Echoes Of The Seven

Eris thought she had gotten extremely comfortable with nudity and sex these last few weeks. After all, she spent every night curled up in Bailey’s arms, goaded to sleep by the afterglow of orgasms, and woken up to the same thing.

However, Eris quickly realized that comfort wasn’t simply about nudity and sex in general- it was nudity and sex with BAILEY.

The prospect of undressing in front of three complete strangers and having an orgy with them suddenly made itself known as a dryness in Eris’s throat and clammyness in her palms. It hit her like a runaway horse- Pravala’s last bit of encouragement to start the orgy slamming into Eris’s chest in an immediate fight-or-flight response.

Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck-

She had to swallow several times and even wipe her sweaty hands on her overstuffed pants while shaking fingers struggled with the buttons of her shirt. In fact, Eris was so preoccupied with her nerves that she didn’t notice Bailey’s approach until the blonde gently took hold of both Eris’s wrists. The redhead looked up into the soft blue eyes twinkling back at her.

Bailey responded with a sweet smile and then surprised Eris by pulling the shorter girl into a deep, powerful hug. Even though it caught her off-guard, Eris was by no means disappointed by the action. Instead, she relaxed in her friend’s embrace and wrapped her own arms around Bailey’s nude back.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Bailey’s whispered voice tickled gently against Eris’s ear. “It’s okay to be scared. Just focus on what feels good, and focus on making everyone else feel good, okay?”

Eris gave a shaky nod into the side of Bailey’s neck, prompting the blonde to pull away and lock their eyes together. Her voice was soft and low- only audible to Eris. Well, Pravala by proxy, but the Summoner didn’t count.

“I’m serious- don’t get hung up on this. We’re all here for a reason. Those three are here because they volunteered for this. They want to have sex. They don’t care about the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ of it.” Bailey planted a gentle kiss on Eris’s nose before continuing to speak.

“Leyla’s here because she wants to be useful. I can tell how frustrated she is. She hates feeling useless, and so far she hasn’t been able to do anything worthwhile while we’ve been stuck here. When we were working out the details of this plan and this orgy, she volunteered even before I did. She needs this. She needs to feel like she’s helping.”

Then, Bailey kissed again- but just a touch lower. Their lips connected sweetly and softly, holding for a single moment before Bailey tugged away once more.

“And I’m here because I love you as one of the best friends I’ve ever had even though we’ve only known each other a month. I know that you’re more comfortable with what’s familiar. When I had the opportunity to be here, in this moment to help you and to hold you through this, I knew I had to take it.”

The blonde grinned. “Of course, the fact that this is an orgy really helps. If there’s a way to solve a problem with sex, I’m always down for it.”

Eris could do little more than curse herself internally. Why couldn’t she just let go and let herself enjoy this? Why did she always have to get so caught up with that feeling of being whorish as something wrong- something to be shunned and avoided. Sex was great! Bailey made sure Eris knew that, time and time and time again. Every morning and night since they’ve been in here, and even for a scant few days before. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong about sex. It could be done for love, it could be done simply for fun, or it could be done in a situation like this- to accomplish a greater task.

So why did Eris still feel so guilty?

“We’re given these powers because we’re the only ones so pure that we can’t succumb to the sin- no matter how much we indulge.”

Pravala’s words from a few days ago- in that tense conversation right before the woman snapped and nearly killed Eris. The sentence rattled around in Eris’s head like a nail in a glass jar. Clinging. Clinking. Clattering back and forth.

Pravala was unstable beyond measure, but there was obviously truth in her words. The woman’s own insanity was proof of it. It wasn’t just being stuck for four hundred years that drove her to madness- it was the fact that she was mentally incapable of coming to terms with what she’d done and being left to rot with that pain.

Anyone else would move on. They’d accept it. Possibly embrace it. It seemed like Echoes were the only people that couldn’t. The ones who would never, ever be able to truly allow sin and be forced to contend with it every step of the way. To feel the guilt. The vile sense of what was wrong, and fight themselves at all moments to do what needed to be done.

Now, looking into Bailey’s eyes and seeing three naked, foreign volunteers ready and willing to fuck yet feeling only a pit of dread in her stomach, Eris came to a realization. Being an Echo- a chosen of the Seven- wasn’t a blessing. It wasn’t an honour granted by the divine. It never was, and it never would be.

Being an Echo was a curse. A punishment. A sentence to be served for a crime that had yet to exist- forced upon the only ones to whom the power wouldn’t be a blessing.

And now, Eris needed to have an orgy with people she didn’t know that were obviously coerced into doing this so they could get out of here. And then there was Leyla, who probably didn’t even want to have sex but was being forced to out of some obligation to try and be helpful, and then there was Bailey who Eris now had sex with more than her actual girlfriend so she was cheating on Jaxie, and then after all this Eris would need to use the Warden to kill Pravala but it would probably kill a bunch of her slaves in the process, and it might even kill Bailey and Elmas just by the fact they’re bonded to Pravala and could have injuries moved to them and then Eris would be a murderer and everyone would hate her and then she’d need to do even worse things to fight the Hollow and then Jaxie would hate her and she’d be alone and-

“Woah, Eris- are you okay?” Bailey’s eyes widened in concern as Eris’s breathing caught in her throat. The redhead could do little more than tremble and struggle for air. Bailey responded by reaching down to grab both of Eris’s hands and placing them on her cheeks like Eris was going to pull the blonde in for a kiss. Bailey then put her own hands on Eris’s cheeks and stared deep into the Artificer’s eyes.

“Hey, Eris, I need you to breathe, okay? I think you’re having a panic attack.”

“I- I can’t do this…”

“Shh, it’s okay.” Bailey rubbed a thumb over Eris’s cheekbone and kept their eyes locked together. “You don’t need to do this if you don’t think you can. You don’t need to focus on that- right now I need you to focus on me. Can you do that? Just focus on me.”

Eris gave a shaky nod, then stepped backwards in time with Bailey as the blonde walked them both a few steps away from the orgy circle. Eris could hear the three ancient girls asking what sounded like questions and Pravala responding, but the redhead’s attention was locked solely on the blue eyes in front of her.

“We’re just gonna sit down right here, away from all of them, okay?” Bailey’s voice was so gentle even as she started guiding Eris onto her knees. “You don’t need to say anything, sweetheart. Just keep your eyes on me and keep breathing, okay? I’ll do it with you- just breathe with me, nice deep breaths. In for four beats- follow me. In…”

Bailey opened her mouth and began loudly inhaling air for several seconds, which Eris tried her best to follow.

“Now out for six,” Bailey squeaked, then started exhaling while counting. “One, two, three, four, five, six. Good, just like that. We’ll do it again. In… and out, two, three, four, five, six. Good, good- you’re doing great.”

Bailey adjusted her position so that she was sitting cross-legged, but Eris couldn’t even begin to wonder how cold the stone floor must have been on Bailey’s bare butt before the older roommate pulled Eris’s face closer while tilting her own in. When their foreheads met and pressed together, Eris could feel Bailey’s breath on her face.

“Okay, now I want you to tell me what you feel, right now. What are you feeling with your hands?”

Eris managed a tiny breath. “Your face?”

Bailey nodded- the action also causing Eris to do the same since their foreheads were together. “Mhmm. Keep your hands on my cheeks, and I want you to feel my skin. Feel the warmth that’s there. Can you feel my warm cheeks?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Good, now focus on my skin itself. What do you feel?”

“It’s… smooth?” Eris tried. Bailey smiled.

“Yes, it is. But feel past that. Focus small- really small. Feel the pores. Feel the way the skin shifts and stretches as I talk. Feel the softness of my fingertips as I rub your cheeks. Feel my forehead against yours. Feel my breath against your face and try to ignore that there’s no toothpaste in this place so it smells like fish.”

Eris actually managed to cough out a tiny chuckle, which made Bailey smile even wider. “That’s it, just feel me. Focus on me- everything’s just fine. Look in my eyes. Deep in my eyes. Tell me what you see.”

Eris swallowed, the breathing starting to become a little bit easier. “Blue. They’re blue.”

“Good,” Bailey nodded. “Be more specific. What kind of blue?”

“They’re blue like… like the sky in springtime.” Eris squeaked out.

“That’s my favourite colour,” Bailey smiled. “Pale blue and sunshine. It’s nice and peaceful. What’s your favourite colour?”

Eris thought for a moment. The pounding in her chest was receding and it no longer felt like a buffalo was sitting on her stomach. “D-dark green.” She paused for a moment, then decided to keep describing. “Like… spruce or- or jade.”

The blonde’s expression was soft. “That’s a very beautiful colour, Eris.”

“...Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

Eris took a shaky, deep breath. “Better, I think?”

Bailey rubbed her thumbs sweetly over Eris’s cheekbones. “That’s good. We can just sit here for a minute and make sure you’re nice and calmed down. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Leyla, those three and I can charge the Altar by ourselves if you aren’t up to it. Leyla and I can even put up a curtain or something when you need to use the key, so it’ll just be you and me when I need to help you cum to open the pathway. Nobody else will see- just like if we were in the workshop. Just us. Does that sound like a plan?”

Eris sniffled, managing a tiny nod. “O-okay…”

“Hey, hey- no need for tears.” Bailey used her thumbs to wipe under Eris’s eyes as they began to wet.

“I’m… I’m sorry…” Eris choked. Bailey moved her face to the side, lowered her hands from Eris’s cheeks to around her back, then tugged the Artificer in for a deep hug.

“Shh, you have nothing to be sorry about. Absolutely nothing. It was just a little panic attack, and everything’s gonna be just fine.”

Eris let out a long, shaky, uncontrolled breath- tightening her hug. “I’m scared.”

Bailey raised an eyebrow. “Aww, sweetie, you don’t need to be scared about sex.”

Eris decided not to respond with words- only a whine in her throat. After all, it wouldn’t be the best idea to tell Bailey that she wasn’t afraid of the sex; just the fact she needed to become a murderer before she left this place. Letting Pravala know about the imminent plot to kill her didn’t sound like a very good idea.

The slutty blonde pulled back from the hug just enough to let the two girls lock eyes again. “Do you still want to try and help with the charging of the Altar?”

Eris sniffled, then gave a small nod. Bailey gave a nod of her own. Eris’s gaze flicked past Bailey’s shoulder to the sitting form of Elmas who had since shifted closer to this end of the cloth circle.

Her shirt had been entirely unbuttoned but was still on, leaving the front open to reveal the gap between her breasts. Though the bandage from her impalement wound had been removed and it had healed past any major issue points, the scar on her sternum was still ugly and red. The brunette offered a small smile regardless- one of the first Eris had ever seen on the woman.

“I’ll tell you what; you get through this, and I’ll forgive you for taking my favourite bracelet.”

Eris actually cracked a tiny grin, swallowed, then gave a tiny nod.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

As a naked Bailey helped a fully-dressed-except-for-a-few-shirt-buttons Eris to her feet, the older, dark-skinned futa volunteer stepped up to the edge of the circle to stand in front of them. She gently took both of Eris’s hands, who tried to keep her eyes trained on the woman’s face instead of her cock. Fuck, it was big.

“Talem f’lohse. Omeni t’jaren lero.”

The Summoner’s voice chirped up before Eris could even ask for the translation.

“Good to be scared. Opportunity to welcome courage.”

Eris offered a considerate nod to the naked woman, calling upon her limited knowledge of Ra’lan to address her directly.

“Nu… ars-jee? Nu arsjee Eris.” Just to be sure, Eris held one hand over her chest to acknowledge herself in case she screwed up saying what her name was. The woman laughed and shook her head with a small smile.

“Id. ‘Arz-shee’. Mo arsji Eris,” she pointed at Eris, then turned her hand back to herself. “Nu arsji Zoime.”

“Zo-eem?” Eris confirmed, to which the woman nodded happily.

“Zoime.” She turned and motioned towards the other two girls that also walked up. Zoime gestured towards Tall-and-Leggy first, then the muscular brunette. “Vaela arsji Bimaja a Peilo.”

Eris also turned to address the two other volunteers- the tall one first to whom Eris needed to look very far upwards. She took both of Eris’s hands just like Zoime did, gently holding them and even giving what seemed like a little curtsey that still didn’t bring them eye-level with each other. Eris tried one of the names.

“Bee-maya?”

Tall girl smiled, nodded, lifted one of Eris’s hands to place a gentle kiss on the back, and spoke sweetly.

“Mo ad talem-cer.”

Eris raised an eyebrow, glancing at Pravala. “I’m very good clean?”

Pravala rolled her eyes with an exhausted grin. “Talem-cer. The literal translation is ‘good-clean’, but it means ‘pretty’. She’s saying you’re very attractive.”

“Oh,” Eris felt her cheeks starting to burn, and Bailey even gave a little laugh from beside her. “Well, umm… sih-relluh? Cirella? Am I saying that right?”

Pravala nodded. “Yes, Cirella is ‘thanks’. You speak Ra’lan in a really weird accent, but it’s still discernable. Kind of.”

Eris turned her attention back to Bimaja. “Cirella. Mo ad talem-cer… A ad goss. Very tall.”

Bimaja gave a short laugh as well as another curtsey that was low enough to actually bring their heads level with one another. A little surprising though was when Bimaja then brought her hands to both of Eris’s cheeks and gently turned her head side to side so she could place a kiss on Eris’s temples. Presumably some sort of social interaction that would have been normal back in their time- like a handshake. Not that Eris could really dwell on it since Bimaja backed away and made space for the brunette futa to step forward and do the exact same thing- hands on Eris’s cheeks and a kiss to her temples.

“Pay-low?” Eris tried. The brunette grinned as she took a step back after placing her handshake-head-kiss-things, nodding to confirm that Eris’s pronunciation was correct.

“Eris. Talem-cer arsji.”

“Uhh, cirella. I guess I do have a pretty name,” Eris said. Peilo then took a more serious, concerned expression.

“Mo lero? Id lohse?”

Eris swallowed and thought for a moment, eventually giving a nod of her head.

“Nu lohse… ad lohse. Very scared. Demenel. Complicated. Uhh… Nu lumenos f’lero? I need to be brave?”

Eris could only assume she got the point across when Peilo smiled sweetly, gently brought one hand up to rest on Eris’s cheek, then pulled the redhead in close to place a soft kiss on her lips. It left Eris feeling flustered with her heart starting to beat loudly in her chest- even more so when Peilo pulled away and stepped to one side of Eris while grabbing her hand. Zoime grabbed the other, and they both walked forward while guiding Eris. Bimaja simply turned around with a smile. As predicted, the tall-girl’s ass was immaculate. She used that view, along with her amazing legs and long strides to pave the way back to a section of the brown circle cloth near the Altar- and right beside where Elmas was seated. The Lieutenant-Major pulled off her shirt and set it beside her with a mumble.

“I really should have taken some of those Ra’lan lessons back in school…”

Bailey plopped down beside the combatant with a floof of hair. “Yeah, but one of the great things about sex is that it doesn’t have a language barrier. Don’t need a bilingual dictionary to translate when someone’s cumming their brains out. Now come on, I’ll help you take your pants off.”