The Trials

What was there to be ashamed of? No one was watching, and despite her having been overtaken and defenseless, this was no battle. Fera leaned back and relaxed. She let it fuck her.

Soon, something had awoken in Fera which she had not known existed. Her hips moved instinctively, her labia were engorged, and despite the strangeness of it all she felt something building within her. The growths moved faster as they rubbed her in all these odd places; her excitement had become an inferno. Fera clutched at the growth now engulfing her crotch and ground against it. She arched her back as the cell's motions continued incessantly. The feelings suddenly grew very intense, swelling rapidly with no signs of stopping. She almost felt scared, not knowing where this would end, but she could barely think anymore. She burst forth with a scream of pleasure as her pelvis rocked and her muscles contracted rhythmically.

Fera did not understand, but she let the sensation roll over her as the cell first slowed, then began to calm and hum to her.

Was this what it had wanted? Was it simply showing her this unknown pleasure? It caressed her cheek, and slowly the growths began to recede and let her drop gently to the floor as they formed back into the wall.

Fera was left with an empty feeling as her opening contracted again, and she simply lay where it had left her. After some incomprehensible time, she reached her hand down between her legs and pressed them together, still clinging to the feeling which pervaded her body. She curled into a fetal position and fell into a deep sleep as the warm cell hummed gently around her.

---

Auxentus Basilius paced across his room agitatedly. Despite his other responsibilities, he could not muster the concentration needed to keep his mind from wandering back to Fera Venucia. Could she complete the trials? Her case was an interesting one, no doubt... very interesting.

The Scutum people had had very few dealings with the Ultōrēs and no previous encounters with the legendary battle-maidens. The stories of their prowess had traveled much farther than they had themselves, and much to Auxentus's surprise the stories had been fairly accurate.

He still didn't know who had ordered that gruesome attack on the maidens' camp - probably Commander Bihara. Thinking of the news still made him clench his fists with anger. On the one hand, it had brought an incredible woman to them - on the other, it was a terrible waste of human life. Perhaps the thing that worried him most was the thirst for vengeance that Fera would almost certainly carry with her; at the very least, it would make her acclimation more difficult. At worst, it could lead to more death.

Above all, he just hoped that she would succeed. In the short time he had seen her, he had not failed to notice her stunning beauty, sharp mind, and admirable courage. He knew she had a strong will - she would never cease to be a battle-maiden - the question was whether she could bend her will in a new direction. Auxentus was not one to optimistically deceive himself: if Fera Venucia resisted too strongly, she would never make it out alive.

_

The Cognitian temple had been discovered by the Scutum people long ago - it is referenced in even the earliest of their surviving records. The Scutum people had once roamed the plains, breeding horses and herding cattle. However it was not until they began militarizing and raiding other unprotected peoples that they grew in power and significance in those early days. At some point during this time, they ventured near the Mountains of Edoron, where they encountered a very strange people - the Cognitia - who had never been seen before by any nation. The Scutum people, having little knowledge or restraint, and seeing great prosperity before them, attacked the Cognitians. It was a sad time, for much was lost. But from the ruins of the once prosperous nation the Scutum gained much knowledge. They no longer roamed, but instead settled in the same secluded location. The Cognitia had uncovered deep secrets and employed them to bring about a lifestyle that could be considered almost utopic; they drew from a mysterious power dwelling within the mountain in a symbiotic relationship, and as a result many of their needs were provided for. They were able to pursue knowledge and pleasure in quantities that were unparalleled by even the most powerful nations.

Though much was lost with this frivolous destruction, not all was lost. Soon, with the help of a few Cognitian survivors and more insightful leadership, some of the Scutum people began to learn the secrets of the Edoron mountains, and they, too, began to enjoy the fruits of knowledge and peace. There were, however, still elements who relished the brutalities of combat, namely the Outer Society.

It is not clear if the Cognitian temple had been built by the Cogitians or if it had existed from some other nebulous time, but it was certainly ancient and it was also inextricably intertwined with the magic of the mountains. No one knew how far into the mountains it extended, nor how it operated. To the best knowledge of those who studied the strange magic of the mountains, the temple was an interface between the people and the mountains, through which the earth could communicate the secrets of life and the pleasures of sex. Any who entered a specific place (many called it "The Trials"), would be given a glimpse of the potential for human sexual fulfillment. Only once one understood and accepted the true nature of human sexuality (and accepted the peace that must precede it) could one exit the temple.

Since one could only ever enter The Trials once, it was a tradition of the Inner Society (those who wished to live in harmony with the mountains) to use the temple as a rite of passage for their youth as they reached sexual maturity. Not everyone who entered the temple succeeded, however; there were some who never returned. Though it was not clear what happened to them, it was clear that entering the temple carried a significant risk. It was because of this risk, and because the Inner Society treated it as a rite of passage, that the Scutum people referred to it as The Trials. Anyone who wished to be part of the Inner Society had to first enter the temple, and the two outcomes presented an optimal solution for dealing with anyone who wished to join: either they would succeed and become peaceful, liberated members of the society, or they would never return. Though most people raised in the Inner Society made it through, the ordeal still caused much anxiety for those who were concerned for the individual entering The Trials. Many Scutum not of the Inner Society feared the temple and avoided them. It created a rift which had been steadily growing for some time now.

_

Auxentus turned for another circuit of pacing. There was little he could do to console himself, for there was no way to glean information about Fera's progress. It was well known that more aggressive, belligerent people often failed The Trials. A battle maiden had never entered the temple before. Would she make it through? It was just a matter of waiting and watching for her to emerge on the other side.

"Fera Venucia," he thought, "please understand."

I'll be waiting.

---

Fera awoke to a sensation of falling - in fact she was falling. The floor she slept on had apparently let her sink until she fell into an entirely different chamber. This chamber was not at all like the previous one, in that it seemed fairly normal. It had a spacious ceiling and roughly hewn stone walls easily eight paces apart, which were lined with small stone columns and lit ambiently, in a way that Fera couldn't identify. Fera pulled herself off the ground, now well-rested and alert, though slightly shaken from the sudden fall. Within the chamber, she found a bed, a wash basin, a simple stone table, and several other basic amenities for which she was thankful

She did not, however, know that humans were not responsible for furnishings of the chamber. While the process by which the items came to be there is unknown, the best understanding of the Inner Society is that the magic pervading the mountains can alter both reality and ones perception of reality. Deep in the temple, where the magic is overwhelmingly abundant, the distinction between these two effects becomes so blurred that no one can say what truly lies within.

Fera, in what she might otherwise have deemed a poor exercise of caution, immediately began to eat the food on the table. It was a hearty meal of bread, cheese, and fruits, which she consumed ravenously. She soon found herself holding the small corner of what remained of the bread, surprised at her own appetite. She placed it idly in her mouth and walked to the wash basin, her thoughts now returning to the experience she'd had before. She began to wash herself, hardly aware of the motions as she tried to recall what exactly had happened, and what she had felt.

She cupped her hands and let the water run down her body.

The cell had not harmed her, exactly. It was such a foreign entity that Fera had no concept of what its intentions could have been. At the time, the natural response seemed to be violence: it was an unknown, and an unknown is a threat. For all her life, Fera had been learning to fight. And, were these not The Trials? What is a trial, if not a test of strength?

Her hands drifted along her skin.

She pondered this question for a moment. What, then, was it a test for? She glanced down and found her hand resting between her legs. She could still feel the residue left from before... her thoughts drifted to those final confused moments - the feelings that she had felt. She slowly moved her hand up, and then down again. It was soft and warm. A slight tingling resulted from the contact, but nothing like she had felt before.

Fera was intrigued and, prompted to action, quickly sat on the edge of the bed. She opened her legs and leaned over her abdomen, looking closely. She'd never really looked at it so openly before, and truly, she didn't know where to begin. She intently manipulated the soft, stretchy flesh, examining the various folds and textures, all the while feeling slight tingling sensations like those in the cell. She grew tired of bending in such a cramped position, instead bringing her legs up and reclining on the bed while she explored by touch. Soon, she understood - or, at least, understood part of it. As she learned how her motions lead to sensations, she began to actively pursue them. Her motions became quicker. This is how it had felt! And this time, she knew what came at the end.

Her other hand began to roam across her body, in much the same way the cell had touched her. She leaned her head back, as before, and let the feelings stir and roil within her loins. Faster, repetitively, as consistently as her muscles allowed, she rubbed, until she could tell she was on the final ascent. She now approached it, welcoming it, and reached the summit triumphantly. Fera gasped, her hand jerking and her legs involuntarily squeezing together, pressing hard, as she came.

And, while the euphoria washed over her, a wall began to move. For a time, Fera didn't spare a bit of her concentration for the new information, instead remaining immersed in the sensation. A blissful calm lay over her.

With time, as the euphoria passed to reverie, she noticed all of the other sensations - the texture of the bed, the sliding of her ankle against her calf as she raised one knee, the rise and fall of her chest, and her breath lightly blowing across her skin. And these lead to more concrete thoughts, such as where she was, and eventually to remember that something had changed. She rotated herself, allowing her legs to fall off the bed and carry her onward. As she stood, she felt special emphasis as her bottom slid along the fabric.

And there it was: a door, where there had been none. Fera glanced about. With nothing of use to carry, she stepped forward, her bare feet quietly padding against the smooth stone floor. She reached the threshold and peered through...

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That's it for part one. Thanks for reading! If you liked this I may continue the story in the future. Again, feel free to leave suggestions or comments.
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