur had deserted her entirely. She turned her tearful eyes away from Ereshkigal like a chastened maiden, knowing the truth of what her sister said. "I will have your submission from you now, sister... and if you will not give me the words, still I would have it from you... by other utterances from your lips," Ereshkigal whispered hoarsely, bending over the body of her defeated foe. Inanna's eyes widened. "No..." But she could do nothing, as enfeebled as she was, against Ereshkigal's strength. In moments, Ereshkigal had grabbed hold of Inanna's calves, and had upended Inanna flat on her back, her arm muscles bulging strongly as she effortlessly kept Inanna's legs under her control. She stepped over Inanna's left leg with her right, and then slowly lowered herself... joining her loins to Inanna's. "No... NO!" Inanna cried out, her arms flailing helplessly, her trunk hurting too badly for her to raise her upper body off the floor, or for her to thrust Ereshkigal away with her legs. "They hail you as the Queen of Love, the Mistress of Sex, the Courtesan of the Gods, the Strong Mother," Ereshkigal hissed mockingly. Her womanhood was now pressed tightly against Inanna's, her juices already flowing from her own body into her sister's, invasively. Now she began to gyrate her hips. "What will they all say now, when they see you like this, shuddering helplessly beneath me, as I take my pleasure from you, and give you pleasure you do not want?" "No... no..." Inanna gathered the tattered vestiges of her divine dignity, such as it was, and tried to still the trembling of her lips. "You will not make my body betray me." Ereshkigal only continued the circular sensuous swivelling of her hips. Inanna's hips began to move in accordance, despite her best efforts to resist. Her breathing quickened, her face flushed, her nipples swelled erect, her hips began to shiver. "No... no..." Inanna lay stretched out, mounted by Ereshkigal, feeling the hot wet muscles of her loins begin a slow rhythmic pulsation... a sensation she had felt many times before, yet not like this, never like this. This was not permissible -- this was unthinkable -- Ereshkigal was overwhelming Inanna in a contest of sex. Of course, Inanna's body was near broken, her will already shattered. This was merely the final seal of Ereshkigal's total victory, the inducement of an unwilling orgasm to mark her conquest. "I am the stronger goddess," Ereshkigal panted, her own pleasure rising, "and when you are finished... I will be... the strongest of all..." And she thrust her pelvis hard against Inanna's, driving it downwards. Once... twice... Inanna felt her body explode in orgasm. Wave after wave of clenching pleasure, abhorrent loathsome undesired pleasure, washed through her body, radiating from her soaked womanhood. The divine Queen of War and Strength, the Courtesan of the Heavens, had been made to orgasm against her will by the dark Queen Ereshkigal. Outside of this arena, apart from the moans and screams as Ereshkigal too succumbed to the pleasure, the silence was deep. The shock was comprehensive. Dimly, Inanna became aware that Ereshkigal had released her legs, and had bent over her. She was utterly unable to prevent Ereshkigal from scooping her up -- there was nothing left in her, no strength or energy, no hidden reserves left to tap on. Ereshkigal slowly straightened her arms, lifting Inanna's body up in the air in a show of strength. She was the very picture of evil triumphant. Then she slammed Inanna's magnificent body down upon her knee with such force, that the crack of Inanna's back breaking resounded through the hall, and it seemed, through all Irkalla and beyond. Ereshkigal, new Queen of Darkness, Supreme Mistress of the Netherworld, stood over her vanquished sister. She placed one foot on Inanna's unmoving, supine body, and raised her arms, slowly curling them inwards, displaying every muscle she could, feeling endless strength flow through them. Inanna's powers were now her own as well. Tilting her head, she gave a primal scream of victory. The time of her dark ascendancy was at hand.