by Marcus Sloss
“That is super addicting. I am really excited to see what else they find. Unless they devour them all. Knowing King Aves he has like forty of those in his core now.” I said with a sigh. The allure was addicting. “Create a portal for back home Virtue. If anything goes wrong you are to get inside it. This should be basic though.”
I waited until a small portal was opened. I nodded at my friend to ensure he was ready. There was a flash of concern that etched across his face. I sent my tendril to the universal portal and it was rejected.
“Okay, I have to send more.”
I reached and grabbed as much black magic as I could. I shot a large flow of aura that snaked out of my core and into the portal. This time it worked. A large smile crossed my face as I felt the portal destabilize. It instantly shrunk on itself as my consumption spell reduced the creation spell one section at a time. The domino effect was quiet and mundane. It would take time.
“I was expecting it to be more difficult. Hey…” I said suddenly in worry. I was wrong. The deterioration spread rapidly. My spell was still entangled and I felt my core lurch as the portal pulled at me. A black hole was forming or some magical insane force was disgusting the area around it. I shoved Virtue hard into his personal portal. He flew into it as I was dragged out of the orbital. I felt my body tear across the glass as I was sucked into the vacuum of space. I was burning lots of green aura healing the damage. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and only focused on keeping myself alive. I had no idea how I was going to survive this.
I realized nothing besides my connection to the closing universal portal was being pulled in. It was as if the force of the creator himself was devouring me. I rapidly shot across the space and was consumed into the flickering tiny opening that remained. It was exactly the size to devour me. The moment I went across what remained of the universal gateway. It closed. A lot of thoughts were racing through my mind at that moment. All of them were canceled by the blackness.
∞∞∞
I awoke on a grassy hill with swans in front of me. I knew this place. It was an intermediary plane of existence. One that Sion had shown me. I scoured my surroundings desperate to find anyone or anything I could recognize. I then thought of Fernlan and snapped. I thought of Fernlan and clapped. I thought of Fernlan and stomped.
This continued for days as I failed to accept I was in purgatory. I was so desperate to get home I tried everything I could imagine. I became as crazy as Maurta. I tried the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Weeks passed by, I knew this because my beard grew and my hair became wild. I cared not. I wanted to return to my family. I cried, and I laughed at my stupidity. They retreating four knew. This was the result they expected or that Perception had predicted this must happen.
It was a long time in accepting the inevitable. I was trapped here. Where here was, I had no idea. It took me another few days of screaming in denial to realize I was not alone. Sometimes I was a downright idiot.
I reached into my core and pulled at the hydra that swirled around my center. It fought me at first. A few angry thoughts and tendrils of submission through our bond changed its mind. It spawned with five heads each with unique features. It was blue with black tiger stripes. It had the body the size of a horse with necks as long as giraffes. The heads were straight out of a dinosaur movie or prehistoric sea creature. Smart intelligent eyes glared challenging at me. The long sharp teeth dripped with purple venom. I was glad as I could be I did not have to eat or drink in here. Else I might be losing a fight against a hydra. This creature was not exactly something that would cause your enemies to flee in fear because it was smaller than I thought it would it. It was still deadly in size and flexibility. Well, it was until it waddled on four flippers. Ambush predator or aquatic killer. This hydra was not catching a fleeing goblin.
“Raknusgh, asrtg onsda vbater,” it said in Horde.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered and laid down in defeat.
Except that was not me. I never gave in. I never gave up. I was the opposite of a quieter. I peeled myself off the ground and faced my hydra. I would make it back to my family no matter what.
I pointed to my chest. “Gryff,” I said as the five heads tilted in confusion. “Gryff”
I had to repeat myself a dozen times until the dense hydra caught on. “Argu, Gryffa”
And so my lessons in Horde began…
CHAPTER 18
“Barry Cuomo, number seven. Barry Cuomo, number seven.” A lady announced from behind the bar of the restaurant. I responded to my name being called out and grudgingly dragged myself to my assigned seat. The tables all had a holographic display with an indicated number over them. I found my table and reflected on how I ended up here.
I was forty and lived in a tiny apartment. I was chubby, plain looking, and had crazy eyebrows. And worst of all I was stuck in a low paying mediocre job handing customer complaints. My mother had threatened to remove my inheritance if I refused to go to a speed dating event she signed me up to. My mom was not someone I ever won against. That woman lorded over me since I was a child. Hence why I found myself seated a table while I tinkered with the digital interface.
I made some quick tweaks to my biography as the rules were explained for the event. I would spend three minutes which each lady. When our time was up with the lady across from me would move to seat six. The girls went down and the announcer made a cheesy joke that men would struggle shifting down a number. When everyone was seated a chime sounded.
My mom submitted an autobiography for me that had not thoroughly examined. I saw the lady across from me study pictures of my childhood, a funny quote that was not funny, and more embarrassing stuff only a mom could find. If I got shy the AI would talk for me based on what was input in my folder. I did not want that under any circumstance. If I was here, I might as well try a little.
“I am Barry. I enjoy reading, watching movies, and magic. I tend to be anti social, while I am not rich, I am not poor. My dating life has been on the fritz since I was dumped in high school. My AI psychologist says I suffer from a social disorder that causes me to freeze up in an awkward situation. As you can see… Most AI are wrong and dumb. My day job involves me fixing the problems automation continuously creates.” I vented as I was watching my thumbs. The woman across from me looked like a bird screwed her mom. She was single for a reason. While I was no prince charming, there was no attraction here. A silence hung over us until I decided to shift the conversation to her. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
She devoured the rest of the time by going on and on about her pet cats. Annoying voice, ugly, a house full of cat fur, and my conclusion was – no thanks. We politely said goodbye to each other before moving on.
I slipped out my seat when I saw the woman that was suddenly across from me. The name tag showed Sara, AI specialist. I extracted myself from my overreaction and I planted my ass firmly in my chair. This lady was a hard eleven and I was in love. Sara probably had graced the cover of movie posters or won miss universe nude.
“Barry Cuomo is a specialist…” The table said as it started talking for me.
“Hi I am Barry, ignore that stupid AI. I get too much of those things. What would you like to know about me, Sara? Open book.” I said trying to put on my best smile.
“Magic my dear Barry, your magic,” Sara said and her full lips parted in a blushing smile.
“Most people think it’s a hoax or some oddity when I show them. I only noticed I had this trick while watching the 2779 Olympics a few weeks ago. The holo screen kept fritzing where it would display and retract rapidly. I grew tired of it not letting me watch the fencing competition so I pointed my finger like a fake gun.” I said while mimicking making my finger a gun. Due to the laws, I kept my finger firmly pointed at the table. I did not need some woman trying to extort me in a lawsuit. Sara seemed to be intently listening so I continued. “As I stood there with my index aimed at the display I felt a small surge and whammo,
a burst of electricity left my finger. It broke the projector, shorted everything. I was planning on fixing it but this melted the circuitry. I swear I even felt some of the electricity jolt me back. I want to be honest, magic is a bit of an exaggeration, more like a parlor trick. I try to do other things like…”
I was rambling and Sara interrupted me by placing a hand over mine.
“Zap me, tiger,” Sara said in a sultry tone while leaning over the table. This lady had some really impressive rockets exposed from her zippered flight suit.
“I… okay,” I had many questions, all of them were what did she look like naked. “Are you certain?”
She sent me a no lawsuit clause. Bollocks, I never expected that. I signed it and I pointed my finger at her. I let my charge course down my arm to my finger and bang. A spark of electricity jumped between us. That sexy babe shivered in delight and I saw her nipples turn rock hard.
“Perfect!” Sara purred the p.
She got out of her seat and the table flashed red with a rules violation. Sara extended a hand and dragged me out of the bar to an aircar. The entire time the hostess was hollering at us. We ignored her and I watched as Sara bent over to slide into the small door frame. When I was in the aircar she smiled. I closed the door and she slid a hand onto my leg.
“Zap me again,” Sara demanded as she unzipped her top letting her large breasts bounce free. The woman was without a bra and I should not have been surprised. I was charging up a new discharge when I felt something prick the back of my neck. I shocked myself trying to swat whatever had jabbed me gently. By then it was too late. The back of the aircar was fading rapidly as I was losing focus as I drifted off to sleep.
∞∞∞
I awoke to a large beaked animal standing over me. I was strapped to a surgical table. I went to ask where in the hell I was when I heard her a new female voice.
“Do it, heal him,” I turned my head to see a one eyed alien give the order. I was so confused as to what was going on when I felt a talon jab into my shoulder. The worst pain I ever imagined racked through my body. I screamed in torment, there was a pain so intense I knew I would surely die. I yelled for hours, then what felt like days. The all consuming agony never ended when I pleaded for death with a hoarse voice. I thought I had lost all sanity when I finally returned to my body after what seemed like months of torture.
“Easy sugar, this is Yanica, she is going to heal you back to sleep,” that bitch Sara said. I did not want her sympathy. Drugging a man was evil and immoral. How could someone do something like that? I never saw Yanica that healed me. I did feel something flow through my body that was similar to sex.
I had no idea how long it was before I woke up next. The feeling of sex had continued. Then I realized I was indeed having sex. A long eared gorgeous babe was licking my cleanly shaven cock. It felt so good I lost focus. My mind caught up. A few things immediately were wrong. My dick was bigger, I had no wild bush, and my dad's bod belly was replaced with abs. I felt like my legs and arms were longer somehow too. I wanted to get up and find a mirror when the babe hopped onto my penis. I was going to protest… No, I wasn’t. Who was I kidding?
Bollocks, she got on top and slid me all the way in. When she started rocking and swaying her hips her pussy started vibrating. Now that was tremendous. I lasted all of two more minutes. The elf looking hottie had to be in a costume of lifelike rendering. I was admiring it when she leaned down and hungrily kissed me. I did not soften as she expected. Okay, full disclosure I figure I would fall asleep after sex that amazing. The reality was it had been too long for that and this woman was a ten. We went for round two and I let her do all the work while I marveled in her glorious body. When I orgasmed the second time we did so in unison. I got another kiss goodbye and a towel was tossed onto my abs…
I sprung from the bed while hastily cleaning the sex off. I smelt candy from somewhere but found no sweets in the room. There was a sink with a mirror at the edge of the room. The elf lady left and I ignored her exit. What I saw in the reflection had me stunned. I had pointy ears, reddish eyes, I was over six feet tall, with gangly arms and legs. I was not Barry Cuomo, yet I knew I was somehow.
The door hissed open behind me and I turned. In strolled Sara in that same zipped flightsuit. “Did you like your reward, Jani is a pro?” Sara said and I raised my clenched fists defensively. “Relax stud. I got great news for you. You survived your surgeries. All three hundred and seventeen of them. Even better, you survived the mind bend of a griffin healing. That one kills a lot more than you would think. You are our fourth human to try to convert. Congratulations. Hence the reward of Jani. Do you want more rewards, Barry?”
“Why? Start with that and then we can talk more.” I said as I walked over to a neatly folded spacesuit. “Convince me you are not some crazy kidnapping maniac because everything is pointing to the fact that you are.”
“Well put,” Sara said and tried to play off my hardline assessment with a disarming sweetness. The woman was indeed charming. “You ever hear of an AI Mastermind known as the Madam or Madam Mastermind. That is me, in this body. I am Sara. Others call me Perception. You, sir, are here for your unique talent. When you destroyed that holo display with your electroshock, you set off an alert. It let me know you had something we classify as a talent for black magic. Electricity discharge or absorption falls in with portals. You were tested against two gods… Maurta and Unforina. Following so far?”
“I absolutely am not fucking following you,” I said angrily. Sure she was hot, but I was getting irate at this point.
“You have magic. Zap that sink.” Sara said as she flowed her hands toward the faucet.
I decided to give it a try. Not because I was following her orders, merely to disprove her theories. I called on the electricity that flowed in my gut and pulled at it. “Woah, what the?” I muttered as a large discharge jolted from my finger to the sink. The metal sink dented and scorched. A loud crash sound echoed with such a ferocity my ears rang for minutes. I was stunned into silence. Bollocks, maybe the crazy hottie was not all lies. I used this time to get myself in the flightsuit she pointed to.
“Magic, you have more of it now and the ability to achieve more. Come with me. You are getting a crash course in the multiple universe lessons.” Sara said and I watched her ass bounce each way as she popped her hips. “Men… Barry, you will have many gorgeous women bound to you. You are going to fuck day and night. So many babes with sex so often you will bore of it. Does that excite you enough? I am pregnant and not in the mood so follow beside me.”
I was starting to feel overwhelmed. When she left the room with the door open I trailed behind her. I saw from a window we were on a spaceship in the void of space. I followed her as she led me past hallways, down a ramp, and into an elevator.
“Where are you taking me? And what am I now? I have to admit I do not miss my spare tire.”
“I am giving you a tour to show you aliens exist. You underwent hundreds of surgeries to alert your race. Could we simply just move your mind into an elvath body… nope! Too easy, I curse the creator endlessly for blocking that. So I had to make you taller, leaner, and more elf like. That meant you were cut up and healed. Diced and healed. Sliced and healed. Smashed your skull and inserted a mold and then healed. If you haven’t figured it out yet, there is healing magic. We used it to change you to an elv. Elvath is the species name. Elv is for the males. From this day forward your title is Barry of Entria. Ditch the Cuomo, if you say your last name like you did in human society, people with assume you are from a place called Cuomo. Which will be more confusing since your cover story is you are Barry from Entria. Got it. Good. Eventually, I can send you back to your mom if that is what you want but the Cuomo part has to die for a while. Sorry, not sorry. You will see why in a moment.”
The elevator door opened and there were elf babes everywhere. Lab coats had never looked so amazing and offensive at the same time. All of them saw me enter and I got sexy eyes from many of the
m. “I am missing something here,” I said as I let the sentence hang.
“The girl to guy ration for elvath is a million to one. So yeah stud, you… experiment four, are lucky in so, so, many ways. Now pay attention. Actually, Indie, come here, give this elv your pen and pad.” Sara ordered, and a pink eyed blond haired elf handed me her notepad and pen. I undressed her with my eyes. “Take it out of your flightsuit once we leave. I am sending a team of them with you to protect you and as part of your cover. Okay, what you are about to see is different. Understand your governments were warned. We tried to bypass their locks on broadcasts to inform the citizen and were locked out. I figured showing you the real deal was the best way to go.”
“Huh?”
Sara rolled her eyes and I saw Indie was holding my hand. Umm okay. I got a kiss on the cheek when I smiled at her. “You are so damn pretty!” I blurted.
This was a great thing to say because she locked lips with me. It was the wrong thing to say because Sara kicked me in my growing dick.
“Barry, pay attention. Next time I will literally cut your dick off and wait weeks to have someone heal it back on.”
“She kissed me,” I went to quibble and turned sideways as a kick landed on my thigh. I hobbled as she made the muscle go numb.
“I am a fucking god Barry, do not waste my time or I will find a fifth. Do we understand each other? I will kill you and not bat an eyelash or scratch my ass in remembrance.” Sara said.
Sara was a god? I let it drop and kept up eager to not upset her further. We rounded a corridor to find ourselves in a hallway with glass paned cells on our left. A four foot goblin was enclosed in a see through chamber decorated like a nice bedroom.