Here it is, my first mini-story compilation! The stories presented all take place in the same fantasy setting, which I'll definitely revisit in the future; they're also all technically co-writes, starting out as roleplays with other people who're in the loop regarding said server. Not much else to say, so enjoy~! :)
I'm also the founder of a Discord server with this setting in mind, and if you want to join, the invite is below. We can always use more people, since we have at least 60 thus far!
Heroes and Hysteria server: discord.gg/pAmmK7F
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I'm also the founder of a Discord server with this setting in mind, and if you want to join, the invite is below. We can always use more people, since we have at least 60 thus far!
Heroes and Hysteria server: discord.gg/pAmmK7F
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The forests of Silva Insanire are a lush, vibrant sea of green, interspersed with flecks of color and flashes of movement from all manner of elusive life. Beautiful but deadly, their boughs conceal many things that have the potential to ensnare any luckless traveler and subject them to a maddening torment that could turn even the strongest and most tenacious of men and women into helpless, giggling wrecks. Oddly enough, though, one of its most notorious inhabitants is in fact an invasive species. Originally native to the southern jungles, it was exported to other regions as an exotic pet and soon began to establish feral populations, banding together to form groups that could wreak havoc on anyone who dared to intrude upon their turf. Thriving on the abundant seeds and insects in Silva Insanire, they now add yet another danger to the many, many risks one may face upon penetrating these dark woods. Mimics can be broken out of, hydras fought, and krakens avoided, but from these creatures, there is no escape. Even the bravest of heroes know to steer clear, for those who cross them, even by accident, do so at their own peril…
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Woe to the warlock who took a fall, who found himself near the accursed nests entirely by accident.
Valance Crossen was stuck, he knew that much. Specifically, the fifteen-year-old was trapped in between three branches, his feet hooked to the largest branch, his large, size 12 soles stretched wide and open to what as coming. Dressed in a simple white blouse and leather trousers, his hair was white as snow and his eyes brown like rich dark chocolate. His black leather sandals had fallen to the ground, out of his reach some fifteen feet below.
If only he could free himself, then he could get his footwear back and escape. But without the ability to reach up to dislodge his feet safely, there was little chance of doing so.
There was a tweeting noise from nearby. A little yellow songbird with a crest on its head and a brush-like tuft of tail feathers had landed on a nearby branch…
He squirmed about in a bid to get free, unaware of the newcomer. He had moved into these woods just recently, some time after his family had been assassinated. He’d had to live off the land and landfills for weeks, and had been getting used to his new home here. But he hadn’t realized yet that there were some creatures that should be avoided… by those who weren’t masochistic, anyway.
The bird started eyeing his trapped feet, as though judging them silently… their owner none the wiser. And then, like a flash of song and color, it fluttered over and suddenly landed on his large right sole.
“Ack! W-wha?!” He bit his lip immediately, trying not to giggle. He wiggled his feet around, trying not to slip and plummet from the tree.
The bird hopped around upon his sole for a few moments, inciting a flurry of giggles that prevented him from concentrating on the spell he wanted to use to free himself. As it examined the surface of his foot, its tail feathers beginning to flutter against the skin. “GYAAHHAHEEHEEE!”
Then it stopped, perched on the ball of his foot, and then started pecking lightly at the stems of his toes.
“EEEYAHAHAHAHAHHH! AIEEEHEHEHE NONONONOOOO PLEEEHEHEEASE~!”
But his cries for mercy went unheeded as the bird proceeded to make itself at home upon his sole, scratching and pecking lightly and letting its feathers brush against it. A second bird, meanwhile, had perched in a branch nearby with its eye on his other foot; this one was bright pink. Not that Valance could have noticed it; he was laughing his head off already from the actions of the first bird, unable to curl his toes, or do anything else for that matter. Which didn’t help matters, as he was extremely ticklish.
The second bird fluttered down a mere moment later, landing on his other foot and beginning to peck and scratch at it as well.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHH!!!”
He tried to kick them away, laughing hysterically with tears running down his face, but it was no use. There was no way he could wiggle his feet around though without slipping and falling. The birds were having free reign over his soles, and they even began batting their wingtips over the skin as well, poking between his toes for good measure.
He threw his head back in silent laughter when they got between his toes. He wanted out of this situation, but the birds were either unaware of his feelings or probably wouldn’t have cared; they simply continued their torment, making sure to get between his toes and even around the sides of his feet just to screw with him even further.
This went on for a while, to the point where he was now coughing while still laughing and tearing up. The birds continued to torment his poor soles, their little pecks becoming more and more frequent, attempting to find all of his most ticklish spots. It seemed like he was going to slip if he didn’t try and shake them off. Still he kept trying, and eventually a crack was heard that signaled that one of the branches was breaking.
Sensing the sound, the birds began to flutter into the air, their tail feathers continuing to tickle his soles; they hovered over his feet in a bid to continue tormenting them even further. He looked down just in time to see a cluster of smaller branches below him… and finally gave into the urge to curl his feet up.
Just like that, he fell, aiming at the branches beneath him and succeeding to some extent. His fingers wrapped around one, and his toes managed to latch onto another, leaving him suspended like a hammock a mere six or seven feet from the ground.
Now, it was just a matter of getting himself down to fetch his shoes…
He could get himself down, sure, but letting go of one branch would cause the other to break, and he’d land painfully on his back instead of on his feet. There was a sturdier branch just above him, and he could just reach it with at least one of his hands, he could right himself before making the drop.
As soon as he lifted his arm, however, a fluttering noise alerted him. He looked up just in time to see a whole flock of the birds, a dozen strong, descending upon him.
“N-nonono waAAIEEEEEEHEHEHEEEEE! H-HEHEHEELLLLP!” He couldn’t free himself in time before all the birds had proceeded to swarm him from all directions, feathers and wings dancing upon his skin. The hems of his short sleeves were now wide open thanks to the force of gravity, exposing his armpits somewhat, so each time he tried to lift an arm, one of the birds fluttered into his sleeve and used its wings to tickle under his limb, forcing him to clench said arm to protect himself. Several more were strutting about upon his stomach, which was also showing thanks to his shirt riding up while he was inverted previously. And of course, some of them were also perched upon his toes, pecking at them or using their tail feathers to tease his helpless arches and heels.
He squealed and shook harder and harder, his fingers and toes beginning to loosen as the birds’ torment continued. Finally, however, it became too much to bear, and the sweat from his palms and soles negated his grip. He slipped off the branches and fell, the birds scattering as their perch lost its balance..
With a dull thudding noise, he landed upon the ground, flat on his back. Winded, but otherwise unhurt, he curled up into a ticklish ball, still giggling and gasping for breath, his sides aching from nearly thirty minutes of helpless laughter. A single tweeting note was all it took for him to sit bolt upright, however, and looking wildly around he tried to find the source. Finding none, instinctive panic overtook him, and he grabbed his shoes and ran off before the birds could descend upon him once again.
That was several years ago. Valance has had many other experiences since, but this one still stands out to him clear as day. And yet, it wouldn’t be the last time he encountered these colorful birds in these woods. That first encounter led to another, and another, and another, as he explored more and more of the forest. In due course, he grew increasingly attached to its wildlife, for they could comfort him in a way that people couldn’t. And he even started to enjoy being tickled by the woodland creatures, much more than by people.
It’s possible that the strange birds had grown attached to him too during that period. Perhaps they may have even helped him see off a different threat. What is known is that to this day, he’s quite fond of dangling himself upside down by his feet from a tree branch every so often, letting his feathered friends frolic upon his large, ticklish soles.
Valance Crossen was created by etropulum on DeviantArt, though rights to the character have been transferred to me for future writings and roleplays.
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Woe to the rogue who paid no heed to his surroundings, who cared not for the warnings of those who had walked this land before him.
A sparkling spring in the midst of the great forest was the perfect place for life of all kinds to gather. And it was a perfect place to find peace, if you knew how. Such was what attracted a certain shinobi by the name of Ryoji Fujimoto. His long brown hair fluttered a little in the breeze, his chocolate brown eyes closed in tranquility. As was the norm for him, the handsome 40-year-old wore an orange sleeveless shirt, white pants with knee guards, and a green mask over his mouth. Though he normally wore black tabi with his heels and toes exposed, right now his size 13 feet were bare, his legs crossed as he mediated on a large rock at the edge of the pond, listening the sounds of nature: birds, wind, and the waterfall that fed the spring.
One specific flock of birds was emitting an especially beautiful song, brightly colored in various shades of yellow and orange and candy-pink. They were small but agile songbirds with had short little beaks, tiny little talons, crested heads, and tufts of long fluffy feathers emerging from their tails. Their songs were for marking territory like with other birds, but sounded a bit like giggling children…
Ryoji still concentrated on his meditation in spite of this. It had been a long period of traveling, and he had to take his mind off from everything. His twin children were no doubt having adventures of their own, and he worried for their safety most of the time, but clearing his mind gave him some measure of peace, and the reassurance that they could handle themselves at their age. After all, it worked for his wife as well.
And so all was peace and quiet. He wasn’t aware, though, that a few old traps from a previous battle here had been left over, and they weren’t going to discriminate who tripped them either. There were a few signs posted here and there warning of them, but as far as he knew, he hadn’t passed any of them.
A few minutes of meditating were all he needed before continuing on with his travels. It was on a whim that he decided to wash his feet, but that whim was about to cost him. He stepped off the rock he had been sitting on, putting his right foot upon the surface of the water. But then he sensed it: a hidden rope, easily missed beneath the reflection of the sky. Confident that he had spotted the trap, he hopped over it – and straight into another.
“Gaaah!”
The second rope, like the first one, had been stretched between two large trees at the edge of the spring, and with their weights now dropped they were intended to pull up a net to trap the victim… but the net had long since been lost. So there were now just two ropes… one of which the ninja, thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes, was now hanging from by his toes alone, which were now tied to said rope by multiple smaller cords that had lashed themselves around them with some kind of residual magic.
“Dammit!” he grunted. “Whoever did this, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. If you’re still alive,” he added, flexing towards his ankles to free himself. But the rope was too tight, and he could only reach his knees.
That was when one of the birds from earlier, pink in color, alighted on the tightened rope, next to his feet…
Ryoji had tried several times by that point to escape, but couldn’t, and so he now had his arms crossed in frustration. “Hmph! …Oh great, I hope this bird will help me out.”
But alas, that was not to be. The bird shifted its position a little, its tail plume is now positioned so its fluffy feather tips begin brushing lightly against Ryoji’s sole.
The trapped man felt the little touch from the Bird’s tail feather like it was a lightning bolt to the bottom of his foot. “Mmph!” With a feeling of frightened realization, he thought back to the stories he’d heard of this region, of a type of bird that gathered in great feathery swarms that tickled all who dared to approach them.
This was just one bird, and it was already tormenting him to no end. What would happen once a whole flock joined in? He certainly didn’t want to find out.
The bird continued to brush its feathers along his sole, the tips wiggling from heel to ball and back. It seemed to not pay attention to his predicament. Ryoji could not let out the sounds he wanted to, for being ticklish would no doubt damage his tough and courageous air along with his sense of personal pride. If anyone saw him like this, he could never recover. “I am not…hmhm… going to…hmhmhm… laugh!” he muttered, trying to reach this damned bird which was heedless of his efforts.
Then a second bird joined in, perched next to his other foot… It seemed to chirp a message to the first, as though they were now aware of who was down there. It then flipped upside down, hanging by its talons, and started pecking lightly at the ball of his other foot…
“No…no, they wouldn’t! Hmhmhehehehe….!” He burst out into a new flurry of chuckles, the laughter building up inside him with greater intensity.
The pecking and tickling continued, feathery strokes on one foot and little pokes and nibbles on the other… It was getting maddening, but the iron grip of his toes remained so strong. Even when they were tied to the rope, his own weight would’ve broken the cords by now. What was his secret?
“Sohoho, you pesky birds… hehehe! Are… hehehehehe you going to tickle me hmmmhehehehehe?!” He had tried so hard not to laugh, but these birds had broken through his resolve easily. And then a third bird landed directly on top of his toes. Its feathers began brushing both of his feet at once.
His eyes widened in shock and alarm, the knowledge that another bird was going to be end of him fresh on his mind. “O-oh this it isn’t pretty… Hahahahahaha! No no! Not there! Anything but thaAAAAHAHAHAHAT!!”
The birds were heedless of his pleas, continuing to tickle and bat their wings across his soles, with the middle one pecking at the tops of his toes too. Thank goodness there were no rocks directly under the poor man, who couldn’t take the maddening sensation for much longer.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I’ll get you, birds! GAAHHAHEEEHEHEEH!”
Heedless of his threats, the birds were already moving up towards the bases of his toes, just below the thinner cords securing them to the rope. It seemed as though their grip was starting to loosen ever so slightly…
“Hehehehehe! This is so humiliatieeeHAhahahAAAHAHAHAH!” Ryoji was laughing and shaking his head around, trying to find a way out of this. Then his left pinky toe came loose from the rope. The bird tickling his left foot started to peck at the pad lightly while the general torment continued. Ryoji struggled through his laughter to think of a way to free his big feet, and then remembered the knives he had on him. He reached for one of his kunai, but it was difficult to concentrate. “Eh-hehehehe, now….I just have to.. hehehe…to cut this…!!”
And still the birds continued their torment, now beginning to loosen the rest of his toes and tickle the undersides with their beaks and wings.
“Unnnngh!” His toes curled in a final bid to maintain their grip. “Hahahaha! GYAHAHAHAHH! Just… a… little… mohohohore…” Finally, he managed to grab the knife, and prepared to take aim at the rope.
The birds had loosened his toes to the point where he couldn’t hold on anymore, and he only had a second to spare. They proceeded to scatter, just as he threw the knife right between his feet.
The rope broke with a piercing snap, and he fell to the water with a great splash, before getting to his feet and wringing fresh, clean water from his long hair. His toes had been dislodged from the rope during the fall, and now his biggest complaint was his clothes being waterlogged.
There was a tweeting noise from the birds in the trees, almost like laughing. They’d had a lot of fun with him while it had lasted, and perhaps next time he found himself in a tight spot, they’d be back.
In a sudden emotional fit, Ryoji drew three short knives and threw them at the birds, scattering them as the kunai embedded themselves into the wood beneath their perches. “Arrrgh!” he cried, frustrated that he’d failed to hit any of them. “Next time, I’ll get you.”
The merely birds scattered and vanished into the trees, their song still echoing among the canopy.
Grumbling to himself, the ninja shook his head in anger and humiliation, making a mental note to find somewhere else to meditate now that he had to start the process of clearing his mind all over again. With that pleasant thought, he gathered his things from the shore, and vanished into the woods, leaving the spring to its own devices.
It was a few moments before the birds’ song began once more, and it would be much, much longer before Ryoji would return, that was for certain. But now they knew what he looked like. And they’d be ready for him if he tried again…
Ryoji Fujimoto was created by superdes513 on DeviantArt, and is used with permission.
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Woe to the hunter who kept his eyes to the ground, who ventured too deep into the woods without understanding who owned them.
Dahak lept from tree trunk to rock, eyes sharply searching for some more game. An immigrant from Puka’aguy to the south, he was distinct in that he was not entirely human. Dressed in sparse leathers and furs, namely a mere loincloth, gauntlets, and greaves, he had mocha colored skin with soft features, curious dark eyes, and black hair extending down to his shoulders tied back into a ponytail. The bag upon his back was half-full, and he wanted enough for the journey ahead of him.
Most distinct of all, he had only one leg, with a gigantic foot as long as his conjoined thighs; mere folds of skin upon his loins and seat were the only indicator that his race had once had two legs. But through some strange form of magic permeating their marshy homeland, they had become skiapods, their enormous wide feet keeping them from sinking into the mud and shading them from the sun as they rested. Like a great bird, Dahak stood and leaped with his ankle and heel held off the ground to maintain balance, his long toes gripping each branch he landed upon as he traveled.
“Aha…” Spotting a large antlered hare, a jackalope, Dahak calculated the distance, bent at the knee and ankle and lept! But a strange bird, small but brightly colored, shot out from the branches overhead, and the hare took off. Not to be outdone by a the wildlife of this land, Dahak jumped after it, once twice thr- “Augh!”
Readying the next leap, the hunter had missed a key detail. A few rain-slicked vines were rather denser than he anticipated and he slid instead, down and around! Next moment, he found himself rather tied up, having slid foot-first into a rather dense cluster of vines, stopped only by his toes being pulled back by a most thick and green vine. Now, however, he was essentially lying on his back in a bed of vines!
The hapless skiapod was now dangling helplessly from a set of vines, helpless to do anything except struggle a little. At least the ground below him seemed to be quite soft with plenty of leaf litter. However, his problems were only just beginning, starting with a vine beginning to slither downwards unseen from the canopy.
Dahak was looking down at himself, wondering if he could slowly untie the vines or if he should try and reach for a knife. Unknown to him, however, the vine creeped up, still unseen, towards his poor stretched foot. It seemed to almost admire the taut, soft surface, and without warning it’s tip gave it a little poke. ”Ahah! Hey, what was…?” Dahak yelped upon feeling the soft poke on his sole, but he could see nothing more than vines.
The twitching of his foot seemed to stir something in the plant. The animate creeper paused for a moment, and then wiggled its blunt tip against the middle of his immensely long arch.
“Eheheh what’s thahat?” Dahak shifted as much as he could – which is to say, very little. With his toes forced back by the large, thick vine, he couldn’t even see what’s going on past his own huge foot. This also allowed the vine to continue to tickle with total impunity, starting to trace little circles around the middle of his arch. Then the circles became figure eights, moving up towards the ball of his foot then back down to the heel and back.
“Ehehe ehehehe heheehehwhahahats gohohing onnnn!?” Dahak asked the literal no-one tickling his foot. He tried pulling at the vine, using his toes to push, but it seem to tighten more, not less! “Hahhaadahamn!”
A second vine began slithering down at that moment, this one with a feathery leaf on the tip. It then started to feel around the bases of his trapped toes, teasing him with light but maddening strokes while the first vine continued its assault. ”AHEEEEEEEE nahaheheeheeeheeheee!” Dahak starts giggling wildly, bouncing in his vine-woven cocoon. The feathery soft stroking became quite maddening as he hung there, unable to even identify his assaulter.
The vines continued tickling, freely stroking and wiggling along his hapless sole, but there was just so much room! Luckily for it, more of them were on their way, some with the same blunt points as the first and others with brush-like fuzzy tips on their ends. One brush-vine also began to tickle his heel a few moments later.
“AIEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEE dahahahaaaaaammmn ihihiitttst aaaap!” Dahak squealed with laughter, more and more points of different tickling manifesting upon his massive sole. The sensation only became even more intense as something brushed him right where his heel met his arch. The brush continued to do its work around his heel, tracing agonizing circles while the other two vines continued tormenting the rest of his sole.
Then he saw it, another vine beginning to creep along the top of his foot, this one with the same fuzzy feathery end as the one tormenting his toes. It began swishing along the top and side of the great foot, teasing softly, while several others of its kind joined in attacking the sole.
“NAAHAHAHAHAAH OHOH NONOOHEHEHE VINES WHAHAAT IS THIS MAGIC? Eeeheeeeheeeedeee!” The one-legged young man pulled at his giant foot to no use, hearing nothing but the lightest creak of wood.
Half a dozen vines were now on the attack, brushes and feathers and teasing tips, working their way all over his poor sole… His struggles were also causing additional problems in that a few of the thinner vines overhead had also begun to fray. It was crucial to avoid falling, but he was struggling so much that it was becoming difficult.
“EHEHEE EHEEEHE EEHEEHE DRAHAHATTTED FOHOHOREST! Stahaapihihit!” Dahak kept squirming as the vines continued to fray, his toes pushing against the one holding them back with a little more success.
There was a snap of one vine, and then he slid down a few inches. The vines suddenly retreated for the moment, and all was perfectly still. It wouldn’t be long before he would end up on the forest floor, struggling or no…
Dahak caught his breath, relieved the ordeal was over. Now, what to do? He started gently swinging side to side, hoping to free his arms.
Then there was a twittering noise in the canopy, birdsong echoing overhead. It wasn’t long before a bird fluttered down from the trees, candy-pink with a brush-like tuft of feathers extending from its tail. It perched above Dahak, looking down at him with a curious expression – just in time for one of the vines to poke his arch again. “AUUHUOOOOO!” he cawed, the rougher tip dragging against his sole causing the lad to shake the whole vine structure.
The bird cocked its head in curiosity, and then fluttered down towards his foot. It perched on top of the vine binding his toes, facing him so that its long tail feathers were were now fluttering against the ball of his foot. It continued singing, its tail wiggling and causing the feathers to swish along the skin.
“NOOOOHOHOHOOOHOIJDAMNAABLEBHOHIHIIRRRDDD AHAHAHAHAAA SHRSTAPPP!!” The feathers were a fresh new torture for Dahak, not having felt such a light tease since his years as a boy in the villages. A second bird fluttered down to join the first, yellow this time; it perched on a branch, and started pecking at his heel, while some of the brush-tipped vines returned to their assault on his hypersensitive arch.
“AUUUHAHHAHAUAHAAHHAAUAHAHAONOONONONONOJNAHAHAHHH!!” The one-footed hunter scrambled in his bindings, trying desperately to kick the soft and rough tickles away – both at once driving him mad. There was nothing he could do to escape, though… or was there?
It was only a moment later, but it seemed his struggling resuming had caused another vine to begin to fray, though it was not nearly enough to escape. Especially not with the bristles, beaks, and feathers driving him to distraction. ”AHAHAHAUAUHUHUUBAAHAHAHA DAHAHAMNNB IHIIHITTTT HEHEEHEEEEEHEHE!”
Dahak was reduced to a giggling mess, squirming and hoping no one ever saw him this way as he ticklishly squirmed. Not helping his case, several more vines rejoined the ones currently tickling him silly, exploring every sensitive nook and cranny. And another bird arrived as well, fluttering its wingtips against the place where his arch met his heel.
Dahak was defenseless, squirming as the vines slowly shredded away from around his thick ankle and torso holding him aloft. “AHAHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHA AHAH AHHAA HAHAHAAH! H-HEEHHEHELLP!” A few more vines began to fray, but the plants and birds tickling his large foot were relentless in their attack; a few tendrils even began poking in between his toes as well, now that his loosening bindings meant that they were just barely exposed and vulnerable. And still the rest of his sole was tormented from ball to heel with a wide variety of bristly strokes, pokes, fluttering sweeps, and more.
Soon, Dahak was reduced to silent laughter as his newly wiggle-able toes were tickled. He pulled stronger, desperate to break free as his gargantuan sole was exposed to the worst torment one could imagine. Another vine snapped, and then several more gave way…
Within moments he began to fall, but suddenly his his ankle snagged on another vine. He was now hanging literally by a thread – a rather thick, leafy thread – and his upturned sole was at its most vulnerable.
“Ack!!!” He swung back and forth above the mossy ground, arms still wrapped around him, held by just an ankle. He curled his toes, hoping the birds wouldn’t notice.
Then he felt it, a pair of tiny clawed feet and also a feathery tail. One of the birds had alighted upon his sole, and was now ambling around it without a care. And the vines from earlier were sizing up his new situation…
“AuuuuuuuHGgghhhhhhhahhhhaahahahaaAaaa!” Dahak’s dark skin shined in the midday sunlight as he swung like a pendulum, up and down, not heeding where he was moving around to. The mossy ground below seemed soft, possibly too soft.
The other bird fluttered down to join the first, and the two began a little courtship dance, their claws and tailfeathers teasing his huge sole all the while. A feathery vine also joined in, brushing along the undersides of his toes and in the spaces between.
Dahak screamed, his voice echoing through the forest as he flexed in a great abdominal crunch, pulling his ankle free of this final vine. But all this did was send him hurtling to the ground via the force of gravity. He flew head first toward the mossy forest floor, his trajectory aimed toward the base of an old tree. Closing his eyes, he waited for a THUNK that never came, instead slipping under a roof over the mossy ground, coming to a halt on his stomach, head poking out on the other side of the tree. His body was now caught under its roots, and his upturned sole curled tight stopping his forward momentum, fully exposed and vulnerable.
He was far out of reach of the vines now, at least, but the birds were another story. The pair of them soon fluttered down, circling over his trapped foot and twittering in perfect harmony.
He heard the pair, struggling feebly in a bid to escape. However, the vines and tight roots around him left him not even an inch of wiggle room.
The birds landed on his sole, pecking at the skin in search of seeds that may have ended up on it when he’d landed. Their feathers and little talons were as maddening as always, but the light jabs of their beaks only added to the torment.
“AHAHAHA AHAHANAHAAHANAA AHASHTSSSATAPPP!” His long wrinkles in his foot were perfect targets for the naughty birds, and the poor trapped boy had no traction to push or pull! Still the birds continued tickling him, one of them managing to peck at his toes as well – at least for now they were able to curl up. But that would change before long, if several thin roots were any indication.
Dahak squealed as his toes were targeted by the sharp beaks. He gasped as he felt himself pulled backwards, but howled in hysterics and frustration as it stopped – the roots forming a ledge under his sole to fully trap it face up!
One of the thinner tree roots suddenly wrapped around his big toe, pulling it downward. This left the stem of the toe exposed and allowed the bird to peck lightly at it, the tail dusting the ball of his foot, while its partner continued tickling his heel and arch with its claws, wings, and tail feathers.
“AAAUUUHAHAHAHA ANAHAN NAHAHANANAHAHAHEJLPHELP HAHAAHNHAHSLSLTRPAAPP!” the huge soled boy tried to buck, but with the vines and roots it proved useless – leaving him forced to resort to his one option of crying out for help!
Soon all of his toes were tied back, and at the mercy of the birds and now the roots as well. A few began tickling the webbing between his toes while the birds assaulted his soles. And oh goodness, were those ants crawling down from the tree trunk…?
Dahak tensed and tried to twist and turn, futile as he felt a series of different tickles on his single massive sole. “HAAHAAAAHAANAHAHAAHA STAHAHP IHIHIHITT HEHEEEHEEEEHEEHEEHEHEHEEHEEE!!” Several ants were now crawling over his skin, and the birds proceeded to peck at them and try to catch them, their frantic activity also tickling him in quick bursts and feathery strokes all over the skin.
Dahak’s squeaks and laughter echoed around the underbrush, the boy trapped under the tree, powerless to avoid feeling the birds feasting across his sole and laughing his handsome head off. “BWAHAAAHAAHAHABAHAHAAAH STOP STOP STOOOOP GEHEHETOFFFFF AHAHHAHAHAHA!”
More and more ants came marching upon his sole, and several more birds also joined in the party, dancing and pecking and fluttering their feathers all over his tender sole. The tickling intensity was at its greatest now and poor Dahak was now a living stage for it all!
“BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHNAANAHHAA AHAHAA AHAHAA AAHAHAHHAAAEELPO AHAHHAHAAA!!” The boy laughed and laughed and laughed, already starting to feel light-headed. It wasn’t long before he started slowly started losing consciousness, blackness filling his view. Next thing he knew, he passed out from the overwhelming tickling sensation.
Eventually the birds and bugs dispersed, leaving the luckless skiapod alone in the forest. And soon after that, the roots seemed to took pity on him, since when he returned to consciousness it seemed as though they had deposited him at the base of the tree.
Dahak woke up, his large sole still tingling from the treatment from before. What he had been through had apparently been some kind of strange dream – or was it? He would swear he heard a tweeting noise not unlike high-pitched, almost human laughter.
He figured it was just his imagination, so he got up and sighed, dusting himself off. After grabbing his pack, the dark skinned boy hopped back toward his camp as the sun started dipping down, wondering where else this journey would lead him.
Dahak is owned and currently being developed by BigBlueFeather on DeviantArt, and is used with permission.
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The Feather Fluster is a type of gregarious songbird (Passeriformes) originally native to Puka’aguy, a southern region of Hysterica largely covered in dense tropical forests. Upon being discovered, the birds were captured in great numbers for their beautiful song, stunning colors, and affectionate nature, and exported to other parts of the imperial complex. This eventually elevated them to a newfound status as an invasive species, since they eventually started to establish feral populations and spread to the wilderness of nearly every region under the command of the empire and possibly beyond. The mass-capture of feral Feather Flusters is thus encouraged to keep their numbers from adversely affecting native fauna, but persecution of the now-endangered original population is strictly prohibited to help their numbers recover, aided by their fast reproductive rate and adaptability to changes in their habitat.
Feather Flusters gather in groups of at least five individuals, with the typical number ranging from a dozen to twenty. Some flocks have however gathered in hundreds when looking for food, able to cover wide areas and travel many miles to find fertile places. While otherwise nondescript in appearance aside from their vivid coloration, their most distinctive feature is the long tuft of fluffy feathers extending from their tail, sticking out from just below the fan of shorter feathers used for steering in flight. Like many other creatures in Hysterica, Feather Flusters are predisposed by the inherent magic of the realm to tickle-torturing sapient intruders upon their dwelling spaces, and their tail feathers are their main implement in this respect. The birds will nest around places where one will most likely be caught and immobilized, typically within the vicinity of Throttlevine Trees, Pit-Trap Plants, or even man-made traps left in the woods, knowing that most predators won’t be able to get near them without putting themselves in grave risk. People who end up in a tight spot too near their nest will find themselves besieged by the birds which will use their tail feathers, as well as light pecks and scratches, to tickle any exposed skin they can reach. Feet and armpits in particular are much preferred as they know from experience that stimulating them can easily dislodge the invader, although they still attack the soles and underarms of a victim even if they have no chance of escape, suggesting that this is an instinct bought about by Hysterica’s inherent magic. Although they can be relentless in their torment of a victim, they tend to remain within a strict territory, which they denote with their distinctive song that has contributed to their capture and export in the past; flocks rarely pursue a victim beyond the borders of their designated area, though it isn’t uncommon for a trespasser with Feather Flusters hot on their tail to blunder right into the territory of another flock lying in wait.
While feral Feather Flusters are a frequent hazard for forest-dwelling travelers, the species does have several applications. Most importantly, like crows, these birds are intelligent enough to recognize individual faces, and a flock nesting around a particular space will attack anyone they don’t recognize, but leave those they trust be. This means that those who know how to gain the respect of a Feather Fluster swarm will have some measure of home security, and although it is not always guaranteed that they will repel a threat, they can at least offer a convenient distraction. Individual Feather Flusters can also make useful familiars, with their melodious calls and playful intellect appealing to people of all ages. Compared to other magical avians, which typically require more maintenance and stimulation, their ease of husbandry, useful magical skills, and fast learning curve make them a much better choice of animal companion for beginner mages and adventurers. And if one can gather their tail feathers, which they shed individually and regrow as needed, their inherent magic makes them useful tickling implements in their own right, as well as valuable ingredients in knismosian (tickle-centric) magic as used in spells, consumable items, and equipment.
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Woe to the warlock who took a fall, who found himself near the accursed nests entirely by accident.
Valance Crossen was stuck, he knew that much. Specifically, the fifteen-year-old was trapped in between three branches, his feet hooked to the largest branch, his large, size 12 soles stretched wide and open to what as coming. Dressed in a simple white blouse and leather trousers, his hair was white as snow and his eyes brown like rich dark chocolate. His black leather sandals had fallen to the ground, out of his reach some fifteen feet below.
If only he could free himself, then he could get his footwear back and escape. But without the ability to reach up to dislodge his feet safely, there was little chance of doing so.
There was a tweeting noise from nearby. A little yellow songbird with a crest on its head and a brush-like tuft of tail feathers had landed on a nearby branch…
He squirmed about in a bid to get free, unaware of the newcomer. He had moved into these woods just recently, some time after his family had been assassinated. He’d had to live off the land and landfills for weeks, and had been getting used to his new home here. But he hadn’t realized yet that there were some creatures that should be avoided… by those who weren’t masochistic, anyway.
The bird started eyeing his trapped feet, as though judging them silently… their owner none the wiser. And then, like a flash of song and color, it fluttered over and suddenly landed on his large right sole.
“Ack! W-wha?!” He bit his lip immediately, trying not to giggle. He wiggled his feet around, trying not to slip and plummet from the tree.
The bird hopped around upon his sole for a few moments, inciting a flurry of giggles that prevented him from concentrating on the spell he wanted to use to free himself. As it examined the surface of his foot, its tail feathers beginning to flutter against the skin. “GYAAHHAHEEHEEE!”
Then it stopped, perched on the ball of his foot, and then started pecking lightly at the stems of his toes.
“EEEYAHAHAHAHAHHH! AIEEEHEHEHE NONONONOOOO PLEEEHEHEEASE~!”
But his cries for mercy went unheeded as the bird proceeded to make itself at home upon his sole, scratching and pecking lightly and letting its feathers brush against it. A second bird, meanwhile, had perched in a branch nearby with its eye on his other foot; this one was bright pink. Not that Valance could have noticed it; he was laughing his head off already from the actions of the first bird, unable to curl his toes, or do anything else for that matter. Which didn’t help matters, as he was extremely ticklish.
The second bird fluttered down a mere moment later, landing on his other foot and beginning to peck and scratch at it as well.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHH!!!”
He tried to kick them away, laughing hysterically with tears running down his face, but it was no use. There was no way he could wiggle his feet around though without slipping and falling. The birds were having free reign over his soles, and they even began batting their wingtips over the skin as well, poking between his toes for good measure.
He threw his head back in silent laughter when they got between his toes. He wanted out of this situation, but the birds were either unaware of his feelings or probably wouldn’t have cared; they simply continued their torment, making sure to get between his toes and even around the sides of his feet just to screw with him even further.
This went on for a while, to the point where he was now coughing while still laughing and tearing up. The birds continued to torment his poor soles, their little pecks becoming more and more frequent, attempting to find all of his most ticklish spots. It seemed like he was going to slip if he didn’t try and shake them off. Still he kept trying, and eventually a crack was heard that signaled that one of the branches was breaking.
Sensing the sound, the birds began to flutter into the air, their tail feathers continuing to tickle his soles; they hovered over his feet in a bid to continue tormenting them even further. He looked down just in time to see a cluster of smaller branches below him… and finally gave into the urge to curl his feet up.
Just like that, he fell, aiming at the branches beneath him and succeeding to some extent. His fingers wrapped around one, and his toes managed to latch onto another, leaving him suspended like a hammock a mere six or seven feet from the ground.
Now, it was just a matter of getting himself down to fetch his shoes…
He could get himself down, sure, but letting go of one branch would cause the other to break, and he’d land painfully on his back instead of on his feet. There was a sturdier branch just above him, and he could just reach it with at least one of his hands, he could right himself before making the drop.
As soon as he lifted his arm, however, a fluttering noise alerted him. He looked up just in time to see a whole flock of the birds, a dozen strong, descending upon him.
“N-nonono waAAIEEEEEEHEHEHEEEEE! H-HEHEHEELLLLP!” He couldn’t free himself in time before all the birds had proceeded to swarm him from all directions, feathers and wings dancing upon his skin. The hems of his short sleeves were now wide open thanks to the force of gravity, exposing his armpits somewhat, so each time he tried to lift an arm, one of the birds fluttered into his sleeve and used its wings to tickle under his limb, forcing him to clench said arm to protect himself. Several more were strutting about upon his stomach, which was also showing thanks to his shirt riding up while he was inverted previously. And of course, some of them were also perched upon his toes, pecking at them or using their tail feathers to tease his helpless arches and heels.
He squealed and shook harder and harder, his fingers and toes beginning to loosen as the birds’ torment continued. Finally, however, it became too much to bear, and the sweat from his palms and soles negated his grip. He slipped off the branches and fell, the birds scattering as their perch lost its balance..
With a dull thudding noise, he landed upon the ground, flat on his back. Winded, but otherwise unhurt, he curled up into a ticklish ball, still giggling and gasping for breath, his sides aching from nearly thirty minutes of helpless laughter. A single tweeting note was all it took for him to sit bolt upright, however, and looking wildly around he tried to find the source. Finding none, instinctive panic overtook him, and he grabbed his shoes and ran off before the birds could descend upon him once again.
That was several years ago. Valance has had many other experiences since, but this one still stands out to him clear as day. And yet, it wouldn’t be the last time he encountered these colorful birds in these woods. That first encounter led to another, and another, and another, as he explored more and more of the forest. In due course, he grew increasingly attached to its wildlife, for they could comfort him in a way that people couldn’t. And he even started to enjoy being tickled by the woodland creatures, much more than by people.
It’s possible that the strange birds had grown attached to him too during that period. Perhaps they may have even helped him see off a different threat. What is known is that to this day, he’s quite fond of dangling himself upside down by his feet from a tree branch every so often, letting his feathered friends frolic upon his large, ticklish soles.
Valance Crossen was created by etropulum on DeviantArt, though rights to the character have been transferred to me for future writings and roleplays.
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Woe to the rogue who paid no heed to his surroundings, who cared not for the warnings of those who had walked this land before him.
A sparkling spring in the midst of the great forest was the perfect place for life of all kinds to gather. And it was a perfect place to find peace, if you knew how. Such was what attracted a certain shinobi by the name of Ryoji Fujimoto. His long brown hair fluttered a little in the breeze, his chocolate brown eyes closed in tranquility. As was the norm for him, the handsome 40-year-old wore an orange sleeveless shirt, white pants with knee guards, and a green mask over his mouth. Though he normally wore black tabi with his heels and toes exposed, right now his size 13 feet were bare, his legs crossed as he mediated on a large rock at the edge of the pond, listening the sounds of nature: birds, wind, and the waterfall that fed the spring.
One specific flock of birds was emitting an especially beautiful song, brightly colored in various shades of yellow and orange and candy-pink. They were small but agile songbirds with had short little beaks, tiny little talons, crested heads, and tufts of long fluffy feathers emerging from their tails. Their songs were for marking territory like with other birds, but sounded a bit like giggling children…
Ryoji still concentrated on his meditation in spite of this. It had been a long period of traveling, and he had to take his mind off from everything. His twin children were no doubt having adventures of their own, and he worried for their safety most of the time, but clearing his mind gave him some measure of peace, and the reassurance that they could handle themselves at their age. After all, it worked for his wife as well.
And so all was peace and quiet. He wasn’t aware, though, that a few old traps from a previous battle here had been left over, and they weren’t going to discriminate who tripped them either. There were a few signs posted here and there warning of them, but as far as he knew, he hadn’t passed any of them.
A few minutes of meditating were all he needed before continuing on with his travels. It was on a whim that he decided to wash his feet, but that whim was about to cost him. He stepped off the rock he had been sitting on, putting his right foot upon the surface of the water. But then he sensed it: a hidden rope, easily missed beneath the reflection of the sky. Confident that he had spotted the trap, he hopped over it – and straight into another.
“Gaaah!”
The second rope, like the first one, had been stretched between two large trees at the edge of the spring, and with their weights now dropped they were intended to pull up a net to trap the victim… but the net had long since been lost. So there were now just two ropes… one of which the ninja, thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes, was now hanging from by his toes alone, which were now tied to said rope by multiple smaller cords that had lashed themselves around them with some kind of residual magic.
“Dammit!” he grunted. “Whoever did this, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. If you’re still alive,” he added, flexing towards his ankles to free himself. But the rope was too tight, and he could only reach his knees.
That was when one of the birds from earlier, pink in color, alighted on the tightened rope, next to his feet…
Ryoji had tried several times by that point to escape, but couldn’t, and so he now had his arms crossed in frustration. “Hmph! …Oh great, I hope this bird will help me out.”
But alas, that was not to be. The bird shifted its position a little, its tail plume is now positioned so its fluffy feather tips begin brushing lightly against Ryoji’s sole.
The trapped man felt the little touch from the Bird’s tail feather like it was a lightning bolt to the bottom of his foot. “Mmph!” With a feeling of frightened realization, he thought back to the stories he’d heard of this region, of a type of bird that gathered in great feathery swarms that tickled all who dared to approach them.
This was just one bird, and it was already tormenting him to no end. What would happen once a whole flock joined in? He certainly didn’t want to find out.
The bird continued to brush its feathers along his sole, the tips wiggling from heel to ball and back. It seemed to not pay attention to his predicament. Ryoji could not let out the sounds he wanted to, for being ticklish would no doubt damage his tough and courageous air along with his sense of personal pride. If anyone saw him like this, he could never recover. “I am not…hmhm… going to…hmhmhm… laugh!” he muttered, trying to reach this damned bird which was heedless of his efforts.
Then a second bird joined in, perched next to his other foot… It seemed to chirp a message to the first, as though they were now aware of who was down there. It then flipped upside down, hanging by its talons, and started pecking lightly at the ball of his other foot…
“No…no, they wouldn’t! Hmhmhehehehe….!” He burst out into a new flurry of chuckles, the laughter building up inside him with greater intensity.
The pecking and tickling continued, feathery strokes on one foot and little pokes and nibbles on the other… It was getting maddening, but the iron grip of his toes remained so strong. Even when they were tied to the rope, his own weight would’ve broken the cords by now. What was his secret?
“Sohoho, you pesky birds… hehehe! Are… hehehehehe you going to tickle me hmmmhehehehehe?!” He had tried so hard not to laugh, but these birds had broken through his resolve easily. And then a third bird landed directly on top of his toes. Its feathers began brushing both of his feet at once.
His eyes widened in shock and alarm, the knowledge that another bird was going to be end of him fresh on his mind. “O-oh this it isn’t pretty… Hahahahahaha! No no! Not there! Anything but thaAAAAHAHAHAHAT!!”
The birds were heedless of his pleas, continuing to tickle and bat their wings across his soles, with the middle one pecking at the tops of his toes too. Thank goodness there were no rocks directly under the poor man, who couldn’t take the maddening sensation for much longer.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I’ll get you, birds! GAAHHAHEEEHEHEEH!”
Heedless of his threats, the birds were already moving up towards the bases of his toes, just below the thinner cords securing them to the rope. It seemed as though their grip was starting to loosen ever so slightly…
“Hehehehehe! This is so humiliatieeeHAhahahAAAHAHAHAH!” Ryoji was laughing and shaking his head around, trying to find a way out of this. Then his left pinky toe came loose from the rope. The bird tickling his left foot started to peck at the pad lightly while the general torment continued. Ryoji struggled through his laughter to think of a way to free his big feet, and then remembered the knives he had on him. He reached for one of his kunai, but it was difficult to concentrate. “Eh-hehehehe, now….I just have to.. hehehe…to cut this…!!”
And still the birds continued their torment, now beginning to loosen the rest of his toes and tickle the undersides with their beaks and wings.
“Unnnngh!” His toes curled in a final bid to maintain their grip. “Hahahaha! GYAHAHAHAHH! Just… a… little… mohohohore…” Finally, he managed to grab the knife, and prepared to take aim at the rope.
The birds had loosened his toes to the point where he couldn’t hold on anymore, and he only had a second to spare. They proceeded to scatter, just as he threw the knife right between his feet.
The rope broke with a piercing snap, and he fell to the water with a great splash, before getting to his feet and wringing fresh, clean water from his long hair. His toes had been dislodged from the rope during the fall, and now his biggest complaint was his clothes being waterlogged.
There was a tweeting noise from the birds in the trees, almost like laughing. They’d had a lot of fun with him while it had lasted, and perhaps next time he found himself in a tight spot, they’d be back.
In a sudden emotional fit, Ryoji drew three short knives and threw them at the birds, scattering them as the kunai embedded themselves into the wood beneath their perches. “Arrrgh!” he cried, frustrated that he’d failed to hit any of them. “Next time, I’ll get you.”
The merely birds scattered and vanished into the trees, their song still echoing among the canopy.
Grumbling to himself, the ninja shook his head in anger and humiliation, making a mental note to find somewhere else to meditate now that he had to start the process of clearing his mind all over again. With that pleasant thought, he gathered his things from the shore, and vanished into the woods, leaving the spring to its own devices.
It was a few moments before the birds’ song began once more, and it would be much, much longer before Ryoji would return, that was for certain. But now they knew what he looked like. And they’d be ready for him if he tried again…
Ryoji Fujimoto was created by superdes513 on DeviantArt, and is used with permission.
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Woe to the hunter who kept his eyes to the ground, who ventured too deep into the woods without understanding who owned them.
Dahak lept from tree trunk to rock, eyes sharply searching for some more game. An immigrant from Puka’aguy to the south, he was distinct in that he was not entirely human. Dressed in sparse leathers and furs, namely a mere loincloth, gauntlets, and greaves, he had mocha colored skin with soft features, curious dark eyes, and black hair extending down to his shoulders tied back into a ponytail. The bag upon his back was half-full, and he wanted enough for the journey ahead of him.
Most distinct of all, he had only one leg, with a gigantic foot as long as his conjoined thighs; mere folds of skin upon his loins and seat were the only indicator that his race had once had two legs. But through some strange form of magic permeating their marshy homeland, they had become skiapods, their enormous wide feet keeping them from sinking into the mud and shading them from the sun as they rested. Like a great bird, Dahak stood and leaped with his ankle and heel held off the ground to maintain balance, his long toes gripping each branch he landed upon as he traveled.
“Aha…” Spotting a large antlered hare, a jackalope, Dahak calculated the distance, bent at the knee and ankle and lept! But a strange bird, small but brightly colored, shot out from the branches overhead, and the hare took off. Not to be outdone by a the wildlife of this land, Dahak jumped after it, once twice thr- “Augh!”
Readying the next leap, the hunter had missed a key detail. A few rain-slicked vines were rather denser than he anticipated and he slid instead, down and around! Next moment, he found himself rather tied up, having slid foot-first into a rather dense cluster of vines, stopped only by his toes being pulled back by a most thick and green vine. Now, however, he was essentially lying on his back in a bed of vines!
The hapless skiapod was now dangling helplessly from a set of vines, helpless to do anything except struggle a little. At least the ground below him seemed to be quite soft with plenty of leaf litter. However, his problems were only just beginning, starting with a vine beginning to slither downwards unseen from the canopy.
Dahak was looking down at himself, wondering if he could slowly untie the vines or if he should try and reach for a knife. Unknown to him, however, the vine creeped up, still unseen, towards his poor stretched foot. It seemed to almost admire the taut, soft surface, and without warning it’s tip gave it a little poke. ”Ahah! Hey, what was…?” Dahak yelped upon feeling the soft poke on his sole, but he could see nothing more than vines.
The twitching of his foot seemed to stir something in the plant. The animate creeper paused for a moment, and then wiggled its blunt tip against the middle of his immensely long arch.
“Eheheh what’s thahat?” Dahak shifted as much as he could – which is to say, very little. With his toes forced back by the large, thick vine, he couldn’t even see what’s going on past his own huge foot. This also allowed the vine to continue to tickle with total impunity, starting to trace little circles around the middle of his arch. Then the circles became figure eights, moving up towards the ball of his foot then back down to the heel and back.
“Ehehe ehehehe heheehehwhahahats gohohing onnnn!?” Dahak asked the literal no-one tickling his foot. He tried pulling at the vine, using his toes to push, but it seem to tighten more, not less! “Hahhaadahamn!”
A second vine began slithering down at that moment, this one with a feathery leaf on the tip. It then started to feel around the bases of his trapped toes, teasing him with light but maddening strokes while the first vine continued its assault. ”AHEEEEEEEE nahaheheeheeeheeheee!” Dahak starts giggling wildly, bouncing in his vine-woven cocoon. The feathery soft stroking became quite maddening as he hung there, unable to even identify his assaulter.
The vines continued tickling, freely stroking and wiggling along his hapless sole, but there was just so much room! Luckily for it, more of them were on their way, some with the same blunt points as the first and others with brush-like fuzzy tips on their ends. One brush-vine also began to tickle his heel a few moments later.
“AIEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEE dahahahaaaaaammmn ihihiitttst aaaap!” Dahak squealed with laughter, more and more points of different tickling manifesting upon his massive sole. The sensation only became even more intense as something brushed him right where his heel met his arch. The brush continued to do its work around his heel, tracing agonizing circles while the other two vines continued tormenting the rest of his sole.
Then he saw it, another vine beginning to creep along the top of his foot, this one with the same fuzzy feathery end as the one tormenting his toes. It began swishing along the top and side of the great foot, teasing softly, while several others of its kind joined in attacking the sole.
“NAAHAHAHAHAAH OHOH NONOOHEHEHE VINES WHAHAAT IS THIS MAGIC? Eeeheeeeheeeedeee!” The one-legged young man pulled at his giant foot to no use, hearing nothing but the lightest creak of wood.
Half a dozen vines were now on the attack, brushes and feathers and teasing tips, working their way all over his poor sole… His struggles were also causing additional problems in that a few of the thinner vines overhead had also begun to fray. It was crucial to avoid falling, but he was struggling so much that it was becoming difficult.
“EHEHEE EHEEEHE EEHEEHE DRAHAHATTTED FOHOHOREST! Stahaapihihit!” Dahak kept squirming as the vines continued to fray, his toes pushing against the one holding them back with a little more success.
There was a snap of one vine, and then he slid down a few inches. The vines suddenly retreated for the moment, and all was perfectly still. It wouldn’t be long before he would end up on the forest floor, struggling or no…
Dahak caught his breath, relieved the ordeal was over. Now, what to do? He started gently swinging side to side, hoping to free his arms.
Then there was a twittering noise in the canopy, birdsong echoing overhead. It wasn’t long before a bird fluttered down from the trees, candy-pink with a brush-like tuft of feathers extending from its tail. It perched above Dahak, looking down at him with a curious expression – just in time for one of the vines to poke his arch again. “AUUHUOOOOO!” he cawed, the rougher tip dragging against his sole causing the lad to shake the whole vine structure.
The bird cocked its head in curiosity, and then fluttered down towards his foot. It perched on top of the vine binding his toes, facing him so that its long tail feathers were were now fluttering against the ball of his foot. It continued singing, its tail wiggling and causing the feathers to swish along the skin.
“NOOOOHOHOHOOOHOIJDAMNAABLEBHOHIHIIRRRDDD AHAHAHAHAAA SHRSTAPPP!!” The feathers were a fresh new torture for Dahak, not having felt such a light tease since his years as a boy in the villages. A second bird fluttered down to join the first, yellow this time; it perched on a branch, and started pecking at his heel, while some of the brush-tipped vines returned to their assault on his hypersensitive arch.
“AUUUHAHHAHAUAHAAHHAAUAHAHAONOONONONONOJNAHAHAHHH!!” The one-footed hunter scrambled in his bindings, trying desperately to kick the soft and rough tickles away – both at once driving him mad. There was nothing he could do to escape, though… or was there?
It was only a moment later, but it seemed his struggling resuming had caused another vine to begin to fray, though it was not nearly enough to escape. Especially not with the bristles, beaks, and feathers driving him to distraction. ”AHAHAHAUAUHUHUUBAAHAHAHA DAHAHAMNNB IHIIHITTTT HEHEEHEEEEEHEHE!”
Dahak was reduced to a giggling mess, squirming and hoping no one ever saw him this way as he ticklishly squirmed. Not helping his case, several more vines rejoined the ones currently tickling him silly, exploring every sensitive nook and cranny. And another bird arrived as well, fluttering its wingtips against the place where his arch met his heel.
Dahak was defenseless, squirming as the vines slowly shredded away from around his thick ankle and torso holding him aloft. “AHAHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHA AHAH AHHAA HAHAHAAH! H-HEEHHEHELLP!” A few more vines began to fray, but the plants and birds tickling his large foot were relentless in their attack; a few tendrils even began poking in between his toes as well, now that his loosening bindings meant that they were just barely exposed and vulnerable. And still the rest of his sole was tormented from ball to heel with a wide variety of bristly strokes, pokes, fluttering sweeps, and more.
Soon, Dahak was reduced to silent laughter as his newly wiggle-able toes were tickled. He pulled stronger, desperate to break free as his gargantuan sole was exposed to the worst torment one could imagine. Another vine snapped, and then several more gave way…
Within moments he began to fall, but suddenly his his ankle snagged on another vine. He was now hanging literally by a thread – a rather thick, leafy thread – and his upturned sole was at its most vulnerable.
“Ack!!!” He swung back and forth above the mossy ground, arms still wrapped around him, held by just an ankle. He curled his toes, hoping the birds wouldn’t notice.
Then he felt it, a pair of tiny clawed feet and also a feathery tail. One of the birds had alighted upon his sole, and was now ambling around it without a care. And the vines from earlier were sizing up his new situation…
“AuuuuuuuHGgghhhhhhhahhhhaahahahaaAaaa!” Dahak’s dark skin shined in the midday sunlight as he swung like a pendulum, up and down, not heeding where he was moving around to. The mossy ground below seemed soft, possibly too soft.
The other bird fluttered down to join the first, and the two began a little courtship dance, their claws and tailfeathers teasing his huge sole all the while. A feathery vine also joined in, brushing along the undersides of his toes and in the spaces between.
Dahak screamed, his voice echoing through the forest as he flexed in a great abdominal crunch, pulling his ankle free of this final vine. But all this did was send him hurtling to the ground via the force of gravity. He flew head first toward the mossy forest floor, his trajectory aimed toward the base of an old tree. Closing his eyes, he waited for a THUNK that never came, instead slipping under a roof over the mossy ground, coming to a halt on his stomach, head poking out on the other side of the tree. His body was now caught under its roots, and his upturned sole curled tight stopping his forward momentum, fully exposed and vulnerable.
He was far out of reach of the vines now, at least, but the birds were another story. The pair of them soon fluttered down, circling over his trapped foot and twittering in perfect harmony.
He heard the pair, struggling feebly in a bid to escape. However, the vines and tight roots around him left him not even an inch of wiggle room.
The birds landed on his sole, pecking at the skin in search of seeds that may have ended up on it when he’d landed. Their feathers and little talons were as maddening as always, but the light jabs of their beaks only added to the torment.
“AHAHAHA AHAHANAHAAHANAA AHASHTSSSATAPPP!” His long wrinkles in his foot were perfect targets for the naughty birds, and the poor trapped boy had no traction to push or pull! Still the birds continued tickling him, one of them managing to peck at his toes as well – at least for now they were able to curl up. But that would change before long, if several thin roots were any indication.
Dahak squealed as his toes were targeted by the sharp beaks. He gasped as he felt himself pulled backwards, but howled in hysterics and frustration as it stopped – the roots forming a ledge under his sole to fully trap it face up!
One of the thinner tree roots suddenly wrapped around his big toe, pulling it downward. This left the stem of the toe exposed and allowed the bird to peck lightly at it, the tail dusting the ball of his foot, while its partner continued tickling his heel and arch with its claws, wings, and tail feathers.
“AAAUUUHAHAHAHA ANAHAN NAHAHANANAHAHAHEJLPHELP HAHAAHNHAHSLSLTRPAAPP!” the huge soled boy tried to buck, but with the vines and roots it proved useless – leaving him forced to resort to his one option of crying out for help!
Soon all of his toes were tied back, and at the mercy of the birds and now the roots as well. A few began tickling the webbing between his toes while the birds assaulted his soles. And oh goodness, were those ants crawling down from the tree trunk…?
Dahak tensed and tried to twist and turn, futile as he felt a series of different tickles on his single massive sole. “HAAHAAAAHAANAHAHAAHA STAHAHP IHIHIHITT HEHEEEHEEEEHEEHEEHEHEHEEHEEE!!” Several ants were now crawling over his skin, and the birds proceeded to peck at them and try to catch them, their frantic activity also tickling him in quick bursts and feathery strokes all over the skin.
Dahak’s squeaks and laughter echoed around the underbrush, the boy trapped under the tree, powerless to avoid feeling the birds feasting across his sole and laughing his handsome head off. “BWAHAAAHAAHAHABAHAHAAAH STOP STOP STOOOOP GEHEHETOFFFFF AHAHHAHAHAHA!”
More and more ants came marching upon his sole, and several more birds also joined in the party, dancing and pecking and fluttering their feathers all over his tender sole. The tickling intensity was at its greatest now and poor Dahak was now a living stage for it all!
“BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHNAANAHHAA AHAHAA AHAHAA AAHAHAHHAAAEELPO AHAHHAHAAA!!” The boy laughed and laughed and laughed, already starting to feel light-headed. It wasn’t long before he started slowly started losing consciousness, blackness filling his view. Next thing he knew, he passed out from the overwhelming tickling sensation.
Eventually the birds and bugs dispersed, leaving the luckless skiapod alone in the forest. And soon after that, the roots seemed to took pity on him, since when he returned to consciousness it seemed as though they had deposited him at the base of the tree.
Dahak woke up, his large sole still tingling from the treatment from before. What he had been through had apparently been some kind of strange dream – or was it? He would swear he heard a tweeting noise not unlike high-pitched, almost human laughter.
He figured it was just his imagination, so he got up and sighed, dusting himself off. After grabbing his pack, the dark skinned boy hopped back toward his camp as the sun started dipping down, wondering where else this journey would lead him.
Dahak is owned and currently being developed by BigBlueFeather on DeviantArt, and is used with permission.
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The Feather Fluster is a type of gregarious songbird (Passeriformes) originally native to Puka’aguy, a southern region of Hysterica largely covered in dense tropical forests. Upon being discovered, the birds were captured in great numbers for their beautiful song, stunning colors, and affectionate nature, and exported to other parts of the imperial complex. This eventually elevated them to a newfound status as an invasive species, since they eventually started to establish feral populations and spread to the wilderness of nearly every region under the command of the empire and possibly beyond. The mass-capture of feral Feather Flusters is thus encouraged to keep their numbers from adversely affecting native fauna, but persecution of the now-endangered original population is strictly prohibited to help their numbers recover, aided by their fast reproductive rate and adaptability to changes in their habitat.
Feather Flusters gather in groups of at least five individuals, with the typical number ranging from a dozen to twenty. Some flocks have however gathered in hundreds when looking for food, able to cover wide areas and travel many miles to find fertile places. While otherwise nondescript in appearance aside from their vivid coloration, their most distinctive feature is the long tuft of fluffy feathers extending from their tail, sticking out from just below the fan of shorter feathers used for steering in flight. Like many other creatures in Hysterica, Feather Flusters are predisposed by the inherent magic of the realm to tickle-torturing sapient intruders upon their dwelling spaces, and their tail feathers are their main implement in this respect. The birds will nest around places where one will most likely be caught and immobilized, typically within the vicinity of Throttlevine Trees, Pit-Trap Plants, or even man-made traps left in the woods, knowing that most predators won’t be able to get near them without putting themselves in grave risk. People who end up in a tight spot too near their nest will find themselves besieged by the birds which will use their tail feathers, as well as light pecks and scratches, to tickle any exposed skin they can reach. Feet and armpits in particular are much preferred as they know from experience that stimulating them can easily dislodge the invader, although they still attack the soles and underarms of a victim even if they have no chance of escape, suggesting that this is an instinct bought about by Hysterica’s inherent magic. Although they can be relentless in their torment of a victim, they tend to remain within a strict territory, which they denote with their distinctive song that has contributed to their capture and export in the past; flocks rarely pursue a victim beyond the borders of their designated area, though it isn’t uncommon for a trespasser with Feather Flusters hot on their tail to blunder right into the territory of another flock lying in wait.
While feral Feather Flusters are a frequent hazard for forest-dwelling travelers, the species does have several applications. Most importantly, like crows, these birds are intelligent enough to recognize individual faces, and a flock nesting around a particular space will attack anyone they don’t recognize, but leave those they trust be. This means that those who know how to gain the respect of a Feather Fluster swarm will have some measure of home security, and although it is not always guaranteed that they will repel a threat, they can at least offer a convenient distraction. Individual Feather Flusters can also make useful familiars, with their melodious calls and playful intellect appealing to people of all ages. Compared to other magical avians, which typically require more maintenance and stimulation, their ease of husbandry, useful magical skills, and fast learning curve make them a much better choice of animal companion for beginner mages and adventurers. And if one can gather their tail feathers, which they shed individually and regrow as needed, their inherent magic makes them useful tickling implements in their own right, as well as valuable ingredients in knismosian (tickle-centric) magic as used in spells, consumable items, and equipment.
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