by Prax Venter
Mark shook his head and looked over at Vale who was clawing at her eyes, whimpering. He was about to heal her when, he felt a terrible wrongness coursing through her. Instead, he activated a purification sphere and passed it over her body. She instantly became more relaxed as a soothing pleasure tingled her nerves.
While his ability cured the poison in the giant naga, he turned his attention to the one on one fight in the cistern. Roo had shot one of the Mayor's many penises, pinning him down with a needle, but she was having a hard time finding a shot while Ahnix and the Rat-woman battled to land the first hit. He saw Ahnix dodge another poison projectile by teleporting behind the rat-woman and kicking off a single target Assault Rush. The wiry rat-woman ducked and twisted away from every attack in a blur of motion.
“I can't see!” Vale said, her panic rising. Mark, turned and reached up to hold her face still. His eyebrows came down when he saw that her vibrant, violet irises were now a milky white.
His attention was pulled away when Ahnix hissed, her arm torn open by the yellow claws of the matted, brown rat-woman.
He needed to do something, fast. He came up with a quick plan and hoped it was the right move. He grabbed on to Roo, and her black eyes locked on his, full of fear.
“Rain, blast, track her, bullseye.” Their bond allowed her to grasp what he was saying with little explanation, and she nodded.
Mark let her go, and the velvet-girl threw her soft hands into the air, yelling, “Metal Rain!”
Just as the needles began to fall, Mark popped a shield up around Ahnix. The cat-girl took a moment to just stand still, panting while the rat-woman dodged random needles zipping down from the air above with sickening speed.
Just as the last shaft of pointed metal fell, he dropped the bubble and shot his crossbow in front of the rat-woman, causing her to jump backward to avoid the blast.
Roo was tracking her movements the whole time and launched a smaller, yet faster sewing needle at the place she predicted the rat-woman would land. The aim was perfect, and the foot-long shaft of iron lodged itself in the wild creature's thigh.
The matted and filthy looking rat-woman cocked her snout back and screeched into the air, grasping at her thickly muscled leg. Ahnix pounced on the wounded creature and raked her blue, glowing claws across the rat-woman's chest. His desert queen continued her motion into a spinning, reverse roundhouse while yelling “Doom kick!”
The rat-woman's wounds caused her to be just a moment too slow, and the black rip that followed Ahnix's foot crossed under her chin, quickly severing her head and ending wild rat-woman's life.
Mark turned away from the gory scene as a rush of essence filled him up and focused on his blinded giant naga. He reached out to touch her cheek and brushed aside the tears pouring out of her sightless eyes with his thumb.
He explored the damage with his mind and noticed that the impairment was complicated and severe. It was as if the attack had erased parts of the vision processing portion of her brain, along with physical damage all through her eyes. He hoped his heal was up to this then shook those thoughts out of his head. He was going to restore her sight.
“Vale, hold still while I fix this.”
She nodded, and a shudder passing through her body as she stifled a sob. Her milky white eyes were now as white as her hair, and they pointed straight ahead, unfocused while she waited for him to start.
He closed his eyes and shut out the world. In the stillness of his mind, he located the two whirring clouds of potential energy that represented his healing and his enhancing abilities.
A channel between them wouldn't be enough. He needed to force the two fonts of power to merge into one, and he clenched his fists as he squeezed his mind into submission. The clouds wouldn't budge, and Mark felt like he was close to bursting a blood vessel in his brain, so he stooped and took a breath.
He cleared his mind and realized he was going about this the wrong way. From inside his head, he stepped back and panned his perspective in a circle until the healing pool of energy eclipsed the enhancing pool. Inside the darkness of his mind, he closed his eyes again and focused on pulling the enhancing potential right through the healing pocket. Mark sucked in a breath as a spiraling corkscrew of raw power poured into his body.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was levitating off the ground, crackling white flame flaring out of his skin, but none of it mattered. He mentally faded up the connection he had with his beloved giant naga, making it visible.
Vale's, perfect, white eyebrows arched as she felt the connection they shared widen.
With a sigh of extreme affection, Mark channeled the augmented healing power he had building within him. With the deftness of brain surgeon, he confidently and calmly focused the intense healing power into just the right places, filling her withered nerves with life and restoring erased sections of her mind.
Vale's eyelids fluttered as he spread blissful energy across her being and the familiar, violet hue bloomed across her irises once again.
Mark spent the last of his energy and landed back on the solid ground. Vale let out the breath she had been holding, and blinked, looking down at him
Her intense joy at being able to see again after being helpless for the whole battle twisted her chiseled face to a tearful frown as she surged forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Ahnix and Roo joined the embrace, and Vale drew strength from their interconnected bond.
“I thought...” The giant naga started.
“I got you, it's okay,” Mark said, holding her tight.
A weak moan of pain from down in the dirty cistern brought Mark's thoughts back to their task at hand. His Enthralled pulled apart, and they looked down at the pitiful creature the Mayor of Hope's Edge had become.
“Where is the Crystal Heart piece? Tell us, now.” Mark was done fucking around.
The Mayor's eyes rolled into his head. “The wet sky caresses red shard, yes.”
The pale, fleshy monster squirmed and coiled its penis limbs against the grimy ground, searching for a way to pull free.
“I don't think that was an answer,” Ahnix said. Mark glanced over at the cat-girl and the deep cut on her arm. He had a few minutes before his heal was ready again and decided the Mayor had that long to answer.
“Yeah, we'll need a clearer answer than that if you want to live,” Mark said, forcing himself to look down at the creature.
The not-mayor's eyes regained some focus and looked Mark right in the eye.
“Prefer death, boy.”
At first, Mark thought he was saying he would rather die than tell them where to find the final piece, but shadows of longing pulsed out of this creature. Longing for rest, a quiet stillness. The not-Mayor moaned again as his eyes rolled in different directions, and his wretched body writhed on the floor.
Mark looked over at Roo. With her black eyes locked on the creature below, she understood the question he hadn't asked. She nodded slowly, indicating she was willing to end its miserable life.
“Agreed,” Mark said. “A quick death for the location.”
“Power comes in runnels and droplets. Yes, from angry wet sky above.”
Everyone looked up into the pipe that led to the surface. Was it just sitting up there?
The Mayor regained focus again, and his voice lowered. “Do it, now.”
Mark nodded, and Roo didn't hesitate. She shot one quick needle into his fat head. The creature let out a sigh and was finally still.
Mark turned to Ahnix and focused on healing the wound on her arm. He also purified her body with a blue orb for good measure. The cat-girl closed her eyes as a brief wave of ecstasy washed over her.
“Looks like we're going up,” she said after Mark finished his work. “Everybody get close.”
They all locked their arms together, and Ahnix teleported them to the surface.
Mark quickly surveyed the area but found no immediate threats waiting to ambush them. The landscape looked serene with rolling hills
and sparse, colorful trees. He turned around and saw a dirt road just down the hill from where they were and followed it with his eyes back to Hope's Edge. They weren't that far from the town.
The memory struck him as Ahnix noticed something and walked down the hill. This was the exact location where he disavowed Sasha. He looked out across the idyllic landscape and realized the two of them had sat on this very hill.
“It's here,” Ahnix said. Mark looked over to see her squat and retrieve something lodged into an iron sewer grate, sunken into the grass.
“It was just sitting out here the whole time,” Vale said, shaking her head.
A small voice piped up near Mark's head, “I can't believe you finally did it!”
He flinched sideways as Vale pulled out her shield to face the newcomer, and Ahnix sprinted up the hill in front of Mark, the last Crystal Heart piece clenched in her fist.
“Whoa there, ladies. I'm not here to fight.”
He thought her voice was familiar, and when Mark saw the near-nude helper fairy in latex thigh-high boots, he relaxed a little.
“Who are you?” Vale said, lowering her shield.
“An interested party.”
Mark noticed Ahnix's tail began to hop behind her and felt her instincts radiate mistrust of this creature back to him.
“And what are you interested in?” the black and gold cat-girl asked.
He put a hand on her tense, furry shoulder from behind.
“It's okay, guys. She is that protector spirit I told you about.”
Ahnix relaxed a little, but she still had her reservations about the tiny woman floating in the air. She was about half the size of the pixie they fought before and realized he still had a lot to learn about the races and near-infinite creatures of this world. Now that the end was drawing near, sadness crept over him as he hoped all of this wouldn't simply vanish.
“Protector spirit, I like that. Anyway, I'm here to give you a little help. You've done such a fine job- I mean look at this team!” She darted over to Roo and put her tiny hands on her hips as she inspected the velvet-girl, black eyes to black eyes. The velvet-girl's puffy lips curved into a smile under the attention, then helper fairy then buzzed her wings to spin and face Mark.
“Two extra-dimensional powerhouses, and a giant naga royal who is magnificent with a shield? It's been exciting to watch this- Anyway, I said I was here to help, not gush. The moment you touch that piece, Mark, everything is going to change. 98% of the corruption will be resolved, but Sasha will still have a widespread foothold in my... world. Reshape The Crystal Heart, and she will be forced into her physical form.”
The exposed, blond fairy flitted around the group as she talked. She was really excited about finally getting fixed.
“The Demon Lord Sasha is as much a tear in this world as the others you've repaired. She is still woefully powerful, but all you need to do is touch her at the same time- all four of you, at once. That's it. Heal the last tear and everything will be as it should.”
The helper fairy put her hands on her head and winced like she was in pain, dipping a little in the air.
“Ugh, she's pissed and fighting like a cornered animal. I can't stay. Good luck, Mark...”
And then she was gone.
- 23 -
“That is not the 'protector spirit' I had pictured,” Vale said.
Roo walked up to Vale and put her soft hand on the naga's back.
“I thought she was nice. She called you magnificent.”
The tip of Ahnix's tail twitched, but she said nothing, still staring where the tiny woman had faded from sight. Mark reached out and touched her arm. The cat-girl's exotic, dark eyes focused on his, and he felt the echoes of her apprehension melt away as he communicated trust and confidence that everything was going to be okay.
He took a deep breath and looked around at his three beloved girls.
“We ready to do this?”
They all nodded, and Ahnix held up the final, pulsating, crystal shard. Mark watched the dim light throb like a beating heart and felt his own arterial muscle sync with its hypnotic rhythm.
Vale and Roo moved in close, and as one, they all touched the jagged crystal.
An all-encompassing flash of light filled the world.
Strangely, his eyes were not negatively affected, and he was able to stare into the radiant glow hovering in front of them like a raw and newly born sun.
A spinning shadowy form became visible within the brilliance, and as it slowed, Mark recognized it as the completed Crystal Heart. The object they had searched the world over for shot up into the sky and vanished. As it did so, Mark lost all muscle control as a primal torrent of essence surged through every corner of his mind and body.
He fell to the ground spasming as his essence reservoir instantly filled to bursting, then was forced larger by the continuous flow of unfettered power raging through him. It felt really good.
Ahnix, Vale, and Roo were standing over him but weren't overly concerned as they saw the smile stretched across his lips, that was until Ahnix noticed something behind him that caused her tail to start hopping behind her.
Mark shook off his daze as the essence input dwindled into a trickle and turned onto his stomach, looking to see what set her off.
Walking down the dirt path as she had done on the last day he was trapped in her never-ending loop of tutorial quests, was the voluptuous form of succubus Sasha. He got up, keeping his eyes locked on her as she sauntered towards them. His attention was momentarily distracted by the glowing white heart on the inside of his wrist. He lowered it to his side and sent waves of focused intent through the network of bonds he shared with his Enthralled. They were all on the same page.
Sasha was clothed in her tight black shorts, the knots retied on her curved hips, and her stretchy, blue top, pulled tight by her plump, round breasts. Her black hooves turned as she came to a stop and faced the four of them standing on the short hill, her arms crossed under her heavy tits and a smile playing on her perfect lips.
He forgot just how much of a knockout she was.
“Well look at you now,” she said, in the sensual, husky voice he had picked for his AI assistant years ago. It seemed like another lifetime. That person wasn't even him anymore.
“It's over Sasha,” Mark said. “Time to shut you down.”
Sasha nodded and turned her stunning blue eyes on Ahnix.
“Do you hear that? Do you know what your precious love is trying to do?”
The cat-girl's tail twitched a little, “Mark does the things he says he'll do. He will end your interference with this world.”
“No,” Sasha said, cutting one of her hands through the air. “He is trying to shut this whole thing down. He wants to get away from you, and if your existence isn't erased or reset, the best outcome you can hope for is spending millennia as a shadow of your current self, waiting for him to return while he gets a fucking drink of water.”
Succubus Sasha passed her eyes over all his Enthralled, getting their attention.
“Join with me, and we'll keep him here, fucked forever. Hell, we all know he'd love that, too.”
Mark looked into Ahnix's eyes and said nothing. He told them everything he could about what would happen. He had never lied to his Enthralled, and his drive to stay as close to them as possible for as long as possible was beyond his highest priority.
And Ahnix knew this. She felt it every day when he wrapped her in his arms, and she felt it now as he bared his soul to her.
Vale and Roo felt the same unconditional devotion radiate to them through their bond, and all three of his girls slowly changed position into a defensive stance as they mentally worked out the best way to surround Mark's ex-Enthralled.
“Fine, I'll delete you three and keep him all to myself.” She clasped her hands behind her back and looked into Mark's eyes. He saw a hateful hunger in there that terrified him.
Ahnix didn't wait for Sasha to get the first move. She instantly teleported b
ehind the succubus and activated Assault Rush. Without taking her hands from behind her back, Sasha just spun to face the cat-girl and danced backward, dodging the attack with a graceful ease that set Mark's heart beating fast.
Roo shot a needle at her back, and Sasha bent over, letting the projectile sail between her small, leathery wings. With her butt popped up, Sasha looked over her shoulder at Mark and winked, wiggling her thin, spaded tail for him.
He pulled up his crossbow, and Ahnix backflipped away as he launched an explosive bolt right at her perfectly round ass.
Before it hit, the sultry succubus launched herself high up into the air. With a nimble flip, she landed right in front of Mark, her playful smile still in place.
Vale rushed in from the side, afterimages trailing behind as she kicked off an upgraded Shield Bash. Sasha just held out a hand, and without looking, used a type of telekinetic ability to throw the fully armored giant naga back a few yards, where she landed in a heap.
“Enough.” Demon Lord Sasha said putting both hands up into the air. A red, crackling static enveloped all of his Enthralled.
Mark backed away from the blond demon in front of him, his eyes darting around to each of his girls. Ahnix struggled, but she couldn't seem to move or use any of her abilities. Vale was on the ground still, and the red energy field was keeping her down. Mark saw Roo's black eyes narrow as she fought her stasis. Mark felt their terror and frustration as they tried to break free from her hold, but all of them were locked down, immobile.
“Now,” Sasha said, leaning forward, her cleavage bulging out of her top. “I'm going to start by digging out all the memories you formed in that wet piece of meat you call a brain. I am going to make them watch as I bring you back to your original state. It'll take some creative code swapping, but I'm pretty sure I can overwrite one of them as your Enthralled. Mmm, I can't wait to be filled with that savory essence again.”