Labyrinth of Lights

"I thought you'd like that offer. But remember, he's my pet."

Her pet.

Snatch felt his muscles relaxing. He was her pet.

But... no! He had to resist! They were getting so close! He tried to pull himself along, inch by inch. His foot rose out of the water and returned to land. The kaleidroscope effect started to fade, to his relief, giving him a better view of the world. The headache lingered. He could no longer hear the mermaids, but he knew they had to be close.

He managed to roll onto his stomach, gasping from the effort as he dragged himself along. Had to escape. Had to... Oh, fuck, he was so hard...

"Going somewhere, pet?" purred the voice of his mermaid mistress.

Snatch froze.

A long moment went by.

"Open your eyes, baby!" cooed the second voice.

"Nn." Snatch fought the compulsion to obey. He knew how good they would make him feel if he obeyed. And he didn't want that, for... some reason. He crawled forward another inch, covering his eyes with his arm to cover any light he might catch through his lids.

"Now, now," chided the first mermaid. "Be a good pet for Mistress!"

A good pet for Mistress.

Snatch bit his lip hard and struggled to his feet. He stumbled to the side, leaning against the wall.

"Nice... try..." he gasped.

"Mm." The mermaid sounded disappointed, but not as worried as Snatch might have hoped. "Well, sometimes it is so. Tidae?"

"You got it, Cera!" Tidae giggled, and he heard a splash.

"D-disappointed?" Snatch rasped, trying to buy his head time to clear as he stumbled toward where he was pretty sure he'd come from.

"You've done very well." Cera laughed. It was a disturbing, almost alien laugh, compared to her musical giggling earlier. "Now run along like a good pet."

Snatch was disturbed by the spring in his step as he made his escape.

He was a half-minute's sprint away before he realized that he had left his sword. And his lantern. And his damn boots.

~~~~

Snatch had taken a wrong turn.

He had no idea where he was anymore.

The adventurer squinted in the darkness. Years spent in windowless stone passages had given him a pretty good sense of himself in shadow—a kid didn't exactly want to have to light a lantern every time he took a walk—but it was all-but pitch black in here. And that made him nervous. He had to cling to the walls.

To be clear, it wasn't the fact that it was dark that made him nervous. He was at the bottom of the ocean. It would have been strange if it wasn't all dark.

No, it was the "all-but". Because there was some light down here. Somewhere in the cave, there was light.

He no longer had his mirror—that was shattered. This meant that his only way to check around corners was to listen very, very closely, and pray that he didn't hear the sounds of dripping water. He was pretty sure he hadn't come around in a circle to the anglermaid pool, but it was so, so hard to be sure when he was this confused.

As he made his way, though, he began to hear an encouraging sound. A new sound. It had been just about fifteen minutes since his near-miss when he heard the sound of flowing water.

He started to walk faster. What was it? A curtain of falling water? Had he found the exit? It wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping for, but at least it was a way out of here. At least he could be sure that he hadn't just come in a circle this time.

He could vaguely make out the area up ahead, and to his disappointment, it wasn't the exit. It was a chamber—one that didn't seem to have any other exits. Still, it was something new. Maybe it was even the vault! He slowed his footsteps, surveying what little he could see very carefully. The flowing sound was coming from a pool at the center of the room. Beneath it flowed a minute current, enough to create some noise and drag fallen leaves around, and not much else. Not that there were any leaves down here.

So he was in one of the winding pipe-like passages above the ocean floor of this strange dungeon. All around him was water—only the magic of the tunnels kept the sea from flooding in and flushing him out like a bug in a jug.

Snatch approached the pool warily, drawing his hunting knife—the only weapon he had with him now. The stream noises echoed in the small circular room.

There was, he saw, some writing on the pool. That made him hesitate. They didn't look like hazardous script, but it was hard to be sure from a distance. Only one way to find out, unfortunately—in his adventuring experience, tiny runes were usually either a clever trap or a clever clue. And he really needed a clue right now.

The rookie adventurer decided to take the gamble. He slowly approached and crouched down to examine the fine print.

A moment later, Snatch was lurching to his feet and about to spin around when a brilliant flash suddenly came from the depths of the pool.

His foot froze in place. He struggled to free it, his own mind suddenly dazzled by the light. The word of the inscription hung in his head, mocking and terrifying in its pettiness:

Gullible!

And then she was in front of him. Not Cera. A mermaid he didn't know—Tidae, maybe. She beamed at him. "And here's our wayward minnow!" she cooed.

Snatch stared at her. The light made his head feel almost... numb. He could tell his eyes were glazing over, and consciously fought it this time, knowing her game. He couldn't close his eyes, but he could try to hold off her control as long as—

"Down," she commanded. The light flashed rapidly.

His knees crumpled.

He didn't even have time to react. Instantly, her hands were on his groin, rubbing it through the cloth of his trousers and the leather armor. "Hard," she whispered. The light flashed rapidly.

Snatch gasped as he felt his member hardening. Her touch was calculated and intense, only barely felt through the padding. But even those tiny touches caused little twinges of pleasure to spread throughout his body. He struggled, desperate to suppress the feelings of—

"Good boy," she said, grinning as she started removing his belt and pulling down his leather leggings. With her other hand, she continued to stroke, now given much better access to tease him. "Good boy!" She timed the praise with the strokes, stroking just halfway through the 'good' so he knew it was coming. "Good boy." The light from her tendril blinked and flashed, making his eyelids flutter.

"N-no!" he cried, as his leggings were pulled off completely. He tried to lean away, but he felt that tendril snaking around his belly, around his chest, gripping him tightly—comfortingly—even as the orb came around to flash right in front of his eyes again. He was held fast in the light's embrace.

She had undressed his lower half of armor in mere seconds. Now she began to fiddle with the buttons on his cloth trousers, whispering the same words over and over again.

"Good boy." Stroke. "Good boy." Stroke. It was incessant. She just kept pouring the sweet mantra into his ear as she leaned in and planted soft half-kisses on his face. But she never blocked the light from his eyes. Never.

"Get off, you—" Snatch tried to rally his resistance and stand, but then his trousers were down, too, down to his knees, and her fingers were around his cock. Only his underwear remained now, a coarse, feeble defense. She stopped stroking for a moment.

"Cera is such a silly thing," the mermaid murmured in his ear, giving his neck a long lick. "So eager to... savor her conquests."

"Wh..."

"Me?" The mermaid giggled, pulling back to lock eyes with him. Her whole head was framed by the brilliant light for just one second, just as Cera's had, making her look like an angel. Her eyelashes fluttered. "I'm... to the point."

And she started to stroke him in earnest. She squeezed him tenderly through the thin fabric, and he felt precum oozing out. The light began to blink in unison with her fingers, and he moaned and cried out, writhing within its tight embrace

"You have a tool," the anglermaid whispered, accentuating her words with rapid little pets around the head of his cock that made him whimper aloud. "A tool designed to help you be broken. And that makes it such a useful tool for me and you."

The light and pleasure combined were overwhelming. Snatch hung on only by virtue of his stubbornness, gritting his teeth to block the worst of the screams. But gods, it felt so good...

"You like it when I use your tool," she said, beaming, "because it helps you submit to me. Helps you obey." She ducked down, allowing the light to fill his vision again, and he heard her voice again, this time right by his cock. "And obedience is pleasure."

And she gave his cock a tiny little teasing lick through the thin fabric.

"Obedience is pleasure." Another lick.

"Obedience is pleasure." Another lick.

Snatch felt his will collapsing. The longer he stared into the light, the weaker he felt. The more she licked him, the more he wanted to be weaker still. His underwear was wet from her saliva as she lapped right where the precum had leaked into it.

Gods, these creatures were irresistible. All he wanted to do was obey. The mantra was filling his mind as the light burned the rest of it all away. She had told him to kneel, and so he had. Told him to harden, and so he had. Her control was already absolute, inescapable. And that thought only turned him on more.

Still, he fought. He fought the tongue, fought the mantra. He would never give in. Giving in meant submitting, meant obeying to this creature's every sick whim. Obeying her meant a life of slavery. Obeying her meant obedience. Obedience meant pleasure. Obedience was pleasure.

He shook himself frantically. But she wasn't letting up. She was waiting for him to join her, to say the mantra. He whined with the effort of holding it in.

"Obedience is pleasure." Lick.

"Obedience is pleasure." Lick.

"P-please," Snatch gasped. "Ple-pleasure..."

"Obedience..." She drew the word out with a long, agonizing lick.

"... is pleasure," they said as one. "Obedience is pleasure."

The mermaid giggled. With one hand, she tugged his underwear down, down to his knees. "Good boy," she cooed, planting a big, wet kiss on the head of his cock that left a slight lipstick stain.

Oh. Oh. Oh, that felt so good. Snatch stared into the light, eyes wide, as a smile crept onto his face. Oh, he wanted her to do that again.

She was so beautiful. And she was making him feel so good.

"Obedience is pleasure," he moaned, along with her. And she kissed him again. His hips bucked this time, making her laugh with delight.

Still, he felt conflicted. He knew some reservoirs of his were still fighting. There was a particularly loud part of himself that was trying to persuade him to use his right hand in some way.

He tried to pin down that thought, persuade it to focus on the light, and the pleasure, as the mermaid rose back up and stroked his hair, her eyes sparkling in triumph. "Good boy," she cooed. "Tidae's good, good boy.

"Obedience is pleasure," he whispered in reply.

She grinned. "Oh, they're going to love you. I can't believe Cera had so much trouble with such a stud." Her hand shot down and started to gently stroke again. "All it takes is a firm hand, doesn't it, my sweet? None of that time-wasting seduction."

She leaned in and kissed him deeply, moaning into his mouth as her tongue played over his. He shivered against her, reaching up with his right hand, feeling her swelling, heaving breasts. She gasped at this touch, but did not stop him.

He leaned into the kiss helplessly, moaning his obedience. Tidae's hand gently pumped him up and down, overwhelming him in need, as she started ripping through his shirt.

And then he realized that, with her face up against his, he could no longer see the light. Only her pale green eyes.

And suddenly, the pleasure—and oh, it was so much pleasure—seemed just a little bit less overwhelming.

Snatch's mind rallied. His left hand tightened.

And he slashed upward.

The tightness around his chest and stomach... faded.

Tidae gave only a little whimper. She pulled back from the kiss, staring at Snatch in shock. She slipped backwards a little. Her hands were shaking as she brought them up to her neck.

"M-maybe," Snatch said, trying to resist the tiny twinge of guilt as he watched the flickering, fading orb fall into the water, along with the rest of the tendril. "But... at least she remembered to disarm me."

He couldn't even stand. That suggestion was still too strong. Hell, he was pretty sure if she called out to him now, he'd come back and willingly beg forgiveness.

But she didn't call out to him. She didn't say a word as Snatch rolled over and crawled away, pants and underwear slipping off his ankles. She just floated there in the water, shaking and staring after him. Not that he looked.

Snatch made it to the chamber exit, still crawling. He crawled for a minute after that before he found his feet again.

The pools were connected. There were holes in these pipes, and while the magic kept the water out, it did not stop the mermaids.

Snatch was in a labyrinth of lights.

~~~~

Snatch stumbled through the darkness, his head pounding. He'd hit his head earlier on a stalactite, and the kaleidoscope effect had gone off when he'd slipped in a puddle—he really hated this defective gear.

He had no idea where he was. He was totally lost. Every now and then, he thought he heard a moan, or a giggle, or saw a distant flash. He couldn't tell if it was in his head, so each time, he just turned around and kept walking.

Snatch was good at navigating caves, alleys, and sewers. He had a strong sense of direction that served him well—Theisa had often joked that he was part-dwarf. But he couldn't shake the suspicion that every route out was blocked by at least one connected pool.

He'd seen more holes, too—gaps in the walls where water drifted past, as well as a few more pools. Plenty of angles for the anglermaids to catch him unawares.

He wondered if this was why his employer had given him the flashing lantern, the malfunctioning water gem. To protect him, as they had both (accidentally) done. But why not warn him of the perils? They had warned of giggle polyps, of typical pit traps and magic wards. They hadn't said anything about fey in the area.

And where the hell was the Vault?

"Boy. You sure are strong-willed!"

Snatch jumped, looking up towards the voice. He instantly regretted it.

He found himself staring up into the big, friendly eyes of a third mermaid. For a moment, his heart raced, and he took a step back.

But this one wasn't an anglermaid. She had a heart-shaped face and curly blonde hair, and her eyes were a particularly bright gold. Her mouth was small, her lips pouty. She smiled down at him. "How's it going?"

"Um..." Snatch stared up at her. There was a hole in the ceiling—a hole where the water just hung suspended, unable to enter the warded area. Her head was poked through partway, and he wasn't sure how she was keeping herself from falling down the rest of the way, since her hands grasped the insides of the gap. Magic was weird. "Been better. Who are you?"

She giggled, batting her eyelashes in a way that made Snatch slightly dizzy. "I'm... Esca. And you?"

"Uh.. Alrek."

He blinked. Why had he just given his real name?

But she seemed very happy. "You want some help, Alrek?"

"Uh. I dunno." Snatch scratched his head. "I need to get out of here. Or find the Vaults."

"Vaults?" She blinked bright eyes.

"Y... yeah." She really did have beautiful eyes. Abnormally large, maybe, but bright and gorgeous. "Where the treasure is."

"Hm." She pouted. Her lips were lush, and painted a bright, metallic gold that reflected the light wonderfully. "I've never heard of any Vaults, but... oh!" She blinked. Snatch swayed slightly. "The deep Vaults! Yes, of course I remember. But... What are you doing here, then?"

"Uh... aren't they here?"

"No, silly!" Esca laughed. "You're in the complete wrong area! This is the angler maze!"

"But the map said..." Esca batted her eyelashes. Alrek lost his train of thought.

"Sounds like you've been tricked," she said silkily. "Or you got lost! Either way, you'd better get out of there, and soon! The anglermaids are irresistible! I don't know how you lasted so long down here."

"You're telling me," Alrek muttered. "I would've been done for sure, except..."

"Except?" Her eyelashes batted.

"I..." Alrek leaned against the wall. "I should just get out of here. Need to find the exit. I have a... a rope. Can't swim good."

Esca blinked, seeming confused. "Do you need help?"

"Uh..." His mind raced. "Could you take me to the rope? Or back to the boat?"

"Good idea!" Esca rolled her shoulders, then reached down. "Here! Take my hand! Esca can pull you out."

Alrek stared up at the radiant beauty and took her hand. Her hand was warm, and buzzed slightly, which was... strange. She fluttered her eyelashes. "Good boy."

Alrek blinked blearily. "What?"

She winked. "Hold on tight!" And using both arms, she started to pull him up. She barely even seemed to strain. She just... tugged... and swam upwards.

Alrek was pulled up, up into the cold water. He shivered as his head breached the surface, and started to instinctively curl inward as the frigid water immersed him totally. The gem helped him survive the chill, but only just.

She frowned, clearly noticing his discomfort. As he entered the open ocean with her, she scooped him up in her arms and kissed him on the cheek. Her body was warm and soothing against the chill. But he struggled. "Wha..."

"Shh." Her lips trailed sensuously along his neck, planting warm kisses against his skin. She seemed to be shivering, too, actually. Which was strange. "We're getting out of here, don't worry. Just let me warm you." She cuddled him closer. "Let me love you. See it as your reward for making it so far!"

He felt her hot breath on his shoulder. "Or... see it as Esca's reward. For saving you."

Alrek hesitated, his mind feeling oddly weak beneath her kisses. He grasped weakly at her shoulder. "I don't... I'm..."

She straightened again and stared directly into his eyes. Her glowing eyes fluttered, flashing his eyes in golden light. "Needy?' she suggested. Her hand crawled down his belly and wrapped around his cock, squeezing gently. "Horny?"

Alrek gasped as she started stroking up and down. There was something strange about those eyes, he thought, though his mind felt distant now against the backdrop of lust. Something... familiar. She continued to bat her eyelashes as her hand stroked him, building his hardness. "Good boy," she cooed. "See Esca's eyes. See how they... flicker... strobe..." Her hand pumped up and down in time with her words. "Making it so hard to think..."

Some part of him realized what she was doing, then. He breathed deeply, fighting to break free of the spell. "No..."

"Ooh, yes." She leaned after him and kissed him, tongue sliding into his mouth and playfully wrestling with his. Her eyes were right in front of him, batting, flashing the golden light directly into his poor, tormented, horny mind. He'd been teased so badly by Cera, and brought so close to the edge by Tidae. It was too much.

Her lips kissed over his, softly, messily, as her hand guided his cock towards her warmth. The mermaid gave a knowing grin as her large breasts pressed against his chest.

He stirred weakly. Wait. Did she have a...

Her eyelashes fluttered just as his cock slid into her pussy, and the thought fled him. Her pussy was so tight, and so slick. It was like she was made for him. Made for his pleasure.

He moaned loudly into her kiss, losing himself in her pleasure. Her eyes crinkled slightly in amusement, then half-closed with bliss.