[Susceptible]

[Susceptibility] was a skill that most people looked down upon, but that was simple because they had no idea what one could do with it if they really tried, at least as far as Talia was concerned. Talia was by and large rather pleased with the results of a lifetime of effort, of course at level 57 she wasn’t the highest level person around, but she was fairly high up there and she could take pride in having accomplished something that most people considered impossible. Made a functional combat style out of the skill [Susceptibility]. She had started with drunken brawling, a remnant of her embarrassing childhood and quickly gained the rather looked down upon class of [Barroom Brawler], it was however a combat class and she could make use of that. As she hunted monsters and honed her skills she had come across a method that worked far better for her than alcohol. Hypnosis, she had been skeptical of course at first but it had worked, and through study and great effort she could still use her skills that relied on her being inebriated or in altered states of mind while hypnotized. As such eventually her efforts had evolved her class into its current [Hypnotizing Fist]. A class that as far as she knew nobody had ever heard of, she told most adventure groups she worked with she was a monk as it was easier to avoid the explanation that no she was not some variant of the terrifying [Mind Mage].

 

But it went so far beyond that. She pulled open her Sheet and glanced over it, she was getting closer to level 60 and her next skill, she could feel in her bones it would be a good one.

        [Name]: Talia Em’Firel
        [Race]: rabbit-demihuman

        [Age]: 41

        [Level]: 57  336/24556
        [class]: [Hypnotizing Fist]

        [skills]: [Susceptibility] [Tispy Sway] [Drunkard’s Luck] [Mesmerizing Twist] [Tranquility of Trance] [Hypnagogia] [Sublimation of Serenity]

 

The campfire crackled and she picked up a stick to poke at it, her other party members were fast asleep. The rabbit-kin had taken last watch, not that there was much to see out here in the desert. Her party was resting at the base of a dune to shelter from the wind, they had accepted a job to head out to find some old ruins that had been buried under the sand for centuries, it was reported that they had recently been uncovered by the shifting sands and the [Scholars] were all a buzz about it. Of course as adventurers she and the party she had teamed up with for this task were excited too, after all old ruins tended to mean treasures, magical artifacts all of which were honey to the lot of vagabonds that took strange tasks for coins. So of course a party of fairly high ranking adventurers had been chosen and sent to check it out, poke around, clear out any traps and monsters. Then report back so the far less combat inclined [Scholars] and [Archeologists] can come out here and poke around at the old rocks.

 

Slowly she stretched her arms over her head, it was gonna be a cakewalk, everyone here was over level 50 and were all decently well known even if they had never worked together before they were all known to the rabbit-kin by reputation at least. Alister the [Radiant Knight] was by all accounts the stereotype of the noble knight; dashing, handsome, chivalrous and a shameless flirt. Mira the [Cunning Alchemist] was almost as famous for her business sense as her ability in battle, and she always seemed to have the right potion for a problem. The third member of their little group was the diminutive rat-kin Chree the [Deft Delver] who according to rumors was an expert in delving ancient ruins and made a career of finding and selling ancient forgotten treasures. Rounding out the group was of course Talia the [Hypnotizing Fist] a mercurial (and beautiful) rabbit-kin with soft white hair and a tantalizing figure. She dressed herself in flowing silken wraps with metal rings and charms dangling from them. As she moved they would flow and jangle and help enforce the mind altering effects of her skills both on herself and her opponents. 

 

Slowly she whittled away the hours by keeping an eye on the horizon and poking the fire to keep it burning low enough that they could wake it up and cook breakfast, but not so large as to draw unwanted attention from the kind of beasts that roamed the sands. After a few hours and once the sun started to come up everyone started to stir, there was a bit of chatter, some quips traded back and forth.

“Well if Chree can’t handle the traps we can always push Alister into them!” The alchemist laughed. The Blond man just shook his head, the light smile on his face never faltering as he let the gentle ribbing from the alchemist wash over him.

 

“Oh come now! I’m more than happy to put myself in danger to spare a fair maiden such as yourself! I’d hate to have you break a nail my lady!” Earning him a scoff from the alchemist and a little handful of sand thrown his way.

Talia stayed quiet, she wasn’t the most chatty creature on the best of days and especially with new people, she was content. The [Hypnotizing Fist] reached down for the gourd that sat on her hip popped the cap and took a swig from her bottle, she knew she had a bit of a reputation as a heavy drinker, and so it was no wonder that her party thought she had booze in the gourd.

“On the sauce already Talia?” The knight asked, she didn’t think he was being anything but friendly but still the comment irked her just a little bit. She just gave him a smile, “we work with what we have don’t we?” It's not like it was a secret she had started with the ‘cursed’ skill [Susceptibility]. Not everyone started with something incredible, and far more often it was those that were willing to put in the work that made it to the big leagues over those that were born with talent and luck. Slowly the group worked through their morning activities and packed up the camp, Chree had the map and was pointing out the path they should take through the dunes to get where they needed to go. The rabbit-kin like Chree, at least they were professional and quiet compared to the other two who couldn’t stop flirting for five minutes.

A few more days passed in a similar way, light banter between the group members, mostly the two social butterflies Alister and Mira, but Chree and Talia joined in here and there. On the eve of the eighth day since they left town they found their mark. 

 

The ruins were partly buried in sand of course but they could see the intricate carvings and murals that were for some reason only partly eroded by the desert sands and time. It was rare for carved stone to stay its shape for hundreds of years without maintenance and Talia could only guess that they had been made with some very high level [Stone Carving] related skills. The doorway into the depths of the ruins was dozens of feet tall, even half buried in sand. They made camp in the entrance of the temple and planned to delve into its depths come morning. Everyone was excited as there was a pretty solid chance they found some rare artifacts or valuables in the delve and even if they didn’t there was a heft payout waiting for them back at town once they were done here. There was no doubt among the four that they would have no trouble here. 

 

Talia took the first watch and once everyone fell asleep she wandered over to the temple running her fingers over the wall tracing the carving, what was this mural depicting? Her fingers traced one of the crude carvings of a creature. It was a humanoid with a long tail for a lower body… Lamia? They could be dangerous and were native to that desert but why was there lamia carved into the walls of the temple? She wasn’t the most learned of people after all she had spent most of her youth drinking and partying. Slowly she brushed her hand along the mural trying to feel out what it depicted but most of it was too eroded to understand. She wondered what this ruin was for, was it a temple? A palace? A military fort? She couldn't quite determine it on her own, and would leave such a determination to the [Archeologists], white it was interesting it affected her not at all save for what kind of traps and layout they might find inside. Slowly she moved back over to settle by the camp while the others slept, she took a breath and felt her own skills wash over her, quieting her thoughts.

 

[Tranquility of Trance] was a skill she had originally overlooked when she had received it, but over time she had come to understand that it was one of the core skills for her fighting style. Not only did it let her drop into a state of trance near instantly, it could also be tied to conditions, ‘drop into trance and defeat the monster’ or ‘drop into trance and pay attention to your surroundings come back up if anything changes.’ Being able to nearly instantly empty her mind and drop from a fully conscious state into trance was so very useful especially since it also brought all of her skills to bear, especially the ones that required her to be inebriated. Most importantly while she floated down steadily deeper into the warm darkness of her inner mind, letting the unnecessary thoughts and emotions slowly filtered away, carried off on little bubbles that drifted up and away into the dark, all of them unnecessary. She could still see, she would still notice if something approached the camp and be brought back to wakefulness. 

 

Slowly her mind drifted down under the surface of her mind and into the warm water, sinking down, deeper and deeper until there was nothing in her head, everything had floated away. Nothing at all she just sat in the sand, eyes and ears peeled for anything that might be a problem without really ‘seeing’, without really ‘hearing’. She could pass hours like this, her newest skill could be activated when she was in this state and she had barely spent the time to mess with it. New skills were always exciting of course but they could have so many different features and subtle effects it was hard to get a complete feel of them quickly, some skills took months of study to get a solid idea of how they worked and the best ways to make use of them. 

 

Still none of that was on her mind, nothing was on the rabbits mind, it was a simple warm darkness at her core. Her skills activated as she needed them to in patterns she had set up long ago. [Mesmerizing Twist] had been a core part of her for so long she couldn’t function without it, she had spent years plumbing the depths of what she could accomplish with hypnotism and she, her own mind was her masterpiece. The rabbit made her way through her mantras without noticing she was speaking, barely paying attention but feeling the effects. Her mind just drifted in the dark and silence, no thoughts in her head as she repeated to herself everything that she was. Talia was a strong, competent, and capable adventurer; she was brave and confident, and in her tranced out state she told herself as such over and over until she could do nothing but believe it. 

 

Slowly she reinforced the walls of the tomb hidden so deep in her mind that even she didn’t know it was there. Slowly she made sure there were no cracks, no holes, and no escape for the parts of herself she hated so much that she had even erased the hatred from her minds that she had no reminder that she had ever been anything but who she was now.

 

Twenty three years ago there had been a girl by the name of Talia Em’Firel, her mother and father had been wealthy and connected sorts, as such the young girl had grown up living a life of luxury and indulgence, as the only child of a rich couple she was spoiled endlessly. This had perhaps been a mistake on the part of her parents, as even before she awakened her system she was a heavy drinker and gambler, and so awakening the dreaded [Susceptibility] skill had been all but assured. Her life had spiraled rather quickly downwards from the day of her awakening, as a young woman with a lot of money, entitlement and a spoiled bratty personality. She had been the cause of endless headaches for her family and associates.

 

Disaster struck as it so often does and her father fell ill with a wasting sickness, even the most expensive [Healers] could do little to nothing to aid him save for making his passing painless, and when he passed, something in the young girl's mother broke. The older woman blew the family fortune in her grief. The mother and daughter quarreled and argued often and after a particularly violent blow up Talia left the house disinherited, leaving the young rabbit-kin homeless and penniless. But her habits hadn’t changed; she still drank and gambled; she just could no longer afford to frequent the upper class establishments she once had. Drinking turned into fighting and she bloodied her knuckles again and again. It turns out she was good at fighting and the coin she made in these brawls and bare knuckle events sustained her lifestyle. That Talia had been angry drunk, an angry drunk that made a mistake. Late one night after having a bit too much to drink she had stumbled back to her family home and finding her mother she had taken out her anger in the only way she knew how… With her fists.

 

A mistake that had forever altered the course of her life, of course such a bold murder hadn’t gone unnoticed and the rabbit-kin was rather swiftly arrested and sentenced to work the great quarry in the northern desert. Those first few months had been grueling and brutal, especially for a child ostensibly born into wealth and who had lived a life of luxury and excess. Her body had built up a fair bit as she fought of course, but hard labor was a whole different cart and horse and her body was taxed to the limit, to boot she was forced to give up drinking since they did not provide the slave labor with such luxuries. If not for another prisoner's help she likely would have gone mad, the old woman had been kind to most everyone and always had some wisdom to share with the other prisoners, it had been a great loss for everyone when she died. The old woman had taught her the basics of hypnotism. Ostensibly to use its tricks to dull the ache of her withdrawal symptoms and help her get through each work day but the rabbit-kin dove into the practice with the fervor of the damned.

 

The very first thing she had done was bury her addiction to drugs and alcohol and for over twenty years she had been completely sober. As she practiced and her skill grew she pushed further and harder. She had steadily over the two decades of her imprisonment, she had carved away pieces of herself that she disliked and locked them away buried them deep in her subconscious. Slowly she carved away who she had been and built a new Talia in its place, a Talia that had a much different past in her memory, a Talia that had grown up to be a strong, brave, confident and capable person. Slowly over years she buried that selfish spoiled murderer and made herself forget about her original self. The current Talia had no memory of erasing her original self, after all she had made sure that her original self was buried so deep she would never find it. She whittled away the hours of her watch muttering the mantras and instructions to herself reminding her brain what it needed to do, reestablishing the current Talia, shoring up any cracks in the mask. Ensuring that her original self would never bubble back up to the surface. Then after everything was complete, she woke up. Slowly gently drifting back to the surface feeling as each limb came back to her every extremity, steadily her mind welcomed back those thoughts and emotions. She smiled, shaking out her shoulders and stretching, working out the kinks in her joints from sitting for so long. 

 

Talia Em’Firel had lived a good life and she had come out all the better for it. She was a strong, confident and capable adventurer with a fair amount of fame and wealth to her name. She smiled to herself and took a swig from her bottle, cool clear water rolled down her tongue and she climbed to her feet, it was time to change who was on watch. She woke Chree and curled up in her sleeping bag. Come morning they would delve into the ruins and deal with whatever came their way. After all they were a strong group of capable and confident adventurers.

 

Morning came and there was palpable excitement with the group. The banter was kept to a minimum and they quickly got everything sorted, everyone was checking over their equipment, calming nerves and making sure that everyone was ready for the upcoming delve. There was no banter this morning, just a grim determination. None of them knew what they might come across down there and while they were confident there was always the chance they came across something they had no chance of handling. Alister sharpened his sword and checked over the blade, Mira was sorting through the colorful vials and sorting them into bandoliers. Chree was fiddling with a set of tools and peering into the gloom past the doorway of the ruins. Talia herself was breathing slowly to center herself; she'd be focused, her mind would drop into a comfortable empty state whenever danger came.

 

They reached the consensus at seemingly the same time as the team moving into the temple and leaving the heavy packs of camping supplies near the entrance so they wouldn’t be slowed down by their bulk. Taking just the essentials with them. The group shared a nod and started down the steps into the depths of the structure. The staircase extended for some time Talia counted nearly a hundred steps before the chamber opened up into a vast underground structure. The rabbit kin drew in a gasp as she took in the sight before them, The chamber they had stepped into was magnificent, or at least it might have been once. A winding stone road snaked slowly down the length of the monstrous underground chamber, the remains of what were obviously once beautiful and intricate gardens lined the path but were now dust and rot, mummified fallen trees and ruin but somewhere in the back of her head she could imagine what it looked like in its prime. Sunlight filtering down from intricate tubes of mirror and glass to shine sunlight down on the gardens below, a river of water snaking down the length of the massive chamber. 

 

Whatever it had been this ruin had once been fancy, that pushed it slowly out of the realm of ‘military fort’ and closer to a palace in Talia’s head. Everyone in the group was astonished, first and foremost at the sheer size of the chamber then what it represented. 

 

“There has to be hundreds of side chambers off of this one… this place must be massive.” The [Cunning Alchemist] breathed. “I very much doubt we could even come close to exploring most of it…” There were a few murmurs of ascent from the team. If this chamber alone was this massive then how big was the rest? They would have to report back to the guild and let them know that this ruin would need a whole expedition force to clear out, a team of four would take weeks if not months to poke around every corridor, room and hall. There was no way they could ensure it was totally clear of monsters and traps.

 

“Should at least see how deep it goes first, clear out what we can and kick a few treasures before we skip out.” Chree returned. Though that was the plan as it was, they would just follow the most direct route through the ruin and go until they ran out of time and had to head back to the city. It took a bit of chatter but they eventually decided to simply follow the main road through the ruin, Chree taking the front to keep an eye out for traps. Alister following right behind the rat-kin ready to jump in should any monster rear its ugly head. There were dangerous sorts out here in the desert and none of them were interested in getting caught unawares. Nothing accosted them until they reached the far side of what had once been a great indoor garden. There were matching sets of stairs that extended further into the ruin and after a quick decision the group started down. They would just take a quick peek around and whatever they found they would leave after a bit, they just wanted to be sure it was too big for them to explore on their own and not just basically this one indoor garden and few side chambers.

Things first started to go wrong when they reached the bottom of the stairs and as the group stepped into the chamber something shifted. Like the world around them shimmered and shifted, slowly melting together and hurting her eyes. Talia blinked to clear her eyes and when she opened her eyes again everything had changed. The chamber had changed around them, not in any great way just all signs of age had disappeared everything looked new and maintained. The intricate mural on the far wall shone with brilliant colors like it had just been painted that very day, a plush rug stretched along the floor and the rabbit-kin gingerly stepped down on it and it too felt very real. 

Was this an illusion? Why? And how has it been maintained for so many centuries buried under the sands. 

 

“Is this an illusion? It's.. incredible.” There were a few murmurs from the others obviously unnerved by the sudden shift. It was bad news when something strange and unexplainable happened in an ancient ruin. It could mean very powerful very old monsters made their home here. 

 

“We should fall back.. Come back with a full expedition, it's not worth dying out here.” Mira was the one to speak up. First but it was clear that the group wasn’t eager to step into what was likely a powerful illusion. But turning back the stairs they had just stepped off were gone and they stood with their back to a blank wall. Talia pressed her hand against it and pushed.. If it was an illusion it should be easy to just walk back through the ‘wall’ and back the way they came right?

 

Well no dice she could find where the stairs should be and even when Alister tried to just run through her bounced off the ‘wall’ and landed on his ass in a heap. Slowly panic started to set in and the whole group started to work at the wall trying to find a way back the way they had come only getting more and more concerned as they failed to find an exit they could make use of. Eventually a grim consensus was reached that they would have to find whatever was creating the illusion and deal with it, be it monster or artifact. The group gritted their teeth, grabbed their weapons and started towards the only exit they could see to the room they were trapped in. Talia spoke to the group as they moved.

“Illusions can be complicated but it shouldn’t be a huge problem if we stick close and pay attention. Just don’t lose track of each other and we’ll get through no problem.” She wasn’t completely sure of herself but she had to be, so there was no need to panic the group. They made their way over towards the door and stepped through, all of the sudden Talia was alone her party had disappeared and she blinked calling out, but she received no reply. She reached out her hands to try and feel around if they were there but invisible to her senses, and she found nothing. What? How had everyone disappeared? Sha had no clue this wasn’t working in a way that illusions should, they were never this comprehensive and unless there were several powerful mages working together to teleport the party around while they were trapped in an illusion.. But why would they do that? Wouldn’t it be far far more productive just to kill them or teleport them right into some cells? What's the point of separating them but letting them wander around? She had no idea but she couldn’t help but feel like they were being messed with and separated for a reason.

 

The rabbit took a deep breath and focused on her skills slowly pulling herself down into a calmer mental state slowly working through if there was anything she could do, tricks of the mind she should be good at dealing with if nothing else. But she could find nothing in her head that indicated she was being messed with.. Shouldn’t being under the effects of a mind bending illusion count towards the activating of an ‘altered’ state for her skills? But no it did nothing; it was as if she truly was walking along through the fanciful, ornately decorated and recently cleaned halls of a palace devoid of life. She took a breath trying to analyze what was going on around her ready to strike out should she be attacked. Steadily she found her thoughts drifting as she wandered aimlessly through seemingly empty halls, how long would she be walking here? How far had she come? How big was this place that it can have a maze of endless halls? Or was that merely part of the illusion she was trapped in? She huffed and shook her head, strapped over to lean against a wall and uncap her gourd then took a drink. She had refilled the thing before coming down so she could gauge time at least by how quickly she ran out of water. 

 

It felt like days had passed but gauging by her bottle only a few hours had passed of aimless wandering. She was starting to get lost in her head more and more struggling to stay alert and focused. She half debated just sinking into her [Tranquility of Trance] and letting her body wander the halls on autopilot but she worried that she would bumble into a trap or something equally bad while she was in that sort of vulnerable state. She just gritted her teeth and tried her best to keep her head on her shoulders.

 

She had run out of water a while ago and her body was getting heavy. Each step was harder and harder. She was almost certain that she was just walking incircles under the effects of the illusion, but she had no idea how she could go about breaking it. She had tried striking at the walls, breaking things, meditating in place, pulsing the skills that altered her state of mind and being but.. Nothing the illusion around her reacted as if it was real and she never even noticed a flicker in the facade. She wondered sometimes about the others she had come with and what had happened to each of them, were they all stuck in endless loops like her? Were they dead and whomever set up this trap just leaving her for last? She couldn’t be sure.

 

Eventually though something did change and she could see an end to the hallway, the endless walking was coming to an end and the sight of it lit a fire in her heart and brought her mind back to full alertness as she started to run pushing herself to the door and shoving it open to stumble through into the other side. She found herself in a great hall, a massive table sat in the middle of the hall and it was lade heavily with a bounteous feast, all kinds of mouthwatering foodstuffs ranging from whole roast chicken, to trays of roast vegetables sides and breads it looked fit enough to feed a hundred. It was an obvious trap wasn’t it? What kind of fool would she have to be to take anything off of that table? A fool indeed. So she turned and forcibly tore her eyes away, ignoring that she hadn’t eaten since before they entered the ruins and she had run out of water what felt like hours ago. Nope Nope this trap was way too obvious. 

 

She forced her body to keep moving. Maybe if she got past this layer of the maze she could escape? Fat chance she knew but she had to keep that hope burning. She was after all a strong, competent, and capable adventurer; she was brave and confident and she wasn’t going to fall here. She gritted her teeth and pushed on, ignoring the tantalizing smells, ignoring the sight she kept catching out of the corner of her eye of dishes prepared just to her taste. It was torture just to push herself to the other side of the room and through the door, back into the infinite hallway? That was easier, she could handle that. She took a deep breath still the scents of that feast lingered and caught in her brain making her mouth water and her steps falter. What a cruel nightmare this ruin was. Why was it doing this to her? What had she done to deserve this? She could only push on right? Collapsing here would accomplish nothing. She was a strong, competent, and capable adventurer; she was brave and confident and she would make it through no matter what. There was food and water in their camp at the entrance to the ruins. She just had to get through this and she would be fine. 

 

The rabbit kept going just putting one foot in front of the other, she was gonna make it she could do it! She wasn’t sure how long she spent in her own head just focusing on the herculean task of putting one foot in front of the other over and over again trying to forget the tantalizing feast behind her the promises whispered, of food, drink and rest. She Ignored the ache in her body and the anxiety settled like a smothering blanket over her thoughts. She was so focused on the simple task of keeping moving that she hardly noticed when again the hallway came to an end until she had bumped bodily into the door and stumbled back a few steps breaking from her fugue state she blinked blearily at the barrier in front of her. Had she made it? Was this the exit or another chamber to test her failing mind and push her crumbling body?

 

She took a step back, closed her eyes and activated her skill, sinking quickly into the [Tranquility of Trance], she just let go letting everything else bubble away from her, exhaustion? She was fine. Stress? She was fine. Hunger? Pain? Thirst? She. Was. Fine. She stood there for a few minutes longer, everything flowed away and she let it go. This was a simple problem, so far it was a test of endurance, of resilience. She was after all a strong, competent, and capable adventurer; she was brave and confident and she wasn’t going to fall here.

 

She centered herself, took a breath and let it out. This was nothing, did whomever put this together think it would break her? She had spent twenty years as a prisoner. This was more than bearable. She lifted her gaze back towards the door and smiled a serene sort of smile, this was nothing she could do, it just push open the door and keep going no matter what waited for her on the other side. 

 

She was not prepared for what was on the other side of the door, She stepped out into harsh sunlight and had to squint as it burned her retinas. She raised a hand to shade her eyes and squinted across the sands that she felt under her feet. Was she outside? Was this part of the illusion? Slowly as her eyes adjusted she understood that no this was just another chamber in that twisting illusion. She had just stepped through the door into a colosseum, and as she stumbled towards the center of the ring there was a dull phantom roar that filled the stands. As if a thousand spirits were here to watch her flounder, to watch her die. Well little did they know, she smiled a grim sort of smile and kept her eyes on the far gate, if they sent monsters at her here they would be in for a surprise.

 

The gate slowly rattled open and from the darkness spilled a beast, it was large and gangly with too many limbs and heads, a serpent for a tail, a lion head and a goat's head on its shoulders. Talia grimaced, a Chimera was a monster she could fight, it would just be grueling and she wasn’t at her peak. She just set her lips in a grim line, breathed in and darted forwards to battle the creature. 

 

It was as she had expected a brutal slog, her body was exhausted and while she was ignoring her weakness that didn’t stop it from affecting her body. Still she managed it to slowly whittle the creature down until it collapsed and she could kill the thing. Was that everything? Or would there be more? She raised her head staring at the tunnel the beast had emerged from. But just as she started to relax feeling like it was safe to move on another beast emerged from the gloom, a second Chimera. She just about collapsed there and then, could she fight another? Was that even the point of this chamber? She rushed forwards forcing her body to move to keep fighting and keep fighting.

 

When the second went down she was a fair bit worse for wear, the serpent had gotten her and she could feel the venom slowly coursing through her veins. She had… she had to find a way out. Even as she was struggling to keep her feet under her and not panic, another chimera appeared padding forwards. No, clearly fighting was not what she was meant to do here. She glanced around. There was nothing in this arena, just the sands, walls, herself and the monster… and the gate the monster had come from. She darted forwards, slipping past the monster and diving into the tunnel rushing down its length.

 

As she rushed into the next room Talia was exhausted and she was almost certain that she was the last of her group alive. This had been a nightmare ever since they had decided to explore as much of this ruin as they could. They had gotten greedy, they should have turned back as soon as they saw the size of this place, but now everyone was gone and she was alone. She slowly forced the massive stone door shut behind her and slumped down leaning back against the hard stone and sinking down to sit on her knees, hands covering her face. There was no way back, she wasn’t going to be able to fight her way through that endless tunnel. She leaned her head back and rested an arm over her eyes breathing heavily trying to keep track of the venom in her body slowly sapping her vitality. A noise drew her attention and she raised her arm blinking across the chamber she found herself in. She hadn’t checked and just assumed it to be more of the same endless hallway but it was not, far from that this chamber was downright regal.

 

Grand pillars ran down the length of the room and the far end was dominated by a dias upon which a throne sat it was huge and she could almost compare it instead to a chaise, silk curtains blew lightly between the pillars and seated on the throne was the largest serpent the rabbit-kin had ever seen. In a heartbeat she understood the moment her eyes landed on those iridescent scales and the long sinuous body that wound lazily over the floor and up to the seat where the scale transitioned to flesh and a six armed Lamia sat decked in jewelry that would make a [Queen] jealous, the serpent's tail flicked as her gaze bore down upon the rabbit, the slitted eyes of a predator evaluated the adventure that had collapsed on the floor of her throne room with all the care that one might inspect a particularly interesting insect.

Slowly she raised a long pip to her lips and drew a slow drag breathing out a cloud of smoke that lingered around the serpent, as if the smoke was enthralled by her beauty. For she was even at a glance a creature of such beauty that she could turn a god's eye and seed jealousy into the hearts of any mortal woman. Only once she had taken her time did she speak. 

 

Her voice was a low resonating sibilance that reached the rabbit despite the three dozen feet between them on opposite ends of the room. “You made it through my trials…” There was a lazy affect to her words, she didn’t much seem to care that Talia had made it.

“The easiest ones in a millennia of course, but you made it nonetheless.” she chuckled. “Take some pride in that prey you’ve earned the right to an audience with your Empress.” A hand reached in The rabbit-kins direction and beckoned her closer. 

 

Talia swallowed and slowly pushed to her feet. This was a monster she could not fight, not a chance. It was obvious now that the illusion had been created by this ‘Empress’. Briefly she wondered what exactly separated a demihuman like her from a monster like a lamia, there didn't appear to be all that much difference, they both sported humanoid parts and animal traits. But there must be a reason for the separation and distinction. She slowly approached step by step until she was close enough and the serpents hand came up to stop her, without glancing in Talia’s direction she pointed at the floor and the rabbit knew what was expected of her, to kneel. This serpent had referred to herself as a Empress so it only made sense but… She could do naught but play along, she supposed. So she did.

 

Lowering herself down onto a knee and bowing her head. She serpent purred out a little sound that could almost be pleasure before she turned her head towards Talia.

 

“Tell me Prey, how many years have passed outside?” Talia blinked, how many years? Since what? She couldn’t even begin to guess, but if the Empress had been telling the truth about being royalty of some kind and this was an ancient palace then at least a few hundred years since it had be buried the sands and who knows how long before that to decline to the state that it could be buried at all.

“At least a few hundred years this ruin was buried in the sands. How long it's been exactly you’d have to be more specific.” The serpent hissed and there was a whoosh like a bullwhip before a stinging impact crashed into the side of her head and lashed across her cheek. Drawing a thin line of blood from the rabbit. 

 

“Harumph, stupid and lacking manners.” She sighed. “We’ll have to fix that I suppose.” The serpent took another drag from her pipe and the rabbit was left to squirm, feeling the blood slowly well up on her cheek and run down over a lip to her chin where it dripped in fat drops towards the floor. She hadn’t even seen that strike coming and if it had been just a bit lower it would have torn through her throat. Levels be damned, she wouldn’t survive having her throat slit. 

 

She swallowed and shivered, but what did the serpent mean about fixing her manners, nevermind being called stupid for not knowing the exact date the serpent wanted her to reference? Was she planning on keeping Talia prisoner? For what purpose? She shifted her weight and let out a breath. 

 

“For now Prey stand up, let me get a look at you, I need to see what kind of canvas I’m working with.” Her gaze was heavy on the rabbit- bearing down on her weight as she slowly climbed to her feet and stood, uneasy clearly with the attention on her. The serpent's gaze slowly roamed over her body, “hmm it will do,” She slowly shifted sliding out of her seat and slithering forwards until she was within arms reach of the rabbit.

“You have questions on your tongue, ask them now while I’m feeling magnanimous.” The serpent purred out in her husky low voice. Her hands reached out, taking hold of the rabbit and slowly shifting her body, moving her arms and clothing, squeezing her arms and sides pinching her tummy. D-Did she have to suffer this indignity? To be examined like cattle, her eyes narrowed, maybe she didn’t have to fight this monster though? Sure most of her abilities were keyed towards targeting herself but she was a skilled hypnotist. She started slowly asking her questions.

“What happened to the rest of my companions… your majesty?” She wasn’t sure what title or honorific to apply but she certainly had no desire to test the serpent's anger a second time. She raised her head just enough to catch the serpents eyes with her own, they were beautiful, the lamia had sparkling emeralds that shone with facets of silver light that caught the eye and drew one's focus. She didn’t realize she had been staring until the serpent spoke again.

“Hmm? Ah they failed my trials, as easy as they were, and were disposed off. Put them from your mind you needn’t concern yourself with such things,” and it was hard not too, after all if they were ‘disposed of’ then that meant they were likely dead and Talia had a far more pressing concern didn’t she? She had to find a way to escape with her life intact. Slowly the serpent circled her Her head turned so their eyes stayed locked for as long as possible and when the serpent slipped fully behind, she blinked, hadn’t she intended to start twisting the serpent's perceptions? What was she doing? She frowned and gritted her teeth, get it together! You are a strong, confident and capable adventurer! You can get yourself out of this sticky situation.

 

The serpent entered her sightline again, a little smile on the monster's lips in a moment their eyes met again and Talia let out that breath. Her eyes really were beautiful, it was hard to look away, did she really want to? Maybe if she worked she could twist the serpent's mind and keep her, wouldn’t that be nice? Lamia were powerful creatures, and adept hypnotists she could be quite the boon for Talia couldn’t she? Maybe she should just relax a bit, the Empress’s actions were strange and she was a fair bit intimidating but was she that bad? 

 

The Empress turned away with a chuckle and their gazes broke. Talia shook her head slowly, she’d gotten distracted again, what was going on? She sucked in a breath as the serpent moved slowly back over to her throne and settled herself upon it. Talia took a breath and activated her favorite skill [Tranquility of Trance], she breathed out and dropped, sinking down and letting everything float away, letting all of her concerns and fears melt and float away. She breathed out and rose her head to meet the Empress’s gaze, and the serpent laughed. A finger curling and with it a bone deep urge burned through the rabbits mind stepping forwards in time with the gesture. For a few moments the Empress simply puppeted her body with gestures, she stepped forwards when a finger was crooked she knelt down when that hand directed her down and she didn’t move when that tail started to wind around her body, the serpent toyed with her until she was kneeling mere inches from the Empress’s seat the serpents tail wrapped around her and slowly squeezing until she couldn’t move.

“Oh foolish prey, did you think that you could compete with me in your own head? Oh no little one retreat to the furthest corner of your mind and I will hunt you down, you are a rabbit, a snack and you have no hope of competing with me with your mind.” Talia hadn’t been thinking before she activated the skill, and she certainly wasn’t thinking now. She just knelt there staring up at the serpent above her. Lording over the prey animal with the inevitably of her defeat. SLowly she leaned down two hands curling around the rabbit's face, the serpent's eyes bearing down on her own. “You tranced yourself for me prey, I didn’t have to lift a finger, even if claiming you would have been as easy as snapping my fingers.” She did just that, snapping her fingers and fully capturing Talia’s attention, all of her focus, every aspect of her being caught in the serpent's gaze. “That skill of yours, [Susceptibility] makes you a wonderful candidate and your class makes you a delectable snack. You left yourself vulnerable for me and so I'll simply take what's being offered.” 

 

Somewhere deep down perhaps Talia understood the gravity of the error she had made, of course Lamia were masters of [Hypnosis] how could she have expected to combat one whilst in a trance? With her unfortunate starter skill [Susceptibility]? She was trying to arm wrestle with both hands behind her back and now the serpent was in her head, slowly picking through what it found there.

 

Words reached her and swirled through the darkness of her mind. “You think perhaps that I can't tell what you are, what a poorly constructed facade you are.” The serpent scoffed then came words that demanded she act. That demanded compliance. “Peel away that mask, prey and show me who you really are.” 

 

And she did, on that day Talia Em’Firel the strong and capable adventurer shattered the flimsy construct that it was crushed to dust with a simple demand from a creature beyond her, and what was left? But the scared cowardly drunk, the petty murderer, the broken discarded girl that she had buried so thoroughly. Slowly she bared who she was truly who she had tried so hard not to be. But the serpent didn’t discard her for it; instead the serpent just held her in a squeezing embrace, hands on her face. 

 

“Such a poorly made construct you were, so instead I’ll fix you. Feel honored Prey for you have earned the right to become my concubine, my toy, my possession. I will mold and reshape you as I please.. And you’ll thank me for it every step of the way~” and surely the rabbit would, after all she hated nothing more than who she was, she hated for how long addiction had ruled her life, and so her Empress pulled it from her. It wasn’t the crude slicing and burying that the rabbit had done to herself but truly gone pulled from her head and discarded. Slowly the serpent worked. It could have been days that she spent kneeling there in the serpent's coils while her Empress worked. But the rabbit wouldn’t, couldn’t know her mind was quiet, empty and slowly being reshaped like the clay it was. The serpent broke her down to all of her insecurities, the serpent dragged forth each and every one of her fears and killed them. She teased through the tangled mess of emotions dreams and desire and tossed that too into the fire. She left nothing untouched as Talia was ‘fixed’, everything that wasn’t of value was discarded and erased and a new foundation was built in its place. Tied together under a neat bow all under the all consuming gaze of the serpent's emerald eyes.

 

She woke up with a start taking a deep breath as her eyes fluttered open and a smile crept across her face. Talia Em’Firel was the favorite (and currently only!) Concubine of the illustrious and gorgeous Empress Amathyse Lambros. The rabbit-kin was very pleased with her fate after all her empress had very carefully reconstructed her mind from scratch. No longer was she buried under a mask of flimsy mantras and longing, she truly was… whatever her Empress wished her to be. She slid from the bed and stretched; she had a lot of work to do to bring her body up to snuff, even if she was the only member of the Empress’ harem that was likely to change, especially as she made moves to reclaim her empire. Talia would have to be in peak condition to compete with the other concubines for her empress’ attention. For now she could monopolize it. 

 

She dressed herself in one of the many silken outfits that filled her closet, her Empress had carved out her mind and rebuild it with a new foundation but left her with the knowledge of what had been done, a vague sense of who she had been before but that only served as fuel for her devotion, she had been a depressed broken cowardly thing and now none of that mattered anymore because she had been accepted and granted a home, a place to stay and a purpose to serve, and while perhaps a concubine was the lowest on the totem pole of the Empress possessions, below that of a consort or a wife. That reality didn’t tarnish her desires, none at all the rabbit was more than happy to try and earn her way to a better position. Within her lady’s court. She sauntered down the hall, the layout of the palace burned into her brain so that she could navigate it in her sleep, the only servants were ancient golems that could do the most basic of cleaning and maintenance around the palace but they paled in comparison to having a proper staff. 

 

She stepped through a side door into the throne room that she had previously been in, she glided through the silk coverings, her gaze immediately moving towards the serpent that stretched across her throne and spilled out onto the dais. The serpent acknowledged her with a slight gesture of one hand inviting her over. She did taking measured steps and stopping at the appropriate distance to bow low enough to convey the proper level of decorum. As the serpent had said the night before, the Empress could fix her manners and etiquette rather easily. When that tail slipped off the dias and twisted about her waist dragging her in closer until the rabbit was securely twisted up in the serpent's embrace. Her embrace was busy reading a scroll so she knelt there where the tail had set her down close enough that she could lean against the throne and tilt her head back to watch the center of her universe, content to remain quiet and contained. Until she was needed, schemes and maneuvering went out the window when those emerald eyes swept over her own making brief contact and obliterating all thought in her head, melting her consciousness into fluttery warmth and devotion. She just smiled up at the snake content to stay there as long as she needed to. 

 

The Empress took her time with her readings, content to let the casual control she had over the rabbits mind serve as a reminder of their respective roles, of the rabbits place and purpose. That no matter what little dreams and aspirations the serpent had put in her head for her to pursue they were all granted to her at the whims of her Empress and they just like the entirety of her consciousness could be taken away again with a glance, a snap of her fingers or a few gestures, all that the rabbit was the serpent had taken from her and the rabbit can and would thank her for it, again and again until the end of time. 

 

The serpent rolled up the scroll with a sigh and set it aside, so much had changed about the world while she was sealed away down here and there was so much that had to be done to restore her empire to its proper state but she was in no rush and could certainly take some time to indulge in her adorable little servant. She turned her head fully towards the rabbit watching as her whole body relaxed and her eyes went glassy the moment their gazes connected, and the serpent reveled in it. She had fallen so easily, but it made sense from what the Empress had plucked out of the rabbits head. She had tried to change who she was and done it so poorly that her mind was going to collapse under its own weight. She had needed, craved the hand of an artisan to reshape her mind. The tip of her tail curled up twisting around the rabbits neck like a collar, more of her tail winding slowly around the woman’s body and lifting her up. 

 

“My consort, you have waited so patiently for me.” She let out a little chuckle, as she deposited the rabbit in her lap securely wound in the serpent's coils. There was so much work to do, rebuilding her empire but for the next few hours she could simply indulge the lovely little rabbit that she had claimed so thoroughly. Her body squeezed tighter enough to make the consorts body creak and a little squeak to escape from her lips. What delectable prey, that meekly waits for the predator’s strike. She just watched the rabbit's face, her eyes glazed and a dreamy little smile on her face. Poor thing was so easily enthralled. 

 

Talia found her body being moved and she couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. Her limbs felt heavy and she had no impetus to move them even ignoring the squeezing coils that wound around her body, warm rough scales and powerful muscles squeezed around her body. The tip of that tail tightened around her throat and she drew a sharp little gasp. Her body reacting while her mind stayed submerged, enthralled, entirely focused on the serpent, the center point of her entire world. Her lips curled into a soft smile, her body shivering as she was settled into the serpents lap.

 

“My darling concubine, would you serve me as is your duty?” The serpent spoke the words acting like triggers in her blissed out brain. The rabbit squirmed a light flush dusting across her cheeks and the moment that tail around her body relaxed she moved, her breath coming faster as she ran her hands slowly up along the pretty serpents body over her scales and hips tracing her tummy. She huffed the serpent’s hands coming down the lower pair squeezing around the rabbit’s thighs, the middle pair settling on her waist and the highest pair of arms on her face. The Rabbit was barely conscious of her movements; she was a puppet playing along with the commands given to her by the serpent, murmuring desires and actions. Her hands roamed back down tracing over the serpents abs the both of them shedding clothing rather easily in moments the loosely wrapped silks designed to be removed so easily. She bared the serpent's figure and her eyes greedily drank in every detail of her perfect empress, the woman she was forever bound to serve with all of her being.

 

She noticed of course when her Empress smiled, she noticed when she shifted slightly and she noticed those twin tapered lengths slowly slid free smearing a trail of slime along her tummy, a heady scent of sweat and inhuman arousal hit the air and burned slowly through Talia’s senses and her blissed out brain. She was a happy content doll with simple instructions. ‘Please your Empress’ and so she would.

 

That tail loosened around her body enough that she could move and perform her duties but not so loose that she wasn’t being held in some kind of embrace by the serpent. Would this be her fate in the future? One of a harem of girls at the serpents beck and call, ready to drop everything and serve her whims no matter the situation? Some part of her mind burned with a blissful shame at the thought of the throne room full of people, her Empress court petitioners, guards and servants and she would be here on her knees one of these glorious twins lodged in her throat. She pressed forwards planting a little kiss on the tip of one rod then the other. Her tongue twisting to slather slowly over one length rolling down towards the base and then swapping to another to repeat the gesture in reverse. It would be criminal to leave one of these out in the cold…

 

She murmured softly, her brain compelled, dedicated to naught but a single all consuming task. She barely noticed the soft sounds the serpent made. She barely noticed the little squeeze of the tail around her body. She barely heard the soft words that directed her. But she understood them on a deep level. Her body understood what it was, her mind understood its purpose and it dedicated everything to performing it. Her lips wrapped around the head of one length, the other rubbing against her cheek and smearing a slop of precum over her face mixing with her makeup as she pressed steadily down towards the base hungrily throating that smooth tapered length.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers curled around the base of that second rod trying to hold her place as long as she dared while swallowing around the rod lodged in her throat. Ahh.. had her Empress fixed her in this way too? She didn’t feel a need to gag instead her body just relaxed around the intrusion and it slotted into place in her throat like it belonged. She ignored the twinge between her thighs and the twist of warmth in her stomach. She was here to please her Empress and not concern herself with her own desires. Slowly she pulled back, rolling her head to bob along that rod. She sucked greedily to swallow down as much of the leaking stream of precum as she could manage. Lasciviously taking her time then slowly pulling back only taking a moment before she could decide better of it and takes the head of both lengths into her mouth twirling her tongue slowly to savor both of these rods. These divine lengths that her entire world slowly focused down upon nothing mattered but her Empress’s pleasure and if that meant she had to push her body past its comfort point then so be it. 

 

She surged forwards, her body strained; she felt the pressure in her throat as those twin lengths bullied their way down into her gullet. She squeezed her eyes shut trying not to gag trying not to pull back, she couldn’t risk failure she had to. Steadily her mind quieted down again and her body relaxed with it. Nothing was wrong, she was merely doing her duty. It might be a bit of a challenge but she could handle it. 

 

So she did she slurp and swallowed sucked and bobbed rolling along those lengths until she felt in her core what was to happen, her body quivered and she pressed forwards surging forward while she felt the first telltale throb come and within moments those lengths pulsed a brutal spurt of inhuman seed forced into her guts, slowly she pulled back as the serpent continued to cum, pulsing heavy spurts of seed into her throat and mouth even as she pulled back the mess landing on her face and running slowly down her body. Leaving the pretty little concubine panting and shivering. She stared at the serpent, her eyes empty and glassy field with love and desire. She would do anything for her Empress that was her fate. She would happily squeal when that tail twisted around her body and she was moved, pinned under the serpent on the throne.

 

Her heart sang and combined with a symphony of screams and moans that rose from her lips as her glorious Empress made use of her until they were both spent.

 

She was Talia Em’Firel, she was no longer strong or brave. She was no longer capable and confident. She was Talia Em’Firel first concubine to the glorious Empress Amathyse Lambros, first of her name and future ruler of the known world, she was everything she needed to be, she was everything her empress wanted her to be~