—Chapter3 The town 

The trees were not as big as they were the night before. It must have been a different area of the forest. At her size, Tom reasoned she could cover a lot of ground very quickly. The sky was beginning to have a wider array of color. It will be morning soon. “People are going to miss me” he thought of his coworkers that would be expecting him in the office in a few hours. 

“What is it you do in the human world?” she asked. 

Tom considered the question and opted not to divulge any more information unnecessarily. “People pay me to find details that they missed,” It wasn’t far from the truth and he spoke quickly enough to avoid suspicion.  

“Hmm,” Hinba merely acknowledged she heard his response.

Tom needed to get more information out of her and sulking about his newfound station in life was not going to help. “How far away is the worldstone?” 

She replied curtly, “Far,” The tree line came up to her nose and she was intent on maintaining her brisk pace. After a moment she spoke again, “But we are not going straight there. We are going to make a few stops along the way.” Tom's shoulders sank. She intended to drag this out. “You said that you need time to consider my offer. I figured you wouldn’t mind” she smiled down at Tom, who was still in her hand. 

“That’s what I said…” In hindsight, he probably should have chosen his words more carefully, but at least he was still breathing. 

Sensing his distress, Hinba spoke up, “I’m taking you to a town nearby. They are under my charge and hopefully they will help you see that your situation isn’t as terrible as you think it is.” 

Tom spat a curse under his breath. 

“I heard that.” She remarked. A spark of fear ran through Tom. He could only imagine what might happen if he angered his captor. “I’m going to let that slide since I’m in a good mood.” she raised both her arms over her head, “Let’s go get some testimonials!” she practically yelled. 

From the higher vantage point, Tom quickly surveyed the horizon for some sort of land marking, anything to help get his bearings. It was a disappointingly uniform sea of trees. It was still too early to even determine the direction of the rising sun.

— 

“We’re almost there” 

Tom was still held aloft on his perch. Hinba occasionally ordered him to switch hands as they got tired during their long walk. Daylight now fully illuminated their surroundings. Peering over Hinba’s palm he saw the remains of structures. They were definitely scaled for human occupants but they were dilapidated, appearing more like ruins, rather than habitable structures. 

“Oh no.” Hinba said under her breath as she began to quicken her pace. 

Tom began to ask what was wrong but caught himself. It would be better if he waited to find out for himself, then he could ask questions. 

Still concealed beneath the cover of trees a vast complex of buildings sprawled out looking vaguely of ancient Japanese origin. All the buildings looked destroyed. Hinba and Tom were standing on the ruins of a sacked city. Many of the structures still had the charred markings of several small fires. 

Hinba grit her teeth. Tom wasn’t sure if it was out of anger or sadness or a mixture of both. She lowered her hand to the ground. “Get off,” there were some commands that he did not need to waste time considering. With a small hop, he landed on the loose gravel that acted as a pseudo road way. “You said that you find details that others miss?” 

Tom didn’t like where this was going. He did not offer a response, only looked up at the giant who was standing upright once again. It was his first time viewing her from the ground at her full height. He just barely rose above her ankle. 

“Help me find out what happened here. Look around. I need to go check on something on the far side. We’ll learn more if we split up. Show me that your usefulness is more than a simple snack” She was not about to wait for a response, turning, she started down a well worn pathway seeming to lead away from the town. 

Tom was amazed. Did she really trust that he would not just run away? He started to plan his escape through the forest before the giant turned to face him once again, “and human,” she called, “Do not test me.If you try to run, I will find you and I will make your final day in this world a living nightmare.” 

As she finished her threat, her eyes flashed a fiery red. Tom did not have time to question what he was seeing before he felt his body crumple to the ground. It was as if the gravity had increased around him. Even supporting himself with his hands was nearly impossible. Tom began to scream in agony as he felt his bones bending out of place. 

The pressure released in an instant and Tom was left gripping his chest to survey the damage. He found none. Tom stood with shaking legs offering little support. HInba was already gone, disappearing behind the trees sprinkling the winding pathway. 

It was a warning. Tom would be wrong to believe she trusted him not to attempt an escape. She knows he wants to get away, she just didn’t care. Tom rolled the idea in his head. She must know she could easily find him somehow… but how?. She might just be wanting to avoid the hassle of searching for him. Tom shuddered. He looked to the forest once more, hung his head and walked into the town, “Fuck my life! I’ll see what I see,” he spat. 

It was almost habitual to count the houses before he started to really examine the damage within. He ran up and down the strangely immaculate streets counting the damaged buildings one by one. There were several different crossroads, but Tom slowed down to appreciate one specific intersection. He looked down the respective street. Holding up both arms, he pointed one down a street and his other down another street. “So. . . they don’t meet at ninety degree angles” his brow furrowed, “What are you fucking doing?” he asked himself before running off. 

He approached a particular structure and kicked the door in. There was no reason to bother with the ceremony that surrounded being a guest in another’s home. Tom was on a mission. The inside of the structure looked completely decimated. Large wooden beams scattered the floor where the roof was half caved in. Tom maneuvered his way through the debris, jumping and weaving over the smoldering rubble. There was not much information to gather from one building. 

Returning to the streets, Tom darted to the next building. This one did not have a door left standing. There was a similar scene of wreckage. Whoever had caused this must have been a force of nature. He repeated this process several times, bursting into houses or structures and finding nothing useful. 

“What are you not seeing?” he asked himself. It was a common practice for him to look for the items that he would expect to find but were mysteriously absent. “An entire town burnt to the ground and what’s the common thing to find?” He looked around to the dilapidated visage. 

Death! The word rang through his mind. He had yet to see a single body. Another door was kicked in as Tom was now looking for human remains. There was nothing in the next four houses. He passed by a house that was near the center of the town and crossed by an entrance to a cellar. “I’ll come back to you!” he yelled to the simple latch. 

Tom walked through the remains of a collapsed wall. At this point he was trying to find the trace amounts of blood to know if there was even a struggle by the native occupants. The over damage to all the structures, implied that any blood stains would have already started to turn brown. His eyes caught some vivid red on a wall next to a broken door. With a great deal of effort he hoisted the charred remains of the door to the side. 

The oval shape on the wall was outlined with a reddish hue. The inside of the oval matched the dirty yellowish of the rest of the surrounding wall that were not touched by the various small fires. It looked like the outline of a football. The immediate outside of the shape had the red that caught Tom’s eye. It was not the remains of a bloody scuffle but appeared to be a small explosion. 

Tom held his hand up to the marking. “Please tell me something. . . anything?”

The marking on the wall did not respond. 

Thinking he might have missed this in a prior home, he retraced his steps. Sure enough there was a similar marking on the ceiling of a home he had previously visited. It was hiding on the remains of a ceiling in a spot he had never bothered to check. 

Checking several more houses, he found the same story. The inside of the homes were trashed, there were no bodies, no blood and a strange red marking that all seemed to have varying sizes. It was not the oval shape itself that would be different, as those were all largely the size of a football, but the red discharge scorched around. 

After almost losing count of how many buildings he had examined, he encountered one that actually had some debris on the outside. He got closer to see that it was yet another wall that had collapsed and sent some wooden shrapnel into the street. He walked into the house anyway.  

It was the same story he had seen dozens of times by now. “This is starting to get repetitive,” he was cut off by the sound of metal on metal beneath his foot. Tom looked to see that he had stepped on the shattered remains of a katana. He examined the very tip of the instrument and found the blade to still be incredibly sharp. 

Pain shot through the back of Tom’s neck. Acting on instinct, he slapped himself at the site of the pain. If it were an insect, he wanted it dead. He felt nothing on his neck. Tom raised the remains of the sword around his side to try and get a better view. Using two different parts of the blade, he was able to make out the small outline of a black star on the back of his neck. “I don’t have a tattoo,” he said. 

Tom stopped what he was doing as he heard the ground begin to rumble in a rhythmic fashion.  He stuffed the metal blade into his shoe. The familiar tempo of Hinba’s gate approached. He moved quickly to hide behind a large wooden beam hoping to avoid being spotted if she happened to look into this specific building. His heart beat into his throat as the footsteps approached. “What am I even doing?” he whispered to himself. It was a very primal part of his brain that led him to hide. Whatever magic she had used on him earlier was terrifying but the promise of Tom going unnoticed was too great. There were dozens of houses, if she started to look through each one, he could reveal himself and feign ignorance. He had to try. 

The footsteps grew louder. Tom sunk to the floor to try and make himself as small as possible against the charred beam. He covered his mouth to quiet the sound of his heavy breathing as he heard footsteps pass by. They continued for a time as they became quieter with distance. He allowed his mind to a brief moment of hope before he rose from hiding. Tentatively, Tom moved towards the doorway to try and get a visual of Hinba. His hope was to gauge her direction so he could plan accordingly.  He moved out into the road as the sound of her lumbering footsteps faded and scanned their direction. 

“Were you trying to hide from me?” 

Tom turned to see Hinba’s scowling face peeking out from behind a tall building. Her eyes glowing red with a piercing anger. The noise! It was another of her tricks. The next few moments passed incredibly slowly for Tom. Her eyes returned to their dull purple but the fury they held remained palpable as she moved towards Tom. The sound of her footsteps returning, shaking the ground with each pace. Try as he might to make his body do something, anything, Tom just stood there, frozen in fear. 

She placed a foot to either side of Tom before she lowered herself. There was nothing to cover her exposed womanhood from this angle. Tom’s eyes went wide as he saw the lips descending towards him. Did she mean to crush him in the most undignified way possible? At the final moment, Tom broke from whatever was keeping him still, jumping out of the way. 

Hinba sat on the ground and was almost disappointed that Tom came to his senses. She was annoyed at his attempt to hide that she would almost be ok with letting him expire beneath her. The sight of her town and the disappearance of her people were not helping her mood either. 

She needed to let off some steam and she knew the perfect  little recipient for her wrath. Sitting down, she placed her feet together behind Tom, surrounding him on all sides with her legs and hips. . 

He felt like a mouse caught in a cage. Tom steeled himself against the anger he saw burning in her eyes. If he were going to talk his way out of this then he needed to do so without relying on the more primal areas of his brain. The simpler areas of his brain that would have him divulge everything to his captor without regard for a long term plan. 

“Why were you hiding?” she asked, balling her fist to support her head as she leaned slightly. 

“I wasn’t.” He lied, but a quick and curt reply was his best starting move. 

“Sure,” she said in a huff, “What did you find out? You were snooping around for quite some time. I'm sure you have lots to share.'' Her words were thick with sarcasm. 

Tom gulped. It was showtime whether he was ready or not. “I think they were looking for something,” he began, “on top of finding no bodies. Everyone is simply ‘gone,’ and the interiors of the buildings were thoroughly turned over” She looked bored, he needed to think of something else. “I noticed that the buildings outside the main area were destroyed much earlier than the damage here. It also looks like the culprit for that,” he pointed towards the area of the older ruins, “That was caused by another giant. While this… was perpetrated by humans, and was done much more recently” 

Hinba continued to appear uninterested in Tom’s analysis, “Why’s that?” Her voice was monotone as if not actually caring to hear the answer. 

Tom wasn’t sure what she was asking about specifically, opting to press on regardless. “The degradation of the structures with patches of still warm embers implies that whoever is responsible is only a day ahead of us,” Hinba’s eyebrow shot up, he continued, “their heading will be easy enough to spot and they’re humans transporting an entire caravan of other humans. They will be slow… At your size you’ll be able to catch up to them with just a brisk walk.” 

Hinba smiled and Tom did the same after a moment. It was a small win but he needed to do more. He needed to dissuade Hinba from using her tricks on him in the future. He reasoned that an illusion was useless if you could see through it. If Hinba knew that her tricks didn’t work on Tom she might be less likely to attempt them. 

“I also learned something about you.” Her expression still lacked any real interest. “I found the marking you gave me on the back of my neck and I know you are using it to track where I am. Sure you could change my perception of your footsteps, specifically where they are coming from, but that was too obvious.” He eyed her, trying to gauge her reaction. 

She nodded for a moment and took a deep breath, before speaking in an even tone, “I really hate it when my humans lie to me.” Tom fought the urge to crumple under her gaze. Most of what he said had some nugget of truth but it was all twisted to be as deceptive as possible. He weighed the potential outcomes of coming clean on his lies and giving her everything he uncovered or if he should continue the charade. Hinba had played with his fear before, the threats did not feel empty but they never materialized into physical harm. It was all mental. 

This was a bluff, it had to be. The memory of the cellar door surged back into his mind. At her size she would not be able to check whatever contents the cellar may contain. If he could convince her of some evidence, she might believe him. He considered his words carefully. “The tall building at the center of town had a cellar. I was on my way back there to double check some of the items.” he raised his voice, “I know there’s more clues down there.” 

A thin smile crept across her face, “Oh human, you must really want to see what happens when I get angry,” 

Tom could feel the blood leaving his face, “What? No-” he was cut off. 

“I know all the humans are gone. I know that the outer buildings were damaged by a giant.” She reached a hand down and grabbed Tom into a tight fist before he had time to react, “-because I did it!” Now she was the one to raise her voice. “And if that wasn’t bad enough, you disobeyed me. I told you to find out about the town but you used your time to discover information about me!” Her grip tightened. Tom yelped in pain as he struggled against the mounting pressure. “Congratulations human.” her words dripped with scornful sarcasm. 

Tom got an arm free but was still unable to form words in her crushing embrace, motioning wildly to the direction of the building that contained the cellar. Hinba caught his meaning but ignored it. She reclined onto her back and brought Tom to her face, looking intensely at the terrified human. “Don’t worry, I'm not going to eat you, but I can’t promise that you will like where you’re going.” Hinba let out a long sigh as she brought Tom into her mouth, tasting his fear. It was intoxicating. 

Tom’s world went dark. The pressure on his chest released, finally allowing him to scream to his heart’s content. There was a sea of saliva that soaked through his clothes almost instantly. As soon as he was able to regain his bearings he reached back to the opening of the giant’s mouth. Grasping the hard surface of one of her front teeth, he hoisted himself up. 

She opened her mouth, bathing the small human in light as she lifted Tom back out. He was held in her hand once again with his arms pinned to his side. “Now that you’re nicely lubricated,” she began as she rolled onto her side. Tom watched in horror as he was brought along the expanse of her body, stopping high above her hips. With her other hand, Hinba undid a small clasp on her skirt causing it to fall open. Tom’s eyes went wide with the realization of what she was about to do to him, of where she was about to “put” him. 

She twisted her wrist slightly to have Tom face her but he was unable to pull his mind away from the sight below him. “Look at me,” she commanded. Her face was almost stoic but betrayed a deep arousal. Tom met her gaze as she bit her lower lip and let out a long exhale. “That's right, human. Look at me. I want you to know that I’m going to enjoy this.” They held each other's gaze for a long moment. “I’ll give you a little bit of advice, it’ll be easier on you if you tense up. But . .  once you’re nicely tucked away. . .” her voice coarse with desire. “Please squirm for me.” 

Tom found his voice, “Stop! Wait! Where do you,-” with a jerk he was moving over her hips as he was held next to her backside, “Pease! Fucking stop! I’ll do anything! No!” his cries became more and more desperate as they went unheeded. With her free arm, she reached over her hip to grab a handful of the soft flesh of her ass and lifted it to reveal its wrinkled hole. Tom’s screams fell silent as it he saw the twitching orifice which held a slight darker red than the rest of her body. It dawned on Tom that he was not about to shove into her womanhood, but that she intended to use him as her very own living butt plug. 

His screams continued as he was brought closer. Her body radiated heat and the air was thick with the smell of her arousal. The twitching quickened as he was brought closer until the wrinkled flesh seemed to open slightly before it clamped down on his entire face. 

A shiver went down her spine as she heard the screams suddenly go silent and the slight pressure felt on her asshole. She adjusted her grip slightly but kept Tom's face securely pressed into her pucker. Hinba was well aware that he could not breathe in this position but he would be able to breathe again on the inside. Depriving the little creature of oxygen might help him be a little more willing to comply. 

Tom felt her thumb pressing against the back of his head and the ring of flesh gripping his face. He struggled wildly against her grasp. The pressure on his head increased as he was pushed inward. Powerful muscles gripped his neck as his lungs began to burn. If he didn’t breathe soon he was going to die. There was no way to talk yourself out of suffocation. He hated himself for what he was about to do. Starting with his core, he made his whole body stiff and calmed his wild attempts to struggle. 

“That was quick,” she cooed at the human’s swift compliance. “Alright, in you go” Placing a single finger on his feet, she pushed him inside. Tom felt the pressure pass down the length of his body down to his ankles. The pressure of his head and upper torso released slightly but it was enough to allow him to take a breath. The air was impossibly humid and smelled of feminine musk and earthy. His feet still hung outside the threshold of her anus and his arms still held in the tight embrace around his abdomen. 

Breathing was still hard but he could manage. There was a certain risk in trying to open his eyes, but doing so only helped solidify the reality of where he was. There was no light in his tight confines. He could feel Hinba’s heartbeat all around him as the world seemed to shift around him as she rolled onto her back. Even in his current predicament he could still hear her voice as if it were coming from all around him. “It’s been a long day. Be a good boy and help me blow off some steam.” 

Tom felt her press his feet, moving him the rest of the way into her bowels. Her anus sealed itself shut behind him as he regained a small degree of motion. “Please let me out!” he cried, not even sure if she was able to hear him. The once steady drum of her heart started to quicken, “What are you doing!?” but no answer came. 

She let out a long sigh as hands began to probe her swollen lips, finding their way to her clit. “That’s right, human. Struggle.” Her pleasure started to build quickly. New humans were always the best. Their struggles were so much more energetic than those burdened with experience. It did not take her long to reach her peak. She hissed through grit teeth as she arched her back and froze as the pleasure shot through her body. After a moment she relaxed back down. The pressure threatened to break every bone in Tom’s body before it finally released. 

Exhausted and defeated, all he could do was wait for Hinba to release him. However, the human was not that lucky. He could feel her changing positions and before long she was up and walking again. Did she intend to leave him in here?! the thought terrified him. 

His body began to feel very heavy. The feeling was almost imperceptible with the constant shifting of the environment around him. He barely even noticed the sensation before he slipped into unconsciousness.