Chivalry (Patreon)

Emily couldn't make sense of the last two minutes. She had been running with her boyfriend Jake and his best friend Louis like she would on any other Friday mornings. However, when they took their usual shortcut behind the Starbucks on Main, they didn't find the place empty like it normally is. Instead, they faced an awkward spectacle they were not prepared for. Right in front of them, stood a young pink-haired woman, who at first glance seemed to step around a small swarm of insects. 

Something however, felt wrong. These insects' blood was red, and they were "...screaming?" thought the jogger to herself. From there, all she could remember was hearing Jake utter a distant gasp, filled with horror, before the woman turned around and darkness overwhelmed them.

Emily couldn't tell exactly how long she'd been out when her eyes opened - the bright sunshine blinding her. It couldn't have been long since she could still recognize the familiar alley around her. With the obvious exception that it was now upside down. Before she could comprehend that the alley hadn't flipped, a brutal force dragged her upwards, making her stomach violently churn. Only now did she realize the dire situation she was in.

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty, had a nice nap?" said a voice so loud Emily's eardrums almost exploded. The unfortunate jogger could now see the height separating her from the ground sending her in a frenzy. She started to scream and struggle, only to find herself powerless against the force currently holding her in place. As she took her breath to shout even more loudly, the delicate yet painfully loud voice spoke again. "Shhhh... No screaming now, I have enough already with the ones down there." the voice said on a calm yet stern tone sending chills down Emily's spine. The puny jogger immediately held her breath in a last second attempt to obey the order she had just received. 

Emily started to make sense of the unbelievable situation she was in. The insects she had seen were not bugs and the world was not upside down. A feeling of powerlessness filled her now minuscule body as she came to the conclusion that she had to be at the stranger's mercy like the "bugs" she had seen earlier. Way down below her, the red stains were more visible than ever as she tried to find her jogging companions.

"Jake! Louis! Help me please! Jake!" shouted Emily, letting the dread of the situation overcoming the terror she felt when being told to keep quiet. Next to her, Emily heard an ear-shattering giggle in response. Once again powerfully moved against her will, she was now able to see her captor's face. The young woman was a bit younger than her. Her cold, blue eyes seemed to pierce through her as she looked directly at her puny form with an expression of pity, surprise and disdain. 

"You're looking way too down to find your "friends"..." the giant woman finally said, her eyes darting towards the other end of the alley guiding Emily to look in this direction. The shrunken jogger immediately obliged and felt her heart sink as she saw, what seemed like miles away, her boyfriend and his friend run away from her and their tormentor.

"Jake please! I beg you, come back! Help me, please!" was all Emily could utter before her voice gave up in a desperate cry. 

"Oh no, here we go... What? You thought they'd stick around? I don't know if you realize, but you interrupted me while I was doing something and apparently, your friends didn't wanna join in. They're cowards, but it'd be suicidal to be brave right now. Not that it's going to change a thing, mind you." the pink-haired woman spoke almost kindly to the crying Emily. 

"Please let me go! I won't tell a thing, I promise. I haven't seen a thing. I thought they were bugs. Please I don't wanna die, Ma'am..." Emily continued to cry, resorting to beg for her tormentor's mercy.

"Wow, don't "Ma'am" me. At least not yet. People call me Sasha. Since you still have a bit of people in you, you can call me that. Don't get too used to it though, that little bit won't remain long." Sasha replied, a pleased grin drawing on her lips at the thought. "Look, you guys are unlucky bastards. The chances of you passing by when I was amicably resolving a dispute with those guys down there were low, I have to admit. But it happened, and you screaming to me, to your friends or to the universe won't change that. Look, you're unlucky and your bastards friends abandoned you - so I'll cut you some slack. Want that?" Sasha continued, leaving the shrunken jogger positively nodding after each word she spoke. 

"Y-yes... Yes." Emily replied, her voice weak as cries engulfed her vocal cords. Emily didn't want to die and the sudden kindness from the stranger was a line she would desperately hold onto. If there was a chance she could leave this place and return to her life, she would seize it, no matter the cost.

"Good. You'll come with me then." Sasha replied, immediately shattering Emily's hopes. "As for your friends..." the giant woman turned her gaze towards the still fleeing cowardly men in the distance, "I think I'll have to teach them some manners." Sasha continued, immediately freezing Emily's blood. "Layla, take this one with you down there. Don't let her peek, don't let her out. Understood?" the giant pink-haired woman talked towards the ground. 

Below, Emily could see the desperate attempts of the poor men and women trying to save their most unfortunate friends. The shrunken jogger felt puke rise in the back of her throat as she watched this gruesome spectacle. Tears rolled up her face as she prayed her fleeing friends would not share a similar fate. Looking back up, the giant woman once again directed her cold, icy gaze towards the fleeing men. "Chivalry really is dead. At least one of them could have begged for you... Anyway, down you go, close your eyes." Sasha said, traces of emotions hard to find as she spoke about Emily's friends.

Emily did as she was told. She closed her teary eyes and soon found herself being swayed again by her captor's inconceivable force. A few seconds later, she felt the soft touch of fabric on her back as Sasha's grip finally weakened around her now painful ankle.

"You can open your eyes now." said an unfamiliar voice. It belonged to a little blonde woman, barely smaller than Emily was. "I'm Layla. Slip down there, I'll show you how. Don't try to peek outside, like Mistress said." the shrunken naked woman continued. "You don't wanna slip too far down though, to avoid getting under her foot." Layla said as Emily followed the instructions she was given.

"We're in..." Emily weakly started before Layla finished her sentence, confirming her suspicion. "Mistress Sasha's shoe, yeah. Weird, huh? You'll get used to weird shit, somehow." Layla said, hoping to reassure the panicked jogger. "Now, close your eyes, just in case, and shut your ears with your fingers too while you're at it. Good." Layla finished, making sure she was obeyed by shaking her hand in front of Emily's closed eyes. 

She was all too familiar with what would happen next. As she felt her Mistress' foot rise again, she hoped her latest victim couldn't tell what was happening outside. Innocence, no matter how little left, was a precious commodity in the world Emily was about to enter.

We're ending January and starting February with quite the scene! I hope you enjoyed this more... gruesome piece. It's a bit different, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. As always, I'd love to hear from you and your thoughts on this new artwork :)

Looking forward to a new month of awesome renders ;)