by Prax Venter
He walked back to Vale and looked up into her vividly, violet eyes.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Seems like a big drop-off. I'll just stay here.”
“Over there,” Ahnix shouted, from the cliff's edge. “Looks like a way down.”
Mark turned to see her pointing to a section of the cliff to the north, and saw a larger rock jutting up from the ground, perhaps serving as a marker. He looked back to the uneasy naga.
“It'll be okay, Vale. We'll take the stairs- nice and slow.”
She sighed and said, “Let's get this over with.”
They all followed Ahnix's lead, and after a short walk along the cliff, they came to the unique-looking rock. Mark walked up close to inspect the red spiral carved into the top end of its weathered surface and was shocked when his legs started moving him forward without his permission. He tried to fight it, but he had lost control of every muscle in his body. He opened his mouth to call out, and his jaw slammed shut so quickly his teeth throbbed from the impact.
At first, Mark thought he was under some effect coming from the rock, and he was being sent over the edge to a quick death, but his legs steadily walked him down the small, winding path to the waves below. He caught glimpses of his girls following behind him and felt a surge of terror. Whatever was controlling his body didn't feel like it had the best of intentions. Was he leading them right to their death?
Reaching the bottom, Mark made a quick left turn and headed for the darkness of a stony outcropping at a brisk pace along a small, black gravel path with glistening, eroded stone to his left and crashing waves to his right.
“Hey, let's slow down. Okay?” He heard Roo say from behind him. He was immediately glad someone was talking. When they realized he wasn't responding his girls would do something to stop this. But no one did.
When he crossed under the naturally carved rock formation, his eyes adjusted and noticed a cave leading into the base of the cliffs. Seawater splashed on his face, and he heard Roo complain behind him, again.
“What are you guy's doing? Stop for a second. I'm getting soaked through.”
He made another sharp, left turn and was forced to head directly for the mouth of the dark cave. Roo jogged forward to catch up with Mark and matched his pace.
“What's going on here?” she asked, panic rising in her voice. He wanted nothing more than to turn his head to face her, but he was locked looking straight ahead. He couldn't even blink his eyes. The realization struck him like an ice-pick to the gut that Ahnix and Vale must also be going through the same thing.
The velvet-girl had enough and pushed his shoulder.
“Mark, Ahnix- please stop. You're really scaring me.”
The shove only put him a little off course, but his legs moved him right into the dark mouth of the cave. After a few steps in, he heard a voice echo from its depths.
“Blood. Its blood is mine.” The sound was at once a wispier and raspy scream. “Come, my new pets.”
Roo heard the voice and fell back, and he assumed she would follow them to whoever was doing this. Mark was going insane, a prisoner in his own body but held on to the fact that Roo might still be able to do something to free them.
The weak light from the cloudy sky outside faded quickly, and soon he was surrounded by nothing but blackness. He could feel his legs making sharp turns, weaving deeper and ever-downward in the wet sea cave.
After what could have been hours or minutes of uncontrollable marching, his eyes picked up a faint red glow on the glistening cave walls. The light grew brighter until he made a sharp turn and was faced with a nightmare.
The first thing he saw was a glowing red sphere on a pedestal in the center of the large, open chamber. Directly next to it, and bathed in its red glow, was a creature that was mostly woman, but with a few notable differences. She had long, straight, black hair and an inhumanly wide mouth with sharp pointed teeth- like a shark. She had a black cloth wrapped over her eyes, but Mark could see glowing, white light just underneath it.
His body marched directly toward her, and he picked up more detail as he got closer. She wore no clothes, and her skin was a slick gray. She had a relatively normal torso with small perky breasts and white colored nipples. Her legs and hips were shapely and attractive, but her arms and outer pussy lips were hypnotically waving octopus tentacles.
“Welcome home,” she hissed, as he was forced to stand in front of her. From this new angle, he saw another person grinding something with a mortar and pestle. He looked similar to the fish-woman from Sizors Pit. He couldn't remember her name, and felt lucky he could remember his own right now.
He also saw Vale and Ahnix move into in a semi-circle around this horrible creature. She used her four, suction-cupped tentacles to examine his body, and he would have shuddered if he could.
“A Collector! What a gift.” Her breath smelled like rotting fish. “Its nature is hard to read, unique... but, It's a Lover. A healer. Its name is Mark. Excellent.”
She used the two tentacles coming from her crotch to explore his genitals, using one to pull open his pants, while slipping the other one down and around his dick.
“I hate a flaccid penis,” the creature said with a terrifying, toothy pout. She used her squirming tentacle to encircle his limp cock and tug on it gently. He was the furthest thing from being turned on right now, yet he could feel capillaries opening in his nether region and blood flooded in, causing an almost painful erection. She pulled his silk pants down to his ankles and slid her pussy tentacle off his raging hard-on.
“Better. Now, what else do we have?” She turned to face Vale. Her tentacles moved all around the giant naga's body and paused to linger over her massive, armored tits.
“It's a big one. Not sure if it's food or bodyguard. Mmm. Months of food. It's Vale. Some hex abilities I see? Maybe I'll keep it after all.”
The shark-squid-woman moved to Ahnix. She wrapped one tentacle around her wrist and watched as claws came out, and nodded. She also ran one of her searching appendages across her small mouth, and Mark could have sworn he saw the cat-girl's eye twitch.
“It is also different.” The vile woman's voice did not seem amused. “Not of this plane of existence. Hmm, reshaped. It is Ahnix. Challenging me? A test is needed.”
The tentacles retracted quickly, and the mind-controlling creature took a step backward.
Ahnix walked forward and stood right in front of Mark. He was forced to stare into her beautifully exotic eyes and, although he pushed as hard as he could against his own mind, he could not move an inch. He saw her black, furred hand reach up, one finger extended. Slowly, one silvered claw came out and moved towards his face. It made contact with his skin and, once again, he thought he saw one of her eyes twitch.
A sharp pain burned his cheek, just below his eye as her claw made a small rend in his flesh. Her claw came away and what felt like a tear rolled down his cheek. But he knew it was blood.
“It obeys, but there is strong resistance. Alien mind. Best to restrain it, and train it. Yes.”
Mark saw Ahnix walk past his vision and the powerful creature move to follow. There were a few metallic noises from behind him, and he wondered where the fuck Roo was right now.
“Remove these leathers,” he heard the creature say and assumed she was making Ahnix strip. His mind raced, trying to figure a way out of this. He tried using his abilities to enhance Vale, but he was no longer in control of that part of himself. He could do nothing but observe what was happening. Mark's attention shifted to the fish creature in a corner of the cave. The constant scraping noises he was making, working away like nothing was happening- Mark's mind thrashed against the confines of his unresponsive body, trying to break free.
His attempts faltered as he felt his legs turn and step out of his silk pants, marching toward where the creature was standing by Ahnix. Within his peripheral vision, he could see her arms and legs locked into metal shackles on what looked like a bed-frame lodged in the ca
ve wall. She was indeed naked, and Mark tried again to demand his arms or legs- anything, to respond.
“It's been a while since I felt the glow of a Lover,” the creature said, holding out one of her arm tentacles to Mark. The lower tentacles wrapped themselves around his stiff penis when he got into range. He was forced to keep moving forward, and she tilted her hips upward as her pussy tentacles guided him right into her.
He was forced to press his whole body against the nightmare creature, his dick sinking deep into her cold, wet vagina. Mark was face to face with her sharp-toothed maw and glowing eyes.
He felt the muscles in his neck pull his head down to one of her stiff, white nipples.
“Mmm bite me, Lover.” She said, and Mark felt his mouth open slightly and press forward, her nipple scraping against his teeth. Then, his jaw closed, and his canine tooth dug into the rubbery flesh of her nipple. He was being forced to practically gnaw on it. His hips began to gyrate his throbbing cock in and out of her ice-cold pussy, and he wanted to scream.
“Now, let's test...” she began. Mark felt his ring finger twitch, and a portion of his mind was ripped open by her abrasive and terrifyingly strong mental fingers.
Agony lanced through his head as he was forced to heal her while pummeling her monster vagina with his dick. The heal wasn't anywhere near as potent as he was capable of, but her horrible head lolled back in ecstasy.
“Yes. I will enjoy it for a long time,” she said, then turned to Ahnix. “It is mine, doesn't it see?”
Mark couldn't tell how Ahnix was reacting to this, but it didn't seem to be what this creature wanted.
“You- Naga,” was all he heard her say in response. Mark just tried to hold on to sanity. His teeth worked on her other nipple now and her pussy tentacles wrapped around his ass, pulling him deeper into her.
Then Mark heard the crack of Vale's whip, and he could only assume she was whipping Ahnix. He was going to kill this creature. He didn't know how, but he was going to rip her head off. He tried starting with ripping her nipple off with his teeth, but no matter what he did, he could not control a single muscle.
He was forced backward suddenly, and his head turned to see Ahnix's chest lashed by Vale's leather whip. He saw the raised, red welts across her small breasts and stomach, and he was thankful that Vale wasn't being made to use all of her strength. Otherwise, she would have split flesh instead.
He felt a strange sensation in his balls, and suddenly he shot a single glob of cum onto the vile monster in front of him.
“See how it takes pleasure? Mark is mine now. Tell it how you love me.”
Mark felt the muscles in his throat vibrate, making him gag, but unable to act on the sensation.
His jaw opened, and he heard himself say, “I love this one now. Not Ahnix.”
It was ridiculous and maddening. He was going to lose his mind very soon. Vale stopped whipping the restrained cat-girl and remained motionless behind Mark.
The shark-mouthed woman sighed. “It is too dangerous. Disavow option left, but it becomes less effective. Pity.”
Mark was forced to turn and approach his first, real love. He could see Ahnix's eyes make small, darting movements as she fought against the hold this creature had on her. If he could cry, tears would be spilling out over his cheeks.
He felt his arm raise up like he was about to cup her chin with his palm, and the horrible vibrations in his throat started again. His jaw opened, and he was forced to speak the words he promised he never would.
“Ahnix, I hereby dis-”
Blissful, searing pain erupted in his outstretched hand as a three-foot sewing needle pierced its center, passing all the way through and clattering to the stone floor. Between the pain and the unexpected distraction, he felt the creature's control over him lapse for just a moment.
He had to make a lightning-fast decision, and on instinct alone, he pushed out the most powerful enhancement he had ever evoked into Roo. All of the bottled, internal screaming and fighting against the maddening control of this creature sharpened his ability to new levels of focus.
A glowing ball of light enveloped Roo, and she wailed in pleasure as his enhancement flooded her body with ecstasy.
Vale started moving towards the velvet-girl, and Mark felt the creature begin to regain control over his mind.
Before Vale could reach her, Roo's high-pitched wail turned into specific, screamed words.
She lifted her fabric arms into the air, her fingers splayed, and yelled, “Solinite Hooks!”
Giant fish hooks made from what looked like yellow embers emerged from the cave floor and embedded themselves into the gray flesh of the evil tentacle-woman.
Her control over them ended the instant the rare-metal hooks punctured her smooth, gray skin, and Ahnix teleported from the shackles to the shrieking creature, silvered claws ripping into her face. With a speed Mark couldn't even follow, the enraged cat-girl thrashed until there was nothing recognizable left. The creature was dead, but Ahnix's wild, hissing screeches continued to fill the rocky chamber as she reduced the silent remains to a red pile of meat.
She wasn't stopping, and Mark felt the need to do something. He carefully reached his uninjured hand out to her, hoping she wouldn't be beyond saving.
As he touched her furry, exposed back, he also reached out with his mind through their bond and tried to soothe her. Upon contact she spun her head to face him, her eyes wide and teeth bared in a hiss. Her whole front side was matted with dark, red blood, and he had never seen her look so terrifying. Ahnix's mouth quickly closed, and tears began to spill down her face as she launched herself into his arms.
They held each other for a long time, just breathing. She was topless, and he wasn't wearing any pants, but sex was the furthest thing from his mind right now. He just wanted to take her back home and curl up into a ball forever.
“I lost you in the caves,” Roo said quietly, through her sobs. “I couldn't see... I'm so sorry. And there wasn't a clear shot-Vale was standing, and Mark-”
Vale moved over to embrace the weeping fabric-girl. “Shh. If it weren't for you, we'd all be in a much worse place right now.”
“It's because she doesn't have blood,” a strange voice said, from a corner of the cave. Ahnix pulled away from Mark and sprinted over to the fish creature they had seen earlier, working his pestle and mortar. She hooked one of her claws under his neck.
“Ahnix!” Mark yelled.
The fish creature didn't look frightened at all, and when the cat-girl saw the echoes of terrible pain and suffering in his eyes, she let him go.
“Death would be welcome, friend,” he said.
Mark took a shaky, deep breath. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he became fully aware of the sharp, throbbing agony emanating from the hole in his hand. He would deal with this fish-fellow in a moment. He needed to take care of his own first.
“Ahnix,” Mark began, “Do you need healing? How is your chest?”
She looked up at him, still panting from her exertions. Her eyes dropped down to the blood dripping from his fingers, and her large eyes narrowed to slits.
“No. I'll be fine. You first- now.”
Mark nodded and repaired his torn flesh. Glowing sparks begin to rain down around him as the wound from Roo's timely attack closed shut, and the pain ended. He flexed his fingers and noted no residual problems.
“That was the absolute worst experience of my entire existence. I should have...” Vale trailed off, sounding distant.
“What was that thing?” Ahnix asked, looking down at the pile of gore and tentacles that used to be their tormentor.
“She never said her name, but she was a Deep Siren.” The fish creature stumbled from the shadows on webbed feet and stood next to Ahnix, staring at the creature's remains. “She was banished from her home, deep under the waves, where the light of the sun never reaches. That was an amazing attack. How did you know to use solinite?”
“The Georath. They sent us here to retri
eve the Inception sphere,” Mark said, turning to look at the glowing red orb resting on a plinth near the middle of the cave. “Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing here?” Vale asked.
“My son and I were caught in her trap a long time ago... I cannot tell you how long. The orb amplified her already considerable mental powers, and she intended to craft potent mind control artifacts aiming to strike back at the ones who banished her.”
Mark almost asked where his son was now but stopped himself before saying something stupid. The fish-man walked to a dark section of the chamber and returned with a black pearl ring held between two, webbed fingers.
“This was the only one she finished, and it took months of grinding dried bilemourn mushrooms to create. Formed from her... secretions, and amplified by the sphere, she was planning a feedback loop, of sorts. The sphere allowed her to create potent items, which when worn would stack the effect further. She mumbled once that she was looking to control a god.” He approached Vale, slapping his webbed feet on the slick cave floor, and held the ring out to her. “It can only be worn by one from the Hexer Class. Use it wisely.”
She took the mind control ring from him and held it up to her face, inspecting it.
“The horror is finally over,” the fish-man said, moving to the exit of the chamber. “I am going to try and find my wife.”
After he was gone, Ahnix walked over to retrieve her leather tube top and shorts from the floor. They hung limply from her hand as she padded over to where Roo was standing.
The cat-girl was going to put her hand on her fabric shoulder and then paused, her small mouth snarling in disgust when she noticed the blood. She dropped it back to her side.
“You did good, Roo. I will be forever in your debt for what you stopped from happening.”
Mark nodded and scooped the Inception sphere into his hand. It was warm to the touch and fit comfortably in his palm. The needy, red glow seemed to pull him in, but he quickly shook his head and looked away instead. He had enough mind-control for one day.