Thread TWs: Branding, drugged, general torture and torment.
*Bao recognized this feeling.
The sludge crawling though his veins, clogging up his heart and sticking to the walls of his throat until his breathing slowed to a snails pace and his body went limp.
Maybe it had been the wine. He didn't eat his... Meal. Maybe something airborne, after he'd fallen asleep, like a sleep bug. He hated sleep bugs.
He couldn't open his eyes - eye. Or, he supposed, not eye either. There was nothing to open anymore. Just bandages keeping his eyelid covered and closed until it was healed enough to be regrown.
Once again, Bao pitied humans and lesser demons, with their permanent loss of limbs.
But he was the Fourth son of the Six-Eared Macaque. Sight was only one of the tools at his disposal.
The stone under his body was warmed, enchanted by layers of spells to glow with heat. It was smooth, from years of a slithering tail crossing over it.
He could smell old fabric. The curtains, thick and heavy and suffocating. The tang of stone and gemstones, plus the musty velvet that together made Gong's custom throne.
Plus, of course, the overwhelming smell of bloodlust. Of the storm God himself.
Then peaches. Faint, tinged with blood. But Bao could hear his steady heartbeat and his breaths, and knew he was nearby.
He shifted with a heavy groan, fumbling to get his paws underneath him and push himself into sitting up. Everything felt so heavy.*
Baba...?
*Of course, Bao couldn't tell exactly where everyone was. He couldn't tell that Go was sitting in his massive circular throne, with Wukong securely settled in several curls of his long tail. He himself was lying on the floor in front of the two, at the bottom of the steps. The mighty and cruel God watched them both begin to stir, running his sharp claws through Wukong's fur. When Wukong started to move and shift, his coils tightened to keep the monkey securely in place.*
[ @gr8-sage-equal-heaven ]
*Wukong slowly stirs awake, a deep groan of exhaustion escaping his lips, he is met with the unsettling sensation of his body feeling even more fatigued and weak than it had been just the day before. Blinking bleary eyes open, his gaze falls upon Go, and then shifts to Go's snakelike tail, tightly coiled around him like a constricting vice, eliciting an undeniable surge of fear that widens his eyes in stark realization*
*Bao heard the groan of exhaustion, heard the thudding of his heartbeat and smelt the sharp sting of fear in the air. Wukong had to be there, and he had to be awake. But that meant Go was there, too. Every word had to be careful.*
Gong... You did not need to drug us. We would have come willingly.
*Go's scoff was sharp and venomous, coils tightening even further around Wukong.*
I'm sure. Just as I was sure that my mate would not betray me as she promised, but I suppose we are all disappointed today.
*Wukong's throat vibrates with a low, guttural growl, expressing his discomfort as Go's tail gradually constricts around his body, the pressure increasing*
Could you loosen your grip on me a bit? It's getting harder to breathe with how you're squeezing me right now...
*Gong did not loosen his grip.*
Sun Wukong, I know you do not need to breathe. Your need for air is much like my own - merely a comfort, not a necessity.
You may have noticed, but we did not finish our plans last night.
For example... Your daughter has a new decoration. Do you like it?
*The end of his tail flicked in the direction of Bao, who was still on the floor and twitching in the direction of every sound. The snake brand around his jewel was slightly swollen and red around the edges.*
*He gazes at Bao with furrowed brows, his eyes filled with worry and care*
*He parted his lips as if about to speak, but then a fleeting sense of hesitation washed over him, causing him to quash his words before they could escape*
Yes, I thought you might. You're going to receive a matching one.
They're spelled.
*As Go spoke, a servant entered the room, holding a large metal stick with a curled snake brand on the end. It was red hot.*
See, as long as I'm around, they'll control you. Move about your body, show me what they see. And they'll keep you here. Doesn't that sound lovely?
....No, it doesn't, but I don't have much choice in this, do I?...
*He gazes at Go, he makes a conscious effort to conceal the unmistakable sense of dread that is clearly visible in his eyes*
Good, you're learning.
Now... After you mutilated her, it's only fair she gets a turn. Don't you think?
*Go stared down at Wukong. The servant pressed the cold end of the metal hands into Bao's hands, forcing him to hold it when he tried to let go.*
Go, I really don't need a turn. I don't want a turn. What am I holding?
What- What are you doing? I don't think that's a good idea-
*He stammered nervously, his voice trembling with fear and beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he suddenly realized the gravity of Go's scheme*
What am I holding?
*Bao repeated, becoming increasingly distressed.*
Come forward, little Treasure. Stand up and come close.
Be very, very careful. Your tool is... Rather warm.
*He sweats even more now, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead and trickling down his face, while his body trembles even more intensely*
*Bao didn't move on his own. But he didn't get a choice. The Servant pulled him up by his collar, forcing him to start walking forwards and guiding him up the stairs.*
Can someone please tell me what's happening? I'm not going to do anything to Baba. I won't. I'll drop this.
Drop it, and I'll drive it through the soft flesh of your belly.
*Go dragged Wukong closer to himself, using his thumb to wipe the sweat from his cheek.*
I see. Seeing is scaring you. Just as much of a coward as she is.
Remove your Gold Vision, Wukong. Face your fate blindly, as Bao does. Stay still and hold your chest out to be marked.
