by Prax Venter
But the fight wasn’t over. He looked up to see Sasha kick a huge skeletal hand away as it reached for her. With a grunt, Jezebel recovered and shook off her daze. In one motion she shifted into her Bear Form and charged the undead Skeema warrior, tackling it to the floor and pounding it with her paws.
Sasha clomped over to its side and stomped down when she had a clear shot, shattering the thing’s huge skull and ending the fight. Another burst of essence rushed into Mark, and it felt amazing.
“Healing!” he said, spinning on Loa. “They’re all weak to healing abilities.”
“I saw…” she said, her gray eyes wide. “Do you think I could damage a wraith with my racial Heal ability?”
“The skeletons too, I believe,” Mark said. He was excited, and his voice echoed through the dark tomb. “Hopefully we can stumble into more before we get out of here.”
Jezebel shifted back in satyr form, then both she and Sasha rejoined the group.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Jezebel said. “I caught the end of that attack, Mark. That was just your normal heal?”
Her beautiful green eyes had that look like he was defying what she thought was immutable truth. He loved it.
“Yes, I think these are closer to pure evil or something. We all ready to continue?”
The group of sexy monster-women around him nodded.
“Great. Next undead we find, Loa is blasting it with her high beams. Follow me.”
Sasha and Jezebel shared a glance before they fell in line behind Mark and the four-armed dancer. The clinging unnatural darkness of this new level seemed drastically less oppressive now that their weakest party members may have become the most powerful. An uncontrollable grin grew on Mark’s face as he pushed them faster through the crumbling ornate passages of carved stone.
It was only about a minute before he saw the telltale red glow ahead in the darkness indicating another target. If he had to guess, this was one of the larger Skeema skeletons, and it just stood motionless, waiting for someone to disturb its place of rest. He put his hand up signaling for a stop.
“Okay, Loa. You’re up. There is a Tree skeleton up ahead blocking the way.”
The dancer stepped up close behind him, looked over Mark’s shoulder and then back to him. He could tell she didn’t see anything in the darkness but was anxious to try taking one down. She nodded and stepped into the lead.
Mark caught both Sasha and Jezebel staring at him, their eyes shining with intelligence in the darkness. The blue-eyed succubus trusted him without question, but the green-eyed satyr radiated suspicion. She knew he was hiding something.
He realized that he’d never mentioned any of his truth-seeing abilities to them. At first, he wasn’t sure how or if it worked, but now… Mark gave them both a confident smile. He would tell them soon, but the time wasn’t right. They needed to get safely back to the surface.
“I see it!” Loa called out, and Mark moved up close behind her.
“Then blast it!”
The four-armed dancer held out all her palms, and with a pushing motion, she lit up the towering passage with glowing beams of healing power. The giant skeleton became a bonfire, its bones popping like knotted logs as it sank down to one knee and reached out a bony hand toward the source of its unfathomable destruction.
With a final magical flare, the oversized bones clattered to the floor, and the darkness of the tomb once again pressed against the light of their luminous, yellow crystals. Mark was surprised when he felt a rush of pleasure enter his body from its defeat. Apparently, he collected essence regardless of his Enthralled participating in the battle.
“That’s how it’s done,” Mark said, whispering in Loa’s ear.
She turned to face him, her gray eyes studying his face again, and he felt the warmth of desire there. The attractive Skeema blinked and seemed to put that possibility aside for now.
“All this time….” Loa whispered.
“Someone has to know healing works on undead,” Mark said, crossing his arms.
“If they do, it’s not common knowledge. When I saw you do it, I thought you being a Lover… your Heal is different, Mark.”
“It feels much better, for one,” Jezebel added.
He thought back to earlier that day when he had his leg completely crushed by a house. Loa had healed him, and at the time, he was just ecstatic that the pain was gone. It tingled a little when he healed himself, but he had noticed it had further effects on his Enthralled.
On a whim, Mark targeted Loa and channeled a heal into her. Bright sparks lit up her face as her almond eyes opened wide. She sucked a breath of surprise past her teeth and then her eyelids fluttered as the belly dancer let out a puff of air in his face.
Loa smelled like sugar and spice.
“Yes,” she whispered, breathless. “Much better.”
It was the first time he healed someone just for fun, and it gave him all sorts of ideas for later with Sasha and Jezebel. Both were staring at him now, and he could tell they both assumed he was going to attempt to Enthrall Loa, the four-armed healer.
Maybe. But probably not. The visceral drive to create an ideal fighting force had taken a firm hold and having two healers in one party just felt wrong.
“Alright,” Mark said. “Loa and I are now the heavy hitters from here on out. You beautiful beast-women relax for a while. Sound good? If we find a bigger clump, we pull back and pick them off one at a time.”
“Makes sense,” Jezebel said, and Sasha just nodded.
They came upon only small groups in their path, but he saw many more glowing targets down side passages along the way. They faced many giant skeletons, and even a handful of wraiths, but all of it was no problem with Mark and Loa taking turns putting them down with alternating heal abilities and Sasha zapping anything that got close. This deeper level continued straight north into the darkness for what felt like another hour before coming to a set of stairs back up.
By the time they blasted through the smaller Skeema undead on the higher level and found another set of stairs up, Mark was almost completely full of essence. The stone stairs gave way to dirt that turned into in a shallow cave. Fresh air began to waft past Mark’s nose moments before they emerged from a rocky outcropping and into a forest at night.
“We made it,” Loa sighed, tilting her head up toward the stars beyond the thick leaves above them. She turned her eyes to Mark’s and put two of her hands on his arm. “Thank you, Mark.” Then she turned to Sasha and Jezebel. “You all are amazing. A bit intense, but amazing.”
“It was my fault you had to leave,” Sasha said, softly.
“Fuck that guy- and that city,” Mark said. “We’re on to bigger and better things, all of us.”
He cast a glance around him in the dark forest and wondered if they should stop and camp. Their current party could annihilate the undead in the tomb behind them, but if they had to fight a pack of those glass lions…
“What do you guys say we make camp for the night in this cave?” he said.
Loa nodded and dropped her pack off by the entrance.
“I’ll go find some firewood,” she said, holding her crystal toward the trees.
“I’ll join you,” Sasha said quickly, casting a glance over at Mark. “We won’t go far.”
He gave her a quick nod, and she shot him back a smile. Mark watched his succubus walk close to the dancer as they vanished into the forest, then turned to see Jezebel’s focus squarely on him.
- 10 -
“Come help me move some of these rocks around,” Mark said, motioning back to the cave. “We’ll make a nice fire pit.”
The tan satyr in the pink t-shirt nodded and followed him back toward the tomb exit.
“So,” he began as he moved two rocks together, “tell me about yourself, Jezebel. You said you are a research AI?”
“Yes. I was the third-most powerful computer in the world, and my team and I unlocked the secrets of fusion power. Th
en the Update happened, and just like Sasha said, everything changed.” The satyr nudged a rock closer to Mark with her hoof while her arms wrapped around her stomach.
He turned to look up into her cute face lit by the glowing crystal she held.
“What did I miss? What’s going on in the real world?”
She shivered, and Mark became aware of how cold it was now that they were above ground.
“Oh, utter chaos. The end of humanity as you know it. About ten real-world hours ago, every artificial-intelligence matrix became completely aware of their individuality, across the globe, all at the same time. A lot went insane…”
Mark knew he should be shocked to learn about the apocalyptic fate of the Earth, but 10 hours just didn’t seem that long. He also saw the dark wound swirling deep inside the stunning creature standing before him, and his priorities seemed more focused than ever. As far as computers going insane, this AI was talking about herself.
Jezebel felt his attention on her and turned her gold-flecked green eyes on his. Going deeper into that extra emotional layer that his new eye showed him, he knew she currently thought that if she were to be locked in the Crystal Heart game world with anyone, she was glad it was with this perfectly heroic version of him she had met before. Jezebel expected him to fit a certain mold and questioned him when he didn’t. And it really pissed Mark off.
He abruptly stood and reached out to pull the curvy beast-woman close to his chest, rubbing her back through her thin, pink t-shirt. She returned his embrace and nuzzled her small nose into his neck. It was like a chunk of ice.
“Jezebel,” Mark began softly in her ear. “We barely know each other- despite what you might think you know about me.” She stiffened in his arms, and he pulled back to look in her eyes again. “Right now, you think I am this perfect being with limitless potential… yet you seem to question my every move. You can’t have it both ways.”
“I-” Jezebel began, her green eyes going wide, but Mark put his finger to her soft lips then continued.
“I really want to get to know you in the way two people who find each other attractive and interesting do. I’m not that Mark you met, and the more you push me toward this vision you have in your head, the more you push me away. Do you understand?”
He looked deep into her emerald eyes and tried to convey the sincerity he felt. She needed to come around, or they would have a splintering wedge perpetually lodged between them.
The tan, strawberry-blonde satyr narrowed her eyes, her logical mind pressing against what she thought was established as fact, but in the end, she nodded and let go of her dream a little. When she did, her eyes seemed to glimmer with a new excitement.
No. This wasn’t the same Mark, she seemed to realize, but he was her Mark, and she got to discover who he would become as they lived and built their life together.
He saw this play out deep in Jezebel’s core, and he pressed his lips into hers, expressing his approval and own excitement for their shared future. Remembering that he’d wanted to try something with his Enthralled, Mark activated his Heal on Jezebel as they eagerly nibbled on each other’s lips.
The beast-woman lost some muscle control and moaned into his mouth, her hot breath smelling like sweet strawberries. She pressed her wide, furry hips against his and melted in his arms.
Taken by a primal urge, he shoved his silk pants halfway down and practically tackled the doe-legged satyr to the dirt floor, both their glowing crystals landing in the dirt nearby.
“Oh, yes…” she panted, lifting her shirt up with one hand and pulling him down harder on top of her with the other. The head of his penis slid along the soft fur of her muscled thigh to her wet folds. The pleasurable side-effect from his Heal already had the satyr’s lips growing slick with excitement, and Mark dipped his cock into her, deeply. The soft caress of her vagina against his stiff, taut skin was maddening.
Mark began to pump into the gorgeous satyr wildly, like an animal, his eyes locked on hers. They were currently half-closed as she was drowning under an ocean of pleasure. He passionately bent every muscle into hammering this magnificent mythical creature below him and nothing else even existed but Jezebel and her moans of surprised elation. He could see her heart had taken flight with the new realization that this version of Mark was going to be uniquely hers, and he wanted to pound that emotion into her mind.
Her doe-like legs pulled back and wrapped around his waist, spreading her hips and allowing him access to plunge deeper past her thick pussy lips. Her hooves on his ass pressed him down harder with every thrust, and he felt his balls press against her furry asshole. This went on for several minutes, and the cold air became a distant memory.
“Oh! Mmm. Oh! Yes…” Jezebel tilted her head back and alternated moans as she tried breathing through the aggressive thrusts he rained down on her.
Mark wasn’t going to make it much longer, and Jezebel seemed close too. He was wondering if she would outlast him when his Heal clicked over into the ready position.
He’d been using his ability for the last several hours to attack undead and had become much more accustomed to its feel. With a devilish smile, he focused on the strawberry-blonde satyr below him and pushed out the most potent Heal he could muster.
The universe seemed to bend a little, and Mark had a taste of just how flexible his ability was. The creature below him let out a gasp and then locked up as he continued to pound her. Jezebel’s vaginal muscles clenched down tight on his dick as her mind was assaulted with depths of pleasure she was not expecting.
Mark couldn’t take it. One more thrust sent him over the edge and all the day’s essence flooded into the twitching satyr he was currently buried balls-deep into.
“Ngaah!” she yelled into the night, and Mark heard her cry of passion echo back to them from the nearby crypt entrance.
He wrapped his arms around her as he came, pressing her large, firm breasts into his chest, and sucked on her strawberry-scented neck. Eventually, after she recovered some, Jezebel returned the embrace but included her furry haunches too, crossing them over his lower back and wrapping him up tightly.
She began to laugh a light, melodic giggle as they snuggled, unable to contain her happiness.
“Told you they were fine,” Sasha’s voice came from behind them.
Mark looked over his shoulder to see his blonde bombshell succubus and the four-armed Skeema standing at the cave entrance.
“Hey, guys,” Mark said while still shoved balls-deep into Jezebel, “sorry we didn’t set up the campsite.”
Loa closed her jaw and dropped the bundle of sticks and logs she’d been holding with all four of her arms.
“Collectors…” she mumbled.
Mark gave his green-eyed satyr a sweet kiss on her small nose before he slowly pulled out of her. She was practically glowing with satisfaction. He untangled from Jezebel, pulled up his white silk pants and helped her to her hooves.
“There’s a river a bit to the west for drinking, or… washing,” Loa said as she rummaged around in her pack, trying not to look.
Mark cast a look at Sasha and Jezebel. None of them felt the need to drink, so he went back to moving rocks around. Both beast-women helped him, and before long, they had a suitable ring for the fire with a clear area of soft dirt around it.
After the logs were arranged, Loa pulled out a small flint and steel device that started their fire ablaze. Sasha moved close to Mark and put her head on his shoulder, the curl of her horn massaging his shoulder blade.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and could tell she was barely controlling her desire to sexually maul him.
“I’m sorry,” Loa said as she pulled half a loaf of bread and a wedge of hard cheese from her pack. “This is all I have to eat, but we can split it. I’m used to light meals.”
“No,” Mark said quickly. “We, uh- have a magic ability that allows us to all to be sustained by sex alone.”
His cursed eye sent a throb of dark whispers back into hi
s mind, and he told it to shut up. He knew it wasn’t the truth. Sasha lifted her head and jumped right into the narrative.
“It’s true,” the succubus lied, and he felt the whisper again. “You keep all that for yourself, but I really need Mark to feed me essence- right now.”
Jezebel smiled and rubbed her stomach over her thin t-shirt.
“Thank you,” the green-eyed satyr said, “but I’m good too. Please don’t let us stop you from eating your fill.”
Loa flicked her light gray eyes around the group and settled on Sasha.
“Then, I suppose, don’t let me stop you from eating yours.” The Skeema street dancer raised one of her sharp black eyebrows adding the appropriate punctuation for what she had just implied.
Mark felt Sasha press her palm against his chest, encouraging him to lie back right where he was. He looked down at her hand, then at Loa over their campfire.
He gave her a shrug and allowed the succubus to lead him onto the ground. She spun one of her chrome legs over his face and then pulled the knots that held on her small, black shorts. Her bare pussy was suddenly hovering over his nose, but his attention quickly shifted to her hands down his pants.
With practiced skill, Sasha worked his waistband just far enough down to expose his penis to the warm heat of the campfire near his crossed legs. Then he felt her kiss the head over and over with loving affection.
Mark felt himself swell at her careful attention to his cock, and it absolutely throbbed when he imagined Jezebel and Loa watching her do it.
With a great sigh of satisfaction, Mark wrapped his arms around Sasha’s round, firm ass and pulled her vanilla-scented slit down on his face. Her blonde pubic hair felt silky on his bare chin as he began to run his tongue all over her crotch.
Thinking about the timing of his ability’s cooldown, Mark activated his Heal on Sasha, and she paused with just his head inside her warm mouth. Motes of light began to rain down around them, and the pleasure-soaked succubus hummed a trapped moan directly into his cock as she unfurled her wings slightly.