Going Feet First Ch. 01

The one time he tried to stop to ask a question or two, she only pulled his hand toward her and said, "Come". It seemed to be the only English word she knew. She would repeat it every so often when she glanced back to make sure his eyes were fixed upon her and not veering away. Not that he could pull his eyes away even if he tried. Something inside his heart told him to stay with her, as well as something in his pants. Though, he did his best to keep that down as he trailed behind her. It wasn't easy considering the only thing she wore was a thin pair of underwear that he could clearly see through.

At last they came into a wide clearing overshadowed by the trees that had bent in to block out the sky. In fact, the foliage proved so thick that even though noon was still yet to come, the sun still couldn't reach the forest floor. This lack of daylight choked out any plant life that tried to grow and left only the raw earth to cover the ground.

Here Galen discovered one more fact about the elf's body. Her skin did not have a golden undertone, but actually glowed with a low aura that lit up the ground around her in the dim light of the shadowed grove. And again, he had to rediscover how to breathe as she turned to him. Her blissful beauty was tenfold what it was with the smooth, flawless features of her body accentuated by her aura in this dark place. To peel his eyes away now would be impossible and yet, somehow they broke from the trance to follow her outstretched finger over to where she pointed.

The few rays of sunlight that managed to break the barrier of leaves above did so around the massive tree that grew in the center of this wide clearing. This immense body of wood was encased with thousands of vines blooming with a lush bounty of flowers in a rainbow's worth of colors. Roses, tulips, violets, orchids, many more that to him were unidentifiable. Hundreds upon thousands of flowers flourished over the bottom thirty feet of the tree, but this portion seemed insignificant compared to what hosted it.

The deciduous monster itself had to be what Galen guess to be an easy fifty feet wide and well over five hundred feet tall. It dwarfed anything Galen had ever seen, read, or heard of before, even in fantasy stories. In fact, he wondered how he hadn't seen it earlier. It was certainly large enough to be seen from any distance away.

"Here," the elf stated, bringing Galen's attention back to her.

"Here?" he repeated. "What's here?"

The elvish girl gave him a puzzled look. It was obvious she hadn't a clue to what he had just said just as he hadn't a clue what she meant. In a very timid manner, she raised a hand to his forehead and placed her middle three fingers across his brow while muttering something in elvish. Suddenly her hand began to glow brighter than before. A vision of light exploded into his eyes, revealing exactly what she was trying to show him.

Several wooden buildings and canvas tents of all shapes and sizes appeared around the tree, all seemingly right from thin air. Huge, blue-glowing lanterns hung from tall, arching posts, lighting the paths that moved between the structures as well as the entirety of the grove. How they hadn't been doing so a few seconds before left the private wondering as to what kind of lights they truly were.

When he thought he had seen it all, his next surprise appeared literally from thin air. One by one, a dozen elves began materializing in the clearing around him. Many of them openly stared at him with curious looks upon their faces as others turned toward the tree called out in their peculiar, musical language. Soon enough, what had to be the whole village's worth of elves came out to see the new arrival in their home.

Each one of them was just as beautiful as the last. All of them barely wore anything more than a loincloth or pair of translucent panties. And to the young man's shock and delight, not one of them was male.

The only possible event that could pull his mind off the droves of gorgeous creatures around him a sudden transformation that occurred with the massive tree. A section of its trunk began to glow, a hole opening up moments afterward to reveal a glowing light shining out from inside.

"Come," his gold-glowing guide said while taking the dumbstruck Galen's hand.

She led him past the other elves and the buildings of her rather tiny village, leading him toward that new opening in the tree. Inside he discovered the entirety of the wooden titan was hollowed out, with a spiral ramp running up along its walls all the way to the top. At regular intervals along the way, vine-woven baskets large enough to hold several persons were suspended by what looked to be thick rope with curious, elven eyes peeking out over the side to spy upon him.

He gave a wave, and they giggled while waving back, though they stayed put and watched as Galen's guide started pulling at his arm again. She led him deeper into the tree toward an elven woman sitting upon a wooden throne in the center of the room with her legs crossed and an iron pot large enough to fit a person bubbling before her.

Something stirred in Galen's head as he looked at her. He got the feeling of someone looking over his shoulder or hovering behind his back. It made him uneasy in her presence, but not nearly as much as the fact that her cauldron boiled without a flame underneath it. When he moved a hand to the sling of his rifle, however, something stopped him. Not physically, he just had the sense that reaching for his weapon was wrong.

Boasting a soft smile to her face, this possible elven leader rose from her throne as Galen was brought forth. When she was on her feet, her physical differences with the other girls of her village immediately became clear. She was tall, a whole head higher than the soldier before her with long, jet-black hair hanging down over her robe of blue silk. Both her large breasts were pressed firmly together between the crooks of her arms as she framed them around and under her heavy bust.

As unique as every other elf, her violet skin gave off a noticeable white aura that matched the white jewel sitting in the vine crown atop her head. Her ultramarine eyes narrowed to focus intently upon the village's new arrival as that smile upon her dark blue lips drew wider to show teeth.

The elven girl who had led Galen in took a knee before her leader, speaking out in elvish before turning back toward the petrified soldier. The head elf chuckled, stepping around her cauldron and take his chin in hand before planting a kiss upon his forehead. As he managed to get his breath back, the image he had of Heaven was quickly replaced with the world that surrounded him as her majestic voice spoke like a melodic tune to his ears.

"Thank you for saving Celia today, young man. May I ask you your name?"

He blinked, "P-P-Private Galen Mart-t-tin, ma'am."

"Private?" she chortled beautifully. "Is that a title? May I call you Galen?"

Much to her further amusement, he nodded eagerly.

"Excellent. Galen, I am Elder Tanza, leader of the tree elves of Atzla. The girl you saved this morning is called Celia, and she expresses her gratitude for your timely rescue."

A sneaky kiss caught Galen on the cheek, taking him off guard as Celia drew back. The expression upon his face making her snicker.

"Excuse her, she can be very childish at times," Tanza explained.

"I don't mind. Don't mind at all," Galen mumbled as he turned back to face the elder.

Now it was Tanza's turn to laugh. "I see. Still in... What is the human word...? 'Shock', are you?"

He nodded, and she nodded with understanding. "Every male we bring in is. Do not worry; we are not like the Succubus women you may find in the west. You are quite safe here with us."

Galen gazed around at the other elves that began to walk into the room who were watching him with the utmost interest and curiosity. He still had trouble getting over their bare bodies clustering together as they gathered as well as with hiding what was now getting in a shoving match with his fly. Trying not to be too noticeable as he shifted his hips, he then had to hope their giggles were directed at his reddening face.

"Why—," Galen squeaked sharply before going silent. Now his whole head had undoubtedly turned tomato red right to his ears. Tanza only shook her head smiling as he cleared his throat to start again. "Ahem. Why did Celia bring me here?"

With that question, Tanza walked past him toward the cauldron while motioning him to follow.

"Gaze into the cauldron, and I shall reveal your answer."

Though uneasy at first, he approached the giant pot and gazed into the frothing water. In an instant the water went still as glass and the reflection on its surface shifted. Colors swirled about, twisting and reshaping themselves until they formed into a new image.

An elvish girl walked through the forest, naked as any other girl from the village with her short violet hair barely reaching the tops of her shoulders. Galen could see this same girl in the corner of the room, whispering in her own tongue to another elf beside her.

In the water's image, a human broke out of the brush and approached her. He was seemingly kind at first but as she came close, he grabbed hold of her body and threw her to the ground. Before a sound escaped her lips, he had pounced upon her and began struggling with her panties. The elvish girl kicked and screamed before she slapped a glowing hand across his face, petrifying him long enough for her to slip out from under his body. She cursed at him several times over in her tongue before running off into the forest and disappearing from sight. Moments later, the human reanimated, damning the girl to the "Nether" as she had slipped from his trap.

The surface of the water frothed over again, swirling about many images and displaying yet another elvish girl standing in a wide clearing. This time confronted by a Neko warrior. The scene played out just as the first had. He would play nice up until her guard fell, and then the man would strike. This time, as he pulled a hard erection out from under his shorts, a blade pierced his gut and a heavy kick threw him off of her.

A massive wolf-like beast walking on two legs stepped in on the Neko with a long sword to deal him a finishing blow. But as he raised his blade up high, the elf stopped him, planting a kiss upon his cheek to calm his rage. It only took a second before the wolf seized the elf in his grasp, forcing her lips to stay upon his with blood rolling down her arms as his claws dug in.

When she managed to pull one arm free, a glowing hand jabbed into his chest and in the next moment, the wolf's body cracked as light broke through his skin. The fur turned to ash, his eyes to glass as the whole of his being burned away. When the elf stepped away from where he stood, he was nothing more than dust at scattering to the wind.

These scenarios repeated again and again. Humans, nekos, the wolf-beings, even some humanoids with broad wings for arms and feathers covering their bodies from the belly down. They all attempted to have their way with the elves without knowing the power the sharp-eared creatures held. In one way or another, they all paid the price.

Galen stepped away from the cauldron, disbelieving as another image played through its waters. The scene was of him fighting off that giant creature to save Celia. From the moment he leapt through the bush to when she led him away from the wounded monster.

"What was that?" he asked, looking up at Tanza with a frown. "Were you watchin' all th' girls you sent out?"

The elder nodded. "The elves of my tribe are temptresses, seeking out those of noble heart. The cauldron is filled with the tears of Atzlar, god over Atzla forest. With this gift we can see all who wander his woods, including those we think to be of noble heart to follow our temptresses home."

Head tilting to the side, he questioningly glanced at Celia as she ignorantly listened to her elder's voice. With how pretty she and the elves were and how little they wore, he certainly couldn't deny the fact that they were indeed very tempting. But he had been raised better than that and now he also knew the cost.

"More often than not, all my girls find are creatures who only seek pleasure and lust after what they see as an easy chance to tumble. But still, every ten years, we try once more to seek out a noble soul. Most times we find such a man but I must admit; it has been fifty years since we found a human with such a soul who earned the privilege to visit this place."

"Wow." Galen turned and stared at the crowd of sun-bathed beauties that had filled this great tree. Of all them though, despite their many shapes and sizes and variety of color, he constantly found his eyes wandering their way back toward Celia...

"So what happens now?" he asked, the girl smiling as she found his attention coming back to her.

Tanza stepped away from her cauldron to look the soldier dead in the eye. A proud look came over her angelic features as she stood a little taller and puffed out her already magnificent chest. "We will test you, noble Galen. If you pass, we shall commence a feast in your honor, and the elves will then reward you."

His brow raising at the aspect of what his reward may be, he couldn't help but wonder, "And if I say no to your test?"

The joyful look to Tanza's face sunk into a serious one, a hint of disappointment creeping into her tone as she said, "Then we will strip you of your memories and send you off to a distant land, ensuring you will never return or remember where our village lies."

A single bead of sweat ran down his back from the sheer conviction with which she said that. He wouldn't be dead, but then he probably wouldn't ever find Michael again, and losing his one friend in this world wasn't something he wanted to do. That really only left one option.

"What are the tests?"

Celia's hand brushed against his cheek, turning him towards her so she could bring their lips together. His heart thundered in his chest with a fire that threatened to make him break into sweat. At the same time, tides of calm washed over the beaches of his mind to wipe away his worry and leave him in a blank daze.

Smiling uncontrollably as her lips pulled away from his, the next thing to come out his mouth was, "I'm sure I can handle 'em."

Tanza chuckled and her smile returned. "I'm sure you will. You will face a challenge of strength, a test of the mind, and show of soul. Succeeding in these tests will yield a bounty beyond your wildest dreams. Do you, Galen Martin, accept?"

The Private nodded, still grinning wildly as he thought once again of what exactly that bounty might be. "I accept your challenges."

Throwing her hands up, Tanza looked to her elven sisters and yelled, "Then let the Kampti begin!"

..............................................

The side of the Great Tree looked down upon Galen as a beast loomed over its prey. A challenge of strength was issued to him to prove that his body was strong enough to handle any struggle. And that proved just an elegant way of saying that he had to scale to the first branch of the Great Tree.

It was one hundred feet above the ground. And he had to climb every inch along the outside.

There were the vines at the base to start, but they came to an end eventually and gave way to the notches and gaps in the bark. Those spaces were enough to climb with, sure enough, but going up wasn't going to be the biggest challenge. It was going to be not letting go. As he had learned many times before, rough bark didn't play nice with bare hands.

Nervously rubbing the callouses on his left hand, he looked back to Tanza and the gathered elves behind him. He was able to count forty-six elves total, each one of them watching him as he stood before their Great Tree. Celia herself was up in the front with a most hopeful look to her face as she held onto his gear for him.

"What happens if I fall?" he asked, looking back up at the tree and his objective above.

"Our magic will catch you, but then you will be cast off just the same as if you had said no," Tanza explained without breaking her smile. "But know this, Galen, that if you have the strength of the true noble heart, you will not fail."

"That's good to know," he muttered. It was now or never.

He spat into his hands and approached the tree, taking the first vines within his grasp and digging in his boots. Slowly, step by step, he began to climb. It wasn't so bad at first; in fact it was like the climbing wall in basic. Except the climbing wall wasn't blanketed in thousands of flowers that were covered in thorns.

By the time he was twenty feet up, sweat began to run his brow. He tried to get his next grip only for a splinter from the bark behind the vines to drive itself into his palm and cause him to cry out in pain. Grasping onto the vines with one hand, he drew the other in and sunk his teeth into the skin around splinter. A metallic taste filled his mouth as he got a grip on the slice of bark, wincing as he ripped it out and spat it out down to the ground below.

"Are you alright?" Tanza called.

"Just a scratch," he answered, reaching up and continuing to the next step. One foot at time, he pulled his way higher up the tree-side. Not bad so far, only seventy feet to go.

Only now he was at the point where the vines ended and the straight bark began. With the noon-sun beating on his back, Galen gritted his teeth and reach up to the next good grip above him. Several bits of wood stabbed into his palm as he took hold, several slivers tearing into his fingers. Yet the private pressed on, reaching up to grab the next piece. Taking hold of the tree's skin with a vengeance, he lifted his body up and again reached for the next—snap!

"Crap."

-snap-, "Oh, no."

-crack- "You gotta be kidding me!"

The Private was left dangling by one hand as the bark under his boots gave way. Thirty-five feet above the forest floor, all he had was his left-handed grip and the adrenaline pumping through his veins to keep himself on the wall.

Streams of blood trickled from his fingers as the bark dug deeper into his hand. Galen clenched his teeth and screamed in his mind as he reached out to the side of the tree and pulled his right side back in. With two points of contact established, he dug his boots back into the bark to regain his footing and paused for a moment to let his heart settle down. When he was sure he was secure, he pulled his left hand off the wall and took a look at the damage done.

Every part of the appendage was bleeding profusely. The shredded skin barely holding on in some places and nearly gone in others. And that was when his hand began to tremble, sweat building on his palms and stinging wherever the outer skin had been peeled back. Suddenly his right hand was losing its grip.

"Push it out," he growled clenching that mangled hand into a fist. "You can do this... Push it out of your mind!"

He latched his wounded hand onto the wall, giving a primal roar as he pulled himself up another step. Tears began to run his face as wildly as the blood down his arms with more of the crimson life was welling up under the bandage on his bicep. It took even more of his waining strength to not cry out in pain as his sweat started salting his wounds. Yet, he reached up one more level. Pressed on and drove himself to go just one more inch.

Suddenly the weight lifted from his hands. A glowing aura encompassing his body to give him the feeling of weightlessness as he floated away from the side of the tree. All the pain in the world seemed to fall away as he lay there suspended by nothing but the air below him. It was then, in the back of his mind, that a voice began to whisper. The words from an melodic voice playing as clearly in his thoughts as they had to his ears.