Tasque Manager

“You know, I thought it might have just been Susie at first, but now that she’s gone... Kris, do you smell something funny?” Asked the Darkner prince, Ralsei, as he followed behind the armor-clad leader of their inconsistently sized group. As of this exact moment in time, the pair were walking through one of the many corridors of Queen’s mansion, the sound of clanking metal filling the air as Kris’ metal boots met the ground with every step, the much softer sound of Ralsei’s fur covered feet making contact with the red carpet barely audible over it. “Hm?” Kris asked, their voice somewhat deep as they glanced over their shoulder towards their royal companion, their dark colored shaggy hair swishing to the side as they did so. “W-Was that a weird question...?” Ralsei asked, blinking a few times as he could feel a faint blush coming to his cheeks, suddenly unsure whether or not his query was something he should’ve kept to himself. Paying no mind to this response, however, Kris simply returned their gaze in front of them, neutral expression hardly changing as they angled their chin slightly upwards, taking subtle sniffs to check and see if there truly was some sort of smell in the air... Ever since they’d entered this mansion, there had been all sorts of strange smells to notice, including smoke, gasoline, and melting shoes, with the only smells capable of being described as good having come from a café run by the mansion’s staff, apart from the aromatic tea Kris and Ralsei had been soaked with along with Susie before her departure. With all of the other aromas they’d endured up to this point, perhaps the reason Kris hadn’t noticed this new aroma sooner was simply due do their nose being overwhelmed. While the smell wasn’t particularly strong as of right now, it was at the very least noticeable, and growing stronger and stronger with each step the pair took down the corridor. While they couldn’t put their finger on exactly what it was, it smelled familiar, and rather acidic... The aroma wouldn’t remain a mystery for long, however, as the pair soon reached the hallway’s end, the very next room showing them the source of this smell, now stronger than ever.

“A... A giant lake of acid?!” Ralsei asked, momentarily breaking his polite posture as he stared ahead at what waited only a few feet forward within the massive room. While the deep blue colored walls and the red carpeting from the hallway continued into the room, the carpet soon came to an end, replaced by a less than expected sight... Stretching out for the entire room ahead of them was a large pool of neon green battery acid, glowing beautifully yet dangerously with several small islands decorated with miniature houses scattered about within, the only thing stopping them from telling how large this pool truly was being a large sculpture of a hand on the far side of the room. This had been the smell that Kris recognized, having brief flashbacks to Queen’s glasses of battery acid and her battery acid pie from far earlier in their journey. As Kris raised their hand to their face, expression remaining blank as they pinched their nose to protect from the burning sensation the acid gave, one of the final elements of the room became apparent, the large rectangular screen embedded in the wall to the duo’s left flashing to life.

“Oh You Mean The Free Pool” Queen’s regal voice rung out as the screen began to show her face, her wide grin as clearly visible as ever as she stood immensely close to the camera. “You Will Learn To Love It Like Family” She continued on, waving to the two through the screen, its static hillside background doing what was certainly not remotely necessary and adding even more green to the room. “Why do you have this!?” Ralsei asked, as the pair of heroes turned their attentions fully to the screen, his tone a mixture of genuinely curious and shocked confusion. “It Is My Mansion’s Energy Source And Fun To Drink” Queen answered simply, getting little in response from the pair of heroes apart from silent stares. Kris’ was something she didn’t mind in the slightest, and silence was what she’d come to expect from them, though Ralsei’s confused look, as though asking for further explanation, was giving her just a touch of discomfort. “Bye Ha Ha Ha” Was the last thing she would say before the large screen her image appeared on faded back to black with an electrical hum.

Several seconds of silence passed as Ralsei continued to stare at the screen, Kris walking over to the wall it was embedded into and leisurely leaning against it. They looked to the prince’s face, watching as stunned silence quickly turned to pure annoyance, a state that was rather entertaining to see the ever-polite Darkner in. “How... should we pass this!?” He asked, his tone almost demanding that the screen come back on for Queen to give them some kind of hint, though it was also clear the question was being directed towards Kris as well. Hearing this, however, Kris only let out a silent sigh, their armor clanking once again as they returned to their normal standing posture, beginning to walk from the wall they’d been leaning against to the one just opposite. “Hm? Kris?” Ralsei asked. The blue person gave no response or acknowledgement, however, stopping their movement just as they reached out and placed their hand on an object that Ralsei had yet to notice. Just beside the pool of acid was a simple lever, a red orb sat atop its metal rod that Kris currently gripped in their hand. “Oh...” Ralsei said, his annoyance seeming to immediately be replaced by mild embarrassment as another faint blush came to his cheeks. “How did I not see that...?” He muttered quietly to himself as Kris gave the lever a hefty shove from left to right, a satisfying click echoing throughout the chamber.

At first, the pair had no way of knowing for certain what sort of mechanism this lever had activated, only hearing the soft splashes of something beginning to slowly move on the surface of the acid from beyond their line of sight. However, in mere seconds, they would be able to see exactly what it was Kris’ actions had summoned. “I suppose... this... works. Haha.” Ralsei said, letting out a soft chuckle as the sight of a large swan shaped boat suddenly drifted up to the pair, letting out a small bonking sound as it bumped into the wall just below Queen’s screen, bobbing idly up and down in the acid lake as if inviting the pair to climb aboard. For a split second, Ralsei had been expecting some kind of enemy, or at the very least something a bit more grandiose, so seeing what it was Kris had truly summoned... Well, it certainly made him feel a bit silly.

And as a slow and cheerful jingle, akin to something one might here at a circus or carnival, began to suddenly play over hidden speakers within the room, both Kris and Ralsei began to move forward to climb into the lovingly crafted craft. Though the large boat did rock and bob about as the two climbed aboard, it stayed for the most part rather stationary, making for a fairly easy time as Kris helped themself in one leg over the other with Ralsei using both hands to carefully climb up close behind. With Ralsei’s entrance doubling as a means of pushing the boat off from the red carpeted floor, it seemed to quickly become more or less stable beneath their feet as it began to drift forward atop the body of glowing, quietly hissing acid. Kris looked downwards, towards the helm, expecting to see some form of controls... And while there technically were controls to be seen, it was little more than a plastic steering wheel straight from a children’s bumper boats ride. For several seconds they simply stared at it in silence, as though mentally questioning what else they should have expected by this point in their quest...

“Now, we need--” Ralsei began to speak once again on the topic the team’s plan to stop Queen’s actions, though he was quickly interrupted as another large and previously black screen suddenly flashed to life with Queen’s image. “Boop” She said with a simple smile, followed immediately by the sound of a button just off screen being pressed, the effects of which were immediately felt by the duo of heroes. For a moment, it seemed like the entire room was beginning to shake and rumble, fear becoming visible in Ralsei’s eyes as he instinctively got down on the floor of the waterfowl watercraft to avoid falling off. Kris, remaining as stoic as always, responded in a similar manner, ducking slightly downwards and clutching the edge of the boat with one hand. Suddenly, from the center of the room, two large waves of acid shot up from the surface, beginning to move in opposite directions, one moving towards the hand statue at the end of the room while the other sped directly towards the slowly drifting boat, striking it head on with impressive power! The impact lifted the front of the boat partially into the air, Kris being forced to tighten their grip on the boat’s edge as they were shaken onto just one foot, their expression briefly changing to mild panic as the front of the boat began to crash back down to the acid below. An audible “OOF!” escaped the Darkner prince as Ralsei slid along the floor, bumping into the back wall before quickly scrambling back to his knees as the boat restabilized, turning his attention immediately to the screen that displayed Queen’s face.

“What was that?!” Ralsei asked, a mixture of fear and offense to his voice as the acid surrounding them continued to tremble and ripple. “The Wave Pool Duh” Queen responded, her pearly white smile decorating her face as brightly as ever. “Why do you have a wave pool in a pool of acid?!” Ralsei questioned once again, quickly growing tired of the nonsensical nature of Queen’s mansion more and more with each trap thrown their way. “Wave Pools Are Cool” Queen responded simply, her expression unchanging as her tone shifted as though that was meant to be even more obvious of an answer than the last. “Oh Look Here Comes Another One” She added before Ralsei could continue, suddenly drawing the duo’s attention off of her and back to the lake in front of them as another loud splash escaped the lake’s center. Just as Queen had said, another set of waves had been let loose, giving the duo only a moment to prepare themselves for yet another impact. With a simple yelp, Ralsei dropped himself to the ground once again, curling up as best he could as he braced for another impact with one of the boat’s walls. Kris, on the other hand, prepared slightly differently than they had prior. While they continued to tightly clutch the boat’s edge, they brought their other arm in front of them, summoning their brilliantly pink shield to their grasp in a flash of color with the intent of guarding themselves and their companion from any stray drops of acid. While none had struck the duo from the first wave, it wasn’t a risk the Lightner hero wished to take... As the neon wave struck, however, it had far more of an effect than the first had carried, striking the front of the boat so high up that it was nearly vertical. Everything seemed to slow down around them as Kris felt gravity beginning to shift around them suddenly and unexpectedly. They’d prepared for impact, but not THIS impact!

As their eyes suddenly widened behind their bangs, Kris’ grip was lost, their armored hand having slipped free from massive amount of unexpected motion. As the unfittingly cheerful music only continued, feeling as though the same note was lasting an eternity, Kris could feel their feet leaving the ground, gravity’s pull dragging them down through the air. They glanced down, seeing the curled-up form of their sole companion for the time being laying down with his eyes closed, quietly whimpering as he remained completely unaware of Kris’ shadow passing over him. Completely unaware, that was, until the distinct splash of a body hitting the acid echoed loudly throughout the rumbling chamber.

“KRIS!” The human could hear Ralsei’s panicked and concerned voice shout out to them from above the acid’s surface as they began to sink downwards. The glowing green liquid was all they could see, and all they could feel, their skin feeling as though it was beginning to burn all over. With an agonized gasp, a few bubbles escaping their mouth and rising to the surface, Kris was quick to cover their mouth with their hand, adjusting their body to the direction they assumed was back towards the room’s entrance before beginning to swim for their very life. “A Perfect Ten” Queen chimed in delight. “As Your Prize Feel Free To Pick Out Any Vacant Villa You Want” She was quick to add, referring to the tiny homes decorating the small islands within the lake, her words only obtaining an irritated glare from Ralsei as he scrambled to his feet. As the boat completely came to rest again on the acid’s surface, he was quick to turn his concerned gaze back to the pool behind him, however, his eyes hurriedly scanning for any traces of Kris they could find.

“Come on, come on, please be okay...” Ralsei muttered to himself as his eyes darted about, hands softly gripping the walls in front of him. His attention would soon be drawn back to the red carpeted floor he’d been on moments ago, however, as another loud splash sounded from that direction. “KRIS!” Ralsei exclaimed once more, seeing the armored arm of his friend suddenly burst out of the acid’s depths, gripping the carpet tightly and beginning to pull their drenched, burning body back onto dry land. It was a struggle, their armor and wet clothes weighing them down, but Kris soon managed to climb fully back onto the land, only able to get themselves onto their hands and knees as the glowing green liquid dripped down from their body and stained the carpet below. Their eyes were closed tightly, coughing and hacking acid out from their mouth and lungs. They hadn’t noticed it while they were under the surface, distracted by the sound of the splashing liquid around them and their drive to survive, but now they could hear it... The sound they always heard when their very soul took damaging, ringing repeatedly in their mind and ears as their body and soul continued to be damaged over and over by the acid soaking their very flesh, losing one HP at a time what felt like nonstop... Until, suddenly, a warm feeling enveloped their body.

As the last few droplets of acid plaguing their insides dripped from their lips, Kris’ eyes slowly blinked open, just in time to see the deep green energy of a familiar healing magic fading around them. While the burning was still there, it was greatly lessened. Their energy was restored greatly, and it seemed as though it had finally stopped draining as well, though that was more likely just due to the acid dripping off of their body as opposed to the magic that had just been cast on them. “Kris!” Ralsei called out to his companion, returning his posture to normal after having finished casting his Heal Prayer from across an impressive distance. “I’m so glad you’re okay! Wait right there, I’ll try to find some way back!” He called out once more, letting out a small yelp as a third, though considerably weaker wave struck the boat once again.

Kris glanced back towards Ralsei as he spoke, showing minimal head movement as they remained on their hands and knees, slowly catching their breath as they watched their only remaining party member slowly drift further and further away... But what had seemed like an already major enough inconvenience would only get worse from this point on. Out of nowhere, Kris could suddenly feel their entire body tightening, as if it was trying to compress in on itself! To call it exactly painful wouldn’t be entirely accurate, but to call it uncomfortable would be an immense understatement as well. “Kris, are you alright?! Do you need more healing?!” Ralsei called out as he could hear his friend grunting in discomfort, seeing their body trembling as they attempted to fight against this sudden feeling. Neither party knew what was happening... And neither of them expected what would come of it.

Without further warning, the two of them, along with Queen, still spectating from behind her screen, could do nothing but watch as Kris’ body began to rapidly compress and shrink in a manner almost identical to one round foe in particular from their first journey through a Dark World. In mere, severely uncomfortably seconds, Kris was reduced to no more than a miniscule few inches in height, leaving them still on their hands and knees as they took deep breaths to regain their energy after the immense feeling of compression had finally faded, Ralsei’s eyes growing wide and slowly blinking in confusion. “W-What...?” He asked, unsure what else to say after having seen one of the great heroes of legend suddenly shrink down to only a bit larger than a dust bunny. “Oh Did I Not Tell You The Acid Did That” Queen asked, the image of her fading from the screen only to reappear on the very next blank screen to catch up with the ever-drifting boat. “I-It’s okay, Kris, we’ll find a way to fix this! Just wait there!” Ralsei called out, his voice hopeful yet unsure. With another weak wave hitting the boat, however, his eyes became briefly fearful once again before quickly turning his body around, facing forward and moving towards the boat’s center for safety. He didn’t want to just turn his back on Kris right now... But there wasn’t exactly much he could. Whether he liked it or not, this was where the duo parted ways for the time being...

Kris could hear Ralsei’s words clearly, but their expression didn’t change, unsure what to think of what had just happened to them. Their head was turned, looking behind them as they watched the boat they had so recently boarded continuing to drift away, their companion’s eyes no longer locked onto them. While Kris had no doubt towards Ralsei’s intentions to return for them, the fact of the matter was that they had no idea when or if that would even be possible. If this Dark World was going to be dealt with, Kris NEEDED to make it to the end of this castle, and if there was any chance Ralsei wouldn’t be able to return for them, they would need to find a way around by themselves... But being without a healer, they certainly weren’t about to take their chances with the acid lake a second time.

As they came to the conclusion that simply waiting there was not a valid course of action in their eyes, Kris slowly raised themself back to their feet. As they looked around the room once again, seeing the previously already high walls and ceiling now being as high as the sky to them, as well as the lever they had no chance of pulling again, they slowly clenched and unclenched their fists, making sure that at least the basics of their motor functions still worked normally. After several long seconds of this, simply getting used to the amplified environment around them along with moving around after nearly drowning and shrinking, they turned to face the room’s entrance once again, beginning to make their way towards it. Though their slow and armor-clad movement no longer carried the same imposing air it once had, that made little difference to the shrunken human, each step just as filled with determination as they had been at their full size.

It would quickly be discovered that Queen had been perhaps not the most intent on allowing the duo to leave this room once they’d entered, as once Kris had moved close enough to the open doorway, a familiar looking barrier revealed itself. From either side of the entranceway, sparking and jumping light blue electricity sprang to life, like an immensely dangerous velvet rope denying anyone entry or exit... But it was clearly not intended to stop someone of such a small stature. The only acknowledgement Kris gave this “obstacle” was a simple glance upwards at it, lips curled downwards into a disappointed frown as they were able to walk right under the electrical force field without so much as a spark striking their small form. To have something like this be little more than an immediate reminder of their insignificant stature was certainly not a pleasant experience... Though, as they stepped back out into the corridor they had previously entered through, they had no way of knowing that an even harsher reminder of that fact would be coming sooner than one might expect.

Kris didn’t so much as glance back behind them as the crackling of the barrier suddenly came to a stop, vanishing as they left its range of activation. As they walked backwards through the corridor, they couldn’t help but notice the newfound lack of sound to their movements. Their metal boots no longer thudded loudly against the carpet, too small now to make any noise. And while Kris themself could hear the sound of their chest plate and gauntlets clanking about, the odds of this sound carrying to the ears of any passersby was unlikely to say the least. Their new lack of sound, however, was not all Kris would take notice of, as a familiar, feminine humming soon reached their ears...

Hearing this, Kris’ eyes widened behind their bangs once more. They recognized this alluring and somewhat deep female voice, and while the action they were about to take was one they acknowledged as risky, it was what they believed to be their immediate best bet towards a swift and safe return to normal. With no more than a moment’s hesitation, Kris began to sprint down the corridor as swiftly as their small frame would allow. While this was still not particularly fast by any means, the corridor was thankfully on the shorter side, and this lovely humming seemed to show no signs of moving further away. By the time Kris had returned to the point they had first entered this hallway from, they slid to a stop like a baseball star sliding into home. As they turned their gaze to lock onto the direction of the individual they had made a roughly minute long mad dash towards, what they’d seen was exactly what had been expected.

When they had first entered this corridor with Ralsei and Susie, the very walls had sealed shut behind them, preventing them from returning. That entrance had now re-opened, allowing the shrunken human to peer back out to the small, carpeted platform above a long drop, and at the Darkners currently working there. Standing there, at the platform’s edge, was Tasque Manager, one of the mansion’s staff that Kris and their team had the pleasure of encountering not particularly long ago. Though her prowess with her electrical whip was something to be terrified of, she wasn’t a particularly difficult foe to spare, and she certainly didn’t come off as particularly hostile or malicious, just... perhaps a touch overexcited when it came to the topic of order.

“Hmhm hm hmhm hm hm hm~! Hm hm hm hm hmhmhm hm~!” Her humming continuing on, her lips curled into an adorable smile, her bright yellow eyes focused clearly on the task at hand. Just in front of her over the platform’s edge was another familiar sight, the teacup ride that Kris and crew had taken up to this floor. Its metal, circular base, the three oversized teacup seats, all was exactly identical to the last time Kris had seen it... Including the deep brown stains covering the cups’ interiors from the shower of tea they’d all received on the way up. At this point in time, Tasque Manager seemed to be busying herself with cleaning out said cups, a bit of behind the scenes work that Kris was likely not intended to peek at. She was currently leaning forward, her light blue plug tail swishing from side to side as her rear, covered by her soft black tights and the two strips of white cloth in the front and back, was stuck out slightly behind her, giving it the appearance of being larger than it had already seemed prior, especially at Kris’ newly reduced size. Her torso floated above her legs, detached from them completely, her legs being the only real limbs she possessed. The flat surfaces at the top of her hips and the bottom of her torso both emitted a light blue glow, giving her a rather technological appearance, despite not all of her appearing to be mechanical. While her torso did appear as though it could be mechanical, covered in an armor-like plating appearing to be made from a smooth, white colored plastic-like material, her legs didn’t match this appearance at all, rather appearing to be covered in normal cloth attire hiding flesh beneath. And while her hands also seemed to hold this mechanical look, having this same smooth plastic look with her palms being the same white as her main torso and her fingers being a similar blue to her tail, some features of her head further supported the idea of her perhaps not being entirely mechanical... At least, within her Dark World, that is. Kris was well aware of the truth behind the Darkners’ appearances in the real world, little more than inanimate objects given true form by their Dark Fountain. In this world, however, they were as real as anything from Kris’. Tasque Manager’s head, floating just above her torso just as her torso did with her legs, was quite pleasing to the eye, her glowing yellow eyes and bright blue smile giving off an almost contagious feeling of pleasantness. While her main face, interestingly more foxlike than catlike in shape, still seemed to utilize the white plastic of her torso and hands, her pointed ears and hair didn’t, almost as though she were wearing a mask of some kind, her ears and hair both the same shade of blue that was consistent with other parts of her attire and body.

In one of her floating hands she held a white washcloth that was quickly becoming stained a deep shade of brown as she scrubbed the interior of the teacup thoroughly, her other hand making idle movements to keep itself occupied, seemingly mimicking the motions of someone playing a keyboard or organ to go along with her humming. Standing beside her were two other Darkners, a pair of far more feral catlike Darkners known simply as Tasques, sharing their manager’s white and blue colors decorating their more angular body shapes. Both were helping to hold up a laundry basket, each holding one of the handles in their jaws, said basket being filled nearly to the point of overflowing with stained washcloths, giving the impression that there may have been quite the tower of them stacked up before Tasque Manager had begun cleaning.

“Aaaaand there~!” Tasque manager chimed, holding her sullied washcloth between two fingers as she moved it over to the basket, letting it drop atop the rest of the used cleaning items within, the pair of Tasques appearing to be struggling slightly with the weight of the basket. Every single one of Tasque Manager’s movements was so interesting to watch, her hands, torso, and head all moving in a way clearly detached from one another, yet also seeming as though they were a part of the same unit. Though her hands could move a fair distance from her torso, she turned and moved her torso along with them, as though acting otherwise could strain herself, doing the same with the rest of her body portions as well. “Now, take those down to the laundry room for me, please. And do bring back another batch of clean cloths, would you? We still have one more cup to clean!” Tasque Manager gave her orders to the pair of Tasques working under her, idly wiping off any tea from her fingers onto her tights as she spoke, though it seemed she’d done an impressive job at not getting so much as a drop onto herself. “Mrrrrow~!” Both Tasques chimed a sort of verbal salute in response, voices muffled by the basket handles held in their teeth, jumping into action soon after. With no hesitation, the pair moved perfectly in sync, running to the platform’s edge before coming to a sliding stop, turning themselves around just as they were about to topple off of the edge. Adjusting their grip on the laundry basket in preparation for their descent, they extended their claws, sinking them into the platform wall as they began to slide down to the bottom, Tasque Manager peering over the edge with a proud smile on her face as she watched them depart.

“My, this has certainly been a busy day~! What with so many guests around the mansion, there’s so much more to manage and keep tidy. It’s certainly fun to give my management muscles the extra work, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to some lovely recharge time once this banquet comes to an end.” She spoke to herself, giving a soft giggle as she briefly recalled just how many messes and unruly guests she’d had the pleasure of whipping into shape throughout the night. “Now then...” She began to add, turning herself around as she placed her hands upon her hips, turning her attention towards the open doorway. “I don’t think anyone would mind if I snuck a little sip of battery acid while I’m waiting on those towels. I think I’ve earned an extra bit of pep in my step tonight~!” She chimed, once again giggling to herself as she raised one of her hands to her mouth, a faint blush coming to her cheeks at the thought. With that, she began to walk forward, towards the doorway and the small Lightner she’d failed to notice.

Seeing her beginning to approach without so much as noticing their presence, Kris’ instincts kicked into action, forcing the shrunken hero’s body to move as they quickly dove just behind the wall to the right of the doorway, out of Tasque Manager’s likely footpath but still in the direction her words implied she was headed. While they acknowledged that perhaps they shouldn’t have expected to be noticed so easily, they at the very least would’ve thought that their blue skin would’ve been at least the slightest bit noticeable against the bright red carpet. If Tasque Manager passed them, even walking at just her standard pace, it would be unlikely for Kris to catch up with her in a timely manner. If they wanted to get her attention and aid, they would need to come up with something now. To come up with a solid strategy in this scenario was not an easy task, however, hearing the thudding sounds of her shoes hitting the floor with each step she took, seeming to carry a bit of weight to her despite a majority of her body not being connected. Beyond that, they were only distracted further as they only just now began to notice just how cold their body was feeling... With no real chance to dry off between their dip in the acid pool and now, Kris’ body was still quite wet, even if it wasn’t dripping. Despite the burning feeling the acid carried when they were submerged in it, simply being soaked in it at this point was no better or worse than coming inside after being caught in a rainstorm. If they were to end up catching a cold as a result of this during this time of year, the attention and questioning from their mother would certainly be a hindrance when it came to the discovery and exploration of Dark Worlds...

Lost in their distracting thoughts and feelings, the sight of Tasque Manager’s blue tipped shoes emerging past the doorway was enough to cause Kris to jump, quickly tilting their head back to look up her pitch-black tights and spotless whit torso to see her face. To see someone so much larger than themself so close up, especially after having so recently seen them at a far more normal height, it was a jarring and intimidating feeling... But it was a feeling Kris was able to force themself to shake off. The time for thinking was over, they needed to act NOW! And though they had grown for more partial to using kind words and entertaining gestures to sway their enemies, it wasn’t mercy they were attempting to achieve in this situation, it was attention. Summoning their bright pink blade to their hands, Kris lunged forward just as Tasque Manage had begun to walk down the corridor ahead of her, the white wall of the side of her shoe being exactly the target they were aiming for. Though they had little to no time to strike before she would life her sole again, they managed to lunge forward and drive their blade directly into the piece of footwear just before their window of opportunity closed, stabbing their weapon deep enough to the point only its hand guard and hilt remained outside.

“YEOWCH!” She exclaimed at the sudden stabbing pain, as though she’d somehow stepped on a thumbtack with the side of her foot instead of the sole. Out of reflex, her hands shot backwards above her head in a fairly dramatic manner, her effected leg kicking up into the air as she leaned backwards. Fortunately for Kris, the moment Tasque Manager had cried out and they could feel even the slightest motion coming from her, they dropped their sword, allowing themself to fall to the ground and roll backwards away from the towering Darkner, looking up at her in silent hopes of being seen soon enough. Once Kris had released it, their sword seemingly vanished, leaving nothing but a tiny hole in Tasque Manager’s shoe to show that it had been there at all.

“What in the world was that?! Leaving something so sharp out in the open on the ground like that, certainly not very orderly at all.” Tasque manager complained, sounding more disappointed than angry as one of her hands reached down, lightly rubbing the exterior of her shoe as if searching for some sort of foreign object to remove. As she glanced downwards, however, her purely yellow eyes widened ever so slightly as they finally came to rest on the blue figure on the floor beside her, her annoyed and slightly pained expression fading away fairly quickly as her familiar grin returned, appearing as friendly as ever towards the small Lightner.

“My, my, what have we here~? One of Her Majesty’s special guests? And the second most orderly of the bunch too~! Is there something I can help you with?” She asked, bending her upper half down to get a somewhat closer look at the downsized individual, one of her hands placed on her hips as the other casually gestured along with her question. If this had been their first time meeting, she perhaps wouldn’t sound so friendly. Sure, she never did come off as particularly hostile or malicious, none of the mansion’s staff apart from Queen herself did, but the added security of having previously been on good terms with this particular woman was reassuring to Kris. Not wanting to waste time in this particular situation, Kris quickly opened one of their palms, facing it towards Tasque Manager’s gaze as they looked up at her, pointing into it with their other hand. Sure, Kris was capable of speaking to convey what it was they needed, but they tended to avoid words where unnecessary, and the way they viewed it, they still had no real way of knowing if Tasque Manager would even be able to hear them if they did speak.

“Hm? My hand?” Task Manager asked, raising one of her hands to her face and curiously staring at it for a brief second. “Ah~! You must be wondering where my lovely whip has gone off to, yes~? Well, unfortunately, Swatch asked me to leave it with him when he heard I was coming up to work on cleaning out the teacups. Apparently trying to clean porcelain with a spiky and electrical whip doesn’t work as well as one might hope. I’m sure I’ll get it to work one of these days though. After all, there’s nothing I can’t whip into shape~!” She explained with an audible giggle, her tail swishing in an almost whiplike manner as she spoke, as if filling in for the missing weapon. While her lack of her signature whip was arguably more reassuring than her being someone they had previous experience with, this wasn’t what Kris desired, the Darkner gaining a slightly frustrated frown as they crossed their arms to form an X shape to convey this. “Oh? That wasn’t right?” Tasque Manager asked, placing one of her hands thoughtful onto her chin as her other did an idle twirl around her person.

Kris folded their arms, quickly beginning to brainstorm a new way of expressing to Tasque Manager that they wanted to be picked up. It was mildly surprising to them that Tasque Manager hadn’t commented on or seemed more than a little surprised at their new height... Surely this wasn’t a COMMON occurrence within the mansion’s walls, right? This thought wouldn’t occupy Kris’ mind for long though, as another idea of how to express their need to Tasque Manager soon came to their mind. It was a simple gesture, but one they hoped would be recognized and realized. Looking back up to Tasque Mananger, they held out one of their arms, palm facing upwards, all the while the far larger woman was staring down at them intently, curious was to what it was they truly wanted to ask of her. Next, as well as lastly, Kris closed their other first apart from their pointer and middle finger, resting it atop their open palm with the two extended fingers acting as legs. While their eyes were blocked by their hair, as always, Kris looked up to the Darkner with an expression practically begging to be understood.

“Hm... AH!” Tasque Manager let out, standing back up to her full height before bringing her hands in front of her, landing a closed fist down on her open palm in realization as she finally seemed to get the picture. “I see, I see~! At your new size, you’re finding yourself in need of a bit of transportation, yes?” She asked, her facial expression adorably prideful as her hands returned to her hips, awaiting an answer from the tiny Lightner she was staring down at. Without missing a beat, Kris gave a single, firm nod, their lips curling back up into a slight smile in absolute relief that this game of charades would hopefully not need to continue any longer. “Well, under normal circumstances I would tell you that that’s something you should’ve thought about before taking a dip in the pool... But seeing as you are not only Her Majesty’s valued guest, but have also been proven to be quite the orderly little Lightner, I suppose I could make an exception just this once~!” She chimed, sounding more than happy to lend a helping hand to someone who had done the same for her. With that, she bent down once more, Kirs’ eyes shifting over to one of her hands as they could see it beginning to move towards them. While there was naturally a bit of worry as to how gentle her grip would be, Kris remained still, figuring giving into their worry and moving aside would risk them losing this chance at advancing further through the mansion. They remained completely still as Tasque Manager’s palm soon took up much of their vision, resting on the ground in front of them like a wall as her fingers were curled up like a claw machine ready to claim their prize. Being as careful as she could while also moving in a timely manner, she lightly pinched Kris’ sides in between her thumb and middle finger, the Lightner lifting up their arms to insure they remained free. However, Tasque Manager would lift the small hero no more than an inch off of the ground before coming to a sudden stop, her eyes widening as an entertaining shiver ran up her entire body, becoming vocalized briefly as it reached her head in the end.

“My goodness, you’re soaking wet! Did you really not so much as dry yourself off after exiting the pool?!” Tasque Manager asked, clearly not remotely pleased by this. Kris couldn’t help but feel like she was perhaps over exaggerating just a touch, but they couldn’t exactly deny that they hadn’t done much to dry off apart from just let most of the acid drip off of them, meaning a fair amount was likely still soaked into their clothing and hair, not to mention what still clung to their skin. “This is unacceptable! You can’t present yourself like this!” She continued on, continuing to raise Kris into the air again once her initial surprise at the wet sensation had passed, the speed of their ascent being a bit much to handle until they were finally brought to a stop just above chest level. “We’ll have to wait here for my lovely little Tasques to return with clean washcloths, then we can get you nice and dried off. And of course, I’ll have to inform the Swatchlings that the carpet in this hallway may need scrubbed. No doubt you’ve left a few stains on your way to see me.” She said, finally pausing afterwards. Hearing this, Kris was naturally not the most pleased. True, completely drying off DID sound pleasant, especially as they began to notice the feeling of acid in their boots, but simply waiting around wasn’t exactly something they were in the mood for. As Tasque Manage turned her attention back to the teacups she had previously been working on, her expression making it clear that she was pondering exactly when her Tasques would be making their return, Kris began to squirm in her grasp, pressing their hands down against her two fingers in an attempt to pry themself free. Simply put, they weren’t about to just wait here being held just to be dried off. While Tasque Manager had been their safest bet, it was becoming clear to their impatient mind that she wasn’t their BEST bet, and they intended to back out of the situation they’d gotten themselves into. Regardless of how hospitable Tasque Manager was, her obsession with order was keeping them from their mission!

“Hm? Why are you squirming? I know for a fact I’m not holding you uncomfortably.” Tasque Manager asked, lifting Kris up slightly higher as she stared at them, awaiting a response. Kris would give her no response, however, verbal or through gesture, remaining focused on trying to slip through her fingers or pry them apart with a determined expression on their face. “Hmph. Is that how it is? Content to run around Queen’s mansion dripping wet with battery acid? Perhaps you’re not quite as orderly as I’d given you credit for. I suppose a proper lesson is in order.” Tasque Manage said, her grin fading from her face as she sounded quite disappointed and upset with what she had correctly guessed to be Kris’ intentions. For several long seconds, she watched as they continued to ignore her words and attempted to break free, a plan that would be nothing but useless. While they could hear her words, they weren’t paying a particularly high amount of attention. They knew she was displeased with them, at the very least, but they weren’t particularly concerned with that at the moment. If they cared any less, they might summon their sword to themself once again in order to be released by force, but while having the massive Darkner disappointed in them was one thing, ticking her off to the point of a fight was a separate, far worse outcome that they didn’t wish to see become a reality. Soon enough though, an idea would pop into Tasque Manager’s mind, an idea for a small punishment for Queen’s equally small guest, one that pleased her enough for her wide grin to return, though somehow a touch more off-putting than it had been before...

“Now, now, there’s no need to thrash about like such an unorderly buffoon. If you’re so against the thought of, heaven forbid, waiting to be properly dried off, I think I have a fair alternative in mind.” Tasque Manager spoke. Her tone was different from before, slightly more sly, carrying an ulterior motive, some of her harsher words making it clear she was still at least partially upset with them. While Kris wasn’t fully trusting of these words, they did, at least for the moment, cease their movement, turning their gaze up to the massive Darkner with an expression that seemed to almost threaten her if the idea wasn’t good. Tasque Manager would only let out an almost silent “Hmph!” at such a disrespectful gaze before she began to act once again. “I do agree it would be a shame to let that delectable battery acid go to waste on some soft, warm towel... So let’s put it to use somewhere just as soft and plenty more warm~!” She chimed. As Kris began to feel themself being moved, they could immediately feel a massive wave of nervousness washing over them. They had no idea what she meant, though they would learn very soon, but the tone she used for those words alone was enough to send a chill up their spine that they were certain wasn’t just from the cold wind of her movement against their wet body.

It wouldn’t be long at all before they came to a stop, once again feeling a bit dizzy for just a moment due to the speed of their travel. As their dizziness quickly faded, however, their eyes grew wide at the sight before them. Tasque Manager had moved her hand behind herself, turning it to allow the tiny Lightner to get the best possibly view of her rear as they were held no further than two or three inches away. “It’s much more efficient to put that heavenly acid to use recharging my proverbial batteries during a long day of work. Besides, isn’t it customary to be INSIDE of most forms of transportation~?” The Darkner teased, able to feel Kris continue to squirm and thrash in her grasp no more than a short matter of seconds after she finished this thought. Her free hand, previously resting on her hip, gently slid around to her back, slipping two of its fingers into the waistband of her black tights and beginning to slowly pull them downwards. With every slow tug down, she gently swayed her hips from side to side, wanting to make it very clear to Kris what was coming to them as more and more of the fleshy rump beneath was becoming exposed, using her pinky to hook the white cloth draping down and pull it aside to put it on full display. Being this up close and personal with it, it became a bit more clear that despite how wondrously real it appeared from inside of her tight pants, her “flesh” was indeed synthetic as well, though certainly looked and acted close enough to the real thing.

Unlike many their age would likely be, Kris wasn’t enraptured by the sight of the much larger woman showing off her rear to them. They were fairly certain they knew what was coming, and they had no intention of just letting it happen! Whether they liked it or not, however, they didn’t have a choice, forced to listen to the sound of the tight fabric slowly but surely making its way down her synthetic ass cheeks as their artificial fat bulged over the top, excited to feel the open air against them once again. Once her tights had gone just barely below the top of her thighs, Tasque Manager tucked the white cloth of her attire into the waistband, ensuring it stayed aside as she removed her fingers from its clutches with a satisfying sound. With an impressive amount of control, she wiggled and slid her tail back through its hole in said tights, most of the cable coming through without difficulty before the plug tip seemed to get stuck for only a brief moment before popping through, resulting in a satisfied sigh from its owner.

“Oh? You’re not fond of this idea either?” Tasque Manager asked, commenting on Kris’ more than noticeable thrashing, something she would be looking forward to immensely in the very near future. “Well, too bad. You so rudely refused your orderly option, so this is your alternative~!” She added, less than a second of pause between this and her previous statement as she knew Kris wouldn't give her an answer, and she also simply didn’t care. With that, the hand still pinching Kris firmly between its fingers was turned onto its side, holding the small human horizontally with their head facing her round, smooth cheeks. Her other hand found itself pinching its thumb and pointer finger together, sliding them into her crack before spreading them apart once more, forcing her rear to spread open slightly along with them. Her fingers sunk into the faux flesh walls of her cheeks as they pushed them apart, showing off her puckered hole as her tail swished in anticipation. With not a moment of hesitation, Kris was thrust forward, wincing from the sudden speed as they knew exactly where they were going, instantly feeling their head penetrating this puckered hole, feeling its crushing tightness around their upper arms as Tasque Manager’s head bucked back in sudden pleasure.

“Oh, yes, I can already feel that acid giving me just the energy I need~!” She said, the added squirms from her little toy not only helping to provide extra energy, but helping her interior absorb what acid clung to their body. Out of sheer reflex, Kris could feel her hole clench tightly around them, cringing from pain as it almost felt as if their arms could break from the sheer power of her ass, certainly painting a clear picture of their frailty at this size. Though their squirming had stopped for just a split second from this crushing force, feeling the hot interior of her body against their face and chest, Tasque Manager would be wasting no time before further welcoming them into their temporary new home. Releasing her grasp on their body for only the same split second their struggling ceased, her fingers would clamp down on them once more, this time around their knees. “Hah~!” She let out a sigh of sheer delight as she thrust them deeper once again, forcing the entirety of their upper half and a small amount of their legs into her body, only stopping as her fingers made contact with the soft texture of her rear. She could feel them kicking their legs frantically, desperate for some form of hope as they continued to squirm and thrash their upper body within the confined space of her innards. As lovely as it felt having the satisfaction of such a naughty little Lightner kicking so uselessly against her smooth cheeks and her gentle yet powerful fingers, she wanted nothing more than to feel that energy being put to use inside of her! And that was exactly what she would get.

Releasing her grip on them for the final time, she pulled back her hand only a small bit, closing all fingers but her pointer and middle into a fist before thrusting her two extended digits into herself. Kris could feel as her fingers were forcefully shoved between their legs, mercilessly pushing them as deep in as they possibly could. If Tasque Manager’s eyes were any more than pure yellow in color, they would be able to be seen visibly rolling back into her head in pleasure, feeling her hole expanding around her fingers and attempting to clench shut around them as they slid in, forcing Kris along for the ride of their life as their face and body were forced to rub against her internal walls. Once her digit had forced her living battery as far as they could go before being stopped by her knuckles, the Darkner woman held them there for a few seconds, her breath panting as she savored the feelings of her tiny toy kicking against her fingers for what would be the final time in a fair while and the feeling of having something forced this deep within her by her own hands. She was used to the occasional battery suppository, as she didn’t exactly have a throat to enjoy them the same way others did, but this was something entirely different, and far more satisfying for the dominant woman. She could feel her knees trembling, threatening to give out under her if she didn’t wrap things up and calm herself soon, a warning she did end up taking after just a few more long seconds of letting the moment sink in.

With a sharp inhaling breath, she slowly slid her fingers out of herself, feeling as the fragrant walls of her interior tightened around their new guest, her hole soon sealing itself shut once again, trapping Kris within their third new home of the day for however long Tasque Manager so chose to keep it that way. They struggled and squirmed as best they could, but their best was becoming increasingly weaker as the hot walls pulsed around them, like they were a piece of candy to be sucked on. The legendary hero, reduced to nothing more than a legendary suppository until Tasque Manager decided they’d learned their lesson, if she would even remember them at all in a matter of hours.

Tasque Manager wobbled slightly as her initial surge of pleasure was coming to an end, managing to catch her balance as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself. With that, she turned her head, glancing down to her rear with a satisfied smirk before giving one of her cheeks a firm yet gentle pat. “Enjoy your stay!" She chimed. This playful expression would fade from her face quickly, however, as she began to notice the sound of paws clawing themselves up a steep wall nearby. “Oh! It would seem my precious Tasques are back!” She said, her ears twitching slightly as this sound alone seemed to get her more than back into her usual work mindset. Removing the white cloth of her attire from her waistband and hiking her tights back up to where they belonged, she began to make her way back to the dirtied teacup ride she was meant to clean, now with a lovely little energy boost courtesy of the special guest squirming away in her bowels. It had taken her a bit more mental effort than she was used to to come up with a proper means of disciplining someone without the use of her whip... But suffice it to say, she was quite pleased with what decision she had come to.