Part 1
Protector of the Woods
Her cell phone rang early in the morning. Denise groaned in annoyance and groped sleepily for the troublemaker and answered the call.
"…Yes?"
"Boss, we just arrived at the forest and…" Her employee fell silent, afraid to continue speaking.
"What is it this time?" she asked, already expecting some shit about why her guys couldn't cut down the forest for yet another time.
"The vehicles are all covered in trees," she said.
"Sure, it's a perfectly normal thing in this forest, for fuck's sake!" she yelled and hung up.
It took Denise over an hour through the morning traffic to get to the blasted forest, where she found dozens of her workers burning her money by standing around. She opened the door of her car and got out. Her black leather boots came in contact with the muddy ground and stained her car as well as her pants.
"Great," Denise muttered, straightening her white blouse and black blazer. Not exactly the best outfit on a construction site, but she didn't have much desire to put on overalls. Those days were long gone. As she took her first step, she almost slipped on the ground but caught herself just in time, but she spilled her morning coffee and cursed even more. Immediately, her employees scrambled away, pretending to do something just to avoid standing around. In doing so, they gave a clear view of Denise Foreman standing puzzled in front of a vehicle. She trudged through the quagmire that had formed all over the site's floor. The mud continued to sully her boots and did little to improve her mood as she slithered toward her foreman.
"Morning boss," he said kindly, holding her to keep her from toppling over.
"Morning Tom, can you tell me why you guys are in the process of burning my money right now?" asked Denise indignantly, while still nodding her thanks to him.
"Because of this," Tom said, taking a step aside to reveal a view of one of the heavy work vehicles. Denise's mouth dropped open as she watched a tree grow out of the ground and snake around the vehicle as if it had decades to do so.
"'Tis a joke, I thought the fellow was exaggerating," she muttered gloomily, moving closer to the vehicle to assure herself of the tree's authenticity.
"Yup, definitely wood. How many are affected?"
"All of them."
Denise closed her eyes for a moment and cursed under her breath.
"Okay, I want you to free the vehicles and then stand by. Someone is up to their shenanigans here and I'm going to find out who!" said Denise, grabbing a machete from a metal box and heading into the woods alone. Her foreman's gaze followed her and he shook his head.
"I told you boss, keep your hands off the damn forest," he muttered to himself and reached for an axe himself.
Ifry sat on a high branch, legs crossed, cheerfully watching the chaos spreading below her. She had let the trees grow overnight and turn the site's ground into a mud bath. She laughed heartily as she watched some of the workers stumble through the mud.
"I hope they learn soon," she said in amusement, frowning when she saw a woman with long brown hair arrive at the site. She chatted briefly with one of the workers and disappeared into the woods with a machete.
"Looks like someone's out for trouble," she muttered, and dropped down toward the back. Ifry felt the wind in her ears as the ground got closer and closer and at the last moment spread her wings and landed on the forest floor as smoothly as a cat. She yawned loudly and stretched as she watched the woman through the dense forest. She wasn't doing anything yet that pissed Ifry off, even though the machete promised that might change soon. The woman marched stubbornly along the forest path, but Ifry saw that she kept looking around.
Can she sense that I am watching her? The demon thought, tilting her head to the side and stroking her chin. Ifry didn't look at the ground for a moment and stepped on a branch that cracked loudly underneath.
"Who's there?" the woman called angrily, turning in the direction of the demoness but unable to see her through the many branches.
"Shit," Ifry whispered, raising her voice, "Get out of this woods, you're not wanted here!"
"Did you make sure my vehicles are unusable?" the woman asked, squinting her eyes to spot Ifry in the thicket.
"That's right, this forest is under my protection!"
"Well tough luck, I got the order to cut it down and you caused me enormous losses, you'll have to answer for that!" the woman shouted and started running into the bushes. Branches with thorns got tangled in her clothes and cut them open. Denise lost her blazer due to a particularly unruly bush and, in revenge, began chopping the bushes small to make better progress.
"This forest is not your property or the town's, and if I were you, I'd get the hell out of here!" threatened Ifry with an amused undertone when she saw what the woman was heading for. The woman cut the last of the bushes with her machete and faced Ifry. Her face changed from anger to confusion when she saw Ifry's horn and the strangely colored eye, but immediately reconsidered.
It's just one of those weird cosplays that young people wear, Denise thought and took another step towards Ifry.
"It was you, wait and see! I'll call the police and then…" At that moment the ground sagged away from under Denise and she fell a short distance down into the ground. She cried out in fright as the earth towered over her and the machete landed clattering beside the hole.
"What the hell, what the fuck is this?" asked Denise, who could barely move in the small hole and was cramped.
"Oh that, yeeaah some of the spiders have taken up residence in this part of the forest and have built some traps. I guess you got caught in one of them."
"Spiders?" asked Denise fearfully, only now noticing that the walls of her hole were covered in fine threads and had already begun to cling to her blouse.
"Get me out of here now!" Denise shouted up, resisting the threads, but the small diameter of the hole did not make it easy for her to lift even one arm.
"Naa, warned you and punishment must be. I guess I'll come back when the spiders are done with you, see you around." Laughed Ifry and took a few steps, away. When she was sure she was out of earshot, she opened her wings and settled back into a tree to wait to see what the woman did. Nothing as it turned out in the next couple of minutes, but gradually the melon sized spiders came closer to the hole and cast glances into it from time to time. Eventually Denise noticed the spiders as well and her sharp cries were soon swallowed up by the forest. One of the braver spiders climbed into the hole and shortly after silence fell again.
"I guess she didn't feel like screaming anymore either." Ifry muttered, and after a short wait, let herself slide to the ground to peer into the hole. The spiders had finished their work and left the trap, Ifry even thought that one of them nodded at her. She looked after the woman and smiled in amusement.
"Always the same with you humans," she muttered, lifting the cocoon out of the hole with a flick of her magic. Denise was almost completely cocooned, only her mouth was free, showing a gentle smile. Ifry bent down to her and placed a hand on her forehead.
"Well, let's make sure you only come back here with good intentions, if at all," she murmured, closing her eyes.
That evening Denise staggered out of the woods wearing torn pants and blouse. Her long hair was disheveled and there were cobwebs stuck to her here and there. Denise had lost a boot and was looking around in confusion. A couple of her workers were still clearing the machinery from the trees and Tom stood by shaking his head. When he saw Denise, his breath caught and he immediately came rushing to her.
"What happened?"
"I… I don't know, I was… there and then… never mind, we leave this forest in peace, dismantle everything we return, the contract," she said and ran past Tom, who stared at her in bewilderment.
"But boss…"
She ignored him and continued walking to her car and drove away. Tom glanced toward the forest and thought he saw a figure sitting on a branch for a moment, but when he blinked, it was gone.
"Heh, cursed, huh?" he laughed, grabbing an axe again to free the last vehicle.
Part 2
A New Friend
The elf Rilliana ducked under a boulder and crawled into a crevice that she had noticed immediately upon her return to Celine's forest. The demoness and the little angel had protected the forest well all this time during her absence, but they seemed to have overlooked some supposedly dangerous places. Not that Rilliana was free of blame, she had also roamed the woods alone and her young self had never noticed this place reeking of magic. She now wanted to see for herself if this naturally formed dungeon was dangerous or not.
"Pretty dark in here even with my eyes," she muttered, briefly searching for a torch in her backpack until she shook her head and pulled out the flashlight. She was no stranger to the technological innovations that had happened in the world over the past several years, but still found it difficult to shed old habits. The flashlight illuminated the antechamber and Rilliana blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. She straightened her cloak and took a step forward. Her leather boot landed in a puddle and Rilliana looked down. The blonde elf saw her reflection. Spared by the ravages of time, her 25-year-old self still gazed back at her, even though she had already walked the earth for over 700 years. Her cloak hid a leather robe that would probably get her some strange looks from today's humans, not to mention what she was wearing underneath. A latex catsuit, a faithful companion in her time of loneliness. It reminded her of home and her friends, whom she hoped to see again soon. She shook her head briefly and focused on her task, finding out what all lived in this cave and eliminating dangerous. Rilliana drew Trisha's old dagger, which had served her well all these years, and strode into the darkness.
It wasn't long before she met the first inhabitants of the cave. Little pink slimes crawled across the floor, attracted by Rilliana's body heat.
"Sorry dear ones, but I'm not here for you," she said kindly, deftly dodging one of them as it leapt toward her. She planted her foot on the ground and it cracked loudly as the rock broke away from under her. Rilliana lost her balance and slid down. She tried to hold onto the rock and contorted her face as she cut her free hand on the rough stone. She jerked a rock away and it shot against her head with momentum. The last thing she saw was the ground getting closer and closer before she lost consciousness.
"Fuck," Rilliana moaned, weakly opening her eyes. She was plunged into complete darkness and even her darkvision only allowed her to see a few steps. Her flashlight had been broken and her dagger? Rilliana looked around the dusty cave floor in panic, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it lying beside her. She reached out her hand and suddenly the dagger was reaching for her!
"What the?" asked Rilliana, watching in fascination as tiny tentacles wrapped around her hand, "Are you a Mimic? Long time since I last saw one."
The dagger didn't answer her and continued to crawl up her arm. It left a slimy trail on her hand as it did so. Rilliana frowned when she felt no teeth trying to penetrate her skin, not that the Mimic could have penetrated her latex suit.
"Still a little young, aren't you?" asked Rilliana, carefully disentangling herself from the slimy tentacles. She gently set the fake dagger down beside her and looked around for the real one. Eventually she found it not lying on the ground, but stuck in her calf, and all at once she felt a sharp pain emanate from it as the adrenaline in her body subsided. Rilliana leaned back and grasped the dagger with trembling fingers. With a flourish, she pulled the blade from her flesh and groaned. Quickly, she placed her hand on the wound and let her magic work, healing her injury.
"Oooh, that feels good, I'm telling you," Rilliana whispered to the Mimic, who was still pretending to be Trisha's dagger. Rilliana stood up swaying, but suddenly her vision went black again and she quickly sank back to the floor. She cast another spell to give her head the relief it needed, and was about to heal her battered hand when her magic faded.
"Guess I'm not quite on my feet after all," the elf muttered, pulling out her backpack. In it she found the few rations she had left and nibbled on a cheese sandwich. She again noticed the mimic that had crawled up to her and seemed to want some of her food. Rilliana sighed.
"Okay here's the deal, I'll give you some of my food and you try to not slime my hand while I'm resting, alright?" she asked the Mimic and again no answer, "I hope we understand each other."
She placed half of the bread next to the Mimic and it immediately reached out its tentacles for it and devoured it.
"Mmh, bon appétit," Rilliana murmured and slowly closed her eyes.
She awoke from her slumber a little later and was relieved that her head was no longer buzzing. She carefully got up and looked around. There was no trace of the mimic.
It was probably taking a nap as well. Thinking about it, Rilliana shouldered her backpack and put Trisha's real dagger into its sheath. She looked up at the steep rock face and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. It was too steep and slippery for Rilliana to climb even with a healthy hand.
"Wait, my hand doesn't hurt anymore," Rilliana muttered irritably, raising her injured hand in front of her eyes. She laughed when she saw the mimic trying to imitate a glove.
"Didn't we have a deal?" she asked, amused, and was about to pull the Mimic off her hand, but stopped. Her hand no longer hurt and Rilliana could move it normally.
"Aww, thanks little… you wouldn't happen to know a way out of this, would you?" asked Rilliana, and she felt the monster squeeze her gently and guide her hand towards the darkness. Rilliana looked ahead and saw nothing but pitch blackness.
"I wish I hadn't broken my flashlight," she said, and as if on cue, her hand began to light up, casting a green glow on the surrounding walls.
"Hoh? I wasn't expecting that now." muttered Rilliana, holding up the mimic. The light illuminated the cavernous room and she quickly found a hole in the wall to crawl through. The passage was extremely narrow and Rilliana often had to lie on her stomach to get further. More than once she came to a fork, but with a gentle squeeze of her hand the mimic showed her the way. Rilliana came out in a large cave lit by crystals and heard the dripping of water on the floor. Stalactites and stalagmites had formed in the cave over a long period of time, and through the light of the mimic and the crystals they looked like the teeth of a monster, threatening to devour the elf. Rilliana walked boldly ahead, guided by the Mimic, and ultimately found what she had come here for. The heart of the dungeon. A crystal that rested on a naturally formed pedestal and glowed with a white light. It illuminated a moss-covered rock and shone on a small stream that meandered between the rocks.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Rilliana the Mimic, losing herself for a moment in the image that lay before her. Should she destroy the crystal now or take it with her this image would be lost forever and the dungeon destroyed, fortunately this was not necessary. Due to the natural magic of the forest far from evil, the dungeon heart created only peaceful creatures and Rilliana saw no reason to destroy the home of a few slimes and toothless mimics. She turned away and quickly found a way out. A bit more careful with the slimes this time, she made it out of the dungeon and raised her hand to protect herself from the glaring sunlight.
"Thanks little one, you've really been a big help," Rilliana said to the Mimic. She bent down so that her companion could just slide off her hand and not fall off. However, the mimic stayed where it was.
"You do not want to stay here, but come with me instead?" asked Rilliana in surprise, and she again felt the gentle pressure to confirm her statement. Rilliana shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, I think we can find a nice place for you on Celine's estate, maybe you can keep uninvited guests off our backs too," Rilliana said, smiling as she finally took the last steps home.
Part 3
The First Roadtrip
"Rilliana I'm not going in that!" yelled Trisha, crossing her arms.
"Babe… this is nothing but a carriage without horses," Rilliana said, tapping the roof of her old silver Beetle.
"Rilli… it's a piece of tin on wheels!"
"Well… we might as well take the Volvo," Rilliana said, a little disappointed, and walked over to the wider and longer black wagon.
"I'm not getting in that either! It's so unnatural! Why is it driving and why is it so loud!"
Rilliana exhaled loudly.
"Trish I already explained to you how a car works, but I really need to take you and Celine to see my doctor or you could get very sick."
"Then we'll just take the carriage!"
"I'm not taking the carriage around town! Trish please, if you don't get vaccinated then…" said Rilliana but she was interrupted by Trisha.
"What is vaccinating? Can't you do it yourself?"
Rilliana rubbed her forehead and thought about how to explain to her friend what had happened in the last hundreds of years of medical progress.
"Look… with a vaccination, the doctor injects…"
"Injects?"
Rilliana closed her eyes and tried to remain patient. She had prepared herself for having to explain some things to Trisha and Celine, but being constantly interrupted gnawed at her nerves.
"The doctor takes a teeny tiny needle and sticks it in your skin, preventing you from getting sick."
Rilliana knew this was an extremely simplified version of what was really happening, but she hoped it would be enough to convince Trisha.
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"I said no! I'm afraid of needles. I've been sick before and I haven't had any vaccinations. I'll just sit it out." said Trisha defiantly. Rilliana stared at her, stunned, and pointed to Trisha's ear.
"Trisha, you have a fucking piercing!"
"Where do you think I got the fear from!" said Trisha, turning to leave. Rilliana was about to go after her to stop her when Trisha suddenly stopped, rooted to the spot, as her sister blocked her path through the door.
"Trisha… get in Rilliana's metal carriage… now!" she ordered her little sister. Rilliana could almost see gears turning in Trisha's head until she finally made a decision that neither she nor Celine would like. She jumped to Celine's right side, only to rush past her sister as she tried to grab her, leaving a gap. Rilliana exhaled in annoyance and wanted to rush after her girlfriend, but Celine raised a hand.
"Go ahead and pull up the carriage. I'll go get her."
Rilliana had to stifle a laugh as she opened the trunk for Celine. The mage had used a spell to lock her sister in a petsuit and put her in a metal cage.
"Not a word!" hissed Trisha, at Rilliana, as her sister placed the cage in the trunk. Rilliana and raised her hands defensively.
"Hey, I just want what's best for you," Rilliana said with a grin and got into the driver's seat. Shortly after, Celine also got in with an amused smile and handed Rilliana a modified crystal that the elf and Trisha used to use as vibrators. Rilliana looked at Celine in confusion.
"Celine, I need to focus on driving, I can't play with Trisha too."
"Wait, what?" asked Trisha from behind. Celine shook her head and pointed to the cigarette lighter.
"Put that in there. The carriage will take care of Trisha."
Rilliana did as she was told and started the engine. The Volvo hummed to life and she applied the brakes. Suddenly, the women heard Trisha squeal.
"Celine! Ooooooh… what did… you do?!"
"Simple, I set the crystal, so that when Rilliana applies the brake on the carriage you get an electric shock." explained Celine, smiling at Rilliana.
"That's ooooh…so evil!" gasped Trishas, fighting the shock in her crotch. Rilliana shook her head in amusement. It was almost like the old days… only with more toys.
They headed out of the forest, toward town. As Trisha quickly discovered, stepping on the gas meant that the crystal in her crotch began to vibrate, depending on how fast Rilliana was going. What first began as an annoying on and off vibration for Trisha, with occasional jolts of electricity, became a flood of stimulation for her on the highway.
"Ooooh! Rilliana not… ooh so fast!" moaned Trisha, lying on the floor of the cage, orgasm after orgasm rolling over her.
"Oh sorry," Rilliana said, hitting the brakes, causing a sharp scream from her friend.
"Where did you get the idea?" asked Rilliana of Celine, who so far had said nothing the entire ride, watching the other vehicles with fascination.
"I was bored last night, so I read through the manual of this carriage," Celine said with a grin, sighing in satisfaction as her sister cried out happily once again. Rilliana nodded appreciatively, but her smile disappeared when her engine suddenly began to sputter and she lost acceleration.
"What the?" the elf muttered, pulling over to the right as she hit the gas pedal and nothing happened except Trisha started moaning.
"Was the magic too much for the carriage to handle?" asked Celine, laughing at her own joke. Rilliana rolled her eyes and got out. She opened the hood, but saw nothing that could explain why her car suddenly quit working.
"Celine can you please help with your magic for a minute, I…" Rilliana stopped talking when a tow truck passed them and came to a stop. A man got out and gave a friendly wave.
"Hey, are you stranded, ladies?" he asked with a smile when he saw Celine's impressive bust.
"Looks like it," Rilliana said, turning away from him and pretending to search for a bug in the shadows of the engine compartment.
"Oh, that doesn't look good at all," the man muttered as he looked over Rilliana's shoulder, "I could try to fix it for you, but it might take a day."
Rilliana's hackles stood up and she knew that was always a bad sign, especially when her almost brand new Volvo suddenly wouldn't go on.
"Celine now please," Rilliana said and Celine, hearing the slight panic in Rilliana's voice, barely audibly snapped her fingers and the car howled.
"Looks like we won't need your help after all. Thanks anyway!" said Rilliana quickly, slamming the hood before taking refuge in the driver's seat. The man looked at her in surprise and quickly jumped aside as the Volvo howled along with Trisha.
"Ha! He's looking pretty stupid. Could take a day, bullshit!" said Celine laughing.
"He wasn't here to help us," Rilliana muttered worriedly, looking in the rearview mirror. The driver had pulled out his cell phone and appeared to be talking furiously to someone.
Rilliana pulled into a compound enclosed by high walls.
"Rilliana, where are we?" asked Celine as Trisha alternately groaned or cried out in the trunk.
"This is a government facility for monitoring supernaturals. They're called DSO!" said Rilliana, turning off the car, which made Trisha breathe a sigh of relief.
"Supernatural? You're serious? It used to be normal." said Celine, opening the trunk to take her sister out.
"Yeeeeaah on the island maybe, but after you guys disappeared, magic became rarer and the rest of the world wasn't exactly filled with magic either. The DSO helped me out here and there, I did a few jobs for them in return." explained Rilliana.
"You work for them?"
" Occasionally, for that they don't interfere much with us and just make sure everything stays under wraps. And they help me with problems sometimes, like with you two." said Rilliana shrugging and escorted Celine and the on the cage floor drooling Trisha, into an office. A woman sat at a desk and looked up at them.
"Ah Rilliana, nice of you not to keep me waiting any longer," said a tall female doctor in scrubs, shaking the elf's hand with a barely noticeable smile. She had cut her brown hair into a bob.
"Lavender. I see you've been doing well these past few years." said Rilliana.
"The DSO needs a strong hand. And I'm on a good path to making it what it needs to be. Anyway, what did you call me here from headquarters for?" asked Lavender.
"My friend Trisha and her big sister Celine would need their vaccinations," said Rilliana, pointing to her two friends. Celine and Lavender also shook hands and then she looked amused at Trisha, who was still in a latex petsuit in the cage.
"I see she wasn't in the mood to come here?" asked Lavender, opening the cage to get a closer look at Trisha, "A shifter?"
Rilliana nodded.
"Would love it if you could let me out of this," the catgirl muttered, crawling out of the cage.
"Sorry, I have to assume you're in that petsuit for a reason, so you're staying in there too," Lavender scoffed, walking around her desk to a refrigerator.
"Soo, one human, one shifter… can either of you do magic?"
Celine raised her hand.
"So one mana rot… otherwise the usual," Lavender muttered, returning with two syringes. One of them glowed a silvery blue. She readied Celine's arm and injected both syringes into the mage, who didn't even blink from the stings.
"See Trish, it's not so bad. Celine even gets a second one since she's a mage." said Rilliana, stroking her friend's head.
"Mmmmmh, yeah, you're right," Trisha muttered, seeming to calm down as Lavender walked back to the fridge.
"Sooo, shifter… shifter… The usual…" the doctor reached for a syringe, "Then for worms, rabies, shifter madness, shifter rot, shifter hair curse, and of course red heat fever."
With each new illness, Lavender grabbed another syringe and rode it out on her table.
Trisha stared open-mouthed up at Rilliana, who just went wide-eyed, and Celine, who had to force herself not to laugh.
"So, I think that's all of them… which one first?" asked Lavender after she placed another syringe, this time for tail fever, on the table.
Part 4
The Lagoon
Rilliana drove Trisha almost all over the island until she finally turned off and drove along a narrow, barely visible side path.
"Rilli, where the hell are we going?" asked Trisha impatiently, staring out the window.
"To the beach," Rilliana said curtly, smiling.
"I see, and what am I supposed to do there, please? Try to hide my tail and ears all day? How am I supposed to go swimming?" asked Trisha, bracing her hands on her hips.
"Don't worry, this is a special beach, and I think it might be good for you to get some closure with your past."
"What's that about…" but Trisha fell silent as she spotted a mountain towering in front of her among the dense branches. Immediately her pulse quickened.
"Rilliana, what are we doing here?" Trisha hissed, turning her gaze accusingly on her friend.
"Vacation."
"Vacation my ass! This is Jinara's fucking prison!" shouted Trisha, pointing at the ruins in front of her as Rilliana finally stopped.
"Not anymore," the elf said, getting out of the car. Trisha followed suit, "After your disappearance, I've been working here, preparing for your return. Come, I'll show you."
Trisha frowned and picked up the backpack Rilliana handed her before following the elf.
"Rilli, I'm fine, I don't need to heal or face my fears or anything."
"Mmh, sure," Rilliana said, ignoring her friend as she examined the rock until her expression brightened and she found a hidden door. The elf opened it and crawled inside.
"Don't you believe me?" asked Trisha with a raised eyebrow.
"Trish you almost scratched my face last night when you were dreaming," the elf called through the hole.
"That could be from anything."
"You were yelling 'Jinara' while doing it."
"Oh."
"Absolutely right… oh, now get your ass in here before I pull you in by your tail."
Trisha took a deep breath, ultimately bending down and crawling after her friend. A hand fell into her field of vision and Trisha grasped it gratefully, allowing Rilliana to help her up.
"What are we doing here exactly?" asked Trisha as they walked along the dark corridors of the Old Prison, descending deeper and deeper. The walls still had the clinical white color from before, even if the ravages of time had gnawed at them.
"You'll see as soon as we get through here," Rilliana said, opening another door. She walked through and Trisha followed her a bit reluctantly, the fact that her friend didn't tell her what they were going to do here she didn't like at all.
"Rilli, I really don't think…" Trisha fell silent as she also stepped through the door and stopped as if rooted to the spot. A sapphire blue lake stretched out before her, lit by rock openings in the ceiling. It filled almost the entire room and was interrupted only by a sandy beach and smaller islands. The barren white walls had been knocked away, and natural rock had appeared in their place. Violet crystals grew out of it here and there, giving the lagoon a mysterious glow.
"What… what happened here?" asked Trisha, intrigued, walking toward Rilliana.
"As I said," the elf said with a smile, putting down her backpack and pulling Trisha closer to her. Pointing to the lagoon, she continued, "After you left, I returned here and wanted to destroy this place. However… I decided to turn the prison into something new. It took ages, but I think the work is worth seeing. So? What do you think?" Rilliana asked nervously, looking back at her friend. Trisha was speechless, the prison unrecognizable.
"I… I love it. I love you" she said with tears in her eyes and hugged her friend tightly. She gave her a kiss and when they parted their lips, Trisha was beaming from ear to ear.
"It's beautiful!"
"Hehe, come on, let's set up the tent," Rilliana said, walking ahead to the water.
"How is that possible? It would have taken Celine forever."
"You know that unlike Celine and Terra, elves draw their magic from nature. After I tore down a few walls, it was released, and well, it was a lot. Locked in Jinara's machines and walls." explained Rilliana as she unpacked the tent.
Trisha knelt on the beach and watched her friend swim.
"Why don't you come in?" asked Rilliana, standing in the shallow water. It reached just above her waist. The water beaded off her blue and purple swimsuit and dripped back into the lake as she put her hands on her hips.
"Well, yes, but what if we're attacked?"
"Attacked? From the few slimes that jump around here and there? No one knows we're here. This place is absolutely unknown. You do know how to swim, or did I miss something?"
"I do, but… I've never done it for fun," Trisha said, whispering the last part. Rilliana swam the short distance back to her friend in the black bikini and grabbed her hands.
"Trish we are here to have fun, now don't be a scared kitty and come on," Rilliana demanded with a grin. Trisha sighed and let herself be pulled into the water. It was lovely and warm and after the first few timid steps Trisha dropped into the water and swam after her friend to one of the small islands in the middle of the lake.
"This is so unfamiliar," Trisha murmured.
"Trish… it's been 700 years…", Rilliana said but was directly interrupted by Trisha.
"For you, maybe."
"Yes, but what I want to say is, we don't have to fight anymore, or be on guard all the time…"
"What about Terra, Caitlyn and this Jade?" interrupted Trisha again.
"Well, those are exceptions, but I doubt it will be much of a problem. Once Jade figures out where Terra is, we'll go and rescue her, simple as that. You're a top spy and I… what is this Maike going to do against us?"
"Mmmmh."
Rilliana and Trisha swam back to the beach and lay down together on a large towel in the sand. They watched the lake and the warm rays of the sun slowly disappear. The cave was now completely illuminated in the purple light of the crystals.
"It's still so warm," Trisha said, feeling over the sand of the beach.
"Yeah, it's the magic, too."
"I honestly thought you were planning something kinky again."
"Well, doesn't always have to be… but if you want, I could bury you in the sand."
"What?" asked Trisha, irritated. She had never heard of that before.
"Here, let me show you," Rilliana said, and with a flick of her hand, a large shallow pit appeared beside them. She sat down in it and offered her hand to Trisha. The shifter accepted it with a smile and they lay down side by side in the pit. Rilliana made another swerve and the sand buried them both up to their necks.
"Sooo warm," Trisha murmured as if mesmerized and began to purr. The first time since they'd been together again. Rilliana had missed it.
"Trish…"
"Mmmh?"
"I love you…"
Trisha turned her head to Rilliana and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I love you, too. And thank you… I think I can get some rest now, finally."
"We'll see tonight," Rilliana said, squeezing Trisha's hand under the sand.
Part 5
Worth it?
Chloe took a deep breath and stared at the sign above her. A rabbit sat in a pot of money and held playing cards in the air. At night the sign would light up to attract guests, but from what she could tell from the sign next to the door, they wouldn't open for another hour.
"The Bunny Pot, it's certainly worth the money," she muttered, shaking her head, "At least Ifry's restaurant is close by."
Summer had once told her about this casino as a joke, and Chloe had vowed never to ask for a job here, but here she was. With her nearly empty purse under her arm and barely a coin to call her own. Having been fired, she had no choice but to make a little money here to pay the next rent. Kim had offered to go to work herself, but Chloe had assured her that everything was fine and she should focus on her school. She opened the red door and knew right away why the casino was called that. A black-haired woman in a red bunny-girl outfit beamed at her.
"Welcome to the Bunny Pot!" she said, beaming and pulling Chloe through the door, "You must be Chloe, right?"
"Um yeah. I'm here for a job interview." explained Chloe as the Bunnygirl dragged her through the empty casino.
"Yeah, I know! But the boss unfortunately doesn't have time for that and said you're hired, should you be blonde, isn't that great? My name is Katarina by the way, but you can call me Kat! That's what all my friends do!" said Katarina, pushing Chloe into the locker room.
"Wait, I'm hired because I'm blonde?" asked Chloe, but Katarina didn't seem to hear her and kept talking like a waterfall.
"This is where we change, we usually come in through the side entrance too so none of the guests see us without our costume. I'll give you the key after your shift. Here's your costume, I hope it fits!" she said, pushing a basket into Chloe's hand that contained a blue bunny-girl costume, black tights and high heels, and fluffy white bunny ears.
"Your job will be to serve the gamblers. That's a lot of tips, should you act cute!" she said, hugging Chloe, who stood there completely caught off guard and did nothing.
"Um, I'll get it," Chloe said hesitantly, and Katarina beamed at her.
"Great! Come on, hurry up and get changed and I'll explain everything else before the first guests arrive! And um, best not to wear anything underneath, that will give you even more tips," Katarina said, winked at her and disappeared from the dressing room.
"How much salary… oh forget it," Chloe muttered, she had no choice anyway. She looked down into the basket.
"Well, maybe it looks cute and it's worth the money."
She took off her clothes and put them on the bench next to her. She hesitated briefly when she got to her panties and bra, but took them off as well when she thought about the next rent. Chloe carefully grabbed the pantyhose from the basket and tucked her smooth legs into them. They felt cheap, but Chloe suspected it was because of her upscale standards since she was wearing C&T products. She pulled the tights over her hips and took the blue bodysuit out of the basket, it felt a little better and Chloe had to grin when she saw the white pom tail.
"Come on, let's get this over with," she said to herself and put on the bodysuit and bunny ears. She took a quick look in the locker room mirror. She looked absolutely ridiculous, but she needed the money.
"It's worth it," she muttered again when she saw the stupid rabbit tail hanging just above her butt. Shaking her head, she walked out of the locker room where Katarina was already waiting for her.
"You look stunning, Chloe! Come on!" she said with a smile, pulling Chloe across the store again until they were standing in front of the bar, behind which a bored bartender stood cleaning glasses.
"This is Arthur. When a guest orders a drink from you, you then go to Arthur and he then gives you what the guest ordered."
Chloe didn't try to roll her eyes or tell Katarina she already knew how to waitress. She repeated her mantra in her head.
It's worth it. And instead gave a curt nod to the bartender, who did the same.
"Come on, I'll show you the gambling tables," Katarina said cheerfully, taking Chloe by the hand. Chloe was about to say that she could already see them when the casino door flew open and three armed people entered the casino. They were masked and came running right at Chloe, Katarina and Arthur.
"Hands up and empty your register!" one of them said, and Arthur's and Katarina's hands immediately shot up, while Chloe couldn't believe the stupidity of the robbers.
Why are you idiots robbing a casino that just has change in its cash register?
"Didn't you hear me, Blondi? Hands up!" another yelled at Chloe and she rolled her eyes and raised her hands above her head, "Go on, take care of those three!"
Chloe's hands were forcibly grabbed, clasped behind her back, and she heard the familiar sound of cable ties being tied around her wrists by the robber. He pushed her to the ground and was about to run to his colleague when he noticed Chloe's accusing look.
"What?" he snapped at her.
"Is that all?" she asked boredly, earning horrified looks from everyone present.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, irritated.
"Oh nothing, I'm just used to better," Chloe muttered boredly, turning away. He bent down to her and looked at her curiously.
"Well, tell me, what do you mean by that?" he asked, looking intently at Chloe. She rolled her eyes again.
"For one thing, you're robbing a casino, which has yet to turn a profit. You might as well be looking in my pants pocket for my wallet."
"But you don't even have a pocket," one of the robbers said, and Chloe could see that the others were just as big glowers as their brains rattled.
"For another thing, we can still yell for help, and you don't even have duct tape on you to shut us up."
One of the robbers slapped a hand to his forehead.
"I knew I forgot something!" he shouted and went outside to their car to get the tape.
"Besides," Chloe continued, "the restraints are a bad joke. I could just get up and walk out. And these zip ties are lousy for tying up. I mean, look at this!"
She tensed her arms and the cable tie snapped instantly with little effort.
"Chloe, what are you doing?" hissed Katarina at her, and Chloe shrugged.
"I make it worth it," Chloe muttered, and Katarina looked at her, stunned. The robber who had gone out came back with tape and Chloe buried her face in her hands when she saw that it was crepe tape.
"Is that your… no, I can't do this." She stood up and said gruffly to the robber, "You, come with me!"
Chloe led him into the locker room, where she reached into her purse and pulled out a roll of duct tape.
"I'm going to show you how to do this properly," she told him and walked back. She stood in front of Katarina and tore off several strips, taping them over her constantly talking mouth. She protested loudly, but it got quieter with each strip. Chloe next went around her and re-tied her arm cuffs, making additional coils over and under Katarina's chest so that her arms were pinned to her torso. The robbers nodded appreciatively, but Chloe wasn't done yet and crossed Katarina's legs before wrapping them at her ankles and knees as well.
"There, that should do it for your purposes," Chloe said, handing the opened roll of tape to one of the robbers.
"Now what am I supposed to do with this?"
"Tie me up, you idiot," Chloe said indignantly, crossing her arms behind her back.
The robber went to work under the mockery of his colleagues, tying Chloe up as she had just done to Katarina until he stood proudly over her.
"Better?" he asked, and Chloe nodded. He did the same to Arthur, and the robbers pulled him out from behind the bar and sat him next to the girls. Chloe got accusing looks from them, but Chloe didn't care. She was glad that the robber at least knew how to use duct tape. After their hostages were neatly wrapped, the robbers examined the cash register but found only change and they started cursing.
"Damn, that girl was right!" one of them said, shaking his head in disappointment, "All this trouble for that little bit of money!"
Suddenly they heard sirens coming closer and closer, and the robbers panicked.
"Quick, take the blonde and let's get out of here!" one of them shouted and stormed out of the casino.
Wait, what? Chloe thought as she was suddenly grabbed and roughly thrown over one shoulder, out of the casino and stuffed into a van.
Oh, shit, are those idiots really going to use me as a hostage now? Chloe wondered as the van's engine roared and the robbers drove through the alley. They started arguing and regretting their low gain, so they didn't pay attention to the street, when just at that moment a woman, with raven black hair, with a patchy blonde stepped out of a door. She looked toward the van, frowning, and Chloe immediately recognized Ifry who had appeared in the alley purely by chance. The two women looked into each other's eyes for a second and suddenly the driver lost control of the van and it crashed into a nearby dumpster. The impact knocked the robbers out of action. Chloe, however, frowned in wonder as the accident shook her but did not injure her. The blonde saw Ifry wink at her and disappear back into the house. The next moment, the car was surrounded by police cars. Chloe rubbed her face against the seat, causing her gag to fall off.
"I'll tell it like it is, boys, it sure wasn't worth it for you," she said cheerfully as a police officer opened the side door and lifted her out.
Part 6
Chloe in the Woods… Again
Chloe drummed on her steering wheel. The cursed forest lay before her once again, and she stared intently at the forest path. Chloe had taken today off from her horrible job at the casino. But alas, all her friends were busy and so she thought, why not kill time here. She wondered if she should go into the forest again to explore its secrets and magic. Even more so in broad daylight.
"What are they going to do? Put a steel belt on me again? Just because I want to have a little fun?" she asked aloud and got out. She grabbed her gym bag and locked her car. Chloe had recovered after her last adventure in the woods, and now she wanted to experience a new one. Maybe one without spiders and bees, but if they really didn't hurt her, she'd put up with even those, at least the bees. Chloe walked onto the forest path and stowed her car keys in her gym bag. The path wound between the bushes and Chloe thought she recognized the tree that led into the clearing. Or so she thought. Chloe passed it, however, and left the path at another point. A slight slope opened up to her, and she carefully slid down it. Arriving at the bottom, Chloe looked around nervously. Nowhere could she see the inhabitants of the forest, nor any other visitors from Leon City. She slipped her shirt over her head and her pants followed suit. Chloe stowed both garments in her gym bag, and she now stood in the forest all alone in a skin-tight spandex catsuit. Chloe attached another Velcro pouch to her thigh, hiding a small knife in case she actually fell victim to the spider webs again. She hid the gym bag under a tree and marked it with a red cloth.
"So, where did my adventurers hide?" shouted Chloe into the empty forest, but no one answered her. Fortunately, because otherwise she would have immediately started to go back.
Carefully, Chloe walked along under the trees, paying close attention to her steps. In fact, she managed to avoid the one or other pitfall of the eight-legged beasts. Chloe also kept looking up and occasionally thought she saw the melon-sized spiders.
"How the hell did I survive so many traps when it was nighttime?" she muttered, dodging a nearly invisible spider web hanging between two trees in front of her, gleaming in the light of the sun. She shook her head and continued walking through the forest in search of anything that could satisfy her bondage lust. She knew it was a stupid idea, but Ifry said the forest was actually safe.
"I wonder what Ifry is doing right now?" wondered Chloe aloud.
"She's working at her restaurant," Chloe heard a female voice say above her, and she whirled around, searching the trees.
"Who's there!" shouted Chloe, pulling out her knife and covering her body as best she could with her other hand. Although the spandex suit covered everything but her head and hands, she felt extremely defenseless right now.
"An angel," the voice said curtly, with a mocking undertone, and Chloe thought she saw a figure sitting among the leaves.
"Show yourself! And don't do anything stupid! I… I'm armed!" cried Chloe, holding the knife waveringly toward the leaves.
"Nope."
"What do you mean, nope?"
"You're armed, why, should I come out?" the voice asked, and Chloe knew no answer to that, "I think I'll take it from you, then we can have a decent talk!"
All at once, all alarm bells rang in Chloe and her body ordered her to run away. Something powerful was sitting up there in the tree and was about to pounce on her. Chloe sprinted off and jumped over one of the spider holes. She was about to prepare to land when her wrists were snatched out of the air and she was lifted up a step.
"Hey, let go of me!" screeched Chloe, looking up, but there was no one there. Startled, she realized that once again the vines from the creepers, had grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. The tendril that held her right hand snaked up to her hand and pushed the knife out of her grip. It dropped down and stuck vertically in the forest floor. Chloe tried her hardest to free herself from the vines, as these plants were not normally strong, but the being… the angel seemed to strengthen them. More vines snaked around her body and wrapped around her legs. Her arms were crossed behind her head and some wrapped around her skull, making her stubbornly look straight ahead.
"Get the hell off me!" cried Chloe again as she heard wings flapping and the creature landing behind her.
"Aren't you the thief who almost brought about the downfall of Terrestra?" the angel asked, and Chloe blinked.
"Please, what?" she asked. The tendrils spun her in the air and she saw a blonde woman before her, with a patch of black in her hair. A horn grew from her head and a halo shone above it with a warming light. Chloe recognized her from her last adventure with Celine, even though she had only seen the woman from a distance.
"You're Princess Phaelynia!" she exclaimed, and the woman giggled.
"Yaaay, you recognize me! But my real name is actually Phaelyn or Phae, that's what my friends call me!" she said, spinning on her own axis to show Chloe her gorgeous baby blue hoodie and her white skirt.
"Are you really an angel?" asked Chloe incredulously, and Phaelyn nodded, "Then what are you doing here in the forest? And why are you working for a company like C&T?"
"Short answer. Because I get really bored when Ifry isn't home! Working for Celine is fun and playing around here is too!" said Phaelyn, "You're here because you're bored too, right?"
"Well… yeah? Wait, you live with Ifry? You're THE girlfriend… a demon living under the same roof with an angel!" said Chloe, shocked.
"Hehe, that's right!" said Phaelyn, and as if by magic, she began to levitate to get to Chloe's eye level and looked deeply into the blonde's eyes.
"So, you're here to have a good time? Want to have some fun together? Maybe Ifry will allow you to spend the night with us and we can have some more fun like you did with Celine. Please say yes," the angel said excitedly, floating up and down in anticipation. Chloe swallowed, the angel seemed very friendly, but still she had the feeling that Phaelyn could pulverize her with a mere thought. And you don't deny a request to someone like that, do you?
"Um alright? What were you thinking about?" asked Chloe hesitantly, but had to smile when she saw the shining eyes from the angel.
"Hehe," Phaelyn giggled deviously, "That!"
She turned Chloe forward again and the blonde frowned when she saw nothing. Then a shimmer between two trees and she paled.
"Um, Phaelyn I don't think that…"
"Three, two, one, GO!" the angel interrupted her and the vines threw Chloe in a high arc towards the trees. Chloe didn't even have time to raise her hands in front of her face before she was already stuck in the spiraling spider web she had just circled. It stretched outward under her momentum, but held and swung back with her. Chloe was now stuck right in its middle, nervously looking around at the spiders.
"Yaaaayy hundred points… are you okay?" asked Phaelyn worriedly as she saw Chloe's face and guiltily floated over to her.
"No not really, last time in the forest I didn't exactly have the best experience with the beasts… oh shit." Chloe cursed softly as her voice failed and she saw one of the spiders crawling towards her. It had blue coloring and fluffy fur. The spider looked at Chloe intently but seemed to be waiting for something.
"Oh um, you don't have to worry though…", Phaelyn said softly and reached her hand to the spider, which climbed up and took a seat on her shoulder. Chloe's mouth dropped open, but she saw the angel's disappointed face and quickly pulled herself together.
"They obey you?"
"Well, a little bit, they're super nice, but they won't do my laundry," Phae said with a shrug.
"Do you want me to get you out of there?" asked Phaelyn but Chloe shook her head.
"If they're nice, then um…I'll allow them to…wrap me up for once," Chloe said hesitantly and immediately Phaelyn's face lit up anew.
"Yay! You won't regret it! It's super cozy and as soon as Ifry finds us, we're having a slumber party!"
"Wait, ‘finds us’?" asked Chloe before Phaelyn threw herself against the spider web, right next to Chloe on the other side so they were looking past each other. The spider hopped off Phaelyn's shoulder at the last moment and immediately began its work. It changed sides and approached the nervous Chloe. A purple liquid dripped from its teeth.
"Phaelyn!" shrieked Chloe.
"Stop!" the angel shouted and the spider looked up at her, "Start with me so she can see you're harmless and abandon the anesthetic. I want someone to talk to."
Chloe thought she saw the spider raise her little arms, as if to say, okay boss, have it your way, and to her amazement the spider began to wrap around the angel. She put Phaelyn's legs together and made silk shoot out of her butt. She wrapped her bare feet first and worked her way up. Reaching her waist, the spider paused and took the angel's hands and pressed them to her side before continuing, giving the angel a slender waist. Her torso and head followed, and in no time Chloe could only see Phaelyn's mouth and eyes.
"Wow," was all Chloe could say, and Phaelyn grinned.
"Thank you, little spider; Chloe, are you ready?" she asked and Chloe swallowed and looked up at the spider who was calmly waiting for Phaelyn's command.
"B… but slowly… please." the blonde mumbled. The spider nodded, as if it understood, and crawled to Chloe's side. She felt the hairs stroking her catsuit, and she had to pull herself together not to laugh out loud or scream. She wasn't sure what was appropriate at this point. As before with the Angel, the spider worked its way up from the bottom, gluing Chloe's legs together with its sticky and wet threads. Chloe felt the threads drying quickly in the air, becoming tighter as they did so. It gently removed her left hand from the net and hastily taped it to her side. It did the same with her other, wrapping Chloe fully. The strings gave her a perfect hourglass figure and gently squeezed her. Chloe also felt herself getting pleasantly warm. The spider crawled back up onto Phaelyn's shoulder and looked down at Chloe expectantly.
"Is something wrong?" asked Chloe nervously.
"She's waiting for you to say thank you."
"Ohh, uh, thank you?" said Chloe, watching the spider bow and disappear over the web into the trees. Chloe shook her head, this was probably the wildest bondage adventure she'd had, and she couldn't tell anyone. Not that anyone would believe her.
"Hey Phaelyn?"
"You can call me Phae if you want."
"He… okay Phae, Ifry has told me a lot about herself, but nothing about your time together. What were you guys doing here?"
"Hihi, let me tell you about a story when Ifry and I were enemies…"
Ifry landed, with Vanessa in his arms, in the evening, in front of her cabin.
"Wow, you're so fast!" laughed Vanessa, while Ifry frowned when she saw that there was no light in the hut.
"Yeah, years of training, um, can you go in for a minute? I'll just have to go find Phaelyn, I'm sure she's somewhere in the woods or with our neighbors."
Ifry opened the door and let Vanessa into the cabin.
"In the woods!" said a voice behind them and they both turned to see a tall red-haired woman.
"Evening Celine," Ifry said, taking a step backward in awe. She saw that there were two cocoons floating behind the mage, wriggling happily.
"Um, is that Rilliana?" Ifry asked, pointing at the bundle with blonde hair and no halo.
"'Nah, Phae's overnight visitor. Have a nice evening and I'd like the silk when they're done with it," said the mage, striding away.
"Um, sure. Good evening," Ifry said but then added, "Hey Celine, do you want to come in too? I was just about to make Vanessa and myself some tea."
Celine stopped dead in her tracks and turned to the demons.
"Between Friends?" she asked, and Ifry nodded. A soft smile played around Celine's lips.
"I would love nothing more," Celine said, and for the first time Ifry saw not Celine, the powerful mage and inventor, but only Celine.
Part 7
Celine’s Closet
Celine yawned loudly and blinked as the morning sun shone into her room and blinded her. She held her hand protectively in front of her face and flipped aside her bedspread. Revealed was a babydoll lingerie made of red sheer fabric that hung loosely from her shoulders. Celine swung her legs out of her bed and stood up. She stretched and went to her closet, from which hung a robe, also red, which she threw on and fastened around her waist with the cloth belt. A smile graced her lips as she heard a soft groan from behind her closet and she opened its door. She revealed a few of her dresses shifted left and right as her four favorite slaves, Rilliana, Trisha, Ifry and little Phaelyn stood in the middle of the closet. Her slaves were all wearing sexy lingerie like her and looked adorable in it. They were all neatly tied to the clothes rail and visibly exhausted after being forced to stand in one place in the dark for several hours. Celine put her hand under her chin and looked questioningly at her charges, who looked up at her weakly and moaned into their cloth gags.
"I wonder what I'm going to wear today?" the mage muttered, pushing Rilliana aside so that she was thrust into Trisha and they both mumbled something into their gags. She pulled out a black dress and lifted it to her body.
"Ifry, what do you think?" she asked the demoness almost casually, but Ifry looked away shyly and buried her red head in her arms.
"Mmh Phae?" asked Celine, and the angel nodded in agreement, though she would prefer to sleep.
"Good angel," Celine said, tossing the robe onto a nearby chair and yawning loudly, "I think I'll lie down for a while more. Come, Phaelyn, you may keep me company."
She untied the ropes holding Phaelyn's arms up and pulled her to her bed as she closed the wardrobe with a dull sound. She could hear the grumbling of Trisha, Rilliana, and Ifry, but she almost didn't care a bit when she saw the angel lying on the bed in front of her. Phaelyn looked up at her from wide eyes. She didn't dare remove her gag, nor untie the ropes around her wrists. Celine walked around the bed and lay down in it. She pulled the angel to her as if she were a stuffed animal, and pulled the blanket over them both. Phaelyn squealed happily into her gag and blushed.
"Nice and warm, isn't it?" whispered Celine in Phaelyn's ear, and the angel mumbled something unintelligible into her gag. She closed her eyes, enjoying the fact that she could finally give her body some much needed rest. Celine's body and blanket warmed her and within a short time the angel was in the realm of dreams while Celine gently stroked her head. The moaning from the closet was like music to both their ears.
Part 8
Phaelyn's Harem
Phaelyn tied the bow of the last gift. The packages stood innocently in a row in front of her and the angel smiled sinisterly down at them.
"We're going to have a lot of fun together soon," Phaelyn murmured, hearing the door to her home open.
"Phae? Are you at home? Why is it so dark in here?" called Ifry into the hut. Phaelyn quickly let all but one of the presents fly out of the hut and brought a cube-shaped package into the living room to her friend.
"Hey honey, what were you doing here in the dark?" asked Ifry again, taking her friend in her arms.
"I made a gift for you!" the angel said, beaming, and handed Ifry the one cubic meter (3.28ft) package.
"A gift for me? You shouldn't have!" said Ifry smiling and taking the package in her hand.
"Nonsense! It's always necessary! Come on, you have to open it!" said Phaelyn tensely, hopping from one leg to the other. Ifry hesitated for just a moment, but she didn't sense Celine's presence anywhere, so it wasn't a prank by them this time. She pulled on the loop of the package and undid the knot. The box flipped open to reveal a square box of shiny black latex.
"Phae, what is this?" asked Ifry curiously, bending down to get a closer look at the cube.
"Your prison?" asked Phae innocently.
"'My, what?" asked Ifry, suddenly being shoved into the cube by the angel. The demoness slid effortlessly through the walls into the interior. The latex walls were transparent from the inside, so she could see the angel stick out her tongue and wave before exiting the hut. Ifry pushed against the walls, but they now would not let Ifry escape.
"Phae let me out of here right now!" her face flushed red yelled Ifry, after the angel, but she was already over the hill on her way to her next destination.
Rilliana was pouring a cup of tea for Celine and Trisha when there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, are we having company?" she asked, thinking directly of her neighbors Phaelyn and Ifry. Smiling, she went to the front door and opened it, but no one was there. Only a pink football-sized gift lay on the door mat. A note was attached to it, written in felt-tip pen:
From: Phaelyn
To: my dearest friends
"Awww, Phae. Thank you!" exclaimed Rilliana, hoping that the angel who had already fled could still hear her. The elf picked up the package and took it into the living room with her tea. Celine was lying on her sofa reading a book, while Trisha was brooding over a map, pondering the latest information about Terra's disappearance. They both looked up when Rilliana came into the living room with the gift under her arm.
"Oh, who's it from?" asked Celine curiously, sitting up.
"From Phae. She was nowhere to be seen, though. Maybe she has more presents to give out."
"Haha, she was probably just too shy to give us the gift in person," Trisha said laughing and shaking her head, "Too innocent and cuddly for this world."
"Go on, open it," Celine said excitedly as Rilliana placed the package on the table. She pulled the bow and the walls of the package folded apart. Revealed was a pink ball.
"What's this supposed to be?" asked Trisha, and Celine's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Oh, no," she whispered suddenly, her eyes wide and she rushed off the sofa.
"What's wrong?" asked Rilliana as at that moment the ball exploded with a bang. A pink sticky substance spread all over the living room with a blast, sweeping Rilliana, Trisha and Celine along with it. The whole floor and ceiling were covered with the rubbery mass and the three ladies were stuck to the walls. Only their eyes and noses had remained free, but their mouths were firmly glued shut. Any movement was swallowed by the trap and pulled back to the wall.
Too innocent and cuddly for this world. What Trisha? Thought Celine, giving her sister a scowl.
"Chloe?"
"Yes?"
"Did you order something?" asked Kim, coming into the living room with a package in her arms.
"Not really," Chloe said, looking up exhausted. She had just gotten back from work and was lying half-dead on the sofa, "Who's it from, C&T again?"
Kim looked at the name written on the package.
"Phaelyn… oh, that nice half blonde girl we had to rescue at the C&T event?"
"Yup that's the one. A really nice angel. You should date her sometime, I think you guys could be good friends." said Chloe, accepting the package. She opened it and frowned when she saw four metal pucks inside.
"What's this?" asked Kim curiously as a light flashed on the pucks and they flew out of the package all at once. The two sisters stumbled back.
"Those could be drones, maybe something really new from C&T?" muttered Chloe as the pucks flew around the siblings and seemed to scan their bodies.
"And what are they doing?" asked Kim, and immediately her question was answered as red tape shot out of the drones and wrapped around both of their wrists. With a jerk, the drones flew across and behind the women, pinning their arms tightly under their breasts.
"Chloe!" shouted Kim with growing panic in her voice as the four drones flew circles around them.
"Don't worry Kim, it's just a mmmMMH!", at that moment one drone flew over Chloe's mouth and sealed it shut. The other one pulled her legs together and Chloe lost her balance, falling onto the sofa. Kim shared her fate within seconds and crawled to her sister. The drones landed neatly back in the box, leaving the head-to-toe wrapped women wriggling on the sofa. Kim moaned into her gag and rested her head on Chloe's shoulder. She saw how calm her sister was and that she was obviously enjoying being wrapped up. Kim forced herself to breathe quietly and closed her eyes under Chloe's watchful gaze.
Summer's cell phone vibrated. She pulled it out and began to smile.
"Hey guys, presents just arrived for us!" she told the puzzled looking Ava, Tea and Caitlyn.
"Wait gifts? From who?" asked Ava.
"From our dear friend Phaelyn," Summer said, and went to the door to pick up three packages and put them in the living room.
"From Phae? Why? And why only three?" asked Caitlyn with a furrowed brow as Summer placed the blue gift in front of her.
"I'll get mine later," Summer said calmly, sitting down across from her three friends, "Come on, what's in it?"
"Always so impatient," Tea muttered, joining Caitlyn and Ava in opening the packages. The lids were lifted and the women looked at metal disks in each of their packages.
"What's this?" asked Ava, reaching out to touch it. But before Ava could touch them, all the metal disks popped out of their boxes at once and the three women recoiled as Summer, observed with a smirking what was now unfolding. Ropes shot out from underneath the metal disks and wrapped around the three women like tentacles. It all happened so fast that they had no time to react and from one moment Caitlyn, Ava and Tea were wrapped in ropes from their shoulders down to their feet. The metal sheaves sat down on their stomachs and tightened the ropes. All three stared first at the metal and ropes and then at Summer, who stood in front of them as if she had just told the biggest joke ever.
"Summer… what is the meaning of this?" asked Ava quietly as her eyebrow began to twitch.
"Performing a little favor that Phae asked me to do, she's so shy, you know?", Summer said business-like, laying Caitlyn and Ava on the sofa. She lifted Tea into her arms and walked to her van to load up her captives.
"You'll get that back, honey!" said Tea, and Summer nodded.
"I'm counting on it. But might be a while before you get the chance. Phae has something big planned and we still have to pick up Chloe and Kim" Summer said, winking, and tied Tea to the floor of the van.
Summer drove her van into Celine's clearing. All of her friends were crammed into the back of the van, grumbling the entire ride.
"It's okay, we're here now!" said Summer, opening the van doors. Immediately, all of Summer's occupants were staring at her, some curious, some angry and accusing.
"Hey, it wasn't my idea, Phaelyn is the bad guy here," Summer defended herself, suddenly sensing someone standing behind her.
"I thought I had a little more time," Summer said, a drop of sweat rolling down her temple.
"Pff, you've done your job and now you get your reward," Phaelyn said playfully and it clicked softly as she cuffed Summer.
Phaelyn closed the van door and exhaled in satisfaction. She had done it. All her friends, helplessly at her mercy and safely tucked away in Celine's dungeon. She walked down the stone stairs to her guests and could already hear the groans from them from above.
"Hey my dears!" she said, beaming, as she turned the corner and walked into the cell where all her prisoners lay on a massive mattress. Phae had given them different colored, latex sleeping bags and matching ball gags. The women crawled over each other like caterpillars and looked up at their mistress in exhaustion.
"I know, dear ones, I've kept you waiting long enough. Princess Phaelyn is here for you now!" she said and sat down in their midst only to be knocked over by the others in the next moment. Phaelyn started laughing as they threw themselves on her and started cuddling her. Ifry sat a bit apart with Celine and watched the spectacle. She could sense a great joy in each of the women like she had never experienced before. Celine nudged against Ifry's shoulder and the demoness looked up at her. The mage lifted her chin and seemed to be asking Ifry to do something. At first the demoness didn't understand and frowned, until it occurred to her that she could see inside Celine's mind for the first time. The mage had lowered her mental walls and allowed Ifry to enter her thoughts.
"Thank you," the mage said to Ifry, and a smile broke out from under her ball gag. The demoness' eyes grew moist and she nodded to Celine before doing her best to hide her tears.