by Prax Venter
Johnson spoke up, and Mark was beginning to find his whiny voice seriously irritating.
“I told you, psionics were useless on tech. It's too bad none of you have Hacking.”
Vale absentmindedly touched the mundane leather whip coiled at her side while she continued to read over her skill paths.
“We need to discuss our options before committing to anything, but this Beam Sword path looks interesting.” The giant naga's eyes focused intently on Mark, and a shy smile touched the corners of her mouth. “I think I'm ready for that essence now.”
“Hold your thrusters,” Betty said. “Are you a Collector? Are these your Enthralled?”
Mark nodded and held up the heart ring he received when he first chose his class.
“He's our Collector,” Roo said with a wide smile. “And a powerful Lover.”
Vale's smile grew to light her face. “He's saved each and every one of us, and it's exactly like he said. Together we can do anything.”
Mark felt the men in the room pierce him with jealousy and Betty relax even further. Then he felt Ahnix's hand curl around his fingers, and he turned to see that her eyes were uncharacteristically wide and glassy.
“Can I talk to you, alone,” she pleaded.
“Of course,” he said, then turned to the rest of the group. “We'll be right back. Vale, Roo, try and get the details on that solar panel quest.” They both nodded, sending their support, and he turned to follow Ahnix behind some stacked storage cubes. He took his first good look around, and it seemed like they were in an enormous warehouse or storage room.
Ahnix pulled him around a few corners, and before long, Mark couldn't even see his hand in front of his own face. When she thought they were far enough away, Ahnix stopped and turned to face him, her furry fingers still laced through his.
“I'm sorry, Mark. I've been...” A great sadness was oozing out of her. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was crying. “Can you just tell me one more time that I'm real?”
Mark instantly enveloped her with both his arms and his pent-up love for her. His passion and desire for who she was surrounded her like layers of soft blankets. He pulled her furry body tight against his chest and whispered into her stiff t ear.
“Ahnix, you are more real to me than anything I've ever touched or anyone I've ever met in any world. I couldn't live without you, and I need the real you back by my side.”
She began sobbing into his shoulder, and he just held her, running his hands through the sleek fur on her back. The painfully silent connection between them wedged open a little, and he could feel her turmoil. There was a whirlwind of embarrassment, resentment, and despair, but mixed in and becoming stronger were devotion, gratitude, and hope.
Mark sought those feelings in himself and tried to feed her a mirrored response.
He was committed to her for life. If someone were hurting her, he would die trying to stop them. She said these exact words before, and he sent her a blast of his own devotion.
Ahnix had saved his life over and over again, but she also would step in and make her emotional support known if he doubted himself or was feeling depressed, and for that he was eternally grateful.
And as long as Ahnix remained the fiercely determined person she was, there was hope that together, they would always find a way to defeat whatever stood in their path.
Mark expressed these sincere and pure emotions through their bond, and he could feel her start to regain more control over the chaos in her mind. Something clicked behind his eyes, and it almost felt like he Enthralled her a second time. Their bond flared open wider then it had ever been, and he could feel her every emotion again. She wasn't the same, but she was much more like her old self than she had been recently. The short cat-girl pulled back from their embrace and wiped her eyes.
Out of the darkness, he heard her speak in a low and confident voice.
“I'm going to master all there is to know about hacking computers.”
- 3 -
Mark and Ahnix walked back to the group huddled around Roo's handheld flame.
“Welcome back, you two,” Vale said, sensing them approach. “Johnson has given us some directions on how to repair the broken power device. Before we head out on our mission, we should-”
“Get new skills,” Ahnix interrupted. “I agree. I have decided to open the Hacking path.”
Vale blinked at her. Mark could tell the giant naga was slightly shocked that the visceral, close-quarters combat cat-girl was so intent on learning about something as abstract as computers. The small stun passed quickly, and Vale smiled. Her friend and partner seemed to be feeling like her old self.
The elfish naga nodded once. “Good. It makes sense for me to learn a combat path then. Johnson has told me we will pass by a security office that might contain an assortment of these laser weapons.”
“Then it's settled. Roo, can you-” Mark stopped himself before asking Roo to show these three strangers that they had a safe and secret house dimension- with food and water. Now that he was thinking about it, if they really wanted to protect these people, they should invite them all to come join them on the other side.
Mark didn't like the thought of people invading their private space, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
“Roo,” he started again. “Can you summon the door home, please?”
“I can, but I have to put the fire out.”
The grizzly woman called Betty pulled a small flashlight out of her pocket and shined it on Mark.
“What door?” she asked.
“You'll see,” he responded, putting a hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright beam of light.
Roo closed her soft hand and turned it so it faced outward. After a moment of concentration, her black painted door rose from the floor. The three station survivors all gasped when they saw it. Roo turned the knob after it had fully formed, and light spilled out from inside their home. She stepped through and waited on the other side for them.
Mark looked around the room. “I think this will be a safer place for you to stay than in this... whatever this room is.”
“Cargo Bay Gamma 7,” Johnson said. “And this is way beyond psionics.”
Vale shrugged. “I don't know that word. But this is the result of a legendary magical artifact,” she said, and then ducked her head under the door frame as she passed through.
The round man called Willard walked up and was eager to be anywhere but where he was. He tried to walk through after Vale, but when he reached the threshold, he just bounced off like a water balloon bumping a pane of glass.
“Ow,” he said. But as he rubbed his nose, Mark saw the far-off look in his eye of someone reading their game interface. “This sure is odd. I received an alert in my UI that says, 'Eros N-P-C assets forbidden in T-C-H Universe'."
Mark's eyebrows came down as he tried to process the ramifications of the message. Johnson walked up and attempted to put his hand through, and his fingers appeared to press on a solid surface right at the door's threshold.
“What's this 'TCH Universe'?” the skinny kid took his hand away and adjusted his glasses. “Are you people from another dimension or something?”
Ahnix walked past them and through to the other side with no problem. She crossed her furry arms as she looked at them through the door.
“Something like that,” she said dryly.
“Vale,” Mark called out. “Can you bring me one of our water barrels?”
The giant naga nodded and left his line of sight to go into the pantry. A few seconds later she returned with a wooden, iron-bound barrel wrapped in her strong arms. She was able to pass through with it, and she placed it on the floor in front of the three survivors.
Betty shined her flashlight into the barrel, dipped a finger in and tasted a few drops from the Vull river.
“It's unprocessed, but it's water alright.”
Mark sighed. “Okay, well. It looks like you guys can't cross into our home, but at
least water isn't a major concern anymore.”
Johnson dipped his hand into the barrel and pulled the water to his lips.
“Ugh, it's like dirt,” he said, before pulling another handful into his mouth.
“Mark,” Vale called, getting his attention before she tossed a small pouch across the threshold. He looked inside and saw about nine magic beans.
“We still need power if we are going to try to access Communications,” Johnson said.
“I just want to be able to shut the damn cargo bay door,” Betty added.
Mark tossed the bag of beans to Betty. “These might not look like much, but one of these is a day's worth of food. We'll be back as soon as we can and start setting this place right.”
Mark walked through the door and looked back at the three of them staring at him as if they just missed the bus to school. “Until then,” he added. “Stay safe.”
He shut the door, and it dissipated into a fine black dust.
Mark watched as Vale tapped the gem on her forehead, and her legendary armor retreated up the curvy contours of her body one scale at a time until she was only wearing a few cloth strips wrapped around her sensitive areas. Her massive breasts pressed against the fabric as she shook out her long white hair and stretched her muscular arms over her head. Mark's mouth fell open and felt a stirring in his pants that was fueled by more than all the essence he had waiting for her.
Then he remembered something he wanted to tell her.
“Vale, I don't know for sure, but I think the fact that they saw the message, 'The Crystal Heart Universe', is a good sign that your whole dimension is still intact.”
She gave him a sad smile, and he wondered if it was smart to bring it up at all.
“Vale,” Ahnix said. “Do you mind if I have him first?”
“Not at all. I need to study these new weapon paths to make sure I choose the best strategy for our team. He's all yours.”
Ahnix sashayed up to Mark, her hips swaying. She had a hungry look in her eyes that caused a warm smile to light up his face. When she was close enough, she reached out both hands, grabbed onto his arms and pulled his mouth onto hers. As their lips touched, the universe whooshed past him in a flutter of wind, and he found himself standing in their private bedroom with his beloved cat-girl.
She pulled away, keeping her exotic eyes locked on his and began to strip off her leather armor. He did the same with his cloth armor. and before long they were writhing among the silky sheets together.
She pressed her tight, furry body all over his and he ran his fingers all over hers. They were connected now in such a way that he could practically feel everything she felt, and she could feel him. He started a light heal on her perky, pink nipples and they both inhaled as the sensation filled them with an electric ecstasy.
Mark kissed down her neck, stopping to suck on her collarbone and he could feel a warm, melting sensation ripple through his own body. He continued down to her small breasts and began to gently pull each of her nipples into his warm mouth. He used his tongue to lick the tips of her sensitive flesh as he pressed his lips together and was able to fine-tune his technique based on the feedback sensations he was getting.
Pure bliss was melting Ahnix's mind as Mark gave her body his full attention, modulating his healing to focus on just the right nerve endings to set her pleasure center alight.
He decided he was going to go all out on her with his abilities. He was going to slam her reset button.
As Mark reached two fingers down to pinch her nub of a clitoris, he willed a purification orb into existence inside her vagina. Ahnix's tight stomach muscles spasmed as she wrapped her arms around his head, pressing his mouth hard against her chest.
She had the first of many orgasms right then and there, and Mark could feel a shadow of the soul-melting pleasure she was experiencing.
After keeping her locked up in constant pleasure for a few minutes, he pulled his mouth away from Ahnix's furry breasts, rolled her on her back and got on top of her. He sunk his hips between her thickly muscled thighs and easily slid his stiff penis inside her hot throbbing pussy, causing Ahnix to arch her back and moan deeply between her sharp breaths.
The tip of his dick passed into the purification orb, and he almost shot his load right there, but he paused and regrouped. He tried focusing on controlling the healing power he was slowly pouring into her and the purification orb. Distracting himself with a complicated maneuver, he tried spinning the orb in place and simultaneously pulsing his healing energy with the thrusts of his dick deep into her sopping wet pussy.
Her small mouth hung open as drool ran out onto the silky pillow under her head and her dark irises were rolled back into her heavy eyelids. Ahnix was awash in one constant orgasm, and he could tell she was beyond the capability of rational thought as virtually every corner of her mind was eclipsed with pure bliss.
Mark was forced to focus on how wonderful her tight, furry pussy felt squeezing down on his rock-hard cock, and he knew he was about to fill her with essence. He reached his hand under her neck and placed his lips on hers, but she was completely unresponsive, so he just sucked on her lower lip.
Calling on all the passion and desire he had to keep Ahnix happy and in his life, he unleashed one of the most potent pleasure enhancements he had ever willed into existence directly into her nervous system.
Ahnix tried to scream, but her throat closed off and her usually lidded eyes bulged as her entire body spasmed like she had been struck by lightning.
The muscles of her pussy milked his cock dry, and he pumped a colossal amount of essence deep inside of her.
He leaned right into her face, looked deep into her eyes as she shook with intense pleasure and said, “Ahnix, I love you.”
Then she passed out.
Mark rolled the limp cat-girl on her side and slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her. Ahnix's taut, silky-furred, round ass pressed against his junk, and he could already feel himself becoming ready for round two.
She stirred in his arms and sleepily mumbled, “Love you too,” and then let out a deep sigh.
They laid quietly for a while before she spun in his arms to face him, their noses almost touching.
Ahnix looked into his eyes and then brought her small mouth up to kiss his nose.
“Mark, our bond...”
She stopped and closed her eyes, concentrating. A tickling sensation started on the back of his neck, and suddenly a thought slid into his head as if a hologram of an idea was projected in his mind. It was an odd sensation.
She opened her exotic eyes, and Mark finished her sentence.
“Our bond has grown so strong we can not only communicate telepathically, but the points you receive from me get a bonus? Really?”
She nodded. “Mark, you must have been sitting on an ocean of essence. My...”
The idea of her enjoying pleasure far beyond anything she thought possible formed in his mind.
His lips curled into a smile. Mark closed his eyes, and he projected an image of him holding her, shielding her from monsters, and protecting her until the end of time.
Ahnix's large eyes filled with tears, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in tight, nuzzling his neck.
“I told you I'd never let you go,” he whispered into her tall, pointed ear.
And he held his cat-girl for a long while before getting dressed and entering the main area. Vale was on the large bed, stretched out and looking at the ceiling. The giant naga sat up on her elbows when they approached.
“There are a lot of excellent choices under the laser weapon path, and I'm having a difficult time narrowing it down to one.”
“Just pick the one that calls out to you,” Mark said.
He noticed Roo entering the room from the hallway and watched as she walked right up to Ahnix and wrapped her fabric arms around her. The cat-girl compassionately returned the embrace, and he heard her make a small purring sound. Mark could also feel Roo's contentment
at having her friend back, and the velvet-girl radiated that feeling throughout their interconnected bond.
Ahnix pulled back. “Okay, I have work to do. Can you send me back to the place we left?”
“The cargo bay? Yeah, hold on.” Roo held out her hand and then lowered it, a brisk jolt of concern pulsing outward.
“Roo, what is it?” Mark asked, suddenly worried that they'd only be able to open the door to the docking bay where they landed their ship.
“This place is odd,” she said, her voice distant. “I can only target two specific places, like nodes. The docking place where we arrived and Cargo Bay Gamma 7, everywhere else is just... dark.”
She shrugged, held her hand up again, and the black door emerged. Ahnix sent waves of goodwill to Mark, Vale, and Roo before opening the door, spilling light through into the dark cargo bay.
Mark watched as his precious cat-girl crossed over and heard her say, “Johnson, I need to speak with you,” before the door closed, sealing her off from him. He sighed, sad to have her gone so fast. But he could tell she was seriously motivated to start down her new path.
Mark turned and raised an eyebrow at Roo. “You ready to melt some giant naga meat?”
Roo's puffy lips curved into a wicked half smile and they both turned to face Vale laying on the bed.
“Flip onto your stomach,” he ordered.
“Yes, Master,” Vale said, her excitement ramping up sharply. Her dark, flawless skin pulled tight against the muscles in her back, and Mark's eyes panned over her toned core muscles.
He shifted his eyes to Roo, and pointed a finger, suggesting that she go remove the cloth wrappings loosely clinging to Vale's chest.
They both crawled up on the bed in unison and began unwrapping the giant naga. With great care and deliberation, he focused on pulling the soft strips out from under her ample hips.
With the tips of his fingers, Mark traced the length of the deep groove of her spine, starting in the middle of her back. Smooth flesh slid under his finger until he reached her firm ass crack. As soon as her round cheeks took over, her supple, dark flesh began to transition to white, iridescent scales that grew in size and frequency as he slid downward.