Keyholder Demoness Bk. 02 Ch. 09

That night, Charity's assigned groom directed her into a cell right next to Garnet and Hazel's stable area. She removed Charity's leather harness and provided her with a nice warm blanket to sleep under. Charity kissed her ponygirl friends through the bars of her cell and fell asleep easily in her comfortable bed.

The next morning, the groom was accompanied by (tick), who was dressed as a groomer now and not a room entertainment girl. The groom seemed to be training (tick) how to care for Charity. Together, they fed and bathed Charity. They dressed her in a new, fancy harness. It still left her breasts, proudly on display, but it was definitely more comfortable and richly decorated. "I guess that I'm a prized animal, at least," Charity thought to herself.

After having been bathed, Charity and (tick) were standing around idly waiting... for something. Charity assumed that Faith would come and be her escort outside the menagerie. She and (tick) could not communicate with each other very easily. Regardless, (tick) proved once again that she was quite skilled at bathing Charity. They seemed to have the time, so Charity dropped to her knees and shuffled up to (tick). Surprisingly, (tick) gently pushed Charity away with a frown. Maybe grooms were not allowed to fraternize with the livestock.

"You have made quite the impression on Millpond," Empusa said when she and Faith arrived shortly after lunch.

"Millpond?" Charity asked, confused.

"Er... Ero-(tick)-(po-tick)-su. Her name translates to Millpond... I guess it sounds much prettier in our native language though, doesn't it?" Empusa explained.

"We just call her (tick)," Faith said.

"Well... I'm having trouble making that thound," Charity lisped. "Tick... tick... I can't pop my tongue quite right..."

"No one expects you to speak so much," Empusa said to Charity.

"Oh... well... I was worried that I offen... that, um, she didn't want me anymore," Charity said.

"Don't get her in trouble with her new boss," Empusa laughed. "Apparently, she has suddenly found a new calling though. She just decided that she wants to be a groomer now. I think she was inspired by the idea of grooming you, Charity. Maybe she will be a natural."

<>--+-

Later in the afternoon, Faith and Charity were able to have a few minutes alone out in the pasture.

"How are you doing, babe?" Faith asked.

"OK," Charity said smiling. "When is the... the..."

"When is the airship coming?" Faith finished Charity's thought for her. "Still about three weeks before we can head to Paradise."

Charity nodded. "Am I going to make it?"

"Sure, babe, no problem! You're doing great," Faith responded as she wrapped an arm around Charity's back, hugging her. "Hey! Do you remember what I have in my pocket?"

Charity looked to the ground, somewhat lost in concentration. "Pocket?" she said finally.

"Yeah... You remember, I had a few items that I brought from home..." Faith said.

"You brought a pocket from home?" Charity asked.

"No. My clothes had a pocket and I had some things in the pocket," Faith started patting her hips. "A pocket? Helps you carry things in your clothes. They don't really have them here, it seems. Hopefully Empusa put that stuff somewhere..."

"Do you think Hope is okay?" Charity asked.

"Oh, yeah, babe," Faith said, forcing a smile. "This is her universe. She knows what she's doing."

"If you see her... I think I need to fuck her..." Charity said.

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Faith said.

"Fucking her helps me stay human, I think," Charity explained. "I'm so fucking... horny..."

"Yeah..." Faith said, wistfully. "Ahem... Hey! Empusa said that there is going to be a big series of rituals in a couple of days. It's her job to help some women obtain their calling..."

"Look! The ponygirls! I'm going to go fuck them with my tongue now," Charity said. "Okay?" Her voice almost cracked. There was a tear in her eye.

"Okay..." Faith said, kissing her sister on the side of her head. "Charity. Hang in there, okay?"

<>--+-

When Charity was installed in her cell in the evening, she noticed that Killdoll had been moved to the cell next to hers. At least Charity assumed that the woman was Killdoll. Having a featureless spherical head did an excellent job of obscuring one's identity. That thought made Charity depressed. She had argued that she was certain that Dammasch had taken Blue through the portal. Now, she realized that it could have been any woman dressed like Killdoll. The only exception would be that Blue had to be wearing the collar with the key to Charity's chastity belt.

Charity closed her eyes and tried to remember details from her encounter with Dammasch in the mine. Unfortunately, Charity knew that humans have a tendency to remember things that they want to remember.

"I'm doomed," Charity thought to herself. "I'm going to turn into a brainless animal..."

Charity thought back to her conversation with Faith. She had had trouble remembering the word, 'pocket'. She could visualize a pocket when Faith described it, she just could not get the word to form on her lips.

Maybe if she had more people to speak with, she would be able to hold on to her humanity for a bit longer. She looked around the menagerie. There was no one with whom to talk. No one with whom to have a conversation. She looked over at Killdoll who was standing still with her body turned directly towards her. Creepy. Was she staring at Charity?

Charity suddenly had an idea. She walked over to the corner of her cell adjacent to Killdoll's cell and Hazel and Garnet's stall. The floor of the cells was wood, but the stalls had hay covered dirt.

Killdoll soon walked over to the corner as well. Charity slipped her leg through the bars and drew a three by three grid in the dirt (#). She pointed at the drawing. Eventually, Killdoll turned and leaned forward - angling her crotch faceplate towards the ground. She seemed to be looking at the drawing. Charity stuck out her foot again and drew an 'x' in the upper left corner of the grid.

Killdoll rocked back and twisted to direct her crotch in Charity's direction, then turned back to the drawing.

"Come on. You remember, don't you?" Charity asked.

Killdoll slipped her own leg between the bars and drew an 'o' in the center of the grid. Except upon closer inspection, it was not an 'o'... more like the shape of a heart.

"Ha! You do remember, don't you?" Charity said. She drew an 'x' in the lower left corner.

Killdoll blocked Charity on the left middle, once again with a heart shape. Then Charity was forced to block Killdoll. Eventually, the match of tic-tac-toe ended in a draw.

"And you're not dumb either!" Charity said to herself.

Charity erased the game from the dirt and drew a new grid. "You go first this time," Charity said. Killdoll drew a heart in a corner. Charity drew an 'x' on the top middle - generally, a fatal choice. Killdoll took the center, forcing Charity to block. Killdoll's next move required Charity to block in two different directions. Killdoll won!

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Charity lisped.

Killdoll seemed to nod her featureless head slightly.

"Can you read and write?" Charity asked.

Killdoll shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, let's try! What is your name?" Charity erased the tic-tac-toe grid and indicated that Killdoll should write in the dirt.

Killdoll stuck her foot out and drew two hearts in the dirt.

"Heart heart?" Charity asked. "Two hearts?"

Killdoll turned to look at her drawing then back to Charity.

"I don't think that is your name," Charity said. No telling what her mental state may be after over ten years of mental isolation, supposedly awash in dopamine.

Killdoll erased the hearts, then drew them again. She looked at the drawing, then erased it again. Once again, she drew two hearts. Then she quickly erased the hearts and walked away from the corner deeper into her cell.

"Well, it was worth a try," Charity said to herself.

<>--+-

The next morning, (tick) and her trainer arrived as usual and tended to all of Charity's needs. At the same time, Killdoll's groomer was working in the next cell over. She had wheeled some sort of box into the cell with a couple of hand cranks.

A chain was lowered from the ceiling of Killdoll's cell. Killdoll held her two mitted hands together as the groomer passed a sturdy metal bar through the holes in her hands and rings at the end of the ceiling chain. Cross-pins were used to lock her hands in place. Next, a three foot long spread bar was fixed between Killdoll's ankles. The chain was raised back towards the ceiling, pulling Killdoll's arms up with it until her feet were about to leave the floor.

Tubes were routed from the box to ports on the metal bikini wrapped around Killdoll's loins. The handler poured some warm water into a reservoir in the box and then began to crank one of the handles. Charity could see Killdoll's body tremble. Her stomach seemed to bloat a little. The groomer locked the handle and spent some time washing Killdoll with a damp cloth.

Charity could see Killdoll's diaphragm moving in and out quickly. She must have been hyperventilating. Suddenly, Killdoll seemed to have a seizure of some sort; her feet lifted off the ground and her body jerked around a bit.

Charity noticed that her own chastity belt began to glow. She felt her arousal ramp up a bit. "Holy shit," Charity thought. "She's having an orgasm!"

After about ten minutes, the groomer changed some settings on the box. Charity could see that Killdoll's belly contracted as the groomer turned the crank. Next the groomer emptied a second bottle of some sort of thick liquid into a second reservoir on the box and began twisting a different crank. Killdoll began bucking back and forth in her bonds again - thrusting her hips forward.

This time, after having cranked the handle slowly for a while, the tubes were disconnected from their ports and the box was wheeled out of Killdoll's cell. Killdoll was left hanging, trembling in her bonds.

Charity found that she was trembling as well. She remembered when Hope had stretched her out on the rack and teased her to a monstrous orgasm. She imagined being hung and teased and the glow from her chastity belt bathed her cell.

"Every act that Killdoll participates in arouses her," Empusa said.

Charity turned to see that she and Faith were standing outside Charity's cell watching Killdoll's grooming.

"I have no idea how many orgasms she has every day," Empusa laughed. She turned to Charity. "Hazel and Garnet are preparing to go for a run. Would you like to join them?"

Charity tried to say something, but she couldn't think of any words to say. Eventually, she just nodded her head. She liked to be outside in the fresh air. She wondered what Faith was going to be doing. Maybe she would come for a run too...

Empusa turned to Faith. "The course on which they run is completely on the estate property, so Charity will be safe." Then she spoke to (tick) who began to retrieve the decorative harness for Charity to wear.

Charity was surprised to hear Faith say something in the local language too. "That means, 'Have a good afternoon. See you soon!'" she explained to Charity.

"Your pronunciation is coming along nicely," Empusa said and she leaned in to Faith for a kiss.

"With all these pops and clicks, my tongue is getting quite a workout," Faith smiled back at Empusa.

Charity wanted to say something witty about tongues and workouts, but she couldn't make any words form in her mouth. She was still trembling with arousal and she glanced over at Killdoll, who was still stretched from the overhead chain. Meanwhile, (tick) had attached a leash to Charity and was gently tugging her towards the door. Charity turned in time to see Faith and Empusa walking out of the menagerie hand in hand.

<>--+-

(tick) locked the leash attached to Charity's harness to both Hazel and Garnet's harnesses. She could move no more than ten feet from them. They were led out the doors of the menagerie and then the ponygirls started jogging with Charity in tow out across the fields.

It felt really good to be out in the sun and Charity's fitness had benefited from their travels. She had never felt so strong in her life and had no problem keeping up with Hazel and Garnet's pace. They led her down trails that ran along a series of cliffs that overlooked the ocean below. The views made her think of a time when she traveled to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

They stopped occasionally to feel the wind blowing off the water. They waded through the chilly waters of a creek where Charity demonstrated the benefits of having arms to splash Hazel and Garnet who could only clumsily kick at the water to splash back. Charity was happy to make up with them afterwards kneeling between the ponygirls, using her hands and tongue.

They sat together on some warm rocks and watched the sun dip towards the horizon. When they finally made it back to the menagerie, the sun was setting and (tick) was waiting to wash and massage Charity. She was pretty tired when (tick) locked Charity's cell for the night and kissed her on the lips through the bars.

Charity was prepared to lie down and fall asleep when she noticed Killdoll standing in the corner by their dirt drawing pad, gently tapping the bars with a padded hand. Killdoll used a toe to point to eight fat hearts that she had drawn in a line in the dirt.

"Hearts," Charity said.

Killdoll nodded then reached as far out of her cage as she could with her leg and drew half of another heart. She then pointed to each of the eight hearts in order with her toe.

Charity studied the drawings for a moment. The half heart was set away from the line of eight hearts. It looked a little like an upside down hook.

"Hangman!" Charity said suddenly. "You want to play hangman!"

Killdoll clapped her hands together excitedly. Charity felt her arousal ramp up a little.

"Okay..." Charity said. "An eight letter word... um... 'R'. My first guess is 'R'."

Killdoll shook her head and drew a small heart dangling below the point of the hook.

"No R's."

Killdoll pointed to an open space and then to Charity. Charity drew an 'R' in the dirt to remember that she had used that letter.

"E?" Charity asked.

Killdoll drew a heart shaped torso below the head.

"Shit! I'm going to lose," Charity mumbled.

Killdoll thumped her chest with her mitted hand.

"Heart, but with eight letters," Charity lisped. Killdoll stomped in the dirt two times. "Heart... beat... um... love..." Killdoll clapped her mitted hands again and pointed at the hangman game.

"Okay," Charity said. "L?"

Killdoll clapped her mitts again and pointed with a toe at the third heart. Charity drew an 'L' inside it. Then Killdoll pointed at the fourth heart, then the seventh and eighth as well.

"- - L L - - L L"

"You are answering the question from last night! Killdoll! The solu... the word is Killdoll!"

Killdoll raised her arms up in a V and started to jump up and down. After the third jump, she dropped to a knee, trembling and shaking. Charity knew right away that Killdoll was starting to orgasm.

Charity's belt started to glow brighter and she felt a wave of arousal sweep across her body. She was so horny that she felt woozy. She tried to say that she needed to lie down, but she couldn't form any words. Eventually, she stumbled over to her cot and collapsed desperately moaning and pinching her breasts.

<>--+-

A few days later, Charity and the ponygirls were only able to enjoy the outdoors for a brief amount of time. Women from all the nearby villages were arriving for some sort of "Calling Rituals". Faith explained to Charity that sometimes Empusa used magic to help women excel to be the best at their calling as possible. "That's an example of how they make this universe more perfect on an ongoing basis," Faith said.

Shortly after lunch, handlers and guards entered Killdoll's cage and installed her in her tubular upside-down Y frame. Charity's belt started glowing as they locked Killdoll into position. She had to lie down for a while and calm down after the handlers wheeled Killdoll and her frame out of the menagerie. Obviously, she was playing some role in the magic and she was apparently excited about the event.

About an hour later, (tick) arrived and dressed Charity in a colorful, fancy harness with an attached leash. Charity was happy to see Hazel and Garnet would be her escort to the proceedings as (tick) locked Charity's leash to the mid-ring of their adjoined chain.

Once they stepped through the doors, they were met by six tall, muscular guards armed with pikes. Charity was shocked to realize that the job of the guards was to protect her. Crowds of women parted as they made their way across the field towards an amphitheater overlooking the ocean. All the women seemed to stare at Charity as she walked by. Some even cheered. Charity moved as close to Hazel and Garnet as she could.

Charity saw that Killdoll was parked on a rise to the right of the amphitheater's stage. The guards led Charity to a rise on the opposite side. After she and the ponygirls were positioned, the guards stood at attention making sure no one could get too close to Charity.

From where she stood, she had a good view of the amphitheater and the ocean beyond. In the middle of the amphitheater, there was a series of vertical poles embedded in the ground. A naked woman was chained in the center of the poles, with her hands raised straight up. A spreader bar anchored her feet apart on the ground. Other women were taking turns using paints to draw images or mark her body with symbols. Slowly, her entire body was covered in a rainbow of colors.

The chained woman seemed to be enjoying the attention. Everyone was smiling and she kissed all the women who stopped to add to her body paint.

Meanwhile, on the stage, handlers rolled out something that looked like a large wooden sarcophagus. Its lid was removed and placed to the side. Next a narrow cage was rolled out and set on a riser in front of the sarcophagus. A throne and a smaller chair were set on the side of the stage near to Killdoll.

The sun was beginning to set and the amphitheater was near capacity. A loud cheer rose from the crowd and Charity saw Empusa walk out onto the stage. She waved and bowed to the people, then took her seat on the throne. Charity wondered where Faith was.

A Mistress of Ceremonies came out on the stage and spoke to the crowd which responded with laughter and cheers. Then the MC turned to the back of the stage and said, "Fay-(pop)-ya!"

Faith walked out onto the stage, in a beautiful dress waving to the crowd. She even turned towards where Charity stood and blew a kiss. Charity smiled and waved back. Then Faith turned towards Empusa and knelt before her, bowing her head to the stage. Empusa stood and took Faith's hand, pulling her up from the ground. They embraced and shared a very intimate kiss as the crowd cheered wildly. Faith then held her hands up to the crowd and, after they quieted down, she spoke briefly in the local language causing the crowd to erupt in cheers again. Finally, Empusa directed Faith to the chair next to the throne and they both sat down.

Charity was feeling a little light headed. She wrapped her arms around Hazel and Garnet's waists just to maintain her balance.

Meanwhile, two guards had released the painted woman from her bonds. They led her through the crowd toward the stage - each guard firmly holding an arm. The woman's face alternated between a smile and a look of concern. She was obviously worried about something. As they led her up onto the stage towards the tall cage, Charity started to become worried for her too. Particularly with the sarcophagus lying behind the cage.