Blank

The sound of water dripping from stalactites echoed through the cavernous depth. Pale white things with too many legs scurried away from the dim green light given off by the crystal in Amina's deep brown hand. She swallowed, eyes flicking to each and every opening in the cave walls. Waiting for something to leap out at her. Her hand curled around the hilt of the heavy curved sword tucked into her silk sash. A spear or glaive would have made her feel better, but in the tight depths of The Underneath, a tulwar was more effective. Not that she would need it for much longer if everything went as she hoped.

Allowing herself a moment of rest, she pulled out her waterskin and took a swig. It was surprisingly warm in the caverns; a lava flow nearby, perhaps? She tucked an errant lock of black hair into the braid running down past her shoulders. The scales of her armour were stifling, but she couldn't afford to go unprotected down here. The corpses of a few lizardfolk and troglodytic orcs left in her wake were evidence of that.

A particularly loud drip made Amina turn sharply, her heart pounding as she pulled her sword loose. Forcing herself to breathe and unclench her jaw, she cursed herself. Everything made her jump. And not just down here, but on the surface as well; shadows made her heart quicken, people forced her to shrink into herself, the faintest scrape of steel set her nerves on edge. Even in her own home, she was afraid of some faceless enemy breaking in and doing unspeakable things to her. She was alone in that big house, after all. No one would hear her scream.

She was going to change that.

Her tulwar tucked safely away, Amina held the green crystal in front of her and picked her way over the uneven rock. It couldn't be far now. There were no directions given, only vague notions of things glimpsed in the dark, but the flies in her gut were buzzing faster and faster. Her heart practically leapt into her mouth when a spot of bright marble glimmered under the crystal's light.

The stone was perfectly smooth under her fingertips. It was comforting. Real. She followed along the half-covered walled, skipping over cracks and blemishes as she searched for the entrance to the ancient complex. Smoothness gave way to wrought brass filigree and bas-relief, covered in centuries of turquoise verdigris. There had to be a way inside: a door, a handle, a lock...

A button.

Part of the metalwork gave under her fingers, and she excitedly pushed it. The entire cavern rumbled as a section of the once seamless wall twice her height, and thrice her width slid back. Amina winced as the cavern was flooded with a new light, much brighter than her crystal. A few quick blinks to adjust and she stepped forward into the ruins. The door rumbled back into place and then she was enveloped by an eerie silence.

Was this the right place? There could only be so many marble ruins down in the caverns of the Underneath, but still, the incessant doubt nagged at her mind. And even if this was the place, what next? What horror awaited her down here? Would she even find what she needed? Swallowing, she turned back to the door, eyes flicking over the complicated -and surprisingly well-maintained- mechanism of gears and clockwork that had moved it. This was a bad idea. This was a terrible idea! Her nerves were getting the better of her again, and the desperate need to run was flooding her-

Who are you?

It was not a voice, but still, it spoke to her. Like it skipped her ears and went straight for her mind. Amina turned, looking around the ruined entrance hall with its floating, white orbs of light until she spotted a figure. Tall, spindly, dressed in flowing black robes with a high collar, the silhouette oozed superiority and dominance. Each step it took echoed around the hall, the light glinting off the wrinkled, greyish-purple skin. Its head was bald, with two intelligent black eyes peering out from either side of a noseless face. Where a man would have a mouth, the creature instead had four tentacles, each reaching past its sternum, which wriggled and probed the air just in front of it.

Answer. It intoned in her head.

"I-I..." Amina didn't know if she should be thrilled or terrified. Terror was winning, and she tried to pull herself back towards the clockwork, but... she couldn't. Not because of her quest, but because she physically could not move her limbs. Like she was stuck fast in amber or paralysed below her neck, no part of her responded to her will. "What is going on?"

I asked you a question. Answer, and I will release you. Perhaps.

"My name is Amina. I am from the surface world."

I could tell as much. The creature looked Amina up and down, and its eyes softened from hostility to indifference. Amina almost fell over as she regained control over her body.Why have you come here?

"I have come for you."

To slay me? You would not be the first. Nor do I doubt you will be the last.

"No, I-!" Amina stopped, her throat tightening. Her hands rushed to it, trying to claw away an invisible force. "Ghk! Please...!"

Pitiful. Your body is tempered, but your mind weak. I could leave you but a shell if I so desired.

"I... don't come to... slay you..." She choked out. "I need your help!"

The creature raised a hairless eyebrow. The grip on Amina's neck dropped away entirely, and she gasped for stale air.

What would a surface dweller require from me?

"I need a... a service."

I am not some artist you can commission.

"I have come so far for you!"

Then your journey was for nought. Unless you can offer me something, I must bid you farewell, Amina of the surface. The creature turned and began to walk away.

"W-wait!" She tried to run after it, but her feet were stuck firm. She tugged and grunted, watching in panic as the figure moved back towards the archway it had emerged from. "You did not hear my proposal!"

Nor do I need to. The whims of mortals are no concern of mine.

"Please! I... I am scared."

As you should be.

"No, I am not scared of you."

The creature paused, cocking its head. It looked at her, its black eyes blinking horizontally.

Speak.

"For all my life, I have been afraid." Amina swallowed. "Terrified. Worried. Everything makes me feel as if I am in danger. I cannot even speak to my friends without thinking I am making a horrible mistake. I... I want it to stop."

You have come to prove your bravery to yourself?

"No." She knelt. "I have come to beg you to take it away."

The creature blinked again.I can do no such thing, child.

"I have heard tales of your kind. That you can... take away the minds of others." Amina's heart was pounding in her ears. Her thighs squeezed gently together. "Reduce them to thoughtless slaves, lacking all will and drive. But also lacking in worry. An... an eternal peace."

You willing choose to serve me?

She nodded a little too quickly.

The creature's tentacles moved as a rasping sound escaped it. Was it... laughing?

The price is great. You will never think for yourself again.

"That is no price for me."

You will live only as an obedient slave. A mindless thrall that does not think, does not move, and does not speak unless it is bidden to. A puppet whose strings are pulled only by my will.

Amina barely stopped herself from mewling with delight.

You know this and still give yourself to me?

"Yes. I give myself to you... M-Master."

It made the rasping sound again.

Stand.

And so she did without a second thought, cheeks burning and her cunt aching.

Already you obey. Perhaps this will be simpler than I thought.

"I ah..."

Hmm... what else do I sense here? The creature circled her, spindly fingers closing around her shoulders as it stood behind her. Its tentacles crawled over her neck, and she shivered. He was... cool. Like a snake.That is more than a simple want. A need? Or... a desire? How vulgar. You treat me like some whore to slate your lust with?

"N-no! No, it's nothing like that at all!" Amina tried to turn to face it, but her neck just made her face forward. She could feel its breath tickling her hair. She was so close... and so scared. Terrified of what might happen, of how she would be afterwards. And yet her body burnt at the mere thought of it.

You cannot lie to me, Amina of the surface. Your skin is warm. Your blood is rushing. Your heart is pounding. The creature clicked, and its tentacles squirmed.It is amusing to me. But there is hesitation; a sense of unease. My kind are cruel, but I am not. I have seen the minds of mortals and found them... fascinating. I will offer you the chance to escape this fate once more.

"I..." Amina swallowed, giddy with delight and fear. "I want this."

So be it.

The creature's tentacles slithered over her head, one curling around her throat as the others probed over her. She shivered at the cold, smooth skin. There was a moment of near silence as she breathed slowly to stop herself from panicking, and then she felt it. As a scale-like pattern of purple light throbbed on each of the tentacles, there was a gentle pulling sensation in her mind. No, not a pull; a sucking, like someone sipping from a glass. A flare of fear pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, filling her with- nothing. It vanished as if drunk out of her head. Her confusion followed suit, and then her questioning, and suddenly all her knowledge and doubts were being sucked out of her head.

Amina shivered at the sensation, a shuddering gasp escaping her. As the doubt and terror left her mind, all she was left with was the sheer delight of her darkest fantasy. She wanted to rip open her britches, to bury her fingers into her aching, dripping cunt, but her limbs were weak and limp by her side. Her breath slowed, matching the rhythmic sucking as the creature drained her mind of every last thought and feeling. Slowly, gently, everything left. Eyes glazed over, mouth hanging open, her whole body on automatic.

There was no way to tell how long she had been there, but eventually, the creature let her go, leaving her to stand in the ruins. Every muscle was relaxed and loose, her breath slow and regular. It was like Amina was asleep with her eyes open, drifting through the seconds with nothing in her head but warmth. Blank, empty and content.

Who are you? The creature asked. Her head felt strange with something in it.

"I..." She didn't know how to answer.

It matters not who you were, I suppose. You are a slave. You obey without question.

She was a slave. A slave who obeyed without question.

Do you obey?

"I obey..." She said dreamily.

Remove your garments.

It didn't feel like a command. A command could be disobeyed; this was more like a force of will moving her limbs without a moment of consideration. She untied her sash and pulled layer after layer from her. Armour, gambeson, tunic, britches... all of it piled into a heap beside her. The last scrap of fabric fell from her body, and she stood still, feeling the juices from her cunt dripping down her thighs. Her master walked around her with an appraising eye. Long, spindly fingers traced along the contours of her muscles or cupped her modest curves. The tentacles on its face squirmed over her skin, and she didn't react at all.

I require new servants for my experiments. You will make excellent breeding stock.

A warm fuzzy feeling floated from both her empty mind and her aching pussy.

Follow.

Amina walked behind her master, feet padding over the warm stone. Deeper and deeper into the ruins they went, passing strange laboratories and arcane machinery more complicated than anything in reality had a right to be. But in Amina's mind, there was nothing. No curiosity, no wonder, no fear. Just the warm, contented feeling of obeying her master's will.

It led her through large, ornate doors of brass and into a chamber unlike the rest of them. Where the ruins before had been meticulously cleaned, the circular room was messy and chaotic. A series of wooden cots were shoved against one wall, some cracked and splintered. Furs and debris littered the floor, uneven racks of weaponry were strewn about, and a small pile of bones -not totally picked clean- sat in one corner. But the most notable thing was the smell: a musky stench, not unlike a stable. The sign of having been lived in by a wild beast, or something of similar intellect.

That something pulled itself out of its cot and lumbered towards Amina and her master. One and a half times her height, its yellowish-brown bulk was more muscle than fat. A long, furred snout of vicious fangs growled down at the two of them, piggy little eyes glaring from behind a mess of dreadlocks. Two sinewy arms hung down to the floor, wrapped in scraps of leather and tufts of fur. It scratched at its stomach with a three-fingered hand and adjusted its loincloth.

Where are the others?

The ogre shrugged its hairy shoulders.

Typical. Very well, you will be the first.

Amina stepped forward at her master's urging. The ogre looked down at her and snorted.

Her body is not fragile. You may use her as you will. Slave, obey this creature's will.

"I obey..." Amina said.

Good slave.

Her knees went weak as her Master's footsteps faded behind her, the door slamming shut. A good slave... She looked up at the ogre, who huffed and snorted again. Its enormous hand, almost enough to encircle her torso, shoved at her shoulders and she dropped to her knees. The loincloth fell, and she was face-to-face with the most enormous penis she had ever seen. It was much thicker and longer than a human's, twitching slowly to life in front of her. The ogre grabbed her head and pressed it against his cock. It almost completely covered her face.

Stroking along it was difficult, one hand barely wrapping around its girth, but Amina did so robotically. She licked slowly along the underside, surrounded by the heavy musk and incredible warmth radiating from it. She slid down and kissed the heavy sack hanging beneath, rolling them on her palm and flicking her tongue over the skin. The ogre grunted with what seemed like satisfaction, and her cunt throbbed at the thrill of pleasing him. She suckled the tip as much as she could, given it wouldn't fit in her mouth, and she was rewarded with a fat dollop of bitter, salty pre-cum.

The ogre's grunting was growing louder, and in turn, her head became warmer. The fuzzy, content sensation tingled down her spine and over her skin, flushing it with warmth. She loved to serve. She needed to serve. It felt so good to obey...

A heavy hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the air. The ogre turned her over like a ragdoll, sniffing and snarling. It held her above its head, snout pressed between her thighs. A large, rough tongue dragged itself over her dripping cunt, and a moan leaked out of her. A few more licks sent waves of pleasure bouncing about her empty mind.

The ogre turned her around, grasping her by her thighs. Its snarling muzzle rested on her shoulder as it shuffled beneath her. It poked at her cunt with the head of its cock. Amina flopped back against its torso, her breath heavy as her body screamed for more. And more it got: with a roar, the ogre impaled her on his shaft. Eyes rolling back and toes curling, Amina's mind was flooded with pleasure with every inch of cock stuffed inside her, stretching her cunt apart with its girth. It was like a thousand little hearts exploding in the blank space of her brain.

Her mouth hung open, tongue lolling out and drooling as the ogre thrust upwards. She was a ragdoll in its firm grip, drooping against its body as he took her for its own pleasure. Any pain quickly melted away into bliss. Her body's convulsions around the ogre's cock made him growl and pant, filling the room alongside her strangled moans and the slap of their bodies pounding together.

Pressure built and bubbled inside her body, creeping up into Amina's mind. The only thing she felt was the raw, intense sensations; nothing in her head except her cunt. With a flash of bright white and a hard shudder she came, her whole body tensing in unison as the ogre continued to fuck her. The wash of warmth and pleasure over her body was more powerful than anything she had ever known -not that she did realized it anymore- making her arch her back and scream in delight. A big, dumb grin covered her face as her eyes rolled back and she drooled. And still, the ogre kept going, even as she shivered in the aftershocks.

Finally, it thrust upwards for the last time, a sharp grunt of exertion her only warning before its cock pulsed. Amina panted as rope after rope of cum flooded her pussy. The ogre slid himself out and, with a snort of approval, dropped her onto the floor. She twitched and lay there in the puddle of cum, awash with post-orgasmic bliss.

She stayed there even as she calmed down, and her head went from full of fluffy heat to the gentle, contented warmth of emptiness. Master had told her to obey the ogre, and the ogre had no more orders for her. So she waited, lying on the floor, an empty-headed slave high on her own submission. Not a thought, nor worry, nor doubt in her mind. She didn't need a mind with her master in control. All she needed to do was drool and drip and wait to obey.

Obedience felt so good. Being blank felt so right.