The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Wow. This is kind of nice,” Kyle said, taking in the sights of the city as he and the others made their way down along the boardwalk, heading towards the coast. “It’s like a real resort here. I can’t remember when I’ve seen so many people gathered in one place before.”

“Yes, it is rather crowded,” Anadriel admitted. “It IS the second largest city in Axaellel after all, but this does seem a bit much.”

“Yeah,” Leila agreed. “It wasn’t this bad when we were here earlier. I wonder if there is some kind of special event being held here or something...”

“Well, as a matter of fact, there is a festival going on tight now,” Calypso volunteered, stepping forward, moving over to the edge of the water, letting out a soft sigh as the salt water lapped gently at her bare toes. “Mmmmm... yes, I do love the waters of this coast line,” she purred, before turning to face the group. “The Feast of Whirls is a local holiday celebrated around these parts. Not many people know the origin, that it was originally a celebration ritual for the goddess Lugia, deity of the waters, but it’s become rather popular over the years. There’s a parade on the last day. People even dress up in colorful costumes.”

“Oh? You mean the Feast of Whirls is that big a deal here?” Kyle asked, thoughtful. “I guess that explains it. Sounds like it’s the Reality’s version of Mardi Gras. On the good side, we don’t stand out so much being here with everyone else gathered for the celebration.”

“And best of all,” Leila murmured slightly, causing Kyle to chuckle, “I don’t stand out so much in my costume around here.”

“I’ve located the temple,” James announced, calling out from further ahead close to the water’s edge. He pointed out across the clear blue green ocean to a small white shape like a roughly hewn figure of a pyramid sticking up from the water. “I can sense the relic. It’s definitely still there.”

“Perfect. So... how do we get there?” Kyle asked. “Do we just wade into the water and swim there, or can we take a boat out to the site and dive for the entrance?”

“We should swim,” Calypso answered, gesturing with her hands briefly, causing a large slender three pronged pole to appear in her hands. “A present from Jeffrey,” she added, weighing the trident idly in her hands, getting a feel for it. “I’d always hoped I would never have a use for it, but considering what’s at stake, I thought it best to come prepared. That said,” she added, glancing at Kyle, “I think we should stop by the Yona village on the way to the temple and get you a different weapon. Swords and daggers are a bit hard to wield underwater. The shopkeeper at the village has a set of magical spears that would be perfect for this quest. They’re a bit pricey, but she owes me a favor.”

“Spears, huh? Guess that explains the little gift James gave me,” Leila mused, shrugging. “Well, you’re the water expert, so we should follow your lead.”

Kyle nodded. “Okay, it’s settled. Let’s head out.” Moving to the water’s edge, they joined James, who nodded that he was ready. And after a brief casting of wind magic, the five adventurers headed into the calm clear watery depths.

Amanda Faraday let out a deep sigh of relief as she walked into her penthouse suite, immediately kicking off her Louis Vuitton heels, shrugging out of her Valentino business jacket, letting it slide to the floor, confident that her maid would tend to it as always, and have her new ensemble set out for her by the time she woke tomorrow morning. “Lights,” she said imperiously, activating the voice recognition software, bringing the suite to life.

It had been a particularly long and boring day for the busy CEO. She had several other duties and concerns besides The Reality that routinely demanded her attention. And even though the company left to her by her father was so large and streamlined now that it could effectively run itself, like her father she was committed to overseeing every minute detail of its functioning. “You can never be too careful or too involved,” her father had told her once when she was still young. “The only person you can trust in this life is yourself, Amanda. Not even me. You are my daughter, my only progeny, but never forget that if it came down to a choice between you and me, I would choose myself. And to survive in this dog eat dog world, the only defense you have is to be smarter, stronger, and more vicious than the other guy.”

Words to live by. Amanda smiled a soft secret smile as she recalled his words. The other members of the board had questioned her father’s sudden inexplicable illness a few years ago that had lead to his swift decline and death, but no one had had the guts to insinuate that the NEW CEO had been behind the death of the PREVIOUS one. Not that any of them would say anything to my face even if they had solid proof, she thought smugly, making a pit stop at the kitchen, withdrawing a bottle of Armand de Brignac ’27, from the cooler, and a large wineglass, before heading to the bathroom. Her work day was finally over, and she was in the mood to relax.

“Bath, low lighting,” she barked out, knowing the suite’s AI would hear and set up everything as programmed, “and Music,” she added, pausing briefly to consider, “Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata Number Fourteen.” Satisfied, she made her way to the bathroom, bottle and glasses in tow, sighing deeply as soft gentle piano music began to fill the air.

All in all, Amanda Faraday was a congenial person. She merely insisted that everything went exactly the way she wished it, and refused to compromise. If something or someone did not meet up to her expectations, they were removed and replaced, period. She demanded the best of herself, and those around her. If her attitude had garnered a reputation as being some kind of evil dragon queen, so be it. She truly didn’t care. The only person she needed to please was herself.

Besides, she thought smugly, as she stood naked, dipping a dainty toe into the swirling waters of her Jacuzzi, once Marion comes through with the next frequency, and my prototype is ready, it won’t matter what others think of me at all. With a few choice words, I can make them think whatever I desire them to think! Satisfied with that fact, she sank down deep into the swirling waters, and closed her eyes, letting herself indulge in well deserved relaxation.

After a moment, a slight frown crossed her lips, and she cracked open an eye. Huh. I’m hearing a bit of static popping in the background. These music files are all the highest quality, so it must be the speakers. Her frown deepened. Hmph. Those speakers were supposed to be ‘the latest in high tech all immersive surround sound’, the best that our company produces, but apparently I was given a defective set. She closed both her eyes again, leaning back into the tub. Mmmm... I’ll have to remember to... mmmm... fire someone over this... later...

After a time, however, she became used to the slight static popping and sparking in the background, enough to notice it in the back of her mind, but not really pay it much attention. By the time her playlist switched over to Chopin’s Nocturne Number Two, she was so buzzed from the champagne and relaxed from the whirlpool that she was actually considering just having the audio department reprimanded instead of having them all canned. After a long soak, she yawned and stretched, and, drying herself, made her way to the bedroom. Rather than go to her bed, however, she decided to check online to see if Marion had made any headway with the information she’d passed on to him.

“Hmmm... don’t remember this screensaver,” she murmured, yawning sleepily again, shaking her mouse to disperse it. “Hmmm... let’s see. Oh. Looks like he left me an email,” she said, clicking it open. Her eyes scrolled down the long boring report, causing her to yawn again. She really was very sleepy, and would normally have called it a night by now, but she wanted to know what Marion had discovered. She paused, frowning slightly, losing her train of thought for the moment. The static sound had gotten more noticeable suddenly, seeming to come from the computer speakers as well as the surround sound, and while she’d sat there, pondering what to do about it, her screensaver had kicked in again. Shaking her head, she deactivated it, returning to the email. “Damn... lost my place,” she murmured woodenly, scrolling back up to the top to begin again.

Fifteen minutes later, Amanda Faraday sat in her chair, staring idly at the myriad colors dancing before her glazed over eyes, her lips moving softly, silently echoing the words being softly whispered into her mind. Suddenly, she blinked, her hand moving the mouse once again to disperse the hypnotic screensaver. Moving to the email, she slowly clicked the tab, closing and deleting it from her mailbox, then closed it completely before clicking on a new rainbow colored icon in the middle of the screen. A text file opened, a black page, but as she stared, spellbound, words began to appear, as if someone were writing them in real time. As each statement or question was posted, she would respond verbally, her answer spoken automatically, yet the text continued, as if the computer was somehow aware of her speaking.

“Mmmm... yes,” she murmured softly, nodding. “Yes, I am sleeping.”

“Yes. My mind is still. My thoughts are still. I am asleep.”

“Hnnn... nnn... y-yes. I will... I will.... o... obey.”

“My will is sleep. My resistance is sleeping. I will o... obey. I will o-obey... I will... obey.”

“Good girl. Yes.... mmmm... good girls are rewarded,” she murmured softly, a hand slipping down between her thighs, gently teasing and stroking herself to arousal. “Ohhhh... mmmm... yes, yes... good girls obey... I am a good girl.”

Her free hand moved to the keyboard, tapping a few keys, even as she began panting slightly. “Mmmm-hmm,” she murmured again, bringing up the file of the prototype schematics. “Y-yes, I under... understand,” she replied after a moment, starting to sweat. “I... I need to ... need to... nhhnnn... no, no, no,” she said suddenly, her eyelids blinking rapidly, head shaking negative. “I can’t... can’t change... my...” She swallowed, fighting herself and the trance she had found herself in. “It’s my... golden ticket... can’t let... anything... happen to it...” she managed, her voice taking on a high pitched whine, even as her fingers began thrumming rapidly inside her pussy, threatening to overwhelm her at any second.

She sat there for several long seconds, gasping, groaning, whining and pleading as the music faded completely so only the staccato pop and crackle of the static sounded full blast. Her head continued to shake no for several more seconds until, finally, her head snapped back, her hips jerked forward, and a deep howl of pleasure escaped her lips as she came, hard. Rather than stop, her arousal surged again, just as she began to come down, forcing her to orgasm again, and again a third time. Amanda howled, shaking in her seat, shuddering, her eyes rolled up into the back of her skull. And yet her fingers continued to thrust and tease and stroke her pussy, even as her mind shut down completely from the onslaught...

“Huhhnn?” she groaned sometime later, sitting up in her bed, glancing around in confusion. “What th... what just happened? I thought I was just... just...” Kicking off the covers, she made her way across the room to her computer, tapped the mouse, staring at the clear and empty screen in confusion. “Huh? I could have sworn I was just... sitting here reading... something?”

Forget to remember. Remember to forget.

She sighed, shrugging, making her way back to her bed. Damn. I think maybe I overindulged a bit with the champagne, she reasoned to herself, if I’m having such weird erotic dreams. Still, it might be time to invite some strapping young man back to my bedroom and let me work out some of my angst. Mmmm... yes... tomorrow, right after I head down to R&D to see about updating the specs on that device... Yawning, she switched off the lights and closer her eyes, drifting off to sleep once again.

“Oh my fucking gaaawd, are we there yet?” Vale grumbled, loudly, causing the other members of their team to glare at her.

Their guide, a tall dark haired, bronze skinned Amazon of a woman glanced back at them with a sneer. “Oh yes, we’ve just arrived,” she said in a bored tone. “You can see the caverns just here in front of... ohh! My mistake! That’s just lots more sand,” she grunted, gesturing to the wide empty expanse around them. “It’s a giant ass cave, dipshit. You’ll know when we get there by the big giant cave shaped landmark that will be in front of us.”

Vale grumbled, shaking her head as Igmus and several of the other Viridian Suns chuckled. “Your sister is a real charmer,” Vale stated to Barena, coming up alongside her. “I can see that your ‘pleasant disposition’ is a family trait.”

Instead of snapping with her usual caustic remark, Barena merely shrugged. “That’s actually a possibility,” she admitted, glaring daggers at the back of her older sister’s head, “but Tana really takes it to an extreme. You’d think, being the oldest child and daughter of the village Chief, and heir to his title, that she’d be happy, but noooo... just being on top makes her act worse to everyone lower on the totem pole.”

Vale smirked. “You and your sister don’t get along, do you?”

Barena winced, shaking her head. “Let me put it this way. My relationship with my sister makes my relationship with you seem like we’re besties.” Vale blinked at that, actually shuddering.

“I must admit,” Marion said, coming up to join them as well, “I was a bit surprised by the greeting from your tribe. From everything you said, I half expected them to greet us with swords at the ready and spears bared. Instead, they welcomed us with open arms and even volunteered your village Shaman to serve as our guide and twenty men to help carry our supplies.”

“That’s not too surprising,” Barena said loudly, “after all, who doesn’t know the world famous Marion, Guildmaster of the Viridian Suns. It’s likely you’re going to sweep the upcoming Obelisk Cup, so who better to curry favor with than a prospective Cup champion?” Tana nodded subtly, chuckling softly under her breath, as she and her people pushed on ahead. Once they’d move out of earshot, however, Barena pulled Marion to the side.

“There’s probably another reason why Tana volunteered to lead us to the caves,” she whispered in a low voice. “I’m pretty sure she plans to double-cross out at the caverns.” Marion stiffened, drawing to a stop, but Barena cautioned him to stay quiet. “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure that she’s planning some kind of ambush for us after we find the relic and are on our way back out of the caves.”

Marion’s expression darkened. “I see. Attacking us after a major battle, when we’re at our lowest point would be the smart play. But why attack us in the first place? What do they have to gain?”

“Well, they would naturally want whatever treasure we find from defeating the guardian of the dungeon,” Barena reasoned. “My tribe has no idea about the relics we’ve been collecting, and wouldn’t know what to do with one even if they had it. But knowing my sister,” she said scowling again, “the treasure would just be half the reason. As I said before, you’ve made quite a name for yourself as the leader of the Suns. We’ve all seen the way Shadowchaser became a household name after your little duel,” she said, hastily, as Marion darkened from the reminder, “anyway, um, my point is, she would gain a bit of a reputation as well if she managed to one-up you and steal your recently obtained treasure. She may not be invested enough in the Reality to compete, but she did finish the Proving Grounds, and earned her class as Shaman the old fashioned way. You can’t take her lightly.”

Marion scowled. ”Hmm. This might be a problem after all,” he mused aloud.

“I don’t understand something,” Nora spoke up, making her presence known. “Forgive me for asking, Master, but how would this Tana and her followers be any real threat to us? Even if we lost most of our people and used up most of our spells and energy retrieving the relic, why couldn’t we simply use a teleport crystal to escape back to the Suns’ mansion?”

“It’s Jagd,” Marion replied with a sigh. “This entire desert is ‘cursed’,” he said, making quotes with his fingers. “Teleport crystals don’t function within the borders of the Otaru Desert. It’s why using a guide is so necessary, and why it was necessary to deal with the Qxxlra tribe in the first place. Their clan has lived here long enough to know these sands and be able to transverse them without getting lost. Its a hereditary trait that can’t be learned or passed on.”

Nora nodded slightly, absorbing the answer. “And why couldn’t you simply act as our guide, Barena?” she asked the savage point blank.

“Me? I haven’t been back here in years, girl,” she said with a frown. “These caverns were just recently discovered in the aftermath of a major sandstorm. I could maybe get us back to civilization if we ended up abandoned and left in the desert, and after so long away from home even that’s not a guarentee... but I couldn’t find the caves any better than any other random person wandering around aimlessly.”

“At any rate, we need Tana to guide us to our destination and back,” Marion finished, nodding. “And forewarned is forearmed. Knowing that its coming gives us an advantage. When she springs her trap, we’ll see if we can turn the tables on her. Besides,” he said idly, lightly rubbing the golden bracer around his arm, “if all else fails, I think I can persuade her to see things my way.”

JD sighed heavily, panting like an asthmatic. Or, rather, his body went through the motions of heavy breathing—it’s not as if a computerized virtual entity needed oxygen. Still, computer program or not, he had to admit that that session was beyond stressful. Daaaaaamn! That was way too close. I know it was my fault, that I got impatient, and pushed her a bit too far. He sighed. It was simple hypnosis after all, not Dragonspeak. And hypnosis can’t really make a person do anything they don’t want to do.

He’d actually lucked up in switching tactics when he had to keep her from waking up completely. Far from a master hypnotist, he’d searched online for any and all information in preparation. Surprisingly, the most helpful information had come from an online fiction site, MCSTORIES.COM. And it had given him the idea to distract Amanda with sexual pleasure to keep her from breaking free from her trance.

Heh. I never would have imagined that ol’ Mandy was that much of a slut. Still, it certainly came in handy. And with the distraction, I was able to convince her that she wasn’t sabotaging the prototype, that she was actually upgrading it instead. He sighed. Well... that’s pretty much all I can do. Assuming she follows her instructions to the letter, her ‘trump card’ should be reduced to little more than a flaming mess. And the miniature EMP pulse generated should take out any other copies of the schematics on the scene.

Gesturing with his hands, he tapped into Amanda’s computer’s wireless card and created a connection from her mainframe to the supercomputer hosting the The Reality program. As the portal appeared, however, he paused, considering. Oh man. I still feel torn about just leaving like this. I’m never going to get another opportunity like this again. And... it’s not about revenge. The real Jeffrey Danzig is dead, and nothing I can do will affect that. My prime directive is to simply keep the frequency data out of her hands.

Pondering silently for a moment, he suddenly grinned, as an idea came to him. Quickly creating a few thousand lines of code, he tied them all together into a quick little program, then embedded it carefully into a few key system. “There. That should do it. And if Mandy stays true to form, she should help the cause along by weakening her own power base.” He chuckled dryly, turning for the portal back once again. “My prime directive isn’t about getting revenge on the CEO and her board members per se.. but that doesn’t mean I can’t kill two birds with one stone...”

Kimberly Rhodes logged out of the game, taking a moment to allow her werecat persona to fade, her vision returning to the scene of her upscale apartment. She glanced briefly outside, catching the familiar slow-pinning wheel of The Eye turning across the Thames. It was night time, 7:30pm with a quick glance at the clock. Knowing she was on a different continent and thus a different sleep schedule, Honor had volunteered to stand watch and keep an eye out for JD, allowing Serena to catch some badly needed rest. She stripped off the clothes she was wearing, not bothering with the formality of throwing them in a laundry hamper or in one spot. She needed to wash her hair, she probably needed a haircut soon, just a trim to keep the ends nice and healthy. Her stomach growled—right, she needed to eat too.

Huh. Guess I have been spending a majority of my time lately logged in, she mused, wrinkling her nose slightly as her own smell. Okay, very thorough bath, then food, then to bed.

Turning on her shower, she slipped inside as she pulled up her shower wall display,

reading emails and messages as she let the hot water soothe her skin. Finding nothing of interest from her primary contacts, she surfed through some of her secondary contacts only to discover that one of her old informants from the Lynx had attempted to contact her. Wow. Looks like I do still have a few friends there after all. You always were reliable, Rave.

She read through it carefully, studying the information, then smiled ruefully. All of this was old news to her now. As asked for, Rave had found plenty of information on Kyle Shadowchaser for her, about his history with the Sylvan Order and Anadriel, his quick rise to fame, even battle tactics and estimated stats and power sets. It had all had been quite important to keep in mind as the Lynx second-in-command, and while it wasn’t truly useless information, it was stuff that she knew now rather intimately. It was information on her MASTER after all, not some random upstart hero, as she’d thought of him at the time.

Closing her eyes underneath the water spray, she thought back to her first real meeting with him, back at Snowpoint when Igmus Faintheart had ambushed them with defectors in both of their guilds. Kyle’s arrival had of course saved the day, despite all of her careful planning for security, and her only true solace was the fact that she knew who he was. At least a little. As the Lynx spymaster and information broker, she had obtained some information on him immediately after Kyle’s internationally televised duel with Marion, paid a few mouths to whisper secrets in her ear. Even then, the best whispers money could buy couldn’t buy much. She’d known little more when he’d arrived at the party Honor had thrown in his ‘honor’ later in the week, where once again, he’d ended up saving Serena from a dire fate.

Kyle had been a mystery then and had remained so until her accidental enslavement a few days later. Though even now, I’m not sure I know him well enough…or that he really knows me. Anadriel and Calypso have known him for ages, Honor has met him in real life… Me and Leila I guess are the ones who know him the least. sigh I hope that girl is handling the ocean better than I would. She chuckled to herself ruefully, again, as she thought to herself... the first into his harem, yet perhaps the least known.

I guess I just don’t... stand out, compared to the others, she lamented silently. I am quieter, more reserved. I’m not bubbly or energetic, like Honor or regal like Anadriel, I don’t have that nurturing nature like Calypso... and even Leila has so much brashness and outward confidence that she always makes an impression…

She chided herself silently as she let the hot water wash down her supple skin for a

moment longer before shutting the water off. Ah well. No use moping about it, Kimmy. Master’s a busy man and we’d best be useful to him. We haven’t even pulled all our contacts to help him yet.

She exited the shower and toweled off quickly, jumping into her ‘spymaster’ mode in

earnest this time, pulling contacts and research, the need for sleep pushed aside for the moment. Surely there would be a way she could help her Master with something. She might not stand out among the other girls in person, but she could be useful to him in other ways. She had her smarts, and her guile—that had to be worth something to him right? She began to type:

“Rave. Needing some info. Seek out and find any tidbits about Dragon burial grounds for me… hell, about dragons in the game in general. Hmm... and as to what are we’re mostly looking for here? Let me explain…”

“Ahhhhh! Goddamit! Fuck this puzzle!” Anadriel cried out angrily as she pulled yet another lever in the dungeon causing some ancient mechanism to churn slightly. What effect it had on their surroundings or their ability to progress any further was beyond anyone in the party. For dramatic effect, Anadriel smashed a low level fireball spell on the lever with no visible effect.

“Dri, calm down. Don’t waste your mana.” Kyle ordered.

Anadriel snarled, but agreed with a curt, “Yes Master.”

“At least we’re not underwater anymore.” Leila remarked with a notable frown, shaking out her hair. The whole group was pretty frustrated at this point. They had fought countless water themed monsters during their trek so far, but the battles weren’t nearly as trying as the complicated puzzles they’d been forced to endure.

Calypso gracefully moved to her companions side, “Dri, take a rest. We’re getting

nowhere with this and we’re all just becoming more and more frustrated.” She wrapped her arms around Dri as Kyle nodded in agreement, a few feet back.

“She’s right. We’re getting nowhere. We need to stop and rethink things some.” Kyle said,

“Unfortunately, I have no idea where to start.”

“And we can’t really contact anyone from down here.” Leila said, pulling up her friend list from her menu, shaking her head. “It’s too bad Rini isn’t here. She’s really good at puzzle solving.” She sighed. “Do you think maybe we should backtrack to the entrance, just far enough out that we can contact her? I bet if we described what we’re facing she could probably walk us through it.”

James sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I suppose I should have mentioned that the puzzle and trap sequences change every time you enter the temple. Everything is different from the way it was when I was here last.”

Calypso nodded. “It’s the same with me. But as difficult as this is, just keep in mind that there IS a way through. It’s annoying but not impossible.”

Kyle nodded wearily. “Good point. I guess the only thing to do now is try every combination until we find the right one.” Sighing, he walked over to the far corner. “Alright, I guess we’d better get started. I’ll try this one first. Calypso, you try the one on the far corner, and Dri, you’ll take the third...”

Natasha shook slightly as she stood outside the doorway, though from fear or excitement, she could tell. She glanced around at the outside of the compound, nodding appreciatively. It was a nice home, very large and expansive, and in a very nice location. It was also well isolated and private, definitely the kind of place a reclusive superstar would chose to live.

The security guard was surprisingly easy to bribe, she thought smugly to herself, removing the bypass key from her pocket Manny had given her with Kyle’s security code on it. I’d almost expected to have to blow the guy to gain entrance, but it turned out that he was a fan. Signing my magazine cover of the summer edition was all it took for him to let me in.

Stepping inside once the door unlocked, she fingered the tazer in her purse. She wasn’t sure what kind of reception she’d be getting—she was breaking and entering, after all. Not that HE can point any fingers, she thought to herself, making her way through the darkened room, not after drugging Aurelie and I with... whatever it was he used. Hmph. He should be glad I didn’t come here with the police in tow!

She paused at that, frowning. Why HADN’T she brought the police with her? If the issue was wanting to stop Kyle or get revenge on him for what he’d done, then the simple thing to do would have been to get the cops involved somehow. And yet... the thought hadn’t crossed her mind before at all. Not once. In fact, all she’d wanted to do was to break in and confront Kyle about it to... what? Her frown deepened. What did she want to do to him. Or... have him do to her?

A soft groan escaped her lips, and an unbearable warmth began to well up between her thighs as a few naughty idea fluttered briefly in her imagination before she managed to push them aside.

No. No! I’m not some weak willed little slut! she told herself, panting heavily, wiping a few beads of sweat from her brow. This is about him... fixing what he did. Yes. He did something to Auri and I... made it so that we’re sexually addicted to him. And if he had some kind of drug to do make us this way, then he has to know some way to shut it off... some kind of cure! Yes. That’s it. I’m here to... to get the cure. That’s all. She nodded to herself. And... and if he needs a little... encouragement... then, well, I’d do what I have to do to get him to give it to me!

She kept telling herself that as she made her way through the house, convincing herself that she was in the right, that it was all about stopping Kyle from whatever dastardly plan he had in store. And then, she turned to the left and entered his bedroom, the gasped, finding the very man she sought lying atop his bed, unmoving, wearing the Netgear helmet that connected his mind to the Reality. He was little more than a human shaped lump, unmoving, barely breathing, his consciousness drawn into the web. And yet, the very sight of him made her breath catch, her temperature rise, and her juices flow in a gush.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

It was like a mantra whispered endlessly in the back of her head, and seeing him again, being this close, the whisper had turned into a deafening roar. She couldn’t think. She could barely breath. Before she’d even realized what she was doing, she’d stripped down completely, tossed her purse and her shoes aside, and was making her way to his bed. I have to have him! she thought desperately, all her other thoughts and concerns cast aside. Shaking hands began wrestling with his belt, struggling to remove his pants and get to what she’d been seeking. A sob escaped her lips as she did, finding her would be lover was not ready, his cock completely unaroused.

FUCK! Well... no matter, she thought, eyes brimming with determination, and more than a bit of madness, If he’s not in the mood, I can certainly get him in the mood. Licking her lips, she knelt down between his legs and took him into her mouth...

Honor glanced up at the sound of someone approaching the cavern entrance. “JD? Is that you? You certainly too your sweet time getting—ohh!” She blinked in surprise at the figure that stepped inside. “S... Sir Stein? Gosh! What are you doing here?”

Stein glanced around in surprise. “Ah. Lady Fellechild, is it?” he asked, bowing slightly. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Honor blushed slightly. “Same here. And it’s just ‘Honor’ now. I’m no longer the Lynx Guildmaster, and truth be told, I was never really much of a ‘Lady’.”

Stein chuckled as well. “Very well, Honor. And it’s just Stein for me. Only my subordinates call me ‘Sir’, and Isitlari calls me ‘Lord’.” He glanced around again, nodding. “So, this is a very interesting place,” he noted with interest. “You can’t really tell from the outside, but this is much larger than it appears. And... if I’m not mistaken, we seem to be shielded here from pretty much any detection software currently running on the system.” He nodded again. “Interesting. No wonder Kyle was able to keep himself hidden so well.”

Honor frowned slightly. “Um, y-yeah, I suppose. So, um, Lo... er, Stein? You never said. What brings you here?”

“Oh! Forgive me,” he said sheepishly, “I got a bit distracted in taking in the wonders of this marvelous place. I’m looking for Kyle. Would he happen to be here, by any chance?”

“Ma... um, Kyle?” Honor repeated, confused. “Um, no, he’s.... um...” she stammered, not sure of how much she could tell a relative stranger about what was happening. “He’s... he’s out for the moment,” she said slowly, trying to think of a plausible excuse. “He, um, he left to...”

“Search for the next Dragon relic, I presume?” Stein ventured, smirking slightly as her jaw visibly dropped.

“Wait a minute! How the hell do YOU know about those?” she demanded.

Stein shrugged. “Kyle Shadowchaser and I are old friends. He confided in me quite a bit about what’s been going on. And what little he didn’t tell me, I was able to figure out on my own. It’s also how I knew about this place. He’d mentioned a special cave deep in the Hinterlands near the water where he sometimes went when he needed to rest and recover.” He sighed softly, shaking his head. “I’ve been trying to reach him on his conn for the better part of a day now. I wanted to give him an update, and share some information my Guardians were able to pick up... and frankly, I was hoping he knew how I might get in contact with James Windsaber.”

Honor nodded, breathing a small sigh of relief. “Well, I guess since you’re already in the know, it wouldn’t hurt to let you know. Master and the others are off at Reus Polten, visiting the underwater temple just off the coast. James went with them—according to him, that’s where the next relic is located.” She paused, frowning slightly at the look Stein was giving her. “Huh? What? What is it? Did I say something strange?”

“Actually yes,” he admitted, starting at her intently with his one good eye. “You called Kyle Master when you spoke about where he’d gone with the others.” Honor stiffened. “I’d hazard to guess then, that Kyle has used Dragonspeak on you, and possibly the others. My question is... why?”

Ah, crap! Honor thought furiously, her brain working a mile a second. I just blurted it out without thinking! Guess I let my guard down when he said he was ‘in the know’, but I’m guessing he wasn’t that deep in the know! Shit! What do I do? How do I explain this in a way that doesn’t make Master look bad? Friend or not, Stein’s a member of the Pantheon. He’s like one of the highest levels of officials for the Reality! If he freaks out and exposes this to the wrong people—

“Well, since you seem to be stuck thinking of a rational explanation,” Stein said after a moment, cutting into her thoughts, “let me simply add that I can tell easily enough if you’re lying. I’m not going to judge. I said it before at the beginning—Kyle is a friend of mine. And the fact that I know abut the relics and about Dragonspeak should tell you that. I just want to know the truth, Honor, from your own lips.”

“Well, fine,” she said, defeated, lowering her head. “It was... well, an accident, at first. Leila—do you know her? She’s an assassin, a former member of DEATH, hired by Marion and sent to kill Kyle. She almost succeeded, but Kyle managed to enslave her before she could. And, Rini, er, Serena, my former second in command? She just happened to be in the room with them, trying to help Kyle, and she got enslaved as well.” She sighed. “He hadn’t meant to, he’d just blurted out the only Dragonspeak he could think of to stop Leila from striking. Afterwards, he’d tried to find a way to release them from their enslavement... but by that time, they were both so deeply taken by being his slaves that they pleaded and begged for him not to free them.”

“I see. But that doesn’t explain about you, Honor,” he pointed out.

The former burglar blushed deeply. “Um, yes, well... Mas... um... Kyle and I... we sort of, hit it off,” she admitted shyly. “We even met out of the Reality, in real life. I was seriously crushing on the guy... but, well, you know me. My reputation as a free spirit and a party girl with the Lynx was well deserved. I wanted to be with Kyle, but I also didn’t want to be tied down. At the same time... I found myself being a bit jealous at the closeness and freedom that Rini and Lei had with him. And speaking to the girls themselves, they admitted how wonderful it was... not to be worried about ANYTHING, about work, or personal problems, or any outside concerns. All they had to worry about was pleasing their Master... and everything else would fall into place.”

“And let me guess,” Stein interjected, “after hearing how great it was, you begged Kyle to enslave you as well?”

“Yessssss...” Honor hissed softly, eyes fluttering gently as she recalled her own experience. “And ohhhh... they were SO right! Oh god... words can’t even describe how it feels!” Remembering her company, she composed herself, again blushing deeply. “And Kyle refused at first, of course. He hadn’t meant to enslave the others in the first place, and doing it to me, on purpose? No... it took a lot of convincing to make him finally go through with it.”

Stein nodded, fighting the urge to grin. It actually seemed very plausible, just from what he had observed. Just from the little he knew and had experimented with his beloved Isiltari, the control rendered by Dragonspeak was extremely powerful, and, in the case of a nice and kind Master, enticing. In all the years they’d been together, Isiltari had never been as passionate and loving in bed as she had the night he’d given her a taste of enthrallment. For him, however, it was a bit different. He loved his wife as she was, and while a definite part of him definitely responded to her willing and eager submission to him, the idea of turning her into his permanent submissive love slave weighed heavily on his conscience.

“In fact,” Honor continued, “it was probably only having to turn Dri into his slave that convinced him to go through it with me as well—”

“Wait... WHAT?!?” Stein exclaimed. “Kyle turned Anadriel Shalandearl into his slave?!?”

Honor blinked, wincing. “Um... y-yeah... guess I hadn’t mentioned that yet, huh? B-but it’s not like it sounds, okay? I mean... you know what happened after her duel with Marion? She was... hell, she was pretty much a broken wreck. Fighting her own cousin like that, being humiliated in front of everyone with the whole world watching... it destroyed her. Kyle went to her afterwards, trying to console her... but in the end, she begged him to do it, to take away the pain.”

Stein sighed heavily, taking that into consideration. He was well aware of Kyle’s feelings for the elven guildmaster. He also knew quite a bit about their history, and knew Dri personally. She was a good person deep down, but that goodness had been hidden by an extremely cold, and selfish exterior. It might be a bit harsh to say, but all things considered, if it helps her get past all of her own hangups, she’s probably better off as a happy blissful love slave.

Before he could comment, however, a brief flash of light lit the caverns, and a bearded man in a long brown robe suddenly appeared. “Whew... that was some trip,” JD muttered, shaking his head. “That wasn’t the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but it has to be pretty damn high on the list...” Blinking, he glanced up in surprise at the two people staring at him. “Hey! Honor! How nice to see you again. It’s sweet that you decided to stay behind and wait for me. Still, your Master-slash-boyfriend might get jealous if you can’t keep your passion for me in check.” The former Serapin burglar merely rolled her eyes, giving him the finger.

Walking over to Stein, however, he grabbed the elder Paladin by the hand, and shook it vigorously. “And you, Stein! My man! How’s it hanging, pal?”

“Um... fine, just fine, I suppose?” he said dubiously, glancing at Honor. “So... um... just who is this individual?”

Honor sighed. “Well, you’ll probably never believe me, not in a million years,” she grumbled, “but that’s Jeffrey Danzig. He’s—”

“One of the seven mythical Dragon Gods?” Stein cut in, glancing at the bearded man again, studying him a bit more critically now. Honor’s jaw dropped in surprise, and JD nodded, grinning.

“Wow. Impressive! Got it on the first try,” he enthused. “I have to say, Stein, when they called you the smartest man in the game, they were not kidding. Your intellect and powers of observation truly are top notch. Tell me... how did you guess my identity?”

“Well, it wasn’t that hard to deduce,” he replied with a shrug. “For one, your sudden appearance speaks volumes. This cave is shielded from any and all outside observation. Basically, you couldn’t find it at all unless you knew where to look for it. For another, I’m a student of history, and know quite a bit about the lore of the Reality, as well as the back-story of its creation. And Jeffrey Danzig happens to be the one of the original programmers who created this game.” He tilted his head to the side, and smirked. “And finally, your status bar has no visible HP showing, just a listing as an ‘Immortal Object’.”

“My status bar? AH!” JD yelped, jerking back, opening his menu. “Dammit man... not cool. Not. Cool,” he muttered. shifting the status back to ‘hidden’ before closing it again. “Geez... that’s like letting a guy walk around with his fly open and not saying anything.”

“You know, all things considered,” Stein quipped, “I expected a Dragon God to be a bit more... majestic,” he stated, gesturing with his hands.

“Yeah? I now take back my comment about being impressed by you,” JD muttered, causing Honor to giggle aloud. “No respect. I never get any respect... Anyway, Nick Fury,” he spat, glancing at Stein, “what brings you here? Is the mighty Guardians Guildmaster slumming today? Or did you come to speak to Kyle, same as me?” Frowning, he glanced around. “Speaking of which, where IS the kid? Things are getting serious in a big way, and I need to give him the low down.”

“He’s at the water temple,” Honor answered, crossing her arms. “He and the others left a few hours ago. James and Calypso are leading them.”

“WHAT? BONNIE?” JD shouted, eyes widening, before forcing himself to calm down. “Okay. Okay. That’s fine. She... she’s a big girl and can handle herself,” he said aloud, though mostly talking to himself. “Plus, she’s been there before. All right then. There’s absolutely no need for me to go there myself, just to make sure she’s completely okay and unhurt, and safe, and sound, and yep, dammit, I’m definitely going after them,” he muttered, raising a hand, preparing to snap his fingers and teleport.

“Wait! Hold on a second. Wasn’t there something really important you needed to tell us?” Stein pointed out.

JD sighed, lowering his hand. “Tch, Fine. You’re right. This is pretty vital stuff, and time sensitive. I guess I need to let you both know what’s been going on in case anything happens, or I miss them and they come back here before I catch up with them. This is what I’ve been up to all this time...”

“Okay, we’re finally through,” Kyle replied wearily, as he lead the group through the corridor leading to the boss room. “Is everyone okay?”

“Well, I’ve been better,” Anadriel said with a slight wince as Calypso handed her a small glass vial, “but all in all, I’d say we’re in good shape.” She swallowed, then sighed as he HP rose back to maximum once more. “I’ll say one thing. If I never see another aboleth for the rest of my days, I’ll live a very happy life.”

“The sea snakes weren’t any fun either,” Leila replied stiffly, before sighing as James held a small glowing crystal over her head. “Mmmm... thanks for that. I didn’t enjoy being poisoned.”

“Glad to help. Still, it’s good that we are at the final chamber,” he replied as the crystal shattered, turning to dust in his hand. “That’s the last of the status healing crystals I had with me.”

“And I just gave Dri my last potion,” Calypso added, withdrawing her trident once again. “But it was worth it. We just need to deal with the guardian of the relic.” She closed her eyes for a moment, gripping the trident in her hands tightly, before nodding. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She moved to step towards the door, but James place a hand lightly on her shoulder.

“Bonnie,” he said gently, “perhaps you should wait out here in this corridor. We can handle this fight without your help. There’s no reason for you to put yourself through this—”

“No!” Calypso insisted, shaking her head firmly. “I can do this. I HAVE to do this. And it’s okay, James. I know the truth. I can handle facing her this way. I’ve had years to come to terms with this.”

Kyle frowned, approaching them. “Okay, what’s this all about?” he asked. “What do you mean, handle her? Do you know the guardian of thi...?” Suddenly Kyle’s eyes widened as he connected the dots mentally. “Oh! You mean... like the other guardian... Calypso... Bonnie... is this...?”

“Is this who?” Anadriel asked, frowning, having missed the last dungeon. “Why is everyone suddenly so squeamish about facing the last boss? This is why we made the trek here in the first place, right?”

“The guardian is Bonnie’s mother,” James stated matter of factly, causing Anadriel to gape at him in confusion. “Well, not actually her mother. Her real mother died decades ago, about the same time that mine did. What we’ll be facing is a computer AI that was modeled after Calypso’s mother, Jessica. She is not truly alive, nor is she a conglomeration of data processors and human brain ingrams like Uncle Jeffrey. But she is the closest thing our friend has to a mother. And I would not have her face the ordeal of fighting her to the death!” Anadriel, blushing, glanced down and away.

But Calypso would not be deterred. “And I told you before, I am okay with this. You said it yourself—she’s not really my mother. Hell, I was just an infant myself when she died, I barely remember anything about her. What is inside that room is just a computer program, just enough enemy to defeat in order to present Master with his next relic. And I refuse to stand by like a helpless child while everyone else fights!” She turned to stare at Kyle, who looked decidedly unsure.

“Willowfang,” she said softly. “Please. Let me do this. I promise you... I will not be a burden to you.”

Groaning inwardly, Kyle nodded. “Alright, If you’re sure, then it’s settled. Bonnie comes with us. And honestly, I’d feel better having her inside together with the rest of us.” Switching out his recently purchased spear for his dragon sword, he approached the door and placed his hand against the crest, speaking the ancient words, breaking the seal. The door swung open, and the adventurers entered as a group.

Inside the large circular room, sunlight blazed, shining in from the myriad windows of the dome shaped ceiling. From the clarity, they had made their way to a chamber that was just below the surface of the water. At the center of the room stood a lone figure, a woman in a long white silken robe, with a hood, sandals, and a long wooden staff in her hands. She smiled at them as they approached. “Welcome, travelers,” she said in a warm and pleasant voice. “It is good of you to come. I am Lugia, the patron goddess of the Yona, and the protector of these waters. It has been a long time since land dwellers such as you have come to pay me homage.” She paused, frowning slightly, head tilted to one side. “OH! Is that you, Calypso? My dear little mermaid! What brings you here to visit me this day?”

Glancing at Kyle, who merely nodded, the blue skinned shapeshifter stepped forward. “Greetings, Lugia. My companions and I have come for the golden relic that you guard. We... we request that you grant us your favor and bestow the relic upon us.”

Lugia sighed softly, lowering her head slightly. “Indeed. I am the guardian of a relic, a treasure passed down to me by the great Dragon Gods of times long ago. But for me to bestow such a bounty to you, your worth must be proven by besting me in battle.” She held aloft her staff, pointing at them. “Do you dare to cross your swords with the goddess of the seas?” she asked, still smiling faintly. “Once begun, there will be no quarter asked, and no quarter given. If you wish to retreat, you must do so now.”

“We accept,” Kyle stated, stepping forward. “We will face you in battle, great Lugia, and demonstrate our worth.”

“Very good,” she replied, lowering her staff to the ground, as she began to glow with a soft silver color. A low rumbling sound seemed to issue forth, as if from the floor beneath them... and with a bright flash, the human figure had been replaced with an enormous silver scaled dragon. A torrent of water burst forth from the floor underneath her, cushioning her, like a throne made entirely of water, yet it held its form around her without leaking to the rest of the chamber. “NOW THEN, MORTALS,” the dragon spoke, “FACE ME AND SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!”

“All right! We do this together,” Kyle said, issuing commands. “You all know the strategy. Dri, you and James pelt her with magic. Like a true dragon, her resistance will be high, but any damage you do, small or not, will add up. Leila and I will alternate physical attacks... and Leila, if you see an opening for a critical strike, take it. I can tell you from experience, if she DOES give you an opening, move quickly. Trust me—blink and you’ll miss it. And Calypso, you’re our support. Keep us healed and boost our attacks as much as possible. With any luck we’ll be able to... too... toooo—ggaaaakkkk...”

Suddenly Kyle sagged in place, dropping to his knees, a stunned expression on his face. His avatar flickered violently for several seconds, before becoming nearly transparent. He managed to raise a hand towards Anadriel, his mouth moving silently, before going still, replaced by a human shaped statue and a flashing ‘X’.

“Kyle? Master?!?” Anadriel screamed, rushing over, shaking the statue in shock. “What’s wrong? What happened? MASTER! Say something! Please!”

“Look out!” James yelled suddenly, erecting a wind barrier around the group as a wave of water suddenly swept over them, flooding the area with an incredible crushing pressure, before the water gratefully receded once again. Frowning, he dissipated the barrier, reforming it into a wall as the dragon raised a claw to swipe at them. “This is troublesome,” he uttered, grunting with the effort of maintaining their defense. “Kyle has picked the worst possible place and time for this, even if it is beyond his doing.”

“Beyond what? What are you talking about?” Calypso demanded, frantic. “What happened to Master?”

“He was... ugghnnn... pulled offline,” James explained, shifting position to strengthen their defense once again. “Most likely, he lost his connection to the main server. In a normal setting it would be like logging out, or simply shutting down one’s computer. But... uuhn... a little assistance would be nice,” he said sharply, prompting Anadriel to begin casting, sending a bolt of electricity at the water covered dragon, creating a momentary distraction. “Thank you. As I was saying... you cannot escape or exit out of a dungeon, and you cannot quit or exit out of a boss battle. So the game has stored Kyle’s avatar, her virtual reality persona, as an unmoving icon, here at the place where he was logged out.”

“Okay, that’s a relief,” Leila said, breathing softly. “If he just lost his connection, then he’s okay, just having computer issues. Hopefully he’ll be back shortly. let’s continue on with the plan and—”

“We can’t,” James said tersely, as Calypso and Anadriel both began casting combat spells at the dragon, as Lugia readied to send another massive wave their way. “As far as the game is concerned, that statue is still Kyle. Someone will have to protect it until he returns. If anything happens to it, Kyle Shadowchaser dies.”

“WHAT?!?”

“We will have to revise our strategy,” James answered grimly, drawing his own blade. “Bonnie, you will have to take over my job of defending, while I alternate between physical and magic attacks, with Anadriel backing me up. Leila, as the only one without magic, you will have to guard Kyle, and simply hope he returns soon.”

Leila swallowed, but nodded. “Don’t worry,” she said aloud. “I swore I’d protect Master with my life. And I intend to do just that.”