"Truth or Dare"
By AnonymousMuse.
-
Thin Silver shafts of moonlight pierced the ominous darkness of the gathering stormclouds.
The only sound was the rush of wind through dense forest.
This far from the city, the night was darker than Ash had ever seen it.
"Where is this place?" He said. "It's getting cold out here."
"Just a little further, over this next rise," his companion replied.
"Kat, It's going to start storming soon, didn't you see those flashes of lightning in the distance?" He said.
"We'll be there by then, don't worry" she replied.
The two walked in silence for a few more moments, Ash stumbling in the dark behind the figure of his companion, who seemed to walk with perfect vision.
"How can you even see Kat? Why didn't you let me bring my flashlight?"
"I told you, it's against the rules. If you want to be initiated, you need to follow the rules, I explained all this to you. Do you want to give up and go home now, after we came all the way out here?"
"No! No, I want to be a member, really! I do! I'll shut up, I promise!".
"Good. We're almost there, trust me".
"I trust you." He replied.
The rush of the strengthening wind through the trees was once again the only sound breaking the stillness.
Then Ash spoke again.
"So... This sex cult you're in..."
"It's not a sex cult! I told you to stop calling it that! Never call it that!" Kat snapped.
"Sorry! Sorry, This Order that you are in..."
"The Order of Persephone, yes?"
"What is the... Balance of men to women? I mean I don't want to show up to this thing and have it be all dudes in there..."
"It's mostly women, actually. Although in recent years we have been admitting more men. Tonight though, you're the only guy playing".
"The only guy? Cool! I like those odds!" Ash replied, excitedly.
"Not that I want to do anything with any girl other than you though!" He hastily added.
"Not to worry Ash. All that matters is that you follow the rules of the game. If you win, you get to be a member of the Order. If you lose... well, that won't happen. I believe in you."
"So, what you're saying is that if I get lucky with one of the other girls, you won't mind?"
"Not at all" Kat replied honestly.
"You are the best girlfriend ever!" Ash exclaimed.
"I'm not your girlfriend Ash. We're just friends, that's all. Once you become initiated, maybe we'll talk, but not till then".
This put an dampener on Ash's excitement for the rest of the pair's trek along the narrow, winding, dirt road.
It had started to rain quite heavily by the time they finally reached the ridge that Kat had talked about, and, scurrying to avoid the rain like rats from a sinking ship, they crossed the crest of the ridge into the valley beyond.
There, Ash saw it.
An enormous monolith, blacker than the night, with perfect rectangular lines, stood before them.
It almost filled the entire valley, almost as if the depression had been hewn from the earth for this building alone.
Ash wondered if indeed it had been.
As they got closer, he noticed the sheer size of the bricks. Each one two feet in length, at least. Not only that, but the building was hundreds of year old. It must have taken decades to build given the technology of the day, especially out here.
"This way" Kat shouted over the now gale-force winds, and the two rushed for a slightly lighter coloured object at the front of the monolith.
It was a door.
Heavy, wooden, and medieval, there were two great brass knockers on it's surface, which Kat rang with difficulty, while Ash hung back, remembering what his partner said about respecting the rules of the Order.
He wasn't a member yet, he didn't want to lose the "game" before he had even started playing!
After a few moments in the pouring rain and roaring wind, the imposing portal heaved and slowly swung open, revealing a flickering golden light within.
Kat took Ash's hand and led him quickly inside, as rain lashed against the exposed cobbles of the buildings grand entrance.
The door closed behind them, either by an ancient mechanism, or unseen hands.
Then there was silence.
Even with the storm raging outside, not even a whisper could be heard inside the cavernous halls.
No footsteps, no voices, nothing.
The interior was lit by wall-mounted glass oil lamps, giving off a dim orange glow that scarcely overwhelmed the inky black surrounding them.
By now, they were both soaked. Kat's long, dark hair clung to her face and clothes like a dead cat, and Ash could feel the moisture running in rivulets down his own neck too.
He was about to speak when a shadow seemed to move in the darkness.
"Welcome"
A feminine voice pierced the ominous quiet.
Ash struggled to determine it's source in the dim lighting, and eventually made out the figure that it belonged to, hidden among shadows that seemed to emanate from her.
Ash wondered how long she had been standing there in the dark, but dared not ask.
"I am Jin" She said.
As Ash's eyes focused, he saw a tall, elegant figure appear, wearing a thick hooded robe, decorated with ornate gold lace.
Jin paused momentarily to light the wick of a small oil lantern that she carried, and then spoke again:
"The candidate will follow".
She then turned on her heel, and walked briskly away.
Ash looked apprehensively at Kat, but she quickly whispered through clenched teeth: "What are you waiting for?? That's the Acolyte!! Do what she says!"
Ash quickly followed the mysterious hooded woman, his sodden shoes squeaking on the bare stone floor, as she led him down a corridor to an anteroom, sealed with a smaller wooden door.
Withdrawing a key with her free hand, she opened the door, and the two entered.
"This is where you will prepare for the ritual." Jin spoke in a monotonous voice.
"First, remove your clothes".
"Wha... What? Not without dinner and a movie fir..."
"The candidate will not speak!" Jin raised her voice slightly, silencing Ash's nervous attempt at humour.
"The candidate will be aware that any violation of the rules will result in expulsion. Does the candidate wish to withdraw from the ritual?"
Ash shook his head, and slowly began to undress.
He removed his soaked sweater and dripping shoes, then peeled off his socks and slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
She was still watching him. Motionless. Silent. It was unnerving, to say the least, not at all as sexy as undressing in front of a woman should be.
Jin pulled down her hood with her free hand.
It was only now that he got a good look at her face. Thick white makeup covered every inch of skin, along with bright red lipstick and dark eyeshadow. She looked like a porcelain doll.
She wore a flowing, blood-red robe with a long protruding collar that extended most of the way up her neck, and all the way down to the floor. The gold lace was finely stitched to the fabric, and glinted in the dim light.
Her hands were thin, ladylike, delicate, but pale. As if she had not seen the sun in a long time.
The glow from the lantern danced upon her features as if the light itself could harm her, but there was a terrifying power there, a silent, unspoken strength that Ash dared not question.
"The candidate must remove all of their clothing" She spoke in the same ominous monotony.
Ash was shivering, soaking wet, and clad only in his boxers in the freezing cold room, and for the first time, he began to reconsider why he was here.
Sure, a sex cult sounds like fun, but so far, all he had done was hike in the dark to an abandoned castle and strip naked in a tiny, ice cold room in front of a woman with about as much personality as the bricks she was standing on.
"Listen, I..." Ash began.
"The candidate will not speak. The candidate will remove all of their clothing" Jin continued, in that incessant monotone.
"Well, I don't want to hike all the way back to the car in this storm, and besides, maybe I'll at least get to see some boobs tonight" Ash thought, and removed his underwear.
"The candidate will adorn himself with the appropriate attire".
Jin continued, and ever so slightly motioned towards a simple wooden table in the corner of the room, upon which Ash noticed a simple brown robe, similar to a monks habit. It was comparable in style to Jins, but far less ornate.
He awkwardly walked toward the table, trying to cover his flaccid penis with his hands. Ash's manhood was average on a good day, and the cold certainly wasn't doing him any favours.
He thought he could detect a note of derision in Jin's gaze, but he couldn't read that porcelain face of hers.
Ash quickly dressed, and mercifully, began to feel a little warmer as the thick fibers of the robe held off the cold.
"Now that the candidate is properly clothed, I will explain the rules".
"The ritual is simple" she began.
"The ritual will continue until all participants forfeit, or until a winner is decided.
Forfeit occurs only when a participant voluntarily concedes.
Upon completion of the ritual, any gains and losses become final, and can only be reversed by participating in another ritual.
Rituals are held only once a year, tonight, upon the Winter Solstice.
The ritual, or the "game" as many insist on calling it, is played in turns.
A participant will be selected, and must choose another and either ask them a "Truth" or issue them a "Challenge".
Lying or refusing to answer a "Truth", or failing to complete a challenge successfully, results in a loss for that participant, and a win for the challenger.
Candidates successfully completing the ritual will be considered for membership in the Order.
That is all.
Before we begin, the candidate may ask one question".
Jin finished her speech.
Ash didn't know where to start. Kat had told him they could be together if he joined her weird group, and that to join the order he would have to play a "sexy game, like truth or dare, but much better". But now this weird lady is talking about "rituals" and "losses", what losses? What were they playing for?
Ash finally spoke.
"So... The Truths and Dar... I mean challenges... We can ask anything right? No limits?"
"There are no limits, however, the order of Persephone is a hedonistic society, not a martial one. We do not allow violence or any physical harm, nor do we allow any non-consensual physical contact between candidates."
"I got it. So, when do we start?" Ash had regained some of his earlier excitement, and was eager to begin.
