People really seemed to like my entry for Day 3 (which you can read here, if you haven't checked it out yet: Kinktober 2023 - Day 5 - Markings/InkThe more Lia examined the map, the more she found she could not look away. It was the treasure of a lifetime, a marvel wrought in black ink and parchment displaying the entirety of the Five Kingdoms in elaborate, minute detail, with elaborate markings of gold leaf stenciled at five key points. The latter was perhaps the most interesting feature. Lia was fluent in half a dozen tongues from across the Kingdoms, both spoken and written, as well as the ancient, secret cants of the Storm Priesthood, yet the markings resembled none of them. Runes of the Old People, perhaps? Or maybe something dwarfish, the scholar mused, eyes never leaving her prize as she snatched up a stray scrap of parchment to try and copy the markings upon, excitement fluttering at her breast. Twenty-one years had passed since her parents gave her up to the Sisterhood of Scrolls, her existence one of ink and paper, of ancient tomes and dusty scrolls, and never in all that time had she come across something so wonderful, so brimming with mystery and adventure. The map had left its mark upon her, and whatever happened next, Lia was utterly certain nothing would ever be the same again.Indeed, were it not for her concentration constantly being disrupted by the racket from her prisoner, things would be perfect… “Can you please stop making so much noise? I can hardly hear myself think over your grunting.”“Mmmpggghhh!” Frustratingly, the prisoner’s struggles only intensified, her lithe figure straining against the ropes binding her to the chair, while above the silken cleave gag, blue eyes stared defiantly at her captor, keen and sharp as the many knives that once adorned her person. In contrast to Lia’s conservative robes of cream-coloured silk, the prisoner was clad in a sleeveless, close-fitting top of brown leather, her midriff left bare to reveal a toned stomach and the strings of the bodice pulled tight to accent her feminine dimensions. Thigh-high boots, the soles made of soft basilisk leather to render her steps silent, long leather gloves and a skirt of armoured leather straps completed her ensemble. The Sisterhood were sworn to chastity, yet Lia had to admit that her captive was rather beautiful, for the loveliness of the elves was rarely exaggerated overexaggerated. Ashen-blonde hair, cut boyishly short, revealed slim, pointed ears, her features fair and her cheekbones well defined. She’d introduced herself as Evelyn Silverthorn, adventurer and mercenary. A lie, of course. The tattoos of blue ink upon her face marked her as part of the Seven Houses of Midnight, the primary assassin guild amongst the elves, a gang of murderers and thieves, the bane of all civilized people, each and every last one of their number viler than the last.Or at least, that was how she chose to justify betraying the other woman. “D-Don’t look at me like that, you criminal!” Lia stammered in protest, wilting before the harsh gaze of the elf. “I don’t know where you got your filthy hands on the map to start with, but you never deserved to have it in the first place! It’s not like stealing from thieves is wrong!”“Mmmppppgghh! MMMPPGGGHHHH!” the elf shouted angrily, thrashing like a caged beast against her bondage; slender wrists crossed and bound behind the backrest, ropes securing her ankles to the front legs of the chair, and a final coil beneath her breasts to further hold her in place. “Nnngghh, mmpppggghh!”But did I really do the right thing? Lia paused to ask herself, the anxiety and indecisiveness that had so often plagued her rising to the fore once again. After all, Evelyn had brought her the map in the first place, and she’d been perfectly polite and friendly, even as Lia slipped the drug into her tea… Goddess, did I let my eagerness to learn get away from me? I know she’s an assassin, yet… was tricking her the right thing to do?As if in answer to her moral dilemma, the markings on the map suddenly burned a bright, unearthly blue, drawing her attention like a moth to the flame. “So beautiful…” Lia whispered, her struggling prisoner forgotten, even the sounds of her gagged cries and the ropes creaking no longer a distraction. No, you wanted me to find it, didn’t you? And why shouldn’t I take it? I’m the only one worthy of discovering its secrets…“Mmmppgghh! MMMPPPGGGHH!” Evelyn was screaming in warning now rather than outrage as she finally realized exactly what the markings were. With a grunt, the chair fell sideways, pitching the former assassin onto the floor, yet her restraints held, leaving her watch helplessly as the scholar fell further and further under their thrall…) , so doing a follow-up to that one made perfect sense for this prompt. Seems like the magic of the map has a few nasty surprises in store for Evelyn... Let me know what you guys think!

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