1.5 - Chores

Ilse's heart was clutched with euphoric anticipation. Katarina had brought her into a closed off room. A thrill shakes her body as she imagines herself being embraced by the woman. Decadent and sensual. She imagines soft touches and warm breaths on her neck, whispering commands to her. 

Then it happened. 

"What?"

Katarina put a wet rag in her arms. Making Ilse blink. Then she brought in a floppy mop and some bleached water, pointing to the floor of the now not so romantic room, the scent of dust and old incense was heavy.

"Well, I haven't gotten someone to clean this place up yet, and since you're here and you're keen to survive." she clapped her hands in quick succession. "Get to work."

Ilse fell to her knees. "Wait, seriously?" she stared at Katarina. "I thought you wanted to–"

The woman held a finger over her mouth, her lips purring. "That would be inappropriate dear, prove yourself, and maybe…tonight. You won't have to wonder about strange and alluring corruption. Disipline before pleasure."

Ilse sighed.

Cleaning had gone as well as she expected, she was horrible at it. Katarina had berated her several times. "You left a spot.", "clean there," "Your dirty feet are making a mess." It was long, it was arduous it was boring as hell.

Ilse felt her stamina drained, everytime she brought the mop forward and backwards. Her back strained under it. She had never been cut out for any such kind of work. At home her parents kept everything tidy, in her apartment, it was any one of her girlfriends or boyfriends. She was content with rotting, a horrible trait she'd wager.

Probably got herself killed because of such horrible trait. 

Anastasia, her sexy hot evil ex, what a fucking bitch. She hoped whatever she did, with the strange book stayed far away from her, she didn't want to see her in this strange reborn world. 

But, what if she finds me here, what then?

Later, an older woman, a rag dweller much like herself was guided inside by Katarina–she was hunched over, and her eyes were hollow, her skin was caked with dirt and muck and even blood. She didn't look all that aged-up honestly, just a horrible mess.

"Ilse, take her to the bathroom and give her a good scrubbing."

Ilse nearly spat but remembered what situation she found herself in. 

"What!" she blurted. "I'm not trying to be rude Miss Katarina but…"

Katarina walked up to her. "Think Ilse, that could've been you in 12 months, one wrong step is all it takes. Help her, help you. Karma's a bitch when you don't respect her."

Katarina swallowed pride, dragging the woman by the arm, and into the public baths reserved for visitors. The woman's stench was rancid to say the least, with sweat, rot and the overbearing feeling of despair. She stayed unresponsive throught the washing. Ilse had to fight the urge to gag as she poured water of their hair, scrubbing the grime away, her hands trembling. 

Katarina watched with amusement. The lady stayed unresponsive except when Katarina spoke to her. 

"May I ask what's wrong with her?"

Katarina frowned. "She delved too deep into a dungeon, sought a quick way out of being a zero, classless and all. She got traumatized, she comes by once a month, I don't know how she stays alive, but she always comes back to me."

The woman looked like she wanted to cry, her face flinching, nose scrunching, eyes watering, and then she went blank again. 

"This is half my role, Ilse," Katarina said. "This world is a hell for those not ready, And the [system], punishes us more fortunate souls for helping too much. There's only so little I can do."

"The [system]?" she asked?" whilst scrubbing the lady's back. 

"The real god of this world, probably what brought us here to."

Ilse doubted that. The voice in the void had been deliberate, too focused. She wondered. 

"So this [system]? Does it make the rules?

"Very rarely, it almost never changes, governs it, yes?" Katarina tapped her foot on the floor. "Ask around, it's a particular type of person that gets brought here. Mostly 21st-century people, nerdy culture? Did you partake in it, Ilse?

The nerdy culture was a vague assessment, anything could be nerdy, but it was true. "Yes, I was an avid gamer."

"That's as close as it gets. I lived three lifetimes on modern earth 20 to 22nd." 

Ilse looked at woman shocked. The implications were frightening, what did that imply, shed been born in the 22nd century at least once, and she came here before she did. 

"I can see your mind is boggled. The first, I lived in the soviet union in west belarus, the second I was born in the United States at the dawn of the digital age, the third– the third i will not speak about."

Katarina walked away, leaving Ilse with the catatonic woman. 

The day dragged on, and Ilse felt a growing and gnawing emptiness. Not the corruption, but the man she believed, decreasing like water did the body. 

Katarina had walked the woman, off back in the obscure district. Then she gave her a simple stew to eat. 

No, simple would be the wrong word. 

It was savory and filled with heart. Katarina was an amazing cook. Ilse devoured it, even as the broth burned her tongue, she drank it, her hunger only half sated. 

Katarina gave her seconds, her warmth was motherly. "A very mundane way to obtain mana is to eat good food." she had lectured her. Ilse enjoyed the feeling of being cared for, they briefly shared a story with each other. How they had died. 

Katarina's first death was being trampled by a German tank. Her second was nuclear armageddon. Her third was being liquidated by a self-aware machine. She was reluctant to talk about her third life. 

But she implied that time was just a big branch and every new branch was its own little universe. She didn't care much for metaphysics, it was all so beyond her.

After the meal, the temple fell silent. There were very few people Katarina had helped today, her excuse was that her fellow sister's were absent on some mission out of the city. Ilse mind raced with curiosity, there was a world outside the limbo like city, there were dungeons and there was life, she just needed to quit being a zero. 

Apparently, it was as easy as obtaining a class, but then why were most walking lumbering husks?

***

Katarina led Ilse into one of the bathrooms, a private one, where most wouldn't enter, steam curled at the edges of the room. The bath was big, round and made of wood. Katarina's robe slipped from her body without shame.

The silver-haired beauty's body was stunningly beautiful and her curves voluptuous. She had a large full breast, round and firm, her nipples perky and stiff. Ilse felt a sudden heat surge beneath her waist, she had been blessed in her life with bisexuality. She took in every detail with a critical eye. 

It seemed Katarina did not mind, even going as far as flaunting her breasts. And so she couldn't help but admire her curves from her thick thighs to her toned waist. Her skin was the cleanest thing she had seen all day, almost ethereal and otherworldly. 

Ilse stood stupified, unable to tear her eyes away. Her heart started racing with, she leaned forward eager to touch.

Lust, that's what she felt. 

Her [corruption] flared up.

Katarina climbs into the wooden tub, her fat ass shaking from left to right. Ilse stood mouth agape. 

"What are you waiting for Ilse?" Katarina teased. "Will you join me or not."

Ilse stripped off the robe she was given, and her body paled in comparison to the goddess before her. She climbed in with eagerness, the hot water soothing her skin, taking her by surprise, a calming sensation..

"Are you ready to actually learn what you need to now? The very basics of course."

Ilse whose face was as red as a tomato, nodded. Listening attentively.

"You can start by scrubbing my back."

Ilse did show, doing everything in her power not to slap the woman on the butt.