Inanna's Descent into the Underworld Ch. 01

"All the more you shall have your just reward, my beloved Puabana!" Inanna declared, her eyes filling with tears. "Anunnaki, hear me! I exert my right to the soul of this woman! By my holy power, this woman is free of the Underworld, and will depart this realm!"

A whirlwind built up around the chamber. Slowly, a circle of light appeared, an unprecedented sight here in this place -- the radiance was a flame that pushed back the darkness, and into this luminous glow the liberated form of Puabana soared and vanished. The divine passageway closed as well. The wind died down, and the gloom once again reclaimed its domain.

Inanna stood still, feeling the bone-deep fatigue wash over her -- this feat would have been much easier if all her items of power had been still with her, and it was hard to focus her energies in the realm of the dead. Still, she knew she could not have let Puabana suffer one moment longer in Ereshkigal's grasp.

Ereshkigal's cruel smirk told her that she had, perhaps, played into a trap laid by her sister. With a resolute tilt of her head, Inanna squared her shoulders and strode forward, stepping onto the dais. She would not give Ereshkigal the satisfaction of detecting any weakness on her part.

As she walked, the sinuous movements of her muscles made her appear to be the very embodiment of martial prowess that, in truth, she was. Her breasts were large and sat high on her chest with a proud upward tilt. She was the Strong Mother, the Matron of Might, the Mistress of War, and even here in Irkalla, naked, she still looked every bit the part. An elegant tuft of golden hair pointed the way to her divine womanhood, from which all fertility and sexuality emanated.

Ereshkigal tossed the empty goblet aside and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, and strode forward too, stepping onto the dais as well. Her movements were of the sultriest of courtesans, and firm flesh rippled as well underneath her smooth pale skin, hinting at strength where Inanna's flesh proudly declared it. Her breasts were round and soft, hanging slightly lower than Inanna's, but were lush and full. Her dark nipples were swollen as well, and pointed rigidly outwards. The curve of her hips was the curve of the gibbous moon, and the mound of her womanhood was completely hairless, like a statue's might be.

They came to a stop and stood before each other in the middle of the dais, which was clearly to be the ring in which they would have their Trial. The runes around the edges glowed, and Inanna knew their purpose: the ritual combat would take place, and the loser of the Trial would be killed, her powers claimed by the victor. The two goddesses, embittered sisters, glared silently for a time at each other in mutual appraisal, their eyes wandering up and down each other's bodies, evaluating strengths and weaknesses.

"Think you that you can challenge me again, my dark sister?" Inanna spoke first, her voice oozing disdain. "Do you not remember the outcome and proceeding of our last such encounter? I threw you into the sides of the cliffs, I hurled you far into the sea, I crushed and bent you until you cried out your submission to the winds and the sun. You knelt and begged for mercy, uttering many promises which you have this day broken. Have the chill odorous airs of the Nether world addled your brains, Ereshkigal?"

"Sanctimonious sister of mine, you shall swallow your insults and weep with shame when I defeat you," Ereshkigal hissed in reply. "You thought to punish me with this exile, you thought I would rot and wither here, in this realm devoid of light or life -- but you did not reckon with the powers of death and darkness! You did not foresee, for all your wisdom," this last said with a sarcastic sneer, "that I would be strengthened, not weakened, by my reign here, in Irkalla! I have fed upon the souls of the damned, and I have gazed into the Endless Void and seen the power that exists for me to grasp. I am strong now, Inanna -- I shall overthrow you, and overthrow the entire pantheon, and take my rightful place as ruler of all!"

"You are much more of a fool than I had imagined, Ereshkigal!" Inanna's voice snapped forth like a whip. "You would think to depose Utu the Just, our brother who judges the souls of the righteous? Battle the invincible Ninurta and his mace Sharur, against whom even I hesitate to raise my arm? Establish dominion over Primeval Tiamat, Mother of All? Challenge Boundless Enlil, Lord of the Air, for supremacy? You are foolish, foolish beyond belief!"

"When I have added your strength to mine, it shall be the first step to my journey to ultimate victory! I broke the compact and released demons upon your treasured city of Uruk, sister, simply to draw you down from your idylls in the Heavens! I wonder that you could tear yourself away from your disporting with that worthless man whom you call lover, that king Dumuzi who is as a worm to us! But you have behaved most predictably, my dear sister, and now, your fate is sealed, for you will lose this Trial to me, and I will take your power for my own!"

"It is you who have miscalculated," Inanna asserted grimly. "My strength is still greater than yours, and I have not been idle. Gaze upon my power again, sister, lest you forget whom you have chosen to battle."

She struck up a pose, a posture from a martial dance of war meant for women to adopt, that displayed womanly grace combined with a bold display of strength. Her arms she crooked, and her fists she clenched, so that the muscles of her arms and shoulders flexed powerfully. Her magnificent legs she turned sideways, and she pointed one foot forward, pressing on the stone floor with her toe, causing each muscle on her leg to bulge in its own place. Even the silent shadowy watchers, denizens of Irkalla, who were able to perceive this encounter even from beyond the stone chamber, were struck dumb by the spectacle. Truly, Inanna was the goddess of war and of sex, and in her body the twin elements had formed union.

Ereshkigal, unfazed, struck up a pose as well, but from a difference dance, a dance of seduction and lust. Her pose accentuated her already mesmerizing curves, and took her sensual appeal to new heights. Any mortal man gazing upon her in that pose would have been overcome with uncontrollable concupiscence within a moment, and would have given up his seed without anything touching his male member. Her breasts curved upwards, following the movement of her upraised arms. She epitomized the combination of strength and flexibility, and the cruel look in her lidded eyes completed the image of her dark power.

"Look well, sister, upon the one who has the power to defeat you. I shall revenge myself upon you for the wrong you have done to me. Shame shall be heaped upon your name. Scorn shall be your meat, and pain your wine, as you suffer, dead but undying, your body a trophy for me to display in my hall."

Inanna bared her teeth, showing a hint of the feral ferocity that made her so fearsome in battle. She would exact retribution for her dearest Puabana, the other priestesses of her temple, and the innocent people of Uruk and the mortal realms. She would be the champion of the Heavens, the one who would curtail Ereshkigal's ill-conceived rebellion before it could properly bear its dark fruit.

Ereshkigal grinned back mirthlessly. What a joy it would be to overcome that strong, tawny body, to dominate the haughty Inanna and bend the proud goddess to her own dark will, before consuming Inanna's power to add to her own, making her the single most powerful goddess in existence. Here in this realm, she had set everything up perfectly -- all the advantage was hers, none was Inanna's. She knew she would have to be a weakling indeed, to lose this fight, and she was utterly determined not to show herself weak in any way.

Deciding to make the first move and disconcert Inanna, Ereshkigal dropped her pose. She put her right foot forward, and put out her right arm as well, her hand opened invitingly. This was the arm pulling game, the one that children and sometimes soldiers played. It was a contest of strength and balance. Inanna would have to brace her foot against Ereshkigal's, and grasp her hand. They would then pull, and the first to lose her footing and stumble would be the loser. Harmless, when soldiers or the priestesses of Inanna played this game. Here, it was a challenge to Inanna's sense of pride, with Ereshkigal's own pride at stake. The pride of a goddess was not something lightly lost.

"I am still the stronger goddess, Ereshkigal," Inanna said confidently, accepting the challenge by matching her dark sister's pose, rubbing the outside of her right foot against Ereshkigal's.

"We shall see, Inanna," Ereshkigal replied, as their thumbs hooked and their fingers curled around each other's hand.

Ereshkigal clenched her hand -- and immediately Inanna felt her sister's dark strength. Her eyes widened a fraction with surprise, but she squeezed hard herself, and was satisfied to see Ereshkigal suck in her breath at the pressure Inanna could inflict. Their strength test began.

The biceps on both arms bulged with power, and so did the muscles on their thighs and calves. Giving a lurch to the side, Ereshkigal attempted to throw Inanna off balance, but the proud bronze goddess was wise to such tricks, and she maintained her footing, curling her strong arm and pulling Ereshkigal forward. Ereshkigal remained firm on her feet, though now her long shapely arm was stretched out and forced to the side. With a big heave, flexing her supple trunk, she repaid Inanna in kind, and Inanna suddenly found herself the one pulled forward, her forward leg bent, her back foot stumbling slightly.

"She is strong!" Inanna realized. Gritting her teeth, she stabilized her footing -- then she curled her arm up at the elbow, matching Ereshkigal for arm strength. Ereshkigal bared her teeth -- her canines had been filed to sharp points, giving her a dark feline appearance, in contrast to the leonine Inanna. Their arms now were locked straight up in the middle, bent at the same angle, and here the Lion Goddess found that her arm strength had sufficed so far but no further, for somehow Ereshkigal could match her power. Her arm trembled finely but made no further progress.

Both goddesses now tensed their entire bodies in their effort to throw the other. Their muscles now rippled in full relief. Sweat drops began to appear on their bare skin, despite the chill of the air in Irkalla.

"Ughh... unnghh..." Inanna could not help moaning with the exertion as she strove with her dark sister.

Then, Ereshkigal gave a feral cry, and Inanna felt her arm wrenched forward with irresistible force. With a twist of her body, Ereshkigal heaved -- and Inanna went flying, her whole body vaulting head over heels, to land flat on her back on the cold stone dais!

Stunned, the mighty goddess of war lay there, blinking. She felt winded by the impact. How had this happened? She had lost...! Ereshkigal had won this game of strength!

Clumsily, she scrambled to her feet. Ereshkigal laughed at the ungainly movements of her sister, and struck up another pose. Now it seemed as if her muscles were glowing preternaturally, with hitherto hidden power now revealed.

Inanna swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. No, it could not be -- surely not? She was the stronger, had always been the stronger. But the sensations came to her -- her strength was a fraction of what it was, her powers largely taken from her by the gatekeeper Neti. This place was the seat of Ereshkigal's dominion, and the cold, dark aura of death and despair was like a miasma enveloping Inanna. And she had expended much of her divine essence liberating the captive spirit of Puabana -- whose life essence had caused a transfer of yet more divine essence from Inanna to Ereshkigal.

She squared her shoulders, and gave a proud toss of her reddish locks. She was still mighty Inanna. No challenge could faze her.

Ereshkigal dropped into a crouch, and began to stalk her, her long legs undulating with rippling muscles underneath the smooth alabaster skin. Inanna followed suit, circling Ereshkigal, who made a few darting feints. Inanna decided to seize the initiative, and made a bold lunge for Ereshkigal's midriff.

With an adroit twist and sidestep, Ereshkigal evaded Inanna's grasping arms. Quick as a striking viper, Ereshkigal wrapped her own arms around Inanna from the side, and slid around to the back even as Inanna grabbed Ereshkigal's wrists and forearms.

"Arrgh..." she cried, as Ereshkigal tensed her arms and applied squeezing pressure to Inanna's sculpted abdomen. "Release me!"

"And why would I do that, sweet sister?" Ereshkigal hissed back disdainfully in reply. "I will crush the life force from your body, Queen of the Whores!"

"You lack the strength, Ereshkigal," Inanna gritted her teeth, tensing her abdominal muscles to resist the pressure even as she grabbed hold of her sister's wrists, attempting to break the hold by main force.

"Do I? We shall see, Inanna. You will scream for mercy soon enough," Ereshkigal promised grimly, as they settled down to this struggle.

The sweat broke out on Inanna's forehead as she flexed her arms mightily, first pulling, then pushing, trying to break Ereshkigal's hold. Ereshkigal had gripped her own forearms as tightly as she could, and the cords of muscle stood out on her arms as she tried to keep Inanna trapped. It was by no means easy. Inanna jerked and strained like a force of nature, and several times Ereshkigal almost lost her footing, as they staggered around in a frenzy.

Both now drew in ragged breaths as their tussle continued, but Inanna was at an increasing disadvantage -- she could not draw a full breath, and each time she exhaled, it seemed as though Ereshkigal intuited it and tightened her grip just a fraction more, increasing the crushing pressure. With mounting dismay, Inanna realized her arm strength was not enough to break Ereshkigal's leverage. Her own abdominal wall could not hold out much longer.

"You're mine," Ereshkigal gasped, as she sensed Inanna's strength flagging.

With a wild cry, Inanna made a move of desperation, and swung her elbow back, striking the side of Ereshkigal's head. The dark goddess reeled, stunned and surprised, relinquishing her grip. Inanna extricated herself and quickly stepped away, putting some much needed space between her and her opponent. She gasped with pain, and clutched her belly -- Ereshkigal's arms had been far stronger than she could have anticipated.

Ereshkigal's eyes glittered triumphantly with a she-wolf's menace, as she rubbed the side of her face. "I will win this contest, sanctimonious slut of a sister," she snarled. "You know now, you cannot match my strength."

A worried Inanna did not make reply immediately, but used the time to try and collect herself. She drove the thought from her head -- she could not afford to let Ereshkigal dominate her will. She also knew she could not afford to be careless, or to underestimate her sister further. She had to prevail. For the sake of all the living lands, and all her brothers and sisters in the pantheon, she had to!

She put up her arms and set her feet in a martial stance. Seeing this, Ereshkigal adopted a stance of her own as well. The two inched closer to each other, ready to begin this pugilistic contest.

Inanna struck first. Her left fist shot out, and then she swung her body the other way suddenly, swinging her right leg up like a bronze ball upon a chain. Ereshkigal easily dodged the fist strike, refusing to be taken in by the feint, and made a grab for Inanna's leg. The kick connected with a meaty smack into Ereshkigal's side, and the dark queen gasped with pain for an instant, but she managed to wrap a strong arm around Inanna's shin. Launching her body off her left leg, she swung a heavy right kick at Inanna's head.

Despite her trapped leg, however, Inanna was immensely flexible and agile, and she twisted away from the kick, ducking just under it, close enough to feel the wind against her face. Her left leg swung up, connecting with Ereshkigal's right flank, eliciting another satisfying gasp from the pale goddess.

However, Ereshkigal did not release her grip. On the contrary, even as she recovered from her whiffed kick, she grabbed hold of Inanna's left leg as well. Inanna bent backwards to brace her body against the ground with her arms, and twisted her body with a powerful motion, ignoring the spasm of pain around her trunk and at her belly. Seemingly every muscle in her body bulged and flared, and Ereshkigal was sent flying to the side, with the sheer torque Inanna had created.

Ereshkigal displayed her own dexterity -- she landed on her hands, performed a cartwheel, and ended in a feline crouch, as Inanna recovered her stance. The whole exchange had taken mere seconds. Their eyes narrowed as they studied each other for openings.

Inanna shifted into a more aggressive martial stance, her fingers curling into claws, her biceps coiling as she raised her arms. She resembled a lioness in her pose, her haunches tense and ready to launch her at her enemy. Ereshkigal also shifted her stance, and somehow her movements became more fluid and languid. Her fingers were brought close together and stiffened. She brought her arms up as well, to resemble the posture of a snake poised to strike.

Once again Inanna struck first, her hands striking out like claws, swiping powerfully. But Ereshkigal dodged away with sinuous movements -- then, suddenly, she seemed to drop to the stony floor, and slither underneath Inanna's guard. Taken aback, Inanna swiped downwards at what she thought was Ereshkigal's unprotected back -- but the cunning demon queen had twisted around, and blocked Inanna's blows, striking hard and fast with stiffened fingers at Inanna's forearms.

Inanna felt the stinging numbness where Ereshkigal's strikes had connected -- then her eyes widened, as Ereshkigal's legs came swinging up, and the pale luscious thighs clamped around Inanna's head! Her eyes bulged now, as Ereshkigal flexed her whole body, sending Inanna head over heels to land with a meaty smack, the impact causing Inanna's divinely muscled bronzed body to bounce off the stone once.

The pain! Inanna was unused to such sensations. She was still disoriented from having been tossed, and she only dimly realized that Ereshkigal had followed through with the whole movement, and was now perched on top. Inanna's face was trapped in between Ereshkigal's unyielding thighs, and she was staring straight up at Ereshkigal's moist sex. Her shoulders were pinned beneath Ereshkigal's knees, limiting the movement of her arms. Her body was stretched out before Ereshkigal... completely defenceless.

The pale dark-haired goddess arched her back languidly, her arms rising in the air, fists clenching slowly, and for a moment she posed like a splendid muscled statue -- then her fists came crashing down, one after the other, smashing into Inanna's strong proud breasts, into the spectacularly ridged belly, into the firm flesh of Inanna's perfect physical form. Blow after blow she landed, her barrage relentless.

Finally, after what seemed like an interminable time, she rose gracefully, her skin glistening with sweat. Her loins were wet, as she had experienced an episode of pleasure while battering the supine form of her heavenly sister. Some of her juices had flowed down her thighs and onto Inanna's face. Ereshkigal turned away from Inanna's quivering form and paraded around, displaying her body to the unseen spectators.

Inanna gave a long shuddering moan, and her body twitched and spasmed. Bruises were beginning to appear all over her brutalized torso. She rolled onto her side, curling up slightly, struggling to rise. Ereshkigal turned to watch, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Inanna, struggling bit by bit to rise to her feet, using every ounce of her strength and will, to stand unbroken before her nemesis!