Leet reached the doors that led to the second Hall of Truth without incident.  The journey wasn't a long one, but she found that she was beset by waves of doubts and disturbing thoughts.  

The Captain could not, however, remove herself so easily from what had happened to Hess and the others. Leet was plagued at the how and why of her current situation.  Flashes of their unusual fate continued to linger in her mind as she travelled, distracting her when she needed to be focussed.

Having left Berisia and Kei in the intersection Leet made her way along the corridor passing by rooms and stores that were dark and empty of life. Leet stuck to the main corridors as she made her way forwards, knowing that it would take her straight to her destination in the fastest possible route. She found it reassuring that everything in the Hall seemed quiet and, more significantly, laughter free.  

As much as she tried, Leet's mind continued to run over and over the ticklish fates of Hess, Meriline, Cira, Griaa and the others.  Time and again as she ran, Leet relived the moment before her eyes, watching each of the guards fall and be taken - not to their deaths or even to a grievous wound, but to have their feet tickled! The very notion left a peculiar feeling of unease in her gut.  Even saying it out aloud gave her butterflies; she left them having their feet tickled.

Leet found herself grinning despite her unease.

The same questions bubbled in her mind and behind her grin; why were the prisoners doing it? How long had this been happening? Was it going on in other Halls throughout the Fort?  More than anything else, Leet's own reaction caused the biggest ripple in her thought. She hadn't raised a single finger to help them, and even now she didn't give any thought of going back to save them.  Each of the captured Pegasus guards had been under Leet's command and now they were in the hands of the enemy.  So why didn't Leet feel as concerned as she should be.  

Why?

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Leet moved up and pressed herself against the doors separating her from the second Hall of Truth.  Listening for laughter or signs of struggle coming from beyond the door, she let out a sigh of relief at finding none.  There were voices, certainly, lots of voices chatting.

"Something isn't right here," she said to herself, "too many voices for everything to be normal."

Lowering her helmet to rest it against the wall and holding her breath, Leet pushed the doors open just enough to slip inside without scraping her armour on the doors.  Releasing her breath softly once she was through, she closed the doors behind her and took a look at what was going on.  What she saw made her realise that the situation in this Hall was much worse than she'd originally thought.

The second Hall was identical to the first in its lay out, in so much that it was equipped to administer the tender and torturous tickling to any and all of its occupants.  It had dozens of cells running along its walls and only one way out, which just so happened to be behind where Leet stood.

All of the cells on the east and west walls in this hall had been emptied.  From her elevated position, Leet did a quick head count of the prisoners milling around inside but stopped when she reached seventy.  Not good; if just one of them caught sight of her she would be finished.  As it was however, none of them seemed to be at all interested in her direction.  There was something else that held their attention.  Leet peered closer to see what it was.

A circle had been cleared in the centre of the Hall and marked out by lines into the floor.  In the centre of the circle a pentagram had been etched with chalk and at the centre of this was a cluster of objects that Leet could not yet determine.  At each of the five points of the pentagram a tall hard backed chair had been set a long with a set of wooden foot stocks – no prizes for guessing why they were there, Leet thought wryly.  The chairs and stocks were empty for the time being.

To one side of the circle, Leet saw five Pegasus guards standing in their robes and nothing else.  They had no chance of escape and Leet suddenly had a strong sense of gloom as she watched.

From amongst the crowd appeared a large chested man with thick looking arms and legs.  He moved to stand in the middle of the circle and raised his hands above his head, catching the attention of the milling prisoners.  The Hall fell silent, save for the noise of burning torches.

"I am Zaan, Master of Ceremony in His name!"

There was a splutter of applause.

"Brothers and sisters," said Zaan in a loud voice. "We have all waited a long time for this moment and now that it has arrived we must be ready to receive it.  Now is the moment.  The Lord of Laughter, He-Who-Tickles, shall now deliver as promised to each and every one of us that which we desire the most."

There was a smattering of approving cries from the crowd.

"It has taken many months of talk and patient endurance to gather the necessary numbers," said Zaan, "but on this evening, we shall see the culmination of all our hard work and endeavour."

Another chorus of applause rang out accompanied by whooping cheers for the man in the middle of the circle.  

"We have done it brothers and sisters," Zaan said. "We have finally brought His careful plan into fruition.  We gentle and humble followers of His irresistible art are now great enough in number to take His plan forward; but more importantly we are strong enough in mind to be able to take the cause further.  It is time to summon to His favoured servants and get what is coming to us!"

Leet frowned as she listened to the man.  It now looked that the purpose of all this foot tickling was something more sinister than simple revenge - it was being done to serve a darker purpose.  Only now did Leet feel a little pang of guilt at having left Griaa and the others to their fate - just as she would be forced to leave these five guards to theirs, for there was no way she could help them.

"Even as I speak our work is spreading," said Zaan. "Our brothers and sisters are breaking free in the other Halls and preparing the guards for the ceremony just as we are.  Our friends higher up in their ranks are doing their best to ensure any chance or resistance is crushed as painlessly as possible."

Zaan paused and turned to crowds. "I hope you have been looking forward to this as much as I have," he said an unmistakable sneer.

The crowd roared in approval.

"Bring forward the Pegasus guards," said Zaan.

One by one each of the five Pegasus guards were brought forward. As they came, Leet made a point of recognising the faces of her friends.  Jais, a tall and supple woman, was first of the guards to be led to one of the chairs and put in the foot stocks.  Next there was Freia and Nymin, the blue haired sister Guards and sergeants of the Pegasus Guard.  Leet recalled bitterly how each was superbly skilled with knives, and that had they been facing any normal enemy, those skills would have served them well but as this did not constitute a life threatening situation their combat skills were forbidden.  Zen-rhis followed, walking slowly behind them with a distant look in her eyes.  Finally was Serille, who had to be carried to her chair, kicking and cursing, as they locked her feet into the wooden stocks.  In moments all five guards were locked into the chairs with their barefeet pointing outwards.

"Excellent," said Zaan, pacing around the circle. "Let the Charmed, step forward."

From among the crowd stepped ten people dressed in hooded cowls with their faces concealed in shadow.  Having stepped clear of the crowd, the ten people paired off and one coupe stood at the feet of each of the five Pegasus Guards.  Zaan collected the items from the centre of the Pentagram and handed one to each pair of Charmed.  

It was only then that Leet saw what it was being passed around – feathers.

"This can't be happening," said Leet.

Each couple of Charmed knelt at the feet of their imprisoned Pegasus guard.  Leet saw each Guard cry out and struggle, albeit to no avail, as the feathers were poised at their feet.  Leet felt an odd tingle of helpless anticipation at what was about to happen but again, felt no mad desire to rush in and save them.  Instead she felt compelled to watch, to bear witness at what was going on.

"On my word the Ceremony will begin," Zaan said, "and we will be one step closer, my brothers and sisters!"
Another roar of approval filled the chamber.

"To the five guards we have selected for the ritual," said Zaan. "I tell you this; you should be grateful to me for what is happening here."

As one all of the Pegasus Guards barraged him with vulgar curses.

"It is true," said Zaan, unaffected by what he was hearing. "For your laughter will help us bring the servants of He-Who-Tickles into the world and in doing so spread laughter all through this Realm."

"We will best you!" shouted Zen-rhis.

Zaan shook his head. "Oh no, you won't," he said. "Soon the Charmed, who have all ready been embraced into His service, will start tickling your feet with His Blessed Feathers. And you will laugh like you have never laughed before. Then, and only then, will the Summons will begin." Zaan stared off into space. "The next five minutes will be the most important of your lives."

"Summons!" said Leet, her breath catching in her chest. "They're doing a Summons, right here in the middle of my watch!"

There was another roar of excited approval from those in the crowd.  

Leet frowned, straining to make sense of what she was seeing and at the same time trying to ignore the obvious answers staring her in the face.

"Charmed," said Zaan, "reveal your faces to the non believers."

As one the Charmed removed their hoods, revealing the stunningly beautiful women that lay beneath.  Each woman had painfully beautiful and refined features, long silk-like hair and perfectly unblemished skin, but it was the way their eyes seemed to glow like emeralds that made Leet shiver.  

"See now the power of Him," said Zaan.

The Captain could see that some spell had been worked on them, giving them an additional lure.   Even from her distance, Leet felt the draw of their charm. There was an enticing beauty to the Charmed that made it hard for Leet to look away, and she could not even see them clearly.  She could imagine how those closer to them must feel.  It was a heart aching beauty that the Charmed bore, supernatural and not real, but hard to resist. Leet watched, excited and at the same time very aware that she should be moving on before their attention was drawn to her. Yet still she remained.

"Begin," said Zaan.

That single command was heard above all the background noise and drew Leet's attention back to scene.  Leet sighed, thankful now to be free from the spell she had been under while staring at the Charmed who replaced the hoods.

As one, the Charmed started to brush with their feathers and started softly tickling the soles and arches of the Pegasus Guards feet.  Leet felt a knot of anticipation and helplessness flood through her as the tickling started; it spread warm amusement and uneasy excitement through her body.  It made her feel like her knees were melting and that she wanted to sink to the floor.

Freia was the first to crack, quickly falling into bouts of helpless laughter as the feathers dipped between her toes and along her inner arches.  She bucked and tried to work her feet out of the stocks but her efforts were to no avail, and the tickling on her feet continued.  Her resolve broke quickly and it happened so fast, she was barely noticed it. The touch of the feathers went straight to her brain and she was lost in bubbly laughter.  

Next were the high-pitched squeals and giggles of Zen-rhis. Leet saw the helpless Guard's shoulders bounce with each laugh; it made the hairs on the back of Leet's neck stand on end to hear such raw laughter evoked so quickly. The distant look on her face quickly faded as her predicament became suddenly all too apparent. It was a thrilling sound, to hear her cry out so thoroughly and helplessly.

The two sisters held for a little longer, each driven by an urge to last longer than the other. They held on as long as they could, cheeks puffed out, trying to swallow down the laughter but in the end the gentle swishes on their soles won through. The giggles and guffaws cracked their lips and soon their entire features caved in with uneasy hysterical giggling.

Serille was the last of the captured guards to be broken, her head shaking and eyes squeezed shut in defiance, but she too fell to soft feathers at their feet.

One by one each of the five Pegasus guards broke into reluctant laughter, having it drawn from them irresistibly by the exquisite tickling of their feet.    Leet sighed, watching and listening helplessly as all five laughed – wild and hysterical – so loud that it quickly filled the hall.

"Damn," muttered Leet.

Suddenly Leet felt an invisible wave of heat wash over her. Leet shivered, feeling the anticipation and expectation on the air like something physical.  She knew that something important was about to happen.  She watched it ripple through the crowd as if caught on a wave, bringing them to a new height of excitement.  

Looking towards the centre of the Pentagram, Leet saw a vertical line of white light appear directly above the head Zaan.  She stood staring intently at it, realising that this was the thing the crowd had been waiting for. Meanwhile the Charmed continued their tickling and the laughter of the captured guards washed over the crowd in almost tangible waves.  As Leet watched the line of light began to expand in its centre, filling out in a faint elliptical shape above the scene.

"What the…"

"Yes! That's it!" Zaan started shouting, raising his head and his hands to the expanding light. "Keep it up! Very soon now!"

"The tickling…," Leet said, finally clicking. "The tickling gives them the power to open the portal!"

The Charmed re-doubled their efforts at the urges of Zaan; the intensity of the laughter coming from the helpless guards lifted to a new pitch, carrying with it the sound and touch of near madness.  Leet shuddered, listening to her friends and knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it.  The crowd started clapping and shouting words of encouragement, caught up in the scene before them.

The light continued to grow, expanding into a full circle about a dozen feet above the ground, empowered by the Pegasus guards' laughing below. Once the circle was complete, it started to pulse, sending waves of light outwards through the chamber and through the crowd.  The waves, clearly visible in the gloom of the hall, passed through the crowd as if they were nothing, touching tickler and ticklee alike.  

Suddenly a horizontal ring of light of light thrummed into life, hanging around the Portal. It hunger there for a moment, a floating luminescence, before it started dissolving slowly; falling gently and seeping into each of the ten Charmed.  All of this happened in a matter of moments.  

"It is done!" shouted Zaan.

There was a new sense of movement among the Charmed, who had temporarily stopped their tickling to receive the falling light.

"Something's changed…" whispered Leet.

The Charmed lifted the hoods from their heads. Leet saw each had been further changed by the light; each Charmed had furry cat-like ears on the tops of their heads, pointing through their hair.  Long sinuous tails swished playfully behind them; their arms and legs appeared to be covered in a soft layer of fur, each one a different colour. Their faces had changed, becoming more beautiful than before. They were alien looking, showing delicate and distinctly feline features. They had perfect, breath-taking, exquisitely beautiful features that none who looked at them could resist.  But more striking than that were their eyes; brilliant emeralds that burned like green lamps.

"What is this?" Leet wondered in a mix of horror and excitement.

"See!" cried Zaan, ecstatic. "See how they have been rewarded! The Charmed have changed, they have been transformed into his Kats! Behold!"

"Kats?" said Leet, the name giving an uneasy feeling in her gut.

Each of the changed women, or Kats as Zaan had referred to them as, mewled with joy as they regarded their changed forms; the sounds they made were delicious as not other sound could be. As Leet watched and listened, she felt waves of power coming from the Kats, strong and intoxicating.  It washed over Leet as it did the crowd; a mix of a wonderfully sweet scents and a stirring of every sense they touched.  Leet shivered in response.  She watched as the Kats went back to work, tickling the trapped feet of the Pegasus Guards with an unhurried delicacy that was breath taking to watch.  

The crowd whooped and cheered, elated by this new change.

"Now," Zaan cried, turning his gaze to the throbbing crowd. "My brothers and sisters, it is your turn to show Him your worth!"

"I have to warn the others!" said Leet.

A person in the crowd started to giggle before breaking utterly into deep laughter.  Another person erupted into giggles elsewhere in the crowd. Almost a second later a third voice joined them, then another and another.  Leet felt herself drawn back to the entrance of the Hall, against all-good better reasoning, to see what was transpiring.  Countless voices were rising in tickled laughter to join with the growing chorus of her Pegasus guards. Throughout the mob that made up the crowd, people took it upon themselves to tickle each other in an attempt to out do their neighbour.  It was a breath taking show of madness.  

~Yes, my sweeties, that's it!~

A voice filled the air, spoken as if from all about Leet; it was smooth and soft, musical and impossibly alluring.  It sounded like all things warm and reassuring; everything sweet and sensual and erotic all in one. Leet grinned to hear it.  At the sound of this voice, the ten Kats purred with delight, as if reunited with a lost love.

~Feathers on your feet, fingers under your arms; such a lovely tribute~

Leet shuddered as the voice spoke again, feeling an irresistible urge to take heed of what the voice said; to join the fracas going on in the chamber if it meant she could hear the voice again.  She felt a strong compulsion to go among them the crowd and feel the touch of their feathers between her toes. She wanted to laugh forever and know that soon it would fill the world.  

Somehow Leet resisted, pushing the thoughts from her head. Yet not before her metal gauntlets had slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor.  She froze as the metallic scrape rose to fill the passageway.  The tickling continued and waves of thick delicious laughter rolled from inside the Hall. She froze, waiting, listening.  For a moment she thought she had escaped without notice.

But then she felt a wave of prickly energy, warm and crackling flow over her.  Leet stopped and felt the urge to turn back into the Hall.

~Hello sweetie~

As much as Leet would have liked to think otherwise, she knew for sure that the voice was talking to her.

"Who are you?" Leet yelled, determined to get what information she could now that her stealth was ruined.

~A good question.  I am called the First~

Leet frowned. "The First what?" she asked.

~The First Kat~

"That is not your name though," said Leet.

The voice giggled sweetly.

~No, but it is who I am. You did not ask my name~

Leet sighed. "What is your name then?"

~For now, the First will suffice. I will tell you my name later, once you've had a little tickle~

Leet took a step back into the Hall. "Are you the one behind this?" she asked.

~No, this is not for me. This is for the one I love. The one behind this is wonderful scene is He-Who-Tickles, though I know him a softer and sweeter name. He is the one helped arrange all of this wonderful laughter and it was he who gifted your fellows the gift of being a Kat~

"It's a gift, is it?" said Leet.

~Oh yes, a great gift. You cannot understand how great a gift but you will soon see why~

Leet went to turn and leave.

~You do not need to be afraid of us, sweetie.  I promise you no harm will come to you or any of your guards. We just want to tickle you.  Please join us. ~

Dozens of eyes were turning towards Leet; a feeling of being hunted rose up the back of her neck.

~ Let us slip those heavy boots and armour from you so that we may better tickle you with out feathers, mm? I assure you the Kats will take great care of you and you will find us very sweet~

Even as the voice spoke, Leet was considering doing what it asked; such was the appeal of the voice.  It was all together unnatural.  An image flickered before Leet's eyes of herself sitting barefoot on a stool with nothing but her shorts and vest, while one of those Kats softly tickled the soles of her feet.  The shudder that went up her spine was not in any sense unpleasant or scary – quite the opposite.  Leet shook her head, clearing her thoughts as best she could and the sensation faded.

Out the corner of her eyes she saw rag-clad prisoners surging towards her.  At once all thoughts of the vision and the trapped Pegasus guards fled Leet's mind.  She turned on her heels and raced through the door and back into the passageway.  Behind her came the sounds of pursuit.

~ We'll play along, sweetie. We'll catch you and tickle you soon enough~

Leet ran on, closing the door behind her and made for the way out.  As she ran her mind whirled over what she had witnessed.  The prisoners were tickling the Pegasus Guards in order to open portals, which in turn allowed those…Kats to appear.  Who was this First? And what was He-Who-Tickles?  Was this happening throughout the Halls? So many questions filled her head.

From somewhere else in the Hall came the sudden and maddened shriek of a woman, quickly followed by ragged bouts of tortured laughter.  Leet frowned, hoping it wasn't Kei or Berisia but gave no more thought to it.  

A little further on she heard footsteps and voices in the corridor and eager not to get caught, slipped into one of the rooms.  Holding her breath, she heard her a knot of her pursuers race by; thankfully no one stopped to open the door and investigate.  Perhaps they had heard the footsteps and voices, thought it was her, and headed straight for it.  Whatever the reason for her being ignored, Leet felt a sense of profound gratitude that none of her pursuers discovered her.  She waited for a minute more before easing her way out of the room and into the empty corridor.  

It was nicely quiet, save for a distant giggling.  

Leet continued down along the corridor.  As she moved, Leet grew more disturbed to find that she was heading closer to the giggling.  Slowing to a cautious tiptoe, Leet continued making her way forward until eventually she came across the source of the giggling.

Berisia, Leet's colleague and friend, sat in a wooden frame in the middle of an alcove, having the soles of her feet tickled by a grinning prisoner.  Berisia was slumped on the stool, with the look of someone who had long since stopped struggling, laughing with a resigned acceptance.  The prisoner was smiling, quite happy tickling her and apparently taking a great deal of personal satisfaction in what he was doing.  

"Eeh hee hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" cried Berisia. "Oh gawd! Waa ha ha ha ha ha! Haa haa haa! Not there, Carrick! Hah hah ha ha ha ha ha! It tickles so bad! Nyaa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"I can see that," Carrick said softly. "I have to say, you have a beautiful laugh! Let me hear it some more!"

"Naaaa haaaa! Staap!"

"Tickle, tickle, tickle Berisia!"

Leet stood with a half grin on her face staring at the scene before her.  "First name basis huh?" thought Leet, "how cute."

"Waa haa haa ha ha ha ha ha ha…"

As heart warming as it was to watch, Leet needed to escape and the only way she could leave was to head down the corridor; unfortunately that meant going past Berisia and her happy tickler and ultimately risking further trouble. Looking behind her, Leet saw there was still no one following her but it would only take the prisoner to see her and it would all be over.  Still, she had to do something before those prisoners came back from looking for her; and this might even present the opportunity to save Berisia from her current…predicament.

Making the most of Carrick's fascination with his foot tickling, Leet crept her way down the corridor by keeping herself pinned against the wall.  Long minutes passed as she edged her way forward, listening to Berisia's laughter and the amused sounds coming from Carrick.  She kept thinking that at any moment the prisoner would turn around and it would all be over.  

But it didn't work that way – she was able to keep her stealth right up to the moment she struck Carrick on the back of the head and sent him stumbling to the floor.  Through tear heavy eyes Berisia looked up and her rescuer.

"Leet," she panted, trying to regain her breath. "You came back!"

Leet smiled. "Where is Kei?"

Through gasps for breath, Berisia told Leet of what had happened to her and how Kei had been allowed to escape to warn the others.

"You think there is a trap waiting for Kei?" asked Berisia.

Leet nodded. "I think there might be," she said, "but in either case we have to get out of here. I've found out what they're doing here."

"Fine," said Berisia. "Cut me free and I'm all yours."

Leet moved to one side and started to free her arms.  All of Berisia's armour and weapons had been removed and dumped onto the floor.

"Why did he know your name?" asked Leet.

"Long story," said Berisia as her arms were freed. "He wanted me to himself, said that it would be a special treat for me."

"Figures," said Leet. "There is something weird going on here. Someone or something called the First of Kats is arranging for something called He-Who-Tickles. There is something much bigger than tender tickling going on here, Berisia. We have to stop it."

On the floor, Carrick was starting to come around.

"Almost done!" said Leet, re doubling her efforts. "Hang on and we'll be free in a minute!"

"Sounds good in theory," said a bleary voice.

Leet turned to see Carrick standing there, cradling the back of his head.  Leet saw there was a feather in his hand and what looked to be a whistle in his other hand.

"If I blow in this, it will all be over for you both," he said. "You realise that don't you?"

Leet said nothing, wondering if she could reach him before he took a blow on his whistle. Carrick looked bleary and confused; just senseless enough and close enough for it to work.  

"Don't do it Carrick!" Berisia said. "Let her go free!"

All eyes turned to the still trapped Pegasus Guard.

"Why?" Carrick asked. "I could have with her friends, all giggly and helpless."

"Because I can knock you out before you get the chance to do anything," said Leet with a clear menace in her voice.

"Possibly," Carrick said and lifted the whistle to his mouth, "possibly not."

"So why don't you try it?" asked Leet.

"Because I don't want the others to be here," said Carrick. "I just want Berisia to myself- to hear her laugh for me, feel her feet under my fingers and have my feather tickle her feet." He smiled. "Just me and her, that's all I want – you can go free."

Leet shook her head and laughed.  Ridiculous, she thought.  What a preposterous notion, that she would leave Berisia here when she could save her.

Yet before she could give voice to it, Berisia stepped in once more. "All right Carrick," she said. "I'll stay and you can tickle my feet as much as you like – just let her go."

Neither Carrick nor Leet believed what they had just heard and voiced a unanimous, "What?!"

"Leet," said Berisia. "You have to get out of here and warn the others. You have to leave me here for the time being."

"Berisia…"

"I was all ready lost, remember?"

"But…"

"But nothing," said Berisia. "You get a move on. Carrick can get on with doing the tickle thing." She smiled. "There are worse things than having my feet tickled."

Leet sighed. "Berisia, I can sort this so we both get free," she said.

"Not before Carrick blows the whistle," said Berisia. "I actually don't mind it; it's quite sweet once you get past the initial weirdness."

Berisia blushed and Leet grinned to see it.

"Now go," said Berisia.

And so without any more discussion, Leet said farewell to Carrick and Berisia and hurried past them towards the way out.  As she ran, still not believing all that had just happened, she heard Carrick and Berisia speaking.

"That was real good of you," said Carrick.

"Yeah, I'm a real saint," said Berisia, "get on with it."

"Now then," said Carrick. "Let's not demean this unnecessarily Berisia. I take a lot pride and pleasure in doing this."

"Carrick…"

"All right, all right," he said. "Koochi koo…"

Carrick started tickling the soles of her feet with his feather and Berisia instantly regretted not taking the chance of escaping with Leet.