He could feel the warm rock on his back as he lay there, gazing up toward the trees above. There was just enough fog in the air that the sun pushing through the trees left beautiful crepuscular rays falling from the sky. Then, the sound of footsteps crunching through the woods began to grow closer... And closer... It wasn't long before the individual making the noise was upon him, but he wasn't on the ground this time...
Selka's blade was red with blood as she made her way down the path. It was early in the morning and she had already acquired her first few kills of the day - A small band of thieves tried to jump her. It was their funeral though, all she had to show for it were a few scrapes and bruises... Nothing to be concerned about. She was hyper-vigilant though, adrenaline still surging through her veins from her fight - a beautiful bloodlust she absolutely adored. It was one of the things she looked forward to every day... She had a reputation around the region for being a particularly difficult person to take down, and for good reason. Not every day ended in pure bloodshed though. The majority of her encounters were simply fistfights, ending only when the opponent had proven themselves to be a competent fighter. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw something... Strange. It was just a flash on a post along the stone fence she was walking by, but it was odd enough to catch her attention. A bright blue... Something.
Mathew looked up to the giant woman who now stood over him, her eyes locked onto him as though she were looking straight into his soul. She leaned close enough that her breath could be felt washing over his body - it reeked of alcohol, and each breath launched a wave of chills through his tiny body. She said nothing as she looked him over. Usually 'Bright blue' meant some sort of stinging insect or something poisonous, but this was different. It was a tiny human - While it was fascinating, it was also somewhat infuriating... This tiny creature was weak, smaller than the rats she's hunted for sport. Her thumb was longer than he was tall... Weakness was a trait she absolutely hated. He was insignificant though - A worm to be crushed beneath her fingertips. That was her first reaction, and that's exactly what she decided to do...
Mathew watched as she brought her thumb over his body. He was quickly acquainted with her skin as she pinned him down by his chest to the stone fence. She watched with disgust as his tiny legs began to gently twitch as she pressed down, feeling his body begin to give way beneath her thumb. Breathing became difficult quickly as his face was pressed into her skin - which smelled of dirt and grime. The immediate threat and sensation was something he found to be... Arousing.
Selka was about to smash him flat when she saw something downright hilarious happen. The little one was becoming aroused! Between his twitching little legs she watched his [REDACTED]. She burst out with laughter at the concept! A tiny human, [REDACTED] at the concept of death? All she had to do was threaten to crush him and he became hard... While he seemed weak initially, the idea of such a thing was actually somewhat admirable! He welcomed death! Perhaps there was something more she could do - something to help him prove his strength to her in order to keep her from killing him... She stood back up, glancing down the long path ahead as she thought to herself...
Mathew gasped for air when he could. His body was sore, his chest throbbing [REDACTED] - and as he looked up to Selka, he could see the amusement on her face. She was smiling a great smile as she thought of ways to entertain herself with the tiny man...
She had no idea why the thought came to her mind, but the moment it hit her - she burst out with laughter again. A pouch wouldn't do to transport him... It wasn't dire enough, and she had over three days of travel to go before she'd find true respite. She set her blade to the side and quickly pulled off her right boot, revealing a sockless foot coated in sweat and grime from days of combat and travel. It was the most hostile environment she could think of! Casually, the barbarian plucked Mathew from the fence and tossed him into the abyss. He could hear her laughter as he fell deep into her footwear. The moment he hit the insole, he bounced slightly and rolled helplessly toward the toe section of her shoe. His first breath of air was rejected by his body as the quick change of environment was almost too much to handle. He couldn't get back to his feet as the barbarian woman haphazardly put her foot back into her footwear - sealing the light away from him. He could see nothing, though he could hear and feel everything as her slimy and grimy toes slid over him greedily pulling him into the one 'safe' spot beneath her digits.
"Luck." She said as she squeezed him between her toes...
Every step Selka took, the tiny man felt his body squelch up into her toes. She had horrible hygiene habits - but that was to be expected for a barbarian whose primary goals in life included 'Drink daily' and 'Fight frequently'. Sand and grime made her skin incredibly gritty, and every shaky breath the tiny man took in was filled with the wretched scent of her feet. He had been in this situation many times - though he never truly got used to the raw pleasure and discomfort he felt here. That, and he was getting particularly good at differentiating smells. It was like every person who killed him this way had a different smell - all of which were overwhelmingly addicting to the tiny man.
He had no idea what went on for the next few days - He could hear conflict, feel her walk constantly, and at night - she refused to remove her footwear. He slept between her toes, feeling the idle 'twitches' of each digit as she rested through the night. Time seemed to merge together as traveled... He lost track of how many times she had slept, so counting the days was pointless. This day's travel went on for quite some time though, and the muffled sound of shouting and revelry could be heard toward the end... Just barely over the sweat squishing around his ears.
"Welcome!" The bartender shouted as he came from behind the bar and approached his favorite customer.
Selka chuckled a hearty chuckle as he approached. The moment he was in range, she launched her fist right into his shoulder! He stumbled back a bit, returning the same gesture to her - though it was directly into her gut. The barbarian woman didn't flinch as she wrapped an arm around his in a greeting - She was like a rock, stone cold and resolute.
"Toria!" He shouted, glancing toward the back, "Pluck a fresh chicken! Selka of the Black Caverns has returned!"
With that, he looked back to her with a stone-cold smile of his own...
"I'll get ye ale, Your ventures fruitful?" He asked.
She nodded a nod, feeling Mathew still beneath her toes. She began to casually flex her digits over the tiny man, gripping him like a plaything until she felt him begin to squirm. She wasn't sure if he died from the heat or not! He began to writhe like an insignificant worm beneath her... She was impressed! He survived this long in the hellscape of her boot, perhaps he did deserve to actually live for a while! Selka casually made her way to the nearest group of fellow barbarians to begin her revelry!
She forgot about Mat and began to drink! The night was still young, and she had so much to celebrate!
Hours passed of drinking - Mat could swear he could taste the ale in her sweat after a while. She laughed, she boasted and she bragged... If it were any other group of people she would never speak to them, but these - these were warriors. They cared little for how well she spoke, just that she did speak! Everyone there forsake the barkeeper normally had troubles speaking just the same as her, so she always felt comfortable telling her tales there. They were loud, they were obnoxious, and they were having a grand time!
She didn't notice Mat slip beneath her sole...
She sat with him pinned there for nearly three hours. He could hardly breathe as he clawed helplessly at her slimy skin... The idle weight of her foot where she sat, and her grand motions as she laughed and jested, randomly pushed him nearly to his breaking point. His mouth had been forced open by the pressure and filled with that grimey, dirty sweat... There was literally no space between the skin of her foot and the insole. His lungs burned, but every so often she would lean just right so that he could get a deep breath of stale, musky air before returning to his hell.
"Bah!" She grunted, standing up from the table as she slammed her fists on the wood.
An empty plate of chicken picked right to the bone sat in front of her... One of the barbarians had passed out from the alcohol, his face buried deep in a plate of food - tilted to the side so he could breathe. The others were fading fast as well, getting ready to get some rest in the tavern's inn above. As they got up to leave, she stood up to make her way to her usual drinking spot. She never felt Mathew's body compress beneath her... It was a quick sensation - a small pop as his organs spewed from his sides. The sensation was mixed in with the already present feeling of sweat squelching around her feet.
Ironically, that was the moment her drunken barbarian self remembered his presence!
She snatched up another giant glass of alcohol and sat down roughly in her seat. With her right hand, she haphazardly ripped her boot from her foot - lifted it up near her face, and began to shake it around...
Nothing came out!
She laughed harder than she had ever laughed before. He was dead! He made it all the way here and died beneath her foot like a bug. She kept shaking her boot to make sure, before throwing it aside like a useless toy. She took a deep, deep swig of her drink and set it on the table beside her, before checking the bottom of her foot for the tiny man. There he was! Flat as an insect, smashed to the sole of her foot.
"Weak!" She shouted in her drunken voice, "Small, Weak like bug! Dead like bug!"
With that, she smashed her foot down onto the floor and scraped it around on the floorboards.... Mathew's body easily came off of her slick, grimy skin. Selka kept laughing as she watched the little patch of blood adorn the floor. When she brought her foot back up - he was cleaned off of her, and what now was on the ground was virtually unrecognizable.
"Always die like bug... So funny!" She shouted again, powering through the rest of her ale...