The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Mystania: Crimson Tempest

By Thantos69

Chapter 9

A Homecoming of Sorts

Brian and Jacey were being swept around in what appeared to be tube. The tube was made of crackling energy and was mostly transparent. So outside, they could see thousands of other tubes, all multicolored, as though it were a chaotic yarn sculpture. Throughout their wild ride, Jacey managed to latch onto her brother, her arms and legs circling him tightly. Brian continued to hold onto the fairy, feeling the force pulling on it.

It was not to be though. As they watched their frightening progress, they noticed that the tunnel they were in was about to split in two. About a second later, a strong electric shock on his wrist forced Brian to let go. Before he could make a grab for it, the fairy was sucked out of his hand and plunged into the left tube while he and his sister went through the right.

Brian knew he was going to be crying about that later, for that fairy had represented the only future plan that he had. Now he was completely lost, and had no one to rely on but his sister, which was cold comfort. Jacey was screaming something into his ear, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was. Sound seemed to be rather distorted in this colorful hellhole.

It didn’t matter though, because soon he spied what she was babbling about. There seemed to be a whole bunch of strings heading for one place. It appeared to be a castle floating in mid-nothing. It was hard to get a good picture of it into his mind, because every time he blinked, the castle seemed a bit different.

They didn’t have time to contemplate this, because in a matter of seconds, the tube they were in ended and the two of them rolled ungracefully across a stone floor. At least, it seemed like stone, hard pressed they would be to identify what kind, not to mention that the entire floor had no lay down seams.

“Oh fuck me.” Brian groaned.

“In your dreams, get your fat ass off of me.” Jacey struggled under the weight of her brother.

“Hey, you cushioned my fall, I guess you aren’t such a useless cunt after all.” Brian chuckled, starting to sit up.

As soon as his weight released her, Jacey’s leg came up and plowed right into his balls, causing him to double over in agony.

“Cushion that sphincter boy, don’t call me a cunt. This is all your fault!” She looked around. “Where the hell are we?”

“Like I’m supposed to know?” Brian grunted, holding his nads.

The room they were in was very large, seemingly even more so by the fact that there was a distinct lack of decorations or even furnishings. Aside from a few doors, the only thing in the room appeared to be a large computer, bolted to both the floor and ceiling. It looked like one of those Star Trek jobs, with the huge screen and multitudes of useless buttons.

Sitting in front of the computer, almost as if he was sleeping, was a small boy. Jacey figured he couldn’t be older than eight. He was wearing some kind of a black robe, sort of hippie dippy looking, with star patterns embellished on it. His hair was also pitch black, so dark it almost made his skin look albino, even though his tan was darker than her own.

“We have intruders.” A disembodied female voice echoed throughout the room.

“So it seems.” Said the boy, not bothering to look in their direction. “One should not play in the fractal highway when one knows nothing of how it works. It is so easy to get lost.”

“And yet, by our luck, we end up stuck with them.” The female continued.

“Hey!” Shouted Jacey. “What’s going on here?”

“Very little it seems.” The boy answered, his attention still on the computer.

“Where are we?”

“In my castle.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“That is none of your business. You are certainly a noisy creature. Do you mind, I’ve got work that needs to be done.”

“Fuck your work. I don’t know how we got here, but we want to go home. So you had better give us some answers.” Jacey snapped.

“Your petty concerns are not my problem. You should have known better than to fling yourselves into a dimensional rift. You are lucky you did not end up in an even worse place.”

“Shall I have them ejected into the void?” The voice asked.

“That’s a bit harsh Nova.”

“And who the hell is that?” Jacey demanded, glancing around.

“That is a magical artifact that was built to collect data on the fractal highway and the strings of fate.” The boy gestured toward the computer. “I call her Nova. Now, if you excuse me, we are incredibly busy.”

“I don’t care how busy you are.” Brian yelled, recovered from this crotch blow. “We want to go home.”

“I am already aware of your concerns.”

“Can you send us home?”

“Of course.”

“Well then, do it shithead!”

“I will send you back when I am finished with this task. I will not be interrupted unless it is for something important. You may amuse yourselves in the library or the banquet hall in the meantime.”

“Hold on, how long will it take you to finish your task?”

“If you stop bothering me, approximately three or four of your years.”

“Years? There is no fucking way we are going to stay here for four years. We want to go home now.”

“Can I dump them in the void now?” Nova asked.

“No child.” The boy shook his head, and finally turned toward Brian. “You are going to have to learn patience. Because I have no intention of sending you back until I am through.”

“Screw that kid. You had better send us back right now or I’m going to beat the living shit out of you.”

“Very well, if you want to be unreasonable, I will give you an alternative option. I will not send you back myself until I am done. However, you see that door over there.” He gestured at a door with shimmering light. “That is a special exit from my castle. You may use that.”

“And it will send us home?”

“Walking through that door will give you what you most need and send you where you most need to be.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, that unless you are confident with your Karma, it would probably be wise to stick around for the three or four years.”

“Yet that door will take us home?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Come on Jacey, we’re getting out of here.” Brian grabbed his sister’s hand and nearly dragged her toward the door.

“I’m not sure about this. I don’t think its safe.” Jacey protested.

“You want to wait around this dump for a few years hanging out with your brother and that irritating pipsqueak?”

“You’ve got a point.” Jacey frowned. “Alright, lets go.”

Brian opened the door and the two were quickly sucked through it. The door slammed closed once more.

“Humans are so impetuous.” The boy sighed.

“Do you think the path of fate sent them home?” Nova inquired.

“The only thing I know, is that it gave them exactly what they deserved.”

* * *

Vlad was in the main hall as his molesters were putting the finishing touches on the gate. It was going much better than he expected.

“Foreign magic has been spotted on Earth, siphoning the back splash now.” One of the wizards yelled.

“Careful, it could be unstable.” Vlad warned.

“You’re right, it’s resisting the effort to absorb. I think we can use its influence to latch our anchor though.”

“Do it, attach it to the asylum where Holly is stationed.”

“Attaching anchor no...ARRRGHH!” The wizard screamed as a strong bolt of power came out of the portal and zapped into his chest. He only managed to scream for about three seconds before his body dissolved into ash.

“Now that’s what I call power.” Vlad chuckled.

“Uh, anchor has locked onto the site my lord.” Another said nervously as he watched the smoking remains of his comrade.

“Good, molesters, prepare for departure.”

“Are you sure its safe?”

“Let’s find out.” Vlad flicked his wrist and the wizard with the impertinent question cried out as his body was flung toward the portal and he disappeared through it. “Contact the other side and see if our brave volunteer survived the trip.”

They immediately got to work in hopes that he wouldn’t decide to make a guinea pig out of them as well. At this moment, Moonbeam fluttered her way in, aiming straight for her master.

“A portal has opened up near Hope’s Calling.” She announced. “The D’hrrtv has arrived.”

“Great, things are about to get much more amusing.” Vlad lifted his hand and a globe of purple light formed in the middle, shrinking down until it was about the size of a ball bearing. “Here is a spell of transport, go play guide to our weary travelers. Be careful, it can only be used once, those things are expensive, even if it is for local transport only.”

“I will find them on the first try master.” Moonbeam assured him.

“Good, now have fun.”

* * *

Travelling through the inter-dimensional tubes for a second time was not any more comforting having done it once before. However, he had to admit, considering this time he did not have a strong burning sensation of his life being drained away in the mightiness of a spell was a bit better. Instead, the magic of the portal seemed to be flowing through his body, caressing, saturating his being before being pulled out again. It was a creepy feeling. It was a feeling that he did not have long to contemplate before he found himself in mid-air to slam into a tree and then rolled into its roots.

Before he could finish groaning, a scream split the air and a hefty weight plowed into him. The pleasure of having a pair of breasts mashed into his face was only offset by the fact that there were a pair of knees jamming into his stomach. Eileen rolled off of him as quickly as she slammed into him, only to be replaced by Aerin hitting him like a cannonball in the chest.

To Kevin’s great jealousy, only Sandy and Dee seemed to have a dismount with any kind of grace. The succubus came out with her wings extended and glided down safely while holding Sandy under her armpits. Once landed, the wings retracted quickly into her back. The portal began to shrink and then it suddenly changed color. Just before it disappeared, it spat something out lightly onto a tuft of grass.

Kevin groaned and crawled his way over to the tuft and gulped. His daughter Candace was on the ground, moaning pitifully, one hand was stroking her engorged sex while the other hand...

...Was rubbing along her pregnant belly!

“That bastard! I’m going to kill him!” Kevin shouted.

Candace did not seem to hear this, as she sat up in a daze. Her wings fluttered and in moments she was hovering. She drifted absentmindedly over toward the tree that Kevin had gotten so intimate with only moments before. With a great deal of effort, she lifted herself up toward the lowest tree branch and gripped it with one hand and her spread legs.

Kevin followed her and by this time was joined by Eileen. They watched as his daughter began to feverishly masturbate. There seemed to be a sticky substance squirting out of her puffy little pussy, it was coating the tree branch. After a few minutes it began to build up and layer. It didn’t take long before a shape took form. The cocoon was like a wet empty sack, but it did not remain so for long. At the opening, Candace pressed herself against it and let out a loud cry as she orgasmed. The orgasm lasted for a long time as her pussy opened up and what seemed to be a big wad of jelly plopped out and into the sac. Candace cried, bucked, and humped against the opening, the sticky juices kept spraying out and sealing the prize within. Soon, utterly exhausted from the pleasure and effort, she disengaged and fluttered aimlessly looking for a place to land and sleep. Eileen caught her in her hand, and Candace quickly passed out.

As Kevin’s and Eileen’s attentions were still on the fairy, they were interrupted by Sandy, who was looking around the forest.

“Uh, where did Caitlin go?”

Kevin’s head jerked frantically around, looking for his sister. The last time they had come to Mystania, they had been separated and it had created no end of trouble. He was about to panic when he spotted a pair of shoes on the grass not too far away. As he recognized Caitlin’s sneakers, a rustle in the trees drew his attention. He cried out as a shape flung itself at him, arms wrapped around his neck as the form did a spin around him, the momentum causing him to lose his balance so he hit the ground. There was a heavy weight on his chest, a warm fuzzy sensation rubbing against his face, and a loud purring assaulting his ears.

“Meerrrow!” Caitlin announced happily as she rubbed against him.

“Hey, get off.” He groaned.

“Is that all you can say big brrrotherrr?” Caitlin sniffed. “You meanie!”

“Christ, you scared me. Why did you wander off like that, why didn’t you wait for...oh!”

Kevin blinked; his sister had scooted back so she was now straddling his hips. Her exposed skin was coated with a thin pelt of fur. Her face was lightly fuzzy; her ears were pointy and sticking out of the top of her head. Her eyes were large and greenish, and her teeth had become quite pointy. She was still wearing her clothes, but her shorts had been ripped so they were hanging loose, with a tail that did not look comfortable in its confinement sticking out of the back.

“How in the world did you become a catgirl again?” Kevin demanded.

“Don’t know, isn’t it wonderrrful!” Caitlin purred, she quickly found that she was sitting on a quickly hardening lump that was Kevin’s erection and took it to herself to hump back against it.

“Stop that!”

“Mrrow, come on Kevie, sex up this horrrny kitty.” She leaned forward and lightly licked his face, her claws getting ready to emerge for the purpose of shredding his shirt off.

He put his hands against her shoulders and pushed, causing her to roll off toward his left. She let out an undignified meow at the treatment.

“Now isn’t exactly the time for that. We need to figure out where we are and where we are going.” He said sternly, quickly adjusting the lump in his shorts that was no doubt cursing him for his restraint. “Tome, what happened to Caitlin?”

She is a catgirl.

“Really, who would have thought. I meant, why did she turn into a catgirl now?”

She didn’t turn into a catgirl now; she always has been one. Ever since she ate the enchanted catnip on your last visit here.

“What are you talking about? She’s been human for the last year.”

Actually, she’s been a catgirl whose enchantment had lost its power to keep its form. You never did perform a spell to turn her back into a human.

“Yeah, but that one spell on the door at Mthule’s...”

Was designed to drain the magic out of its victim. The base spell was still there. It just needed to be replenished with more magic to be reactivated. There was plenty of that in Lord Som’s portal, didn’t you feel it flowing through your own body on the way here. It seems that Caitlin kept enough of it in her to trigger her change back into her real body.

“That’s not her real body!”

It is until you transform her back into a human.

“Christ, so...wait a moment. If the magic was only drained out of Caitlin, but did not break the catgirl transformation on her, does that mean that Sam and Cynthia...”

I’m afraid so.

“Boy are they in for a rude shock.” Kevin sighed.

“Uh, excuse me.” Sandy came up, with Dee on her heels. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what exactly is that thing?” She asked, pointing at Caitlin.

Caitlin, for her part, sat back on her haunches and began to lick the back at her hand with an air of indifference.

“She is Caitlin, don’t worry about it. We’ll figure out how to turn her back in a little bit.”

“Don’t you darrre!” Caitlin shrieked. “I love this body and I want to keep it, mrrr!”

“Yeah, but...”

“Let her stay like that uncle.” Aerin shrugged. “It makes her happy and she is much more useful this way.”

“Jeez.”

“Don’t be so put out, judging by the lump in your shorts, you approve of her form.” Aerin teased.

“You have no idea how creepy those words sound coming out of the mouth of a toddler.”

“Infant.” She corrected.

“Sometime, I’m going to ask you how the hell you are able to talk. But for now, I would like to know what it is that we are supposed to do next.”

“The final confrontation will be at the Well of Souls.”

“What is the Well of Souls?”

“You’ll find that out as we go along.”

“Gee, thanks. I was starting to miss your cryptic responses. There’s nothing like a good dose of confusion to get the mystic quest blood rolling.”

“I’m glad you approve.” Aerin flicked her hair in dismissal and turned her back on him.

A loud yowl drew Kevin’s attention back to his sister. Caitlin was struggling with her torn shorts and was trying to pull them down. She made good progress at first, but her legs were shaped a bit differently than a humans and was making things harder. Eventually she managed to fling the garment off.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Rrrow, stupid panties, why did I wearrr these anyway. Neverrr liked them as a human eitherrr.” Caitlin growled. Her claw sliced through the offending material, causing her undergarment to fall apart in shreds. She wiggled her hips, enjoying the freedom, letting her tail swish all around. The lips of her sex were not too obvious, being lightly covered with fur, not that Caitlin seemed to have any modesty at the moment for showing them off. Rather, she seemed proud of her body, and twirled around so the group could get a look at her firm rounded ass as well.

“Caitlin.”

“Much betterrr, don’t you agrrree Kevin.” She pouted cutely, sticking out her tongue lightly. “This is a lot less constrrricting.” She reached for her shirt.

Eileen came up at this point, still holding a passed out Candace in her palm. “Leave your shirt on.”

“Why?”

“You look kinda sexy in it.” She grinned.

Caitlin’s eyes lit up, and she glanced down at herself, as if contemplating. “Rrreally? It is kind of itchy though. I know!” She used a claw and cut through the material so that it hung only about two or three inches under her breasts. It made her look as though she was wearing a training bra. “Am I still sexy? Mrrr?”

“Mouth watering.” Eileen assured her.

Caitlin grinned and bound forward. She leaned into Eileen and pushed against her. Their breasts pressed together as Caitlin wiggled. Her furry face rested against Eileen’s neck and slid up, sliding the warm smooth pelt over her cheek while filling her ears with soft purrs. Eileen had been so taken aback by these actions that she nearly dropped Candace.

“You smell good. We’ll be surrre to have some fun laterrr.” Caitlin promised.

“You’re more aggressive than usual.” Eileen remarked, a little out of breath as she felt her heart start pounding.

“Catgirls are known for their sexually aggressive natures.” Kevin sighed.

Eileen reached up with her free hand and scratched Caitlin behind the ears; the girl’s purrs deepened and she leaned into the touch.

“She’s so cute and soft. I never got a chance to see her like this in person on our last trip here, no wonder you couldn’t keep your hands off her.”

“Uh, yeah.” Kevin blushed.

“No offense guys.” Sandy blurted. “But this is starting to get a little creepy.”

“Betterrr get used to it honey. Because arrround herrre, this is rrratherrr tame by comparrrison.” Caitlin said hautily.

Sandy was saved from further comment as a weak groan came from Eileen’s hand. Candace had woken up and was hugging her finger, curled up in a fetal ball. She began to sob uncontrollably.

Aerin grabbed hold of Dee’s and Sandy’s hands.

“Come, they are going to need a few moments alone, and I need to instruct you in the rudimentary applications of your gift.” She whispered, pulling the two deeper into the woods.

Kevin acknowledged their departure, but had kept his attention on his daughter. He stepped forward and took Eileen’s hand in his own, kneeling down before her.

“Candace.”

“Daddy!” She sniffled, looking up at his face. “What happened, how did I get here?”

“We found a way to pull you into Mystania with us, since we didn’t know where they had taken you.”

“It...It was horrible, so horrible. I’m sorry daddy. I’m sorry!”

“You have nothing to be sorry for honey. It was not your fault.”

“I’m sorry that I wouldn’t listen to you! I’m sorry I kept getting mad that you would seek privacy, that you were protecting me. I see now how horrible sex is and how you were trying to keep me safe from it, but I was nothing but a tease.” She wept, burying her face in Eileen’s palm.

“No sweetie, it’s not like that.” Kevin gently brushed his finger between his daughter’s wings. “Sex can be a wonderful thing, between two people who genuinely care for one another, it is one of the best sensations that can be had. I wasn’t trying to protect you from all sex, only that which you were not ready for.”

“You...you don’t understand daddy! I...I wanted it, I demanded it!” Candace choked. “The moment I had gotten out of the bottle, I could have escaped, but instead I...”

“Candace, you couldn’t help yourself, it is your nature.”

“I raped myself! I saw that thing and had to have it in me. I hated it, and I loved it. I wanted so much to stop, but I couldn’t. I had to have his nasty seed in me. I feel so...unclean.”

“I’m sorry Candace.” Kevin gently took his daughter into his hand. “I wish there was something I could have done.”

“When you need to be alone daddy.” Candace whispered. “I will obey. I don’t want to ever be impregnated. Never again. Not as long as I live.”

“Oh Candace.” Kevin sighed sadly and brought the fairy up to his chest, which she hugged as best she could as she continued to cry herself back to sleep.

* * *

Brian was flung out of the portal at an alarming speed to land face first in the only mud puddle in a two-mile radius. As he spat out the disgusting slime, it became obvious that this particular puddle had been used quite recently as a toilet by god knows how many woodland creatures. He pulled himself up and wiped the smelly crap off as best he could.

The first thing he noticed other than the smell and his own discomfort was that he was not in Crowley, but rather a forest of some kind. The only hint of human habitation was a plume of smoke in the distance.

“That fucking twerp lied to us. This isn’t home.” Brian fumed; searching around for the portal that had brought him. There was no sign of it, nor that of his sister.

“You have got to be kidding me. Jacey! Jacey! Get your ass out here, stop hiding on me.” He yelled, getting no answer.

This made him a bit worried. He had no clue where he was, but one thing he didn’t want to be at the moment was alone. He hoped the bitch hadn’t been sent home without him, that would really piss him off. Brian began to stomp around in circles, making several tracks around the puddle as he attempted to think about what to do next. On his fourth trip, something shiny caught his eye.

He waddled over to it and picked up a bronze ring with a red stone on it. He grinned; placing it on his mud covered finger. He wondered how much the thing was worth, at least he now had something to barter with. He absentmindedly began to rub the stone in the middle of the ring.

A plume of pink smoke shot out of the ring followed by a quick scream. A girl rolled out onto the dirt; she had long blonde hair bound in a ponytail and was wearing a harem outfit. The harem outfit looked like it fit more in a porn film than an Arabian setting. Brian took a few seconds to admire her taut bare ass hidden only minimally by the light pink gauze that was her outfit.

“Let me out! Let me out of here, let me...hey, I’m out!” She shrieked and then did a double take.

“Jacey?” Brian asked, recognizing her voice. “Holy shit, and I thought you dressed like total whore back home.”

“Can it fuckwad. This day has sucked so much balls so far and I don’t need any of your...” Jacey turned around...and froze.

“What?”

Jacey screamed and took off running. Alarmed, Brian glanced over his shoulder and found nothing. He frowned and chased after his sister.

“What the hell are you running from bitch?” Brian yelled. He prided himself on being a fairly good runner, and the few races he had with his sister, he was able to hold his own. This time however, she seemed to pull ahead much quicker. Also, for some reason, she seemed a bit taller.

“Goddammit, return at once!” He ordered.

Then a strange thing happened, his sister disappeared in a puff of pink smoke and a beam of light shot toward him. Brian let out a yelp as he thought the beam was going to hit him, but instead it poured into the ring on his finger and disappeared.

“What the hell?”

He lifted the ring to his ear and heard faint cries of fear and frustration from inside.

“No way.” He grinned and rubbed the stone, in seconds the pink cloud came out again and Jacey was on all fours in the dirt pounding the ground with dainty fists.

“I’m free again.” She turned around and spotted Brian. She screamed and bolted. “It’s back!”

“Oh come on. Return.” Brian held out the ring, Jacey was quickly sucked back into it. He rubbed the stone and once again she was planted before him.

“No!” She backed away.

“I can do this all day, so stop running already. What the hell has gotten into you?”

“You sound like my brother!” She shrieked. “You must have eaten him! You’re not going to eat me you freak!”

“I am your brother you stupid twat.”

“Don’t call me a twat, ass sucker!”

“Saggy cuntflap!”

“Butt pirate!”

“Dog fucking nympho slut!”

“Hey, you are my brother.” Jacey gasped.

“No shit. Who the hell did you think I was, Orlando Bloom?”

“More like Gollum, you freak. What happened to you?”

“What do you mean, what happened to me?” Brian frowned, but already he could tell that something was wrong. He had drawn closer to his sister, and noticed that he had to look up to her. She was at least a foot or two above him, which placed him about eye level with her magnificent breasts. As much as the sight pleased him, he had sudden doubts that Jacey had grown that much, proportion wise; she seemed the same as ever.

“Look at your hands.”

Brian brought them up to get a good look at them. “What’s wrong with them? Other than them being completely covered in mud and shit.”

“Lift up your shirt then dumbass.”

He glowered at her, but did as he was told. The shirt was a bit baggy, as well as his pants, which would have fallen off if it weren’t for the bulging muscles in his legs. He didn’t have time to contemplate that as he stared at his skin. It was green. It wasn’t a bright or cheerful green, but dark and dingy, like something your dog would vomit up after it gorged itself on fresh cow patties. The skin was also tough and callused. He had the feeling that he could pierce himself using a nail gun and wouldn’t get a sensation from it. With a growing sense of panic, he dropped his shirt and reached to look inside his pants. He breathed a sigh of relief. There was actually an improvement in that department, in girth and length, even if it was covered with a bunch of warts.

“Well, it seems like we’ll make a killing in the carnival sideshow racket.” Brian muttered, tightening his belt.

“Is that all you could say?”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of choice words to say, but right now, none of them do this any justice.”

“How about, this sucks?”

“That could work, although I don’t know what you’re bitching about, at least you’re still hot.”

“You’ve got that right.” Jacey said, pivoting her hips. “Although I don’t appreciate being put in these clothes. I’ve seen negligee that was less revealing than this. So what are we going to do now?”

“I’m not sure. I wish I knew where we were so I could think of a plan.”

As soon as he said this, Jacey stood upright with a jolt. “We are on the planet Mystania, currently located in Seepage woods, approximately two miles distant from the human village Ejac.”

“Huh?” Brian stared at her. “How the fuck do you know that?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure what it means.”

“Then why did you say it stupid?”

“I don’t know. I just had to say it, I couldn’t help myself. So don’t call me stupid, pipsqueak.”

“I’ll call you whatever I want.” Brian sighed. “I just wish I knew what it was that has happened to us.”

Jacey felt a jolt again. “We passed through the door of fate. It sent us to a place we needed to be for karmic retribution, in the forms required for achieving it.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Beats me, I just got that weird feeling again okay. This is really creeping me out.” Jacey whined, sitting on the ground with her knees tucked into her arms.

“Got any more of this mysterious information?”

“Like, no.”

“You had better not be lying.”

“Or what, ugly, gonna beat me?”

“That’s awfully tempting, but I seem to be able to suck you into this ring easily enough. Now then, what are we?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“You seemed to know that we turned into this because of karma whatchimacallit, so you should elaborate.”

“I was just talking out of my ass. I don’t know anything.”

“Hmm.” Brian had a sly look on his face. “I’ve got a little theory. I wish I knew what I was and why.”

“You’re a gremlin. On Mystania, gremlins are pitiful creatures whose whole lives reside around lying and stealing. They are despised by the vast majority of sentient creatures on this world.” Jacey answered, then shook her head. “Wow, what the hell? Pretty good description of you though, except you just got uglier.”

“You didn’t answer why though.”

“Sounds obvious to me, I guess the form just caught up with the function.”

“It’s your turn bitch. I wish I knew what you are.”

“I’m a Djinna.” Jacey shook her head. “What the hell is a Djinna?”

“It’s a female version of a Djinn stupid.” He shrugged, and watched her blank expression. “Okay, to put it in blonde terms, a female genie.”

“Really, cool!”

“You’re going to think its cool. I’ve got the ring that you’re bound to, so you’re my slave.” Brian laughed at her.

“As if.” She sniffed hautily.

“Oh, from now on I wish you would address me as your god figure.”

“In your dreams oh great powerful lord of filth.”

“What did you say?”

“I said that is not likely to happen, you ass god.”

“I have a feeling that wish is going to get annoying real quick, so I wish to revoke it.”

“What wish?”

“Nevermind.” He smirked. “It seems your going to be stuck with your little problem for a long time, but at least you’ve opened the way to help me solve mine.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“I wish that you would turn me back into my original form.”

Jacey let out a scream as visible blue streams crackled over her body like electricity. Her hand thrust out and shot a tendril of power toward Brian. He joined her screaming as bolts of blue energy traveled along him, sending him to his knees with the sheerest agony. Both of them convulsed and babbled as they were wracked by pain, until mercifully, it ended as the power fled.

Brian coughed out a wad of vomit that had stuck in his throat as he had been overwhelmed with the electric horror. Jacey was breathing out in heavy panicked gasps, having an effect on her chest that would have been visually stimulating had Brian not been trying to recover as well.

“What was that?” She sobbed between gasps, looking quite pitiful.

“I don’t know, but I can tell you what, I’m never going to ask for a bigger dick from you. At least I’m human again.”

“No you’re not, you’re still the same butt ugly pipsqueak you were a few minutes ago.”

Brian inspected his skin, realizing it was as she said. This made him very angry. “Hey, I made my wish, you’re a genie, my genie, so why the hell didn’t you grant it?”

“I’m as new to this as you are assface, I don’t know anything, except that it hurt like a bitch. Maybe you used up all of your wishes.”

“I’ve already used up more than the traditional three. Besides, the whole numbering thing is just for fairy tales, probably after the Christians intervened so the mind of the public is kept on the trinity.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Okay then, let’s test out your wish capacity right now. I wish to know why my last wish didn’t work.”

“Because it was beyond this djinna’s current level.” Jacey said automatically. “You bastard, you made another wish. It could have shocked me again!”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I wish to know more details about a djinna’s levels.” He ordered.

“The older the djinn, the greater the wish said djinn is able to grant. This is to guarantee by the time the slave to the artifact gains any kind of power; the more servile they will become. Each level is granted only by an extended amount of time in sync with a certain level of humility.” Jacey quoted and stopped.

“Okay, I wish to know what level you are on and what that entails.”

“I am on infant, as a newly born djinna. My power is restricted to answering questions, slight modifications to myself, and performing tasks involving physical effort rather than magic.”

“God damn, as a genie, you royally suck. I suppose that shock we got was kind of a backlash from asking for a power you could not provide. I wish to know how long before you reach the next level.”

“Approximately 100 years until next window, provided I have become more servile by then. If not, then the cycle starts again.”

“One hundred years. Dammit, I won’t be able to make you do anything cool in my lifetime.

“How the hell am I supposed to reach the next cycle anyway. I’ll be dead in a hundred years too.”

“I think genies have very long life spans. I think you’ll continue to live as long as you’re bound to your artifact. You’ll be forever young as you are now.”

“Well, at least there is one consolation.” She pouted. “So what do we do now?”

“There’s no use standing out here, let’s find some civilization. Surely there is someone that knows how to get this freakish curse off me.”

“And me.” She added.

“Whatever.”

* * *

In the middle of the night, Kevin woke up. Despite the slightly chilled and open air of the forest, he was actually fairly warm. This was thanks due to Eileen snuggling against him from one side while Caitlin was curled in a ball on his other. Kevin attempted to extract himself from the pair without waking them, but only halfway succeeded.

“Hmmm, wazza...” Eileen murmured in half-alarm, half-sleep.

“Shh, go back to sleep. Just a call of nature.” He said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead.

She complained a little as her body tried to shift to a more comfortable position, something difficult to do on the open ground. Eventually she drifted off back to unconsciousness. Caitlin, meanwhile, was like a log. Years of gym practice and overnight bus trips to meets conditioned her to grab sleep when offered even in the most uncomfortable of positions. One time she had even made a bet with Kevin that she could nod off while hanging upside down from the clothes bar in her closet for an entire night. It was well worth the five bucks he had lost to witness that, although it had given her quite a headache the following day.

Kevin stumbled his way through the makeshift camp. Sandy was passed out several feet from the rest of the group. Dee was sitting in a tree nearby, watching her intently. She glanced his way briefly with hungry eyes and lightly moistened her lips before she jerked her head back to watch Sandy again. He wondered how long it would be before the succubus would need to feed again.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Don’t need to. Sleep is just a luxury for my kind.” Dee whispered.

“You like her, don’t you?” Kevin pointed at Sandy.

“You should go back to bed.” Dee replied stiffly.

“I can’t. Where’s Aerin, I thought she was with her?”

Dee gestured down a natural path. Kevin thanked her and followed it. He didn’t really need to use the bathroom. However, something was bugging him, and he was determined to figure it out what it was.

After a few minutes of walking, he came upon Aerin, but wasn’t sure if she had saw him yet. She was sitting on an overhang above a small stream. Her legs were tucked under her arms, her head rested against her knees. She was rocking back and forth, making small sounds. It seemed as though she were crying.

Kevin stepped forward and sat down beside her. She did not say a word as he draped his arm around her and pulled her close. Instead, she buried her head into his chest and gave him a hug. After relying on her poise and information, he had almost forgotten that she was still in fact a child. He ran his fingers through her long white hair as soothingly as he could, feeling her sobs vibrate against his chest.

She was much closer to her mother than you realize Kevin.

At Tome’s explanation, Kevin nearly jumped. Aerin had by this time crawled into his lap and he was rocking her back and forth as she let it out. He hadn’t thought about her feelings. May’s death had left a hollow feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about it, but he never thought of how it might be affecting her, she seemed so cool all of the time.

The bond they shared was incredibly close. From the moment of conception, their minds have been linked. The mother shared the daughter’s power, and the daughter shared the mother’s mind. Even after she was born, the two were connected through a link, in sync with each other. No two people could know one another as best that they could.

Kevin nodded. He knew how that could be, just from his brief merging of minds with Eileen. But to have that kind of bond from the moment you existed and then onward, only to have one end of it suddenly snuffed out. He could not imagine that kind of pain.

Yet what is worse, is that she knew her mother was going to die. She knew that she could have done something about it, and so did May. Yet both of them acted out this cruel scene, because it served the greater good.

He wasn’t so sure of that. What was the greater good anyway? And what right did such a choice have to inflict itself on a child, no matter how extraordinary. A choice that brought unbearable loneliness and pain. He would watch out for his niece, he would comfort her as he could, and love her as his own, but he was a poor substitute for his elder sister.

Kevin was aware of heavy breathing, and the shudders of tears had ceased. Aerin had fallen asleep in his arms. As carefully as he could, he carried her back to camp. Soon, the child was nestled comfortably between the bodies of Eileen and Kevin, ensuring dreams that while not nightmares, were still bittersweet.

* * *

The following afternoon had them finally underway. The morning had been spent with Aerin giving Sandy some rudimentary training in the use of her powers. It hadn’t been all that successful, considering that although Aerin was a fount of information, she wasn’t a witch herself. Not to mention Sandy still had misgivings about her own abilities. It seemed that the magic of a witch was quite different than that of a wizard, and a bit more complicated to pull off. Apparently a witch operated by convincing elementals to do her bidding, and a witch’s strength was related to the persuasiveness in doing so.

As they made their plans of travel, Tome summoned up a map through Kevin. Aerin had marked where it was that they intended to go. The journey was not very far, at least in comparison to the distance that he had traveled the last time they were here. Aerin was quick to point out that what was lacking in mileage was more than made up for in potential hazard in the terrain they would have to cross.

On the plus side, as he studied the map, he began to make out features that he encountered on their last trip. He discovered that they were not far from Hope’s Calling and Mthule’s fortress. In fact, it was on the way. They could stop and have a chat with the elves and catch up to what had been happening in his absence. Aerin had no comment about the suggestion, and remained eerily silent once they had gotten underway.

The forest was gloomy; the trees had been stripped of their leaves and looked dead. Of course, it had been that way throughout Mthule’s reign and he chided himself on thinking that new growth would transform it in only a year’s time. As he was brooding about this, he heard a gasp from Caitlin.

The girl did not seem full of energy today, and she was avoiding the trees like a plague. Throughout the walk she had been clinging tightly to Eileen. Even Candace remained firmly rooted to his fiancé’s shoulder. Kevin followed the catgirl’s gaze and looked up. There was a sentry lookout, and the remnants of some elven architecture spanning the canopies of the forest. He hadn’t recalled seeing any structures like that outside of Hope’s Calling, but he hadn’t felt the tingle of the barrier surrounding the grove either. Not to mention the trees were just as desolate as the rest of the forest, something he was sure an elf would not tolerate.

“Is this it?”

Aerin nodded.

“What happened here?”

“Death.” She said, and would say no more.

“But...surely,” Kevin stumbled in further, looking for more familiar features. He was lost though, since the majority of his time in the grove had been spent in the underground enclave. “Maybe they are hiding underground.”

“Frrrom what?” Caitlin mewed. “I’m scarrred Kevin, something is wrrrong with this place. It doesn’t smell rrright. Mrow.”

“Can you remember the way to the palace?”

“I don’t have to, the offal of heavy trrraffic still lingerrrs. But, its old, and it shouldn’t be. Therrre is also something very rrrecent that I am not familiarrr with. It is faint though, as if whateverrr made it neverrr touched the grrround.”

“Lead the way.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We should keep moving, it is obvious that there are no elves here.” Dee cautioned.

“Can you be sure of that?”

“Well...”

“Even if there weren’t, shouldn’t we find out what happened to them?”

“Not at the expense of it possibly happening to us. I don’t trust this Kevin, this has my father written all over it.”

“Hmmm, well, Eileen, what do you think, pass or explore?”

“The elves of this grove risked and even gave their lives to aid you in saving me, can we do less if there is a possibility that some may still be here and in need of help? Besides, I want to find out what happened to Simela at the very least.”

“In that case we explore.”

Caitlin sniffed out the path and soon enough they were at the entrance to the underground palace. However, the way was blocked by boulder. By the sight of drag marks in the dirt and the fact that no moss or wear wedged it in place, it was obvious that it had been moved there recently, perhaps that very day. Kevin began to pry it off.

“That was put there for a reason.” Dee said. “Who knows what is living there now?”

“Maybe the elves were just hiding from something. They could be in there right now.”

“Your sister said that the scent was old, this was moved recently. It wasn’t elves that put that rock there.”

“Are you going to help me with this thing or not?” Kevin demanded.

“Your curiosity is stubborn. My smell is just as good as your sisters. There is something strong in the air though, something familiar.”

“Familiar?”

“I have come across it at my fathers castle, yet have never seen the source before. The fact that it lingers here does not fill me with ease.”

Kevin frowned at the boulder he was trying to pry, suddenly doubting the wisdom of moving it. As he was about to step back, a sudden force hit against the other side of the boulder, tilting it back. Kevin yelped and pushed against the rock as it slanted down toward him. It moved back into position but just barely. Something slammed into it again, then again, coming like a series of waves and hitting just about every pressure point the stone had. He couldn’t hold the thing, nor did he have time to get away once he let go. He had joked about the warnings on vending machines telling people not to tilt them lest it result in death, but now such thoughts were brought uncomfortably real.

The boulder came down, only to be caught by Dee, who flung it out of the path of danger as though it weighed nothing more than a mothball. He noticed she had taken the opportunity to turn demonic. She was tense as she waited to confront whatever was on the other side of the boulder.

There was silence, and Kevin got up only to notice a passage with a lot of darkness. For something that had been so insistent on getting out, it sure was taking its time now.

“Now what?” Kevin asked.

“I don’t know, but one thing I can tell you is that you are going to fuck me tonight. You’re wearing my nerves raw.” Dee gritted her teeth.

“Sorry.”

“Hey, I hearrr something.” Caitlin’s ears twitched. “Therrre is a lot of scuttling noise, and some buzzing!”

“I can’t make it out. Dee?”

“I have a sense of smell of extraordinary prowess, my eyes are supernaturally potent, and my sense of touch is such that at times I can feel what other people are touching, but my hearing is unfortunately ordinary.”

“Well, can you see something then?”

“I...” Dee paused, her eyes shifting to slits, then widening in alarm. “RUN!”

Something burst out of the hole at that moment, a lot of something. To say that it swarmed out would be the most accurate. The only sound made from the appearance was that of the wind hissing between the efforts of multiple pairs of wings.

They were women, at least mostly woman. They all had female parts, but had an added male part dangling between their legs as well. They were all bald, they all had kind of bat like wings, their skin was so pale you could practically see the inner workings of their bodies. Their eyes were huge and childlike. They were about twice the size of a fairy. However, what most drew Kevin’s attention were their teeth. Their teeth were quite sharp.

The first one out latched onto Dee’s arm, sinking its teeth deep into her tough demonic skin. She screamed and grabbed it by the neck and squeezed, the body popped off like a pimple and splattered on the ground. Several of its sisters took where it left off. By that time a colony of the things had made it out and more were coming. Kevin estimated at least a hundred. It was hard to focus since the things began to come after him.

“Allow me free reign Tome!” Kevin cried and hurled a spell of force at them, hoping it would work. To his relief, Tome was on the ball and was feeding him power. The spell pushed half a dozen of the things that had targeted him back into the cave to run into those coming out. “Feed a power source to Eileen as well Tome. Eileen, concentrate on building a shield.”

“I’ll try.” Eileen grunted as a surge of power was pushed into her body. She clumsily tried to build a barrier, but her concentration was shaky. She managed to get a minor one around herself before the creatures got to her, but was desperately trying to expand.

Sandy was panicking and was clutching at her stone, begging for help, any help. It must have been working because tufts of wind kept pushing them off course every time they tried to get close to her.

Caitlin was having a ball. Her fur was standing on end, her claws were extending, and she was yowling out a challenge. She dodged between the sweeping creatures with much glee, raking her claws against exposed flesh whenever possible.

Kevin was hurling spells as quick as he could, trying his best to keep the things at bay without catching the others in the crossfire. The creatures were pretty fast and difficult to hit. A scream distracted him from his battle and turned to see that Candace was being pursued by five of the things. It was all she could do to pump her wings fast enough to keep ahead. He was about to send a volley of fire at her pursuers when a small hand quickly snatched the fairy out of the air as she passed. Candace screamed in Aerin’s grasp, still trying to escape from those chasing her. Oddly enough, the five steered clear of the child. In fact, none of the creatures made any attempt to attack Aerin at all.

Kevin yelped in pain as something bit into his back. He reached around and yanked the offending thing off and flung it away as hard as he could. Only to have the fingers on his other hand receive a nasty nip from another one. Dee was at his side in an instant and grabbed it by its middle, squeezing hard and causing it to cough up his finger along with a sizable portion of its guts.

A piercing whistle blew through the air, and as sudden as they attacked, they backed off. The things flew into the trees, maintaining a distance from the panicking party. Others settled over some of the dying bodies of their sisters, cuddling them with big tearful eyes. Several immediately began having sex with each other as though they hadn’t just got done with a big fight. The wounded were carried away as they were touched and fondled and molested if they were fit enough. None of the creatures stayed alone, and preferred to stay in groups of three if not larger.

Kevin and the others watched these antics with bewilderment. Eventually, as though their group had been completely forgotten, the creatures drifted away until they could be seen no more.

“What the hell were those things?” Kevin asked, causing Dee to shrug.

“They were the fey.” A voice called from the forest.

Kevin whipped around, as well as the rest of them, to find out where it was coming from. But they could not see where it was hiding.

“They are those who cannot stay alone, a mutant breed which seems to have sprung in your absence D’hrrtv. Fortunately for you, they are easily distracted from a task at hand by a quick sonic whistle. That has made sharing a life in this world with them much easier.”

“Who are you?” Demanded Dee. “Show yourself.”

There was the sound of buzzing wings and soon the speaker was perched lazily on the overturned boulder. Her albino skin was almost glowing.

“Welcome back Kevin.” Moonbeam said. “Welcome to see the destruction that you have caused!”