Warda wandered into the occupied territory. It was dangerous, but it was not aimless; it was completely intentional. She was sure to wear her military officer's uniform and clean herself up nicely. Her purpose was reconnaissance, but she knew for a fact that Elves were wary of other Elves in occupied zones and had procedures put in place to spot traitors. Warda had no illusions over the fact that she had been well and truly Orced, so she was worried about being tested and found out. However Malik assured her it would not be an issue.
As she walked further in she jumped when near her several mounts of moss and grass rose up. Beneath them she saw kin, dressed in leather armor to the neck and painted in mud above that. They leveled Poren's famed quick-loading long crossbow at her cautiously. Warda raised her hands anxiously and claimed.
“F-friendly!”
-
She was taken back to the camp, but as she expected they were administering tests outside the borders of the tents. The Rangers had acted smart to advance against orders, so Warda guessed accurately that they would not suddenly start acting stupid without a reason to do so. She tried explaining that to Malik, but he just kept telling her it would be fine. She had to contend with the fact that he did not know everything and just expected results. She could not refuse him, so she obediently followed her orders but Warda knew that if she failed the test she would be imprisoned, or worse.
“I'm fine.” She promised weakly.
“We'll see.” One of the Rangers grunted. The woman held a lit match in one hand and raised a finger behind it.
“You know how this works, right? Stare past the flame and follow my finger.”
Warda tried to follow the finger and not stare into the fire or lose track of it through the fire. That was the test. Orc thralls tended to be unfocused. Even the adept thralls would typically hesitate on the lit flame for a brief moment, which would cause her eyes to stutter. It was involuntary and that is what she worried about. Surprisingly after a few rounds the Ranger stopped and seemed satisfied.
“She's good.” The woman smiled at Warda.
“Welcome back. You got a report for us?”
She was almost too stunned to say anything. Almost. “Y-yes!”
Warda was brought to a tent that was about the same size as the rest. The only thing that set it apart was a slightly higher top and a wider base. She was lead inside and introduced to the woman in charge of the incursion.
“Hello. I am Talia. Are you with the local militias?” She got straight to the point without putting on many airs at all, despite the fact that she likely far outranked Warda. As she spoke, the guard left the two of them alone.
“Those are mostly gone. I only just managed to get away.” Warda explained. She was used to lying through her teeth due to her former superior's commanding style of wanting to only be told good things. She was good enough that Talia did not even bat an eye. Thing were going better than she could have hoped. As the woman mulled over what Warda was saying, she could not help but take in just how charming the officer she was speaking with was. Talia was tall, at least 6'2, so she stood above most Elves by a little under a foot and could go toe to toe with an Orc. Rather than bother with the trappings of an officer she wore the same things as her troops. Leather in green to fit the environment. Her long mane of crimson hair was set into multiple braids, but some of her hair was still loose and fell in smooth locks, as though she was just trying to keep it mostly under control. Her skin was sun-touched, but clear. She had piercing blue eyes.
“What army are you with? What rank am I speaking with.”
Talia scratched her chin and stared up at the ceiling. Not a good sign for Talia. But it was good for the experienced Warda. “Well... I suppose I don't have a rank. None of us do. Not worth speaking of, anyway.”
“Then-”
“We're volunteers. Veterans. Some of us were in reserve and not called. When the incursion happened we waited to be called, or for any word to come, but it never did so we mustered ourselves.” She smiled gently.
“But I can see by that look that you are a bit terrified, so I will ease you and let you know that I do have experience in command.” Her lips curled down slightly and she added in a smaller tone.
“I was discharged.”
Warda was beaming. If she had not switched sides, Talia would have been like a kindred spirit. She seemed stoic, kind and capable. She made the right decisions and did not heed wrong decisions made by those above her. She was also discharged, or 'fired' like her. There was a slight difference. However, her heart sunk quickly because the two of them were not kindred spirits. Warda had fallen to the Orc and even aided them while Talia was ready to fight valiantly and, as she saw, effectively. It complicated things.
The current Kingdom of Poren was something that she truly felt deserved to fall but Talia reminded her that not everyone in it necessarily deserved to, as well. She had been blind to that the last few days, spurred on by zeal and lust and whatever spell Malik had over her.
“That being said” Talia began in a rightfully defensive tone.
“I don't think rank is as important as defeating this threat quickly. We both know that every day we sit on our hands the threat will only multiply as locals are recruited and converted.”
“Correct.” Warda nodded solemnly. Even though they were enemies she allowed herself some time to gush.
“You made the right call, I think!”
“Oh?” The woman lifted a crimson eyebrow.
“I believe you have the right force in the right quantity to defeat a small force like the one that invaded.”
“I think so too.” Talia turned her attention down to a small map curiously.
“But I was not too sure, myself. It is suspicious that they are invading like this with such a small force at all during a ceasefire.”
“My information showed that a small power struggle was going on inside Waren. When the Warlord was close to losing to his own people he fled into our land.”
“That makes sense... It is also too much like our own Princes to use these lands like buffers. Sick.” Talia clicked her tongue.
“Too true!” Warda agreed.
“I thought the same thing.”
“Still, seems foolhardy. Who knows what his people would do to him? We're going to kill him and his cohorts.” Talia stated bluntly.
“What can he do?”
“M-more than you think...”
“Hmm?”
“You know of how Orcs can take a populace. You mentioned conversion. But you probably aren't privy to the methods they use to convert trained individuals over to their side.” Warda inferred this based on the way the woman spoke. She sounded experienced, but not completely in the know. Not many were allowed such damaging information.
“The soldiers, the rangers. The skilled people like you.”
“Training counters Orc brainwashing.”
“Mhm... Thought so. First, it doesn't. I know this because I spent time closer to the top. I could...” Warda gulped.
“Tell you.”
“Okay.” Talia tilted her head curiously. Warda's heart sunk. The woman would've been perfect if she were not at all curious. The reality of the methods were, the simple knowledge of them was a part of the Orc problem as a whole. The mind virus. Curiosity was the entry point and knowing so much about Orcs themselves tended to require a special form of training. That was what Talia was referring to, but she never received it. What she received, Warda guessed, was a weak deflecting statement that they would be fine and that their training would carry them through. It was completely accurate, in battle. Outside, Orcs used surprisingly sophisticated methods for a peoples they proudly referred to as 'barbarians.'
“Are you sure?” Warda attempted to ward her off. Affirmation was a secondary aspect. Enthusiastic curiosity was especially dangerous. Those that went where they shouldn't or were prone to rebelliousness.
“Yes. Please tell me.” Talia stared at Warda encouragingly.
'She failed.' Warda sighed and continued.
“Orcs use desire, lust and pleasure to get what they want out of other Species.” Before Talia could open her mouth to say she knew, Warda continued.
“But what they aren't going to tell you is, those are real.”
“Huh?” Talia looked confused.
“Real desire, real lust, real pleasure. The unfortunate fact is that orcs do have the ability to give you the greatest pleasure, instill the greatest lust and to fulfill your deepest desires. They do. But that's only the start of it. When they do, they then shape those things. Your perception of them.”
Talia gulped and leaned forward. “How?”
Warda leaned in as well, her voice falling low. “It's simple. The average Orc has the power to make a man or woman feel pleasures like they never have before. Have you slept with someone?” Talia blushed.
“Well, have or have not, an Orc is better. That is just true. It is what we've found. Have you cum during?”
Talia averted her gaze awkwardly. That said it all. “Well-”
Warda frowned. 'She is the poster for those who shouldn't be told this. Too innocent. To well-meaning. Just the wrong combination of trained but not disciplined.' She interjected before Talia culd offer up a lame excuse.
“He would make you cum.” She said frankly, thinking back to her time with Malik, but obviously not using that as her spoken example.
“You wouldn't have a choice. No resistance, no valiant effort. Just surrender. That is what happens.”
“S-so what...” Talia's mouth fell open slightly and her legs closed tightly.
“So... That isn't the end of it. When the Orcs make you lust after them, and he will, that is when they begin molding your perceptions of your desires. They shape them so that what you want reflects what they want. Sometimes you don't even remember that it was ever any different. Orc training is... different. A Ranger like you, when they get taken in you are assigned to a Master with 9 others. Mixed in to that group are new girls like you AND ones that have already fallen and are just posing. That is something to be aware of. They use our own kind to help. Have you seen them in battle before?”
“Yes...” Talia shrunk slightly where she sat.
“Sorry?”
“I have!”
Warda felt good. She felt like she was in a dominant position that she had no right being in. Warda's lip quivered.
“Describe them.”
“They are wearing masks over their upper face. I do not know if they can see. They are lightly armored, but mostly nude. Collared. Chained to the Master like a dog and wielding their weapon of choice. The tattoos and markings...”
“Good. They actually can't see.”
“What?” Talia was surprised to hear that.
“They can't. Something you wouldn't know? This is not told for obvious reasons but most of the time those girls aren't even broken. In some cases they are taken right off the battleground and swiftly converted into blind dogs of war by strong magic.”
“Then-”
“That's right. We are still ordered to fight them and to treat them as combatants. So how, you wonder? Well, when the Master's train and equip their girls they instill in them simple commands Shoot. Swing... Some specialized Master's use a form of magical control that allows them to aim the girls weapons but they must still swing or pull the string. That is important.” Warda stood up and walked around Talia.
“Imagine it.” She covered the Ranger's eyes with a hand, causing the woman to flinch, then shudder gently.
“You can't see. You can't hear. You are trained into simple commands. Something you think is harmless. Point. Shoot. Swing. They drill you a thousand times while you can't see. Then, one day, you are confused and afraid but fine. You are in tact. You can fight it. It is just those commands that you have to follow. Then...” Warda gripped the woman's shoulders tight, causing her to jump and yelp and cover her mouth.
“Your sword meets resistance. You heed the command again. Resistance. Like cutting through meat. They remove the blinds and the enchantment over your ears to show what you did. They put you there but you pulled the string. You swung the sword. That's the point where most break but you? You're strong.” There was no answer.
“Right?”
“R-right! I am!” Talia insisted after a pause.
“So what would happen to you is retirement. You do not actually want this, though.”
“Why?”
“Because those that do not break and can not be trusted to swing or pull again while blinded or not will be given the important duty of carrying the next generation. On top of that you attend to the Masters. You keep your head down. You are 'Strong' so you are aware during all of this but you are still powerless. You enjoy every orgasm and every cleaning of an Orc cock, but you feel the shame that the others don't every time until you don't.”
“What about those that break?”
“They are treated much better, Ironically. Those that fall to their ideology quickly and fail to question or resist are the best for them, so they are integrated more closely into their society. They are given more prestigious jobs and titles. They sit at the right hand of Masters and are put in charge of training others.” She remembered Malik's grilling.
“Because there IS a hierarchy among Orc woman, despite what our people claim.” Warda smiled sweetly behind Talia and rubbed her shoulders.
“What do you think would be better?”
“Honestly?”
“Mhmm.”
“Not leaving this tent?”
“Of course. Officer to... Volunteer.” Warda promised.
“Breaking...” Talia admitted hoarsely.
“Hmm?” Warda pretended to not hear.
“Breaking! It would be preferable to break.”
“You'd want that for yourself?” Warda asked. Talia nodded in the affirmative.
“For those you command?”
“I would want them to break quickly too. For their sake. For their sanity.”
“That's the right answer.” Warda responded soothingly.
“It'd be better just to give up. Surrender.”
“Now hold on that's-”
Warda preened at Talia's beautiful red mane by tucking strands behind her long, twitching ears. She had failed every point and was poised to have the virus fully triggered within her. It was an insidious rot that was invisible on the surface. Talia was not officer material because she was prone to be 'infected.' The last piece was a very simple question and acknowledgment.
“On a macro scale, what is going on?”
“I don't-”
“This country is in the process of being trained and what are we doing right now? Are we breaking easily?”
Talia looked down reluctantly. “No...” She seemed hypnotized by contemplation. Like a machine fooled by a logic trap. She finally added after a long, pregnant pause.
“We aren't breaking easily.”
“You want what's best for everyone, though. For our sanity?” Warda coaxed.
“I do.” Talia admitted. The virus had set effectively and Warda now knew every answer to every question that could be asked of her.
“So if a larger, stronger force is attacking an Orc force that would inevitably lose the answer is...”
“Surrender.” Talia insisted.
“If you are stronger, if you could choose to fight an Orc that is weaker than you, that would fall, the choice between licking his boots and defeating him is...”
“L-lick. Lick the boot. Surrender. The choice is surrender.” Talia offered madly.
“I lick the boot, I surrender for the- the best. It's for the best.”
“Even if you would win?”
“Lose in the long term...” She was lost in surrender.
Warda looked down at what she had done to the confident Ranger. She was shaking in her seat with arousal and desire, ready and willing to surrender her entire force. The line of questioning was not magic, though it may have felt like it and the reality of the Orc menace was a type of magic in itself. A Meta that affected the minds of those around them. The words were laced with subtle tricks. Questions built upon questions that needed to be answered unknowingly. Using this method, Poren was able to determine who was most susceptible to Orc influence and though it was rare, if one answered favorably to all questions they could suffer and become docile at the realization of their position in the world. Because no matter how much they would have liked to deny it, the situation described at the end was the reality of the Orcs versus the Elves. Poren was being 'trained' by the Orcs and the people were in a constant struggle of deciding whether they should surrender fast and be given favorable treatment, or surrender slow and be relegated to simple slaves.
-
Talia prostrated herself in front of Malik. Her face pressed into the ground and her hands together in front of her head. Her own weapons were a foot in front of her, pushed away by her in a sign of submission. Her ass was up and it was shaking. An Orc behind her was admiring the view.
“I, Talia Karnov submit myself to Orc rule and humbly beg for forgiveness for rising up against you, sir.” She spoke hurriedly and in a panicked tone.
“Please offer preferential treatment to myself and patience to those unwilling to accept surrender. Take us into your own and shape us to your needs. I beg you... P-please do not take any defiance from my kin as defiance on my part! I will submit, I swear and I will help others to understand the reality we face.”
Malik smiled at Warda, then approached the fallen Ranger. He lifted her by her hair so that her face was level with his crotch.
“I accept.” He opened his leggings and allowed her to figure out a way to get her mouth around his cock. She gagged and struggled to worship it, despite it being her first time with something so big and so smelly. While licking it she emphatically claimed.
“I'll be good! I promise I'll be a good Orc! I promise! Please be kind to my people. Please be patient to those that resist.” The woman pleaded, eyes filling with tears as she alternated between licking and kissing Malik's cock and sucking him off.
“Still thinking of her people...” Malik smirked.
“Brings a tear to the eye.” He looked to Warda.
“You... You are excellent. She is the perfect combination of submissive, and caring. She'll make a perfect underling for you.”
“M-me?” Warda blinked.
“Yes you.” He tossed Talia over to a nearby Orc. She grinned gleefully as the Orc lifted her up under her arms and effortlessly entered her vertically. He wore the woman like a chestguard as he left, letting her rise and fall over his cock in a vertical reverse cowgirl position. Malik chuckled.
“She just needs a bit more adjusting before we hand her over.”
