Every adventurer in Eorzea knows the tales of Haukke Manor. A cursed Mansion hidden in the trees of Gridana, the place where several atrocities were made in the name of a vain woman who would sell her very soul to maintain her beauty. Dark rituals involving all manner of things wicked and forbidden, having to be cleansed twice over to finally rid the foul evil that dwelled inside, but it never left completely. A third disturbance was reported inside the manor, not as strong as the original evil, but the Adventurer’s Guild was willing to pay a high price to neutralize the budding evil inside. As such, bounties were placed up by a third party to gather as many adventures from all corners of Eorzea to combat this threat. One particular adventurer decided to go in it alone.
The manor doors were punched open, and their assailant stepped through as a Lalafell Pugilist named Koyo Joyo. He was a tall lad, at least for a lalafell, with milky brown skin and pitch black hair. The highlights of his hair were a teal green, matching the color of his eyes. He was the runaway son of a Dunesfolk Noble from Ul’dah, looking to make a name for himself as an adventurer. Despite that, he wouldn’t leave without the “right equipment”, coming in the form of expensive, flexible striking armor made of the best materials he had access to as a noble’s son. The hora he gripped around his hands were made by the finest blacksmiths, and could easily knock a large beast unconscious and not so much as chip.
“This is Haukke Manor, huh? Impressive….not as impressive as my home though, no. Certainly not as gaudy or haunted.” He mused to himself, walking through the grand foyer into the rotting, haunted halls.
Koyo couldn’t find a party to accompany him to the manor, so he struck out on his own, hoping to get all the praise and recognition with such a daunting feat. All that gil and social status was too much for a noble’s son to resist! He would note it was almost….too perfect. The Elezen lady that gave him the quest was also rather strange, she was a little too giddy to invite adventurers to a haunted, possibly filled with monsters and demons manor. Strange. He didn’t remember her being part of the guild-
His thoughts were interrupted by the heinous cackling of monsters in the darkness. A few Divian Mold creatures came lunging at him, but were easily dismissed by his fast and true punches, fodder like this was only easy pickings for a pugilist like him. His hora shredded through the creeping masses of living mold and monstrous stains, his beaming confidence only building with each slain enemy.
“Hah! This is too easy. That gil is as good as mine, and I don’t have to worry about splitting it~!” He said pridefully to himself, moving into the Red Hall as he chased away the monsters with his might and martial prowess. His pursuit is paused by two new, unknown creatures that greeted him….Ahrimans. Ugly voidsent monstrosities that were more eye than anything else, they taunted him with their disgustingly long tongues, almost baiting him to start swinging at him….which he immediately did.
His enemies were too quick, laughing at his misses and near hitting punches. The boy growled in frustration as he swung again and again, trying to strike the Ahrimans that taunted him. The voidsent creatures danced and ran away from him, provoking his anger and frustration at being unable to hit such a simple target.
“GET BACK HERE!” He roared, unaware of the trap they were setting him up for. They lured him out of the Red Hall, and back into the corridors of the manor, flying away with taunting cackles as they turned the corner. He pursues them, ready to finally drive his hora into their ugly faces and immediate satisfaction to follow afterwards-
He’s suddenly stopped in his tracks by the sudden appearance of a 3rd, hidden Ahriman. It flashed him with a paralyzing gaze, locking his body in place as if it were stone, he was paralyzed long enough for the chased duo to pick him up by the arms, and tug him away towards an unknown destination.
“No! NO! Lemme go! Lemme go!” The little adventurer screamed, kicking and digging in his heels into the carpet to stop himself with friction, but only succeeded in ruining it rather than stopping himself. The paralysis routinely returned, subjecting him to a cycle of struggling, freezing in place, then struggling again. His Hora was ripped away from his hands, clattering on the floor as he was taken away by the surprisingly strong voidsent.
The Ahriman continued to drag him down the haunted halls, the further down they went into the manor, the more grisly the sights became. Signs of unfortunate ends by falling furniture, attacks from other voidsent, or being sacrificed to some unknown ritual; it chilled Koyo’s blood, more from fear than paralysis. His boots squeaked and grinded against the wood, and through cold cobblestone as they finally made it to the dungeon levels of the manor, much to the poor Lalafell’s immediate dismay. He was none-to-gently thrown into one of the cells of the manor, the big door closing behind him as now he was locked in with the voidsent that dragged him in….and forming skeletons that clattered together in the corner. The little hero backed up to a wall, looking for any sort of weapon or defense against the voidsent that closed in on him, heart thumping up to his throat in stress and terror as his situation became more and more desperate.
It didn’t help that the grisly scenes he saw before he was taken here fueled his imagination on how cruel, how terrifying the deaths of visitors before must have been in this cursed manor, and as the shadows grew closer, it was all he could think about. His flesh would be skinned, his blood used in some unholy ritual, his soul forever trapped and tormented here at the hands of evil beings with no sense of morality, no weapon or chance to escape in sight as he pressed his back against the wall; it made his resolve break.
“S-Stop….g-g-go away. LEAVE ME ALONE!” The Lalafell whimpered, choking back his tears of fear.
The voidsent only cackled and grinned, descending upon the warrior with their many hands.
“NONO-AAAAAAAAAH!” The Lalafell screamed, claws ripping into his clothes and armor. Piece by piece, his protections fell away, leaving him only in the broken remains of his chainmail pants. The shock and humiliation didn’t get the time to register to the poor lad before he was hoisted up by the succubi surrounding him, and pinned down to a nearby rack and his limbs tied tightly by thick, coarse rope.
Koyo struggled and whimpered on the rack, tears starting to stain his cheeks as he was convinced that he was going to die horribly tonight. No one knew he was here, no party to support him, he was going to die alone….He silently prayed to his patron, letting out small grunts as the rack creaked and stretched his body taut, already prepared to scream. That was….until the rack stopped, he opened one teary eye slowly, unsure whether he was being saved, or toyed with. A new voidsent was before him, a succubus with rather different attire than the others. Her clothing was brighter, happier? She wore a strange mask on the side of her face, one of those drama masks with a smiling face when the actors on stage plays didn’t know how to act.
“Do not be afraid, little lalafell, you may speak.” The voidsent had a gentle voice, her garb much like a jester’s. Compared to the cruel gazes of her familiars, this voidsent had a kinder, more mischievous gaze, the features of a beautiful elezen instead of a crazed lover.
“W-Who….what in the seven hells are you?” Koyo questioned, surprised at the diplomacy of the voidsent. Aren’t they supposed to be bloodthirsty demons?
“Who I am is not important. But what I’m here for is! Shoo shoo, all of you, he is mine for now.” She waved her hands at the other voidsent, all of them leaving the cell except for her and Koyo. He didn’t know whether to be thankful, or more fearful. She did kind of save him from being ripped apart, but still.
“O-Okay….T-Then exactly what are you?” Koyo replied.
Her face was very familiar to him, she almost looked like….the lady that gave him this quest in the first place!
“WAIT! I know you! You’re that weird elezen lady that sent me here!”
“Indeed, one of my many forms~.” She said with a sweet smile. “I called you here because I am hungry. As the new mistress of the house, I need to influence this manor with my own special brand of magic. Magic I need you to provide~.” She continued.
“M-Magic? What kind of magic…? W-WAIT! You’re not gonna d-devour my soul or-” Koyo panicked, but was interrupted by her giggling.
“No no. Nothing so crude. I crave a longer lasting, more potent type. One that’s just as powerful in a child as it is in an adult.” She smiles, leaning closer to his face. “Your laughter~.”
“L-Laughter….? Buh-wuh….?” Koyo looked confused, he looked at her like she was crazy.
“Hm-hm-hm~. You are confused. Allow me to show you….I will extract your laughter by an easy means….by tickling~.” She wiggles her fingers, lowering them down to his body.
“W-WHAT?! H-Hey! Keep away, don’t touch me!” Koyo protested.
Tickling. Oh how Koyo hated being tickled. His siblings used it to bully him all the time, mostly into making him give things to them. Toys, money, property, if they managed to pin him down and tickle him, he was as good as doomed. It was one of the many reasons he’s struck out alone, to get away from the bullying of his elder siblings. But now he was going to be tickled by some freak from the void? Why did the Twelve hate him so?
The jester succubus flutters her fingers around his ribs, gently scribbling and poking around the soft flesh to test how sensitive he was there. She only got short sputters and a permanent grin, short squeaks when she started to scratch and count each rib individually, nothing too major.
“Adorable~....but not very ticklish there, are you? Perhaps my answer is lower.” She quietly coos, her skittering hands moving down to his stomach.
The supple, tender flesh of his stomach got more results, the belly jumped and quivered as the lalafell tried to suppress his laughter, but not to much avail. Her delicate fingers and pointed claws danced across the shuddering belly until more palpable giggles started to leak out of the captive adventurer, when they reached his sides, that’s when he started to really crack.
“Ghhk-! Tee-he-he-he~! G-Ge-het off my SI-HI-HIDES!” He giggles aloud, thrashing about to escape, but only really succeeds in pressing himself into her claws.
“”Mmm~? Is the big tough Pugilist too ticklish to handle a few fingers poking his sides?” The voidsent teased, changing her approach into rakes down to his hips. “I’m coming down~. Are these ticklish too?” She cooed, sliding her hands into his pants and scratching at his hips.
“EEE-HEHEHE!” He jumped, squealing helplessly as he shook his hips to force her hands out. “GE-HE-HET OUT! GEH-HE-HE-EEEAHAHAHA!” He cackled, blushing brightly from the humiliating screeches he was making.
No matter how much he thrashed and struggled, he couldn’t get her devious claws away from his tender, sensitive upper body. Just when he thinks he’s used to the maddening scratching at his hips, a quick transfer of her hands to his sides sent him into instant hysterics. The hands freely kneaded and teased his supple flesh, always in a position to keep him laughing and squirming no matter how hard he tried to struggle. He let out the occasional airy begging, barely able to finish before he’s forced to laugh again from the increasingly more targeted tickling. The kneading at his belly kept him cackling, the scratching at his hips made him shriek and squeal, but the worst was when she either skitter her claws on his sides, or just kneaded it like his belly.
“AH-HO-HOHOHO TWELVE! MAKE IT STAA-HA-HAHAP!” Koyo thrashed and howled from the side tickling, tears starting to streak down his rosy cheeks from humiliation and the stress from tickling….the grinning lady not letting up for a moment.
Ten agonizing minutes passed until she finally showed him mercy, letting him breathe and gently wiping his flushed face free of tears and sweat with a clean handkerchief. “My my, you’re a ticklish sort, we could fuel our magic for years with you~.”
“Y-YEARS!?” Koyo exclaimed, his eyes widening with dread. “I-I can’t be here for years! I have a life you know, a-and I….I hate being tickled too! I can’t stand it!” He protests, ready to struggle but his body is simply too weak from the prior session to do so.
“Whether or not you can stand it isn’t something I much care about. Only that you provide what I desire, your laughter~.” She giggles evilly, her eyes move down to his legs, and stop at his feet. Her eyes widened with interest, moving herself down to look at them closer. “Now what are these beauties~?”
“N-No. Don’t you dare. Don’t you even dare you hells-bound beast!” He shouted, knowing what was coming for him next.
Being a noble’s descendant, Koyo had some “features” that not many other adventurers were blessed, or cursed, to have. His feet were somewhat bigger than most lalafell sizes, almost the size of the voidsent’s hands. Plush, tender soles with well defined arches, bubbly round toes that looked irresistible to squeeze, and a pleasant lavender scent should one go to sniff. The soles of his high quality boots and the treatments from his handmaidens always kept his feet soft and well kept, even the pleasant scent was a result of such treatments. This was everything the voidsent hoped for and more as she grinned evilly at his vulnerable feet.
“Oh I do dare, my little captive~. Such pampered, precious things like these should be explored for all their adorable worth~. Now hold still, and we shall begin.” Her fingers flutter closer to his now quivering feet.
“H-HELLS NO! Stop! STOP THAT! A-Anything but my fee-EEHEHEHEHET!” He cringes in laughter, his toes tightly curling as the claws make contact.
The voidsent had no desire to listen to the flurry of desperate begging from her captive, only to make them laugh. The succubus was instant in her search for weak spots, catching on to a few, and sinking her tickling fingers into them. She started at the heels, the smooth and round surface was fun to just scratch and swirl her claws around, provoking the best belly laughs out of him.
“Noo-ho-ho-ho-ho! STAHP! NHHA-AHAHAHAHA!” His feet waved and kicked as much as they could in response to the horrible scratching, no matter how much poor Koyo struggled, the claws would always be there. He cackled and pleaded in excess, offering her all manner of riches or material items for her to just stop. Unfortunately, voidsent don’t have much interest in the material, as they cannot use such things.
Her claws moved up to pick and dig in the in-betweens of his toes, targeting deep into them to prevent him from easily shaking her fingers off. It was by far the second worst tickle spot on his feet, considering his wheezing and screams of laughter. Her hands skittered down to find the actual worst spot, and her favorite place on him; his arches. His silky, soft arches made for easy tickling as her claws gilded and swiped with ease, they sunk in just enough he couldn’t shake them free, and started to blush from the diabolic tickle abuse they faced.
“AH-HAAAAH~! NAAA-AHA-AAHAHAHA!” He howls in laughter, unable to find it in him to properly beg for mercy. The claws continue to work over his sensitive feet, even when he scrunches his soles, it only gives her a new method of attack but raking her claws along the lines of the scrunches to make him splay open his toes again. Koyo thrashed and screamed, unable to resist her tickling claws as they only found new ways to torment him, and a new way to exploit his weak spots to bend him to her will. His feet were like putty to her, easy to manipulate, punish, and tease to her liking, and all he can do is simply react to the ways her claws destroy him. For only the briefest of moments, she showed mercy after several agonizing minutes of tickle torture, one could almost see the hearts in her eyes as she watched his blushing soles twitch from their earlier torment.
“You’re absolutely lovely little lalafell~. Your laughter will make excellent fuel for our rituals. I think you’ll be ready for some….more intense sessions~.” She evilly grins, sliding her fingers up his body to drink in his delicious fear.
“O-Oh Twelve….a-anything but that…! P-Please a-anything but-” Koyo pants with exhaustion, but was interrupted by a finger to his lips.
“Shhhh. You’ll learn to love it~. Just like the others.” She cooed, pleased with the expression of his eyes widening in terror. “Now then, shall we begin?”
(***)
Koyo was moved to a larger dungeon chamber, bound tightly to a table with his feet in stocks, and blindfolded by the lady jester to keep him anxious and unable to prepare himself. Just like his handmaidens to care for him, the lady started him off with skin softening oils and creams she had come across in the manor, but instead of the intent of loving and dutiful care, it was done with the cruel intention to make him more pathetically ticklish. To further make him vulnerable, his toes were tied back tightly to the stocks by strong strings, they wouldn’t come undone no matter how hard he pulled. Hanging above the poor lalafell was a bauble, ready to convert his tortured laughter into usable magic by some form of magic unknown to the realm.
The terror fueled tickling lasted well into the night, the lady not stopping at just her fingers, she intended to make him laugh as hard as his little lungs could allow. Her tools ranged from the fluffiest of feathers, to the scratchiest of brushes and bristles. She found a particular feather brought out the best laughs out of her little victim.
Phoenix Downs were normally used for reviving a fallen party member, in a pinch, but it also doubled as a perfect tickling tool. The rejuvenative properties of the feather always refreshed the nerves of his feet, making it tickle just as much as it did when it first grazed his foot, it was perfect for teasing his broad sole when she wanted to give her fingers a break, but she did have to wear gloves when handling it because of her more….exotic composition.
“AUUUG-AHAHAHA~! TWEHEHELVE SAVE ME!” He begged, his toes straining against the strings holding him back, desperate to let his foot wiggle even just once to try and bat away the heinously ticklish feather, as futile as it would be. He shrieked loudly as it dived in-between his immoblie toes.
Another tool which doomed him was a fuzzy string made from the fuzz of old coats and gowns, she used magic to make the string move by itself, weaving around the toes and flossing in between them. Wiggling his toes only made it tickle more, scrunching them pressed them in further to his in-betweens, it was the perfect tool to punish such cute, bubbly toes with little effort.
“FFUUHH-GAAAHAHA! UUUHH-HAHAHAHA~!” He screams, his will to beg being broken right then and there. He felt his stamina wain, and his laughter started to quiet.
The lady jester’s cruelty didn’t stop there, however. To prevent him from fainting, a spell for stamina and some constitution was cast on him right before he fainted, the lady jester only stopping to bring out a hair brush from her rack of torture tools. Koyo jolted with a start, instantly whimpering as he realizes that not even the sweet bliss of unconsciousness would save him from his torture. The rack starts to rattle and shake with his newfound energy, trying to struggle out of the bonds before he’s tickled again.
“N-NO! NO MORE! P-Ple-he-heaaaase! I can’t take it anymore!” He sobbed through his already wet blindfold.
The lady jester giggled, satisfied with the bright glow of the bauble that hung above his head, oh but there was so much more work to do, and so much more laughter she could fit in. “Shhh. You need not worry yourself with resistance or freedom. Just laughter.”
“I’ll do ANYTHING! I beg you! I swear!” Koyo frantically begged, panting and whimpering in fear of another agonizing session of torture. His mind was ready to snap in two, even during his break, the rawness of his nerves made even the cold air enough to tease his abused soles. His lungs burned with the sting of a Fire III, only rejuvenated by the spell she had cast on him earlier.
“You’re already doing something for your lady. Laughing~.” She slowly brings down the brush, scrubbing it against his tortured arch.
“AAAAH-HA-HA-HA! MAKE IT STAAAHAHAHAHAP!” He screamed, feeling the fragile threads of his sanity start to loosen and snap. The bauble glowed brightly above him, converting all his agony and laughter into the magic that would convert this haunted home of vain beauty and tragedy, into a house of madness, bliss, and laughter.
(***)
More adventurers were lured by the call of the slowly transforming Haukke Manor, and very few returned. Some say the beasts in there were giddy, and always cackling, like the realm’s funniest joker was always there to entertain them. Some say the once gloomy pictures turned more mirthful and happy, displaying acts of comedy and….tickling? Even stepping at the precipice of the manor made some visitors experience an uncontrollable smile or two. The very few who have reached the manor’s depths and escaped have heard the howling, hysterical cries of adventurers before them deep in the dungeon, begging for a mercy that was never to come, or so lost in their hysterics they could be considered mad. Horrible tickling racked their bodies, their sanity strained to fuel the diabolic magic that the new lady of the house used to continue their torture, and to augment her new home.
Beware sprouting adventurers and veterans alike. Beware the hysterical and maniacal halls of the repossessed Haukke Manor, unless you want to be the next dungeon bound victim of its new owner: Lady Beatrice.
