Gaming conventions were supposed to be about community, right?

So why was Lily having so much trouble finding it?

From her spot on the second floor, the main hall looked like a chaotic river of color and motion. Dazzling cosplayers and merch-laden fans flooded the sunlit space, currents swelling and eddying as social tidepools formed and dispersed. The convention was in its final hour, yet its attendees seemed as energetic as ever, their chatter and laughter reverberating across every inch of the massive venue. It was so bright. So lively. So warm. The perfect atmosphere for sharing farewells, showing off hauls, and solidifying new friendships.

In theory, anyway. For Lily, it was merely the sad conclusion to a disaster of a day. Though she’d arrived eager to mingle, it hadn’t taken long for the shy 25-year-old to become completely overwhelmed, lost and adrift in the churning sea of humanity. Seeking safe harbor, she fled to the upstairs overlook, a sparsely populated space where she could catch her breath, scout her surroundings, and rally her courage. On the first two counts, she was successful. As for the third…well…

The bench she’d found wasn’t exactly comfy. But it was quiet. And safe. And the longer she stayed on it, the harder it was for her to leave. Especially after the panels started. None of the major events took place on the second floor, but there were enough minor presentations to push a considerable number of people into Lily’s sanctuary, trapping her where she sat. Only now, with daylight waning and the convention concluding, did she finally feel comfortable enough to leave. Only now, of course, she no longer wanted to.

It was silly, she knew, to remain here. Did she really think she was going to make any new friends now? After spending the whole convention stuck on a bench, fiddling with a camera that wasn’t even turned on? Go figure—the fancy DSLR had turned out to be just as useless as she was. No matter how prominently she’d displayed it, nobody had asked her to take their picture or even inquired if she was a photographer.

Stupid—that’s what she was. A stupid coward who thought she could learn to swim by throwing herself into the deep end. No wonder she’d ended up drowning. What a joke.

A heavy sigh wafted through Lily. Well, at least she’d tried. She had zero new friends to show for it, but she’d put herself out there (sort of). That was the whole point, wasn’t it? If she left now, it wouldn’t be an admission of defeat—just a tactical retreat.

Satisfied with this logic, Lily rose from her seat, ready to make a totally-justified-and-not-at-all-pathetic exit.

Until she realized she wasn’t alone.

There was a woman standing a few meters away, peering over the edge of the overlook. Her face was stunningly beautiful, her bronze skin shining in the sunset, curling tresses of golden hair framing her elegant cheekbones and full, cupid’s bow lips. Her bright blue eyes watched the dwindling crowds below, seeming faintly wistful, as if searching for something she couldn’t quite name.

But that wasn’t what had halted Lily in her tracks. No, her petrification was thanks to the woman’s costume.

At least, that’s what the shocked nerd assumed it was.

It looked like the kind of outfit a sexy seer character would wear in a fantasy game: white, flowy fabric embossed with gold trim, a multi-hued eye insignia shining at the navel. The robe-like dress hung loosely from the woman’s shapely figure, her full hips and slender waist an open secret, especially since…

Wait…

It was hard to tell with the way her blonde locks spilled down her shoulders but…

Was her dress held up by nipple rings?!

No. No, surely not. Those must’ve been fake. She was probably wearing pasties. A nude-colored bodysuit. Or something. No way someone would actually be able to walk around the convention like…

“Like what you see, honey?” a melodious voice asked.

Lily’s eyes snapped up. Oh God. She’d been staring so long at the strange costume, she hadn’t noticed its wearer was now looking straight at her. Struggling for words, the dumbstruck nerd could only gape until a strained squeak escaped her throat. She turned, face burning with humiliation, and hurriedly gathered her bag.

“S-sorry!” she stammered, wishing she could just vanish on the spot. “Y-you…I mean, I, uh, I-I didn’t…I wasn’t…!”

“It’s okay,” the gorgeous stranger interrupted “Did you want a picture?”

Lily stiffened, not daring to believe she’d heard right. Gradually, she risked another look at her immaculately erotic interlocutor. The woman’s smile was warm, bemused but welcoming, completely free of malice or mockery.

“A picture?” Lily repeated dumbly.

The woman gestured to the camera hanging from Lily’s neck. “You’re a photographer, right?”

“Me? Ha!” Lily nervously adjusted her glasses. “N-not really. I mean, uh, kinda. But i-it’s more like, a hobby, or whatever, y’know, and—a-anyway, I-I didn’t mean to bother you s-so I’ll just…uh…”

“It’s okay,” the generous temptress laughed, halting Lily once again. “You’re not bothering me. It’s not like I wear this to be ignored, y’know?”

Dear God. This woman was a saint. An angel. Lily couldn’t let such benevolence go to waste, could she? “A-are you sure?” she uttered, daring to set her bag aside and unscrew the lens cap from her camera. “It won’t be too much trouble?”

“Of course not.” The woman brushed a shimmering cascade of hair aside. “Why don’t we shoot over there? The lighting looks absolutely divine.”

“S-sure! After you, ma’am!” Lily cringed as soon as the word left her lips. Her new acquaintance couldn’t have been more than a year or two older—hardly enough to warrant such formal address.

Fortunately, the slip-up only seemed to tickle its subject. “You’re sweet,” the woman giggled. “But you can just call me Valerie.”

“Valerie. Gotcha. A-and I’m Lily. It’s nice to m-meet you.”

“Likewise.” Valerie stopped at the spot she’d indicated, turning and leaning back against the overlook’s railing. “How’s this, Lily? Any particular pose you want to see?”

“Uh, n-no, that’s great! We’ll start with that and, um, go from there, maybe.”

With the viewfinder over her eye, Lily found her breath begin to steady. Though not a professional, she’d gone through an intense photography phase in college. As with many of her hobbies, it began as a potential way to meet people, her interest sparked after witnessing a lively campus photoshoot. Unfortunately, though perhaps inevitably, this initial inspiration soon warped into a full-on hyper-fixation. Before even taking a single photo, Lily spent weeks up late at night, researching camera specs, studying lighting techniques, profiling various artists and the communities they cultivated. She made lists of potential subjects, maps of potential locations, rehearsed how to recruit and direct models, practiced touching up photos with several different editing programs.

Fat lot of good it did. When it came time to actually share her passion with others, Lily found herself paralyzed. Too shy to arrange a shoot with another person, too terrified of online trolls to post her solo pics. In the end, she resigned herself to spying on fellow “aspiring photographers” from afar, rolling her eyes at their trash gear, sloppy shoots, and unpolished photos. Honestly, who did they think they were? It was like they were making a mockery of the artform. Maybe it was for the best that she’d decided to keep her distance.

Or so she kept telling herself.

“Is everything okay?” Valerie asked, seeming concerned despite her relaxed pose. “Should we try a different spot?”

“Huh?” Lily snapped out of her dismal memories. “Oh. No, uh, this is fine. Just…thinking about something else.” Pull yourself together, Lily, she thought. It’s just like you practiced, remember? Gotta make sure the model feels appreciated. Don’t let your own stupid bullshit fuck this up.

She swallowed. Forced a smile. “You’re, uh, really good at this. Have you been cosplaying long?”

Valerie paused, the barest notch of confusion furrowing her smooth brow. “Cosplay? What’s that?”

Lily’s jaw dropped. “What? Oh! Sorry! I—wait, um…”

Her model burst out laughing. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help myself. You should’ve seen the look on your face.”

Ah. A joke. Of course. Lily let out a weak chuckle, trying and failing to mask her embarrassment. “Oh. Heh. Right. Duh. A-anyway, um, can you tilt your chin a bit lower?”

Valerie complied, mirth melting into a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. To answer your question, I only started cosplaying in January. This will be my second con.”

“R-really?” Lily could hardly believe it. With only two cons under her belt, this chick felt comfortable strutting around in that get-up? If only Lily had even a fraction of that confidence. “That’s wild. Your outfit looks so…uh…professional.”

“Thank you.” The statuesque blonde gave a delighted swish of her dress, the chains attached to her nipples (?) clinking. “I had my sisters make it for me. They’ll be happy to hear it was such a hit.”

Sisters? Had Valerie’s siblings known the costume would look so slutty when they sewed it? Talk about a free-spirited family. “What, um, what game is it from?” Lily asked.

“Realms of Rinn,” Valerie answered. “I’m one of the Master’s priestesses.”

“Wait.” The name made Lily gasp with recognition. “Realms of Rinn? You’re a Realm Walker?”

Valerie grinned, not even batting an eye at the nerdy moniker. “Of course. Ever since the beta.”

“W-wow,” Lily breathed. “I used to be obsessed with that game. The Stormbringer Odyssey expansion was—”

“Oh, it was so good and—”

“The Catacomb Raid just—”

“God, that took me foreeeeevvvvver. But like—”

“That Omen Knight set—”

“Totally worth it.”

“So amazing. Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Both women paused, then giggled in unison. Who would’ve thought? Right when Lily had been ready to give up, she’d somehow landed the jackpot. Not only was Valerie pretty, nice, and socially generous, but it seemed like she might also harbor a taste for underrated MMO’s.

Was it actually happening? Could this be the start to a long, beautiful friendship?

Or…

“Wait.” A belated realization struck Lily. “‘The Master’s priestesses?’ I’ve never heard of them before. What questline are they from?”

“‘Master of the Mountain,’” Valerie replied, striking another pose without missing a beat. “You haven’t played it?”

Lily shook her head. “Never even heard of it.” And she’d all but memorized the game’s wiki.

“Well, when did you stop playing? They only added the expansion last year.”

Lily’s eyes widened. Of all that Valerie had told her, this was the most shocking. “Last year? Didn’t the devs say they weren’t releasing any more updates? I thought the game was basically dead.”

“Maybe for a while. But not anymore. I don’t know the details, but I think a new company bought the rights? Or something?” Valerie shrugged. “Anyway, they’ve been adding stuff ever since. ‘Master of the Mountain’ is definitely the best part though. I’ve been grinding since it dropped and still haven’t finished it.”

“Really? That sounds…interesting.” And a little sus, if Lily was being honest.

Valerie laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the game’s totally back from the dead. But hardcore freaks like me are having a great time.” She paused, head titling as her eyes slowly scanned Lily, as though taking her in for the first time.

The flustered photographer squirmed, body warming beneath Valerie’s gaze. If Lily didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn her model was checking her out. But that couldn’t be, right? Why would such a stunning, scintillating beauty even give Lily a second look? Was Valerie into thick nerds with crippling social anxiety? If she was, how could she tell that Lily fit her taste? She’d been careful to cloak her curves in an oversized hoodie and sweats, specifically to dissuade this kind of interest. The last thing she wanted was more attention from horny randos who thought her hentai-sized bust meant she had a hentai-sized libido.

Although…if it was Valerie asking…then maybe…

“We should play together!” the golden goddess suddenly proclaimed. “Can we exchange Realm Tags?”

Lily’s eyes widened, all skepticism and discomfort vanishing. “R-really? Uh, sure! Let me…” She scrambled to find her phone, accidentally dropping her camera in the process, the bulky body swinging and thumping her in the stomach. “Ugh! Ha-ha, oops, one sec, I…wait, shit, is it in my bag?”

Valerie laughed. “It’s okay, here.” She leaned closer, her own phone in hand. “Take a selfie with me.”

“Huh? Oh…!” Lily quickly looked up, glimpsing her own startled expression moments before the camera snapped.

“Perfect.” Valerie beamed, tapping the screen. “What’s your number?”

Lily struggled to keep up, her mouth answering before her brain could even process what had happened.

Her companion nodded. “Gotcha. Okay! Just sent the pic along with my tag. Feel free to look me up when you get home. Oh, and send me the photos you took!”

Lily’s head bobbed in a frantic nod. “R-right. Of course! Uh, it was great meeting you!”

Valerie giggled, offering a coquettish wave before descending the stairs out of sight. Lily watched her go, unable to move for several minutes, her head still spinning from the sudden, surreal turn her day had taken. In the span of less than an hour, she’d gone from licking her wounds to savoring the taste of victory. It was almost too good to be true.

That had all really happened, right?

Wait…oh no. Hadn’t Valerie seemed a little too perfect? A little too endearing? What were the odds that a sexy, self-assured Venus like her would also be a Realms of Rinn turbo-nerd? Wasn’t it more likely that she was just the feverish hallucination of a desperately lonely mind?

Shit shit shit. Lily scrambled for her bag. Her phone. The selfie. That was the proof she needed. If only she could find it and…

Aha! With breathless triumph, Lily seized her beat-up smartphone, fumbling to unlock the cracked screen and open her inbox. Upon seeing Valerie’s message, the anxious nerd’s heart fluttered, only to plummet the moment she tapped the attached image.

Side-by-side, the contrast between the two women couldn’t have been sharper. There was Valerie, bright blue eyes shining in the sunlight, as radiant as the smile lighting up her perfectly sculpted face. Then, there was Lily, staring into the camera like a startled chipmunk, her plain black bob a mess, her skin a washed-out beige, her dark, half-Asian eyes dwarfed by the massive, full-moon spectacles perched precariously on her tiny nose. And…were those visible smudges on the lenses?

Mother of God. It was almost enough to make Lily wish she had imagined the whole encounter.

But then again…there was Valerie’s Realm tag…and the invitation to play together someday…

An excited giggle bubbled up from Lily, threatening to break into manic cackling. She’d done it—she’d actually done it. Her plan had been a complete success. She’d made an actual, honest-to-goodness adult friend. And this was only the beginning. If Valerie had other friends—and she almost certainly did—it was only a matter of time before they became Lily’s friends too. And then their friends would follow. And then their friend’s friends. And then…

And then…and then…

Lily nearly skipped the whole way home.

Around midnight, Lily finally had to face the facts.

Valerie wasn’t online. And probably wouldn’t be until morning.

The lonely nerd let out a sigh, her desk chair creaking as she lifted her arms and arched into a long, luxurious stretch. She’d been sitting here for hours, nude save for a soft pair of cotton panties, poking around Realms of Rinn while waiting for her new bestie to log on.

Unfortunately, it seemed their digital reunion wasn’t in the cards tonight. Glancing over her shoulder, Lily debated giving up and retiring to bed, only to discard the thought. There was no way she could sleep now. Not while her body still buzzed with energy, a jolt of excitement racing through her every time she replayed the day’s events in her mind. Rest could wait—better to use this time to refamiliarize herself with the game, just to make sure she wouldn’t embarrass herself when playing with Valerie.

Though honestly, the odds of that were pretty slim. As with photography, Realms of Rinn had once been something of an obsession for Lily. She’d originally installed the MMO hoping for some low-stakes socializing, only to discover that her fellow Walkers had some pretty stringent orthodoxies as to how the fantasy RPG ought to be played. Rather than risk looking like an uneducated noob, Lily decided to try adventuring alone at first, at least until she felt confident enough to share her skills with others.

And so, after building a facsimile of herself in the character creator, Lily launched a relentless solo crusade, intent on becoming the foremost expert on the game. By the end of her campaign, she’d conquered every dungeon, plundered every treasure, maxed out every character class and optimized every build. There wasn’t a raid map she couldn’t draw from memory, a crafting recipe she couldn’t recite perfectly, an exploit or glitch she couldn’t recreate on a whim.

Naturally, the moment she finally felt like she belonged in Realms of Rinn, its developers announced that they were leaving it behind. The player count began dropping soon after, along with Lily’s chances of making good on her initial goal. Eventually, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no one to talk to, she finally hung up her adventurer’s gear for good. It’d always been kind of a stupid game anyway.

At least, that had been her impression back then. Now, returning to the Realms after a prolonged hiatus, there was something…charming about its creaky game systems and earnest, obsolete world. The graphics had never been cutting-edge, but the art direction had aged surprisingly well, the sunny glades and cheerful towns bringing a bright smile to Lily’s face. Her avatar, an elven grey mage named “Lydia Thorn”, also retained a certain appeal, the flutter of her silver robes and bounce of her witch’s hat a delightful sight after so long. Though many players chose character models wholly divergent from their real-world selves, Lily had tried to ensure that Lydia bore as close a resemblance to her creator as possible. Not due to a lack of creativity or an overabundance of ego—rather out of concern for what potential friends might think if they ever met in real life and realized she looked nothing like her online stand-in.

She had, however, still elected to give Lydia a much more modest bustline. Lily wasn’t completely above wish-fulfillment, after all.

Humming along with the background music, she piloted Lydia through a mini tour of her old stomping grounds, rediscovering everything the Realms had to offer. She shopped for consumables, grinded out a few daily challenges, and ran an endgame dungeon, just to make sure she still could. Surprisingly, her game knowledge and mechanical execution hadn’t deteriorated much. Before long, Lydia had earned herself another epic loot drop without so much as breaking a sweat.

Lily glanced at the clock. It was getting late, but she still didn’t feel like turning in. Truthfully, a part of her wished she could spend forever like this, cozy and safe in a blanket of nostalgia, recalling fond memories while also anticipating what the future might hold. It made her feel young and hopeful again—a silly thought for a woman in her 20’s to have, but there it was.

Alas, with this rediscovery of youthful optimism came the reawakening of an old hunger. It’d been a while since Lily had played Realms of Rinn, but it’d been even longer since she’d had fresh content to sink her teeth into. Hadn’t Valerie said something about a new questline? One that she was struggling to complete? Wouldn’t she be impressed if Lily managed to solo it in a single night? Or, failing that, wouldn’t it be fun to commiserate about how difficult and bullshit it was?

Another glance at the clock.

Fuck it. Tomorrow was Sunday, and Lily had no roommates or plans to worry about. She’d game as long as she wanted, and sleep when she was satisfied. Or maybe not at all, depending on how the night went.

Grinning to herself, the excited gamer sent her avatar off to Bloodrock Cavern, checking her phone messages while she waited for the zone to load. In addition to her Realm tag, Valerie had sent a unique code to Lily, one supposedly necessary to unlock the new zone. It was a little strange, having so much content locked behind a password, but there were plenty of possible explanations. Maybe the game’s new owners were experimenting with how players shared information and collaborated. Or maybe this questline made use of some brand-new tech and needed to be stress-tested with a limited player count.

Whatever the explanation, unlocking the expansion was easy enough. Lily piloted Lydia into Gregor’s Goods, an unscrupulous shop known for offering amazing gear at great prices, but often with hidden curses attached. Striding up to the eponymous Gregor, Lily initiated dialogue and inputted the code Valerie had provided. The orcish shopkeeper stroked his beard, grinning as a new bit of text scrolled across the conversation box.

<GREGOR: “Aha! Yes, another Walker said you’d come collect this. Seemed the strange sort, but there ain’t no coin in asking questions. Gwarharharhar!”>

As the interaction concluded, a notification appeared on screen:

<LYDIA THORN received MAGISTER’S EYE>

Curious, Lily opened her inventory and found her new possession at the top of the list. The item art showed a rare stone of some sort, polished smooth and attached to a glittering gold chain. Bands of color ran up and down its gleaming surface, the hues varied, but dulled, as if she was holding a fossilized shard of a rainbow.

The attached description read:

<A beautiful but mysterious gem left by an unknown Walker. You cannot sense any mana flowing within it, and yet, its surface feels strangely warm to the touch. Somehow, you’re certain there’s more to this rock than it seems. Perhaps a closer look will unravel its secrets…>

Scrolling down, Lily was surprised to find that there was no “equip” option available. Instead, her only possible action was “examine.” She hovered her mouse over the command, excitement trembling down her spine. For the first time in what felt like forever, she had no idea what the game was about to do. And she couldn’t wait to find out.

Click.

<You hold the MAGISTER’S EYE up to your own, looking for any sign of its origin or purpose. As you peer into its depths, you discover it’s much more…fascinating than you first thought.>

Suddenly the colors within the item began to move, radiating out from the stone’s center as the text crawl continued.

<You stare and stare and then you stare some more. Eventually, the stone is all you can see. It feels as though it’s become your world.>

Lily blinked, then gasped with delight. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but the shifting, pulsing colors had been slowly leaking out of the inventory screen, growing in size and vibrancy until they filled her monitor completely. Her eyes locked onto the center of the dazzling display, an eager smile spreading across her lips. It was so cool, watching the game break its own UI like this. So fun. So unexpected.

So…pretty…

Suddenly, the screen went black. Lily’s eyelashes fluttered. She sat back, rubbing her eyes, only now realizing she’d been gradually slouching forward since opening her inventory. Her nipples were cold from where they’d pressed against her desk, their pink points hardened into taut little nubs. Traces of color lingered in her vision, and for a moment she was worried they’d burned into her screen as well. But gradually, the multi-hued specters faded, and the game’s graphics returned.

Only Lydia was no longer stationed outside Gregor’s shop. Instead, she was at the entrance to a mountain village, an area of Realm’s map that Lily had never seen before. Jagged stones and crooked houses stood bathed in ochre sunset, a single path running up towards an imposing manor, its large, black windows and yawning entrance making it look like an enormous predator peering over the mountain’s peak.

In the game’s UI, a single text box read:

<When you manage to tear your gaze from the stone, you find yourself somewhere unexpected. It feels as if you’ve traveled many miles, yet you don’t recall a single step of the journey. How did you get here? And where exactly are you? Perhaps there are some locals who can help…>

Lily shivered, hips wriggling as she resisted the urge to bounce with excitement. This was it. This was what she’d been hoping for. A new quest to beat, a new mystery to unravel, and new rewards to claim. She’d played enough RPGs to guess what lay in store. No doubt that creepy manor was her ultimate destination, its walls containing some byzantine dungeon with unique, high-level enemies and exclusive loot. But first, she would likely have to solve some sort of narrative puzzle or side-quest to gain access. Grinning with anticipation, Lily sent her avatar towards the village, eager to uncover its secrets

However, after talking to a few NPCs, she soon realized this quest was going to be…weirder than anticipated.

The bones of the scenario were familiar enough. After the death of the village’s lord, his occult-obsessed son returned from travels abroad, only to disappear into the manor and never emerge. Despite this, the townspeople Lydia talked to professed undying love for “the Master of the Mountain,” singing his praises, praying for his favor, and dedicating all they accomplished in his honor. This, coupled with the familiar, eye-like insignias scattered everywhere, lead to a pretty obvious conclusion: the lord’s son had summoned some kind of demon or ancient god, and now a bunch of freaky cult shit was going down.

That wasn’t the strange part. What was strange was the…unnervingly erotic tinge to the whole affair. Most of the NPCs in the village were women, either dressed in slave rags that left little to the imagination, or priestess garb that left even less. It was…an odd choice of direction, to put it mildly. Realms of Rinn wasn’t above the occasional set of bikini armor, but it’d never crossed the line into straight-up eroge territory.

And it certainly had never featured such…detailed pregnancy modeling.

That was the most disturbing part for Lily. It wasn’t just that the female NPCs were in various states of undress—it was the state of their bodies as well. Many of them carried large, round bellies and breasts practically bursting with milk, the cult’s ocular insignia tattooed across all of their swollen wombs. Some women were only in the early trimesters, their stomachs just slightly distended beneath their robes, subtle baby bumps that still somehow managed to draw the eye. No matter their progress, these dewy-eyed mothers-to-be spoke about their condition with breathless, near-orgasmic enthusiasm, delicate fingers stroking their maternal curves as they cooed and sighed.

<“I can feel the Master’s young growing within me. Haahh…there’s nothing more blissful than serving as His breeding stock!”>

<“Mm, this is surely what my body was made for. I’m so happy the Master showed me my true purpose.”>

<“Praise the Master for bestowing us with His seed. May we always be fruitful flowers in His orchard.”>

<“I’m overflowing…hee hee hee…every part of me is...overflowing with His love…”>

<“Good sister, why so aimless and empty? Could it be that you have not met the Master? Oh, you must! He will surely fill you with His blessings and show you the true joys of womanhood!”>

Lily swallowed, her grip on the mouse tightening with every unnervingly natalist line. She tried talking to the male NPC’s instead, only to find them just as obsessed with their female counterparts’ glorious fertility. Every conversation was some variation on the same tropes, how it was the duty of the womenfolk to submit and breed, just as it was the duty of the men to protect and provide for the growing flock. It was all…extremely gendered, but not in a “cautionary tales about outdated beliefs” sort of way; more of a “the writer’s barely disguised fetish” kind of deal.

Well, whatever. Lily could roll with it. Maybe the quest designers were just trying to make the village feel creepy. If that was the case, they’d achieved their goal and then some. Lily definitely felt…uh…

Unsettled. Yeah. That was it.

Just…unsettled.

She shifted in her chair. Her nipples were still hard.

Thankfully, she only had to endure two more lectures on “divine seed” before her investigation hit pay dirt. In a church at the far corner of the village, she discovered a hidden basement with a prisoner locked inside, a rebel who’d planned to infiltrate the manor and rescue his sister. Unfortunately, the brainwashed villagers uncovered his scheme, imprisoning him while they awaited their Master’s judgement. Now, Lydia was the rebel’s only hope of saving his sibling. If she promised to help, he would tell her where he’d hidden a key to the manor’s servant quarters, granting her access to the Master’s lair. Of course, Lydia quickly agreed.

Unfortunately, acquiring the key turned out to be trickier than Lily had hoped. The priestesses were also on the lookout for the stolen item, necessitating a stealth minigame that made her squirm in her seat. Evading detection wasn’t too much of an issue, but the jiggle physics on her adversaries were incredibly distracting, making for an…uncomfortable experience sneaking through the manor’s gardens. Again and again, Lydia was forced to crouch behind some shrub or statuary, waiting as busty, brainwashed babes swayed past her hiding spot, their breasts bouncing and thighs rippling with every step.

At last, the flustered gamer was able to retrieve the key from the hollow of an apple tree, a side-path allowing her to exit the gardens without suffering through more sensual subterfuge. Once outside the servant quarters, Lily made sure to double-check her gear and re-apply her stat buffs, fingers tingling as she made minor tweaks to Lydia’s build. Who knew what awaited her in this house of horrors? Lily, for one, couldn’t wait to find out.

Her eyes widened as the creaky door opened, a low whistle of approval flitting from her lips. The interior of the servant quarters was lovingly detailed, full of bespoke set-dressing and clever item placement that teased the story of the manor’s fall. It wasn’t the most original tale, but Lily enjoyed piecing it together, learning about the young lord’s various occult experiments as she explored the ruined bedrooms and bloodstained corridors. The monsters guarding the area were also fascinating, their designs vaguely botanical and distinctly psychedelic, long limbs and snapping jaws often revealing hidden eyes that pulsed with multi-colored rings. These vibrant hues seemed to have an effect on Lydia, their presence summoning a new status-effect bar above her head, marked by a rainbow spiral. It was clearly meant to simulate the creatures’ hypnotic power, their influence over Lydia growing the longer she fought them. Lily wasn’t sure what would happen when the bar filled, and she didn’t want to find out.

Sadly, outside of managing the “hypno-meter,” the dungeon didn’t really offer much of a challenge. There were no navigational gimmicks, no forced escort sections or convoluted brainteasers. Just a knotty maze of peril and treasure, each room presenting another combat encounter with minimal variation. By the time Lily had cleared out the manor proper and reached its subterranean lab, she’d begun to wonder why Valerie had described this quest as so difficult. Maybe her particular build was weak to whatever this “hypno effect” was. Or maybe, despite all her hours played, she was actually kinda crap at the game. Lily smirked, imagining how impressed her new friend would be once she saw how a real Walker played.

Admittedly, the basement levels of the manor were tougher than the rest. The monsters filled Lydia’s hypno-meter at an alarming rate, forcing her to focus almost exclusively on DPS to put them down quickly. Still, it was nothing some on-the-fly re-speccing couldn’t handle, and soon the high-level grey mage neared the dungeon’s end. With the possibility of one-shotting the quest all but assured, Lily found herself glancing at her friends list, debating whether it would be worth putting off the final encounter until Valerie could join. Surely, she would want to see Lily’s first reaction to fighting the Master, right? The character was clearly a favorite of the gorgeous gamer, given how much skin she was willing to show in his honor. Besides, wasn’t victory always sweeter when shared? Wouldn’t it sour their triumph, if Valerie knew Lily had already chewed through this content with ease?

Then again…Lily was awfully curious about the monster that’d inspired her friend’s devotion. And the call of adventure was still ringing in her ears. Maybe she would take a peek, just to get a feel for how the climactic fight would play out. If it seemed too easy, she could always intentionally die and wait to finish it with Valerie.

It was only a game, after all.

A long hallway led to the final door of the dungeon, its thick stone carved with eye insignias that faintly shimmered in the torchlight. As the entryway opened with a loud, rumbling groan, Lily could feel her pulse quicken, her breath growing higher and shallower by the second. Strange—she’d cleared most of the dungeon without a hitch, so why did she feel so tense? So warm? So…weirdly restless? Was she just excited at the prospect of clearing this quest?

Or…no…this feeling was different. Lower. Tighter. Almost as if…

The doors to the boss room closed with a boom, cutting off Lily’s musings. Her avatar now stood in a massive circular chamber, surrounded by pillars covered in ancient runes and more of those iridescent, inescapable eye-symbols. At the center of the arena, the source of the village’s corruption revealed itself, its name and health bar materializing at the top of the screen:

<THE MAGISTER>

The monster was quite the sight to behold. Its shape vaguely resembled that of a demonic octopus, dozens of tentacles radiating out from a massive central mass. But unlike its aquatic inspiration, the writhing arms of this abomination came in all shapes and sizes. Some seemed purpose-built for attack and defense, thick and muscular and flexing with power. Others were slender and serpentine, their ends occasionally peeling back to reveal dozens of tiny, shivering tendrils, tips flicking and unfurling like a bouquet of glistening snake tongues. But most striking by far were the appendages lined with the Magister’s eyes, winding rows of pupils all pulsing with familiar rings of color. These tentacles seemed the rarest, but they never failed to catch Lily’s attention, the briefest glimpse enough to distract her from queuing her spells or dodging attacks. An interesting mechanic, she had to concede, though not enough to put Lydia in any serious danger.

Until the monster revealed its ultimate move:

<Mind Melter>

It began as a low, ominous drone, growing and swelling over the fight’s bombastic soundtrack. When the rumbling rose to a roar, the Magister suddenly parted its central tangle of tentacles, exposing its central body for the first time. Or maybe it wasn’t a body at all. The mass resembled an enormous brain, but its surface was constantly writhing and reshaping, as if made of hundreds of smaller, twisting tendrils. The only stable islands in this squirming sea were the creature’s many eyes, their throbbing hues boring into Lily as she stared slack-jawed at her nemesis. The longer they remained exposed, the more those entrancing colors seemed to invade every inch of the screen, radiating from all sides until they were all she could see.

Which was why it took her a while to realize Lydia’s hypno-meter was almost full.

Blinking rapidly, Lily cursed her negligence, recovering her senses enough to panic-launch her strongest spell. An enormous silver blade materialized in front of Lydia, glowing in the air for a moment before cleaving down in a deadly arc. The Magister let out a scream, a chunk of its health bar dissipating as the creature retracted back into itself. The throbbing colors faded, the hypno-meter stopped climbing, and Lily released a sigh of relief. Apparently, the “Mind Melter” attack could be canceled by doing enough damage. Good to know, but why had it taken her so long to act?

And why did she feel…kinda lightheaded now?

No time to think about it. She’d inflicted a good deal of damage, but the battle was far from over. The Magister’s strikes were growing more frenzied, its thick tentacles thrashing in wild arcs while bolts of black magic rained from the sky. Lily kept her avatar moving, healing and dodging and always keeping an eye out for…

<Mind Melter>

This time, she was ready. As the pulsating pupils filled her screen, she focused solely on damaging her foe, heedless of whatever hits she would take in the process. Stopping the Magister’s psychic assault took longer this time, a consequence of Lydia expending so much mana up until now. Still, she managed to knock the monster back before the hypno-meter could fill. Her mind remained intact, at least for now.

Lily licked her lips. She was getting close. The Magister was nearing the last reserves of its HP. If she could maintain this pace, victory would soon be hers.

That’s when an unfamiliar warning suddenly appeared onscreen:

<THE MAGISTER is summoning His THRALLS…>

Once again, a skull-rattling drone filled Lily’s headphones, drowning out all other sound. She hesitated, ready for another Mind Melter, only to realize that this tone was different. It was higher and…more musical, somehow. Before she could fully parse its alien harmonics, several portals appeared around the boss room, from which came a procession of swaying, jiggling, heavily pregnant women. But unlike the townsfolk, these “thralls” were all clad in adventuring gear. In fact, Lily recognized several of the sets as high-level raid rewards, their dimensions modified to accommodate the expanded bellies and engorged tits of their wearers. More shocking still, a Realm Tag hovered above each of the women, almost as if…

Wait…no…

Were these other players?

Lily hesitated, temporarily thrown by the prospect of PvP’ing a bunch of strangers. In that moment, the women began crowding around the Magister, sighing and purring as they doused it in support magic. That snapped Lily back into action. It didn’t matter if these were actual players or bots—she wasn’t about to let them snatch victory away from her.

Only…damn. These bitches were a lot heartier than they looked. Lydia’s rapier barely left a scratch on the first thrall she engaged, the damage quickly undone by another slave’s healing spell. Lily would need to focus on AOE magic to take a bunch of them down at once. Except…she’d already expended a ton of mana on the Magister. If she ended up burning through the last of her reserves now…

Wait…fuck…no!

<Mind Melter>

Lily’s jaw clenched, a growl of frustration trembling between her grit teeth. She gave up on trying to kill the thralls, instead focusing all her attacks on their Master. But it was no use. The Magister’s many buffs made it even more difficult to wound, especially with all the distracting, swirling colors throwing off her aim. It wasn’t long before the hypno-meter finally filled up, and a new status-effect flashed onscreen:

<LYDIA THORN is MESMERIZED!>

The grey mage staggered, clutching her head as her weapon fell from her hands. Then, gradually, her arms went limp, her jaw falling slack and posture slumping forward. Lily watched, wide-eyed and breathless as her avatar refused to obey her inputs, instead taking automatic, uneven steps towards the Magister’s glowing eyes.

Lily’s nostrils flared, a strange tightness twisting inside her. It would be okay, she assured herself. Whatever the Magister had in store, she could take it. Lydia still had a talisman that would let her survive an otherwise fatal hit. The fight wasn’t over; she could still win.

Or so Lily thought.

Again, that eerie, musical drone infiltrated her ears, sonorous strands of noise now mingling with the triumphant giggles of the Magister’s many thralls. Lydia continued to walk zombie-like towards the monster’s tentacles, helplessly entranced. With every step, the pulsing, spinning colors grew in prominence, no longer a background distraction, but an overwhelming effect blanketing the whole screen. Lily stared, her own mouth falling open as she struggled to parse what she was seeing. The arena and other women were dissolving from view, leaving the Magister and Lydia standing in what looked like an endless, dizzying tunnel of rainbows.

Then came the coup de grace.

<Infernal Induction>

Instantly, four tentacles wrapped around Lydia’s limbs, hoisting her high into the air. The grey mage fought, feebly and futilely, unable to escape the thick, glistening bonds that’d seized her wrists and ankles. With a sound that could’ve been low, distorted laughter, the demonic creature began to change, the textures of its model warping into the same shifting colors as those filling the screen. Except…the pattern here was reversed, allowing the shape of the monster to remain visible against the swirling background. When the transformation was complete, the Magister’s inverted hues began traveling down its tentacles, eventually reaching Lydia and corrupting her textures as well. Her struggling slowed, her head lolling as her character model became nothing but a colorful, feminine silhouette in her captor’s grasp.

With its victim subdued, the Magister extended several more limbs towards Lydia’s limp, helpless body. Some moved towards her breasts, while others snaked up her thighs and descended near her face. The kaleidoscopic graphics hid the explicit details, but it was obvious what was about to happen. The monster was preparing to violate its prey. And there was nothing Lily could do to stop it.

First, there was the sound of cloth tearing. Lydia’s model bucked with a sharp gasp. In the next instant, the tentacles above and beneath her surged forward, vanishing into her silhouette. Her cry of surprise was short-lived, and soon after she began shuddering and wriggling on the monster’s appendages, as if they were puppeteering her body from within. Every shift and shudder was accompanied by the sounds of wet squelching and muffled moans, the tenor of the latter slowly shifting from weak protest to reluctant pleasure to desperate, needy desire.

Lily stared, frozen by the violent, pornographic display. She knew there was no point in watching any further. The new developers were clearly a bunch of sick perverts—why should she humor them by watching their twisted fantasies to completion? It was disgusting. Obscene. Her Lydia, the character she’d poured hundreds of hours into developing, reduced to the bouncing, brainless sex-toy of some knock-off cosmic horror. It should’ve sickened Lily. It should’ve made her furious. She should’ve cursed, screamed, pulled the plug on her desktop and sworn to never launch this game again.

But she didn’t. In fact, she didn’t do anything.

Just watched.

Maybe she was too shocked to move. That would explain the weird blankness that had settled over her. Only…no, it wasn’t quite that. Blankness implied absence, as if her mind was a clean, white slate. But it wasn’t. There was something there.

The colors. Spreading and shifting. Swirling and strobing. Filling her vision. Filling her thoughts.

If she was an RPG character, she knew exactly what her status updates would say.

<LILY tried to look away>

<LILY failed>

<LILY tried to look away>

<LILY failed>

<LILY tried to look away>

<LILY failed>

<LILY failed>

<LILY failed>

<LILY failed>

…

Then suddenly, it was over.

The colors were gone. The Magister was gone.

All Lily saw now was the standard “WALKER DEFEATED” screen, accompanied by a prompt asking if she wanted to log out or respawn at the nearest player hub.

The dazed nerd sat back in her chair. She was exhausted. Drained. And weirdly stiff. Her eyes felt scratchy and strained, as if she’d forgotten to blink for too long. Her tongue was heavy and dry, and...was that drool crusted at the corner of her lips?

What had happened? Had she totally zoned out and lost time?

Wait, what time was it? Surely it couldn’t be…

Holy shit! It was almost morning!

The revelation landed with startling impact, dispelling some of the fog in Lily’s mind. How long had she been playing? How long had her fight with the Magister lasted? She’d apparently lost track of time, but when? Trying to think back, her thoughts kept getting caught by memories of the Infernal Induction attack, the way the Magister’s power had seemed to infect the entire game, turning it into maddening, mesmerizing fetish porn.

Again, Lily tried to summon up appropriate feelings of revulsion. Again, all she managed was a dull, detached horror. That and a faint, tense ache low in her belly, a vague feeling of emptiness she couldn’t comprehend.

It wasn’t…no, surely it couldn’t be…

A tired groan dribbled from Lily’s lips. Fuck it. She was too spent to figure any of this out now. Her head felt like it was filled with sludge, her brain sloshing as she rose from her chair and staggered towards her bed. Maybe the Magister really had melted her mind, she thought vaguely.

The aching emptiness inside her twitched.

Whatever. She didn’t have the energy to care anymore. She just needed to sleep, and the rest would figure itself out tomorrow.

As her head hit the pillow, slumber claimed Lily almost immediately. But right before the darkness closed in…she could’ve sworn…

…There were traces of color dancing behind her eyelids.

That night, Lily had a dream.

A dream far more vivid than any she’d had before.

In the dream, she found herself lost and alone, stumbling naked through a dark, dense fog. Cold air brushed across her exposed skin, its icy touch tightening her nipples and shivering down her back. Beneath her feet, a featureless stone floor seemed to stretch endlessly, its cool surface finding her bare soles no matter which direction she wandered. She had no idea where she was. Or how she got there. All that she knew was that she was searching. Searching for something. Something that made her chest tight with longing. Something that would bring light and warmth back to this dark, dismal world.

The tinkling of feminine laughter reached her ears.

“Hello?” Lily called. “Is someone there?”

Her echo was the only response. At least at first. Then, it came again: that same light, playful, musical laugh. Only this time, it was followed by another. Then another. Soon, the air was full of girlish titters and giggles, blending and clashing and rebounding from all sides.

Lily spun around, trying to find her phantom spectators. “Where are you?” she cried. “Why are you laughing? What do you want?”

“Join us,” one of the voices called back.

“What?” Lily squinted. “Join you?”

“Join us,” repeated another in reply.

“Yes, join us, Lily.”

“Join us.”

“Become one of us, Lily.”

“Come be with us.”

“One of us.”

“Join us, Lily, please.”

“You’ll be ever so happy.”

“So happy.”

“Stay with us forever, Lily.”

“How?!” the nude, confused girl exclaimed. None of this made any sense. And yet, the more she listened to these mysterious pleas, the more Lily longed to find their source. “Where are you? Give me a sign, a direction—anything!”

“This way, Lily.”

“Follow our voices.”

“This way?” Lily began jogging, the direction of the voices growing clearer beneath the slap of her feet against stone.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Not much further.”

“Join us.”

“Keep going.”

“One of us…”

“This way! This way!”

Lily’s pace increased along with her pulse. She was getting close—she could feel it. Soon, she wouldn’t be alone anymore. Soon, everything would be okay.

“Master is waiting for you, Lily,” one of the mystery women cooed.

The word tripped Lily like a pebble in her path. She stumbled and slowed. “Master?” she repeated nervously. “Who’s that?”

“Master is who we serve.”

“Master is who we worship.”

“Master is everything to us.”

“Join us.”

“One of us.”

“Come meet our Master.”

Icy dread seeped into Lily’s veins. Suddenly, the voices didn’t seem so alluring. They sounded…eerie. Atonal. Unhinged.

“Don’t stop now, Lily.”

“Master is waiting.”

“Be with us forever, Lily.”

“Master will make you understand.”

“Master will make you feel good.”

“Master will make you happy.”

“So very happy.”

“One of us.”

“Happy and full…”

Lily swallowed. Took a step back. “Th-that’s okay,” she stammered. “I…I don’t think I need a Master. Really, I—”

“Too late.”

Something shifted in the fog. Before Lily could react, four tentacles leapt from the dark and lashed around her wrists and ankles, lifting her from the ground. She cried, cursed, thrashed in a panicked frenzy, fighting with all her might against the dark, viscous appendages. But her opponent was too strong. It easily overpowered her, yanking her arms and legs into a spreadeagle position before closing a fifth limb around her neck. Even without squeezing, the threatening pressure was enough to stifle Lily’s screams, her body going rigid with an awful, undeniable realization.

She knew where she was. Whose laughter she’d been chasing. What now held her in its clutches.

The boss chamber. The thralls.

The Magister.

“N-no…!” The trapped girl tried again to pull free, but it was no use. Though her bonds glistened with thin, sweet-smelling slime, she could barely even turn her wrists, her captor’s hold surprisingly firm. And warm. As her struggling slowed, Lily could feel a faint, throbbing pulse beneath the surface of the tentacles. It felt like a heartbeat.

It felt excited.

Before she could process that thought, several more appendages emerged from the mist. Their surfaces peeled back as they approached, revealing dozens of bright red tendrils, like a cluster of demonic sea anemone. Lily had found them unsettling in the game, but now, up close, swaying inches from her nudity, she couldn’t help but shake in terror.

“W-wait!” her voice cracked, fragile and meek. “W-what are you…?” She gasped, her capacity for questions crushed by the tiny tendrils pressing against her skin. They crawled up her torso, tasting every exposed inch, their touch unlike anything she’d ever felt. One moment, it was as delicate and teasing as a feather, the next as grasping and assertive as a lover’s hungry hands. Each strand was supple, yet capable of surprising strength, their spongy surfaces warm, wet, and subtly textured, in a way that made Lily’s hips shift and squirm. When the eager invaders reached her chest, she jerked her shoulders back, an instinctual attempt to evade further humiliation. To no avail. The red tendrils seized her heavy, voluptuous breasts, stroking and massaging the soft flesh from every angle, their wicked caresses teasing, licking, and even sucking on her taut, trembling nipples.

“O-oooouughh…” Lily almost didn’t recognize the sound that’d escaped her. It was so pitiful. So needy. So animalistic. She shut her lips tight, only for the tendrils’ dance to draw yet another low, bestial moan from her mouth. She couldn’t help it. As much as she hated what was happening, as much as she silently prayed for it to stop, it felt…she felt…

Horny…

So…horny and…

“Ah!” her heady haze was momentarily broken as another warm, sticky limb glided up her leg. Lily wrenched her gaze downwards, peering between her captive tits to see more shiny red tangles extending towards her exposed sex. This time, she couldn’t even muster the strength to shift away. All she managed was a pitiful whimper, then a surprised squeak as the tendrils tasted her pussy.

Oh. Oh God.

Another ugly, unbidden moan trembled in Lily’s throat.

Fuck.

The tiny invaders were swarming her cunt, lapping at its lips and circling her throbbing clit. Every time her insides clenched, every time something made her gasp or grunt or mewl with arousal, her captor would subtly change its technique, adapting to all her weakness until it was playing her like a fiddle. Worse still, what she’d first assumed to be the monster’s saliva she now realized was a kind of topical aphrodisiac, her tender, vulnerable flesh growing hotter and more sensitive by the second.

She didn’t want to enjoy it. Didn’t want to feel her sex grow swollen and sticky with need. Didn’t want her nipples to strain and spark with desire. Didn’t want to blush as another warm, wicked pulse made her hips buck against her captor’s touch. She knew what it wanted. What it was preparing her for. What she stood to lose. But such fears were becoming harder and harder to hold onto, their solidity dissolving in the burning, billowing fog that had swallowed her senses.

She wanted to cum. Terribly. Painfully. Almost more than she wanted to escape. But the Magister wouldn’t let her. It’d learned by now how to keep her on edge. How to bring her to the brink of bliss and then yank it away. How to make her dazed eyes water and shallow breath quicken and thick thighs tremble with need.

“P-please…” she whimpered, no longer certain if she was asking the monster to stop or continue. “Please…please…”

Her pleading faded as another tentacle descended into view. Its surface unfurled like the others, only this time, something else emerged from the curtain of red tendrils, extending inch by inch until it was almost a foot in length.

A girthy, glistening phallus.

Or, at least, that’s what it resembled. The shaft was long and subtly ribbed, its tip flaring out into a prominent, pulsing mushroom head. Lily stared as though hypnotized, watching helplessly as the crimson appendage swayed back and forth, slowly approaching her gaping lips.

“N-no!” Lily snapped her jaw shut, averting her face as much as she could. Just then, she felt the tendrils beneath her fall away, and a warmer, heftier mass glide across her labia. An involuntary gasp broke through her lips, and in that instant both monster-cocks thrust home, filling her mouth and pussy simultaneously.

“Ghhk! Gluk…!” The spit-roasted girl gagged and drooled, overwhelmed by the sensations pushing into her. The musky smell. The earthy-sweet taste. The way her throat and cunt stretched around their invaders, yielding to the Magister’s strength as it plunged in and out of her dripping holes. Lily’s gut clenched with horror, then convulsed with pleasure, the two emotions mixing in an awful, dizzying spiral. Tears spilled from her eyes, her pupils rolling as the aphrodisiac-laced cocks continued to make a complete mess of her mind and body. They twitched with triumph and pleasure, every throb traveling from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, every thrust reaching so deep inside, she deliriously wondered if the two appendages might touch.

When the red strands began teasing her tits and clit again, it became too much. Lily came, violently and unwillingly, spasming and choking on the monstrous members, her body breaking on the tools of its subjugation.

But the Magister’s conquest was still not complete.

As a muffled, obscene moan dripped from Lily’s overstuffed lips, one final tentacle descended upon her. She only caught a glimpse before the appendage wrapped around the top half of her head, blocking her vision completely. The strength to fight had left her, but her heart still thundered in protest as the creature’s grasp tightened, the sides of the tentacle opening to reveal dozens of colorful, spiraling eyes.

All at once, the entrancing pupils stared into her.

And she stared back.

Huh…?

What…was happening?

The colors…

They were…everywhere she looked.

They were behind her eyelids when she blinked.

What…were they doing to her…?

She felt…so strange…

Like she was falling.

Falling.

Falling into the colors.

Leaving everything behind.

Her fear.

Her anger.

Her desires.

Her will.

It was all leaking out of her head.

Down, down, down into the beautiful vortex it went.

She could still feel the Magister inside of her, could still sense her body bouncing and bobbing on its incredible cocks. But she no longer felt interested in that. She wanted to know where the colors were going. Where they had taken her mind. Why they had left her so…

Empty…

Ah…wait…

Now she understood. She’d been wrong. So wrong.

About everything.

The last embers of resistance faded from Lily’s muscles. The Magister’s thrusts gradually slowed, as though awaiting the answer to an unspoken question. His new thrall was more than happy to comply. She let out a purring hum, her tongue cradling and caressing the massive cock throbbing between her lips. At the same time, her hips began grinding against the tentacle filling her cunt, her slick walls tightening, beckoning, urging the Magister to conquer, to take, to use her as it wished and celebrate her surrender.

Her Master was pleased. She could tell. He began fucking her again, slow and deep and deliberate, as if savoring every moment. Lily cooed and moaned and slurped around her owner, reveling in the sensation of being His, of giving herself to Him completely, without any thought to her own pleasure or safety. And yet, in relinquishing her desires to His will, the ecstasy she experienced only increased. Orgasm after orgasm rose and rolled through her, breaking her brain until she was nothing but a shuddering, squeezing, slobbering mess, basking in the euphoric truths of Her Master’s gaze.

He wasn’t taking from her. He was giving. Pouring such beautiful colors into her eyes. Into her mind. Into her heart. Filling her with their joyful epiphanies.

This, she realized, was what she’d been looking for. It was all anyone had ever looked for. To become a part of something greater and grander than oneself. It didn’t matter if it was a cause, a community, or, in this case, a god. It was all the same. It was all that she’d ever wanted.

No, this was more. Her Master was so strong. So wise. So virile. So benevolent. Any woman would long to surrender to a being such as He. The world was his to take. And yet, he’d chosen Lily. Anointed her. Claimed her.

Yes, she understood this perfectly now. She owed a great deal to her Master. And she would serve Him well. She would become His subject. His priestess. His lover. His broodmare. Whatever He desired. She would obey His commands. She would take His seed. She would bear His children. She would grow His flock and spread His teachings.

She would be happy. So very happy.

Happy…and full…

When Lily woke, the sun was already high in the sky. Yawning, she rose from her sheets and stretched, thoughts moving at a snail’s pace. Such was always the case after an all-night gaming bender. She used to shrug them off in her teenage years, but now, having her sleep schedule wrecked and half the day wasted always made her feel…

Hold on…

Actually…she didn’t feel too bad. A little groggy and disoriented but also…weirdly content. As if she’d just had an amazing night’s rest. After rubbing her eyes, Lily put on her glasses, checking her phone to make sure she hadn’t slept all the way until Monday or something.

Nope. In fact, she’d woken up even earlier than expected. Why, then, did she feel so…good? And why were her panties…

Oh.

Lily blushed. With a grimace, she peeled her ruined undergarments free and gave them a cautious sniff. Okay. Well. It wasn’t urine at least. But she’d still definitely soaked through them in her sleep. Along with most of her bedding, from the looks of things. That would certainly explain the lingering soreness in her gut.

But…how could this have happened? Lily was pretty sure she hadn’t masturbated before bed. And explosively wet dreams weren’t really a thing for her. In fact, she couldn’t even remember dreaming at all last night. So then…what the hell...?

After a few more moments of thought, Lily sighed, giving up on this particular puzzle. It was Sunday, after all—she’d already planned on doing some laundry anyway.

Before that though…

Lily’s eyes crept across the room, to where her desk and computer were waiting. Typically, she didn’t game first thing in the morning. But then again…it wasn’t technically morning, was it? Maybe Valerie was finally online. And if not, Lily could still give “Master of the Mountain” another solo attempt. That boss fight against the Magister had been rough but…hadn’t it also been kinda…thrilling? Or something?

After swinging her legs off the bed, Lily padded over to her desktop with a smile, not even bothering to put on a new pair of panties before settling into her chair. The closer she got to gaming goodness, the more excited she felt, to the point where she began bouncing and giggling as Realms of Riven booted up.

She’d have to be careful. At this rate…

…She might end up addicted.