Sweet Venom Arc 03 Ch. 15

Chapter 15 - Twin face

"Well, fancy that! Your bunny butt is actually early for once!" Mina taunted teasingly. She stood with her arms folded, tapping her foot against the floor in impatience.

"For something like this, I like to make the effort! What can I say? Maybe it's just your sorry ass I have no business being on time for." Tani swept her slender ears back as she strutted towards the other Node.

"Thought you might've been daydreaming of the simple life again! Kicking back, sun on your ears, growing fuckin' veggies in the dirt!" The goblin giggled.

"You know me, I'm a slut for a cottage." Tani smiled, half joking, half not.

Mina was standing in front of airlock doors, thick, heavy and fortified, not too dissimilar to the inhabitant who ruled the den on the other side. From the outside, everything appeared rather... normal, for this space station anyway. But on the inside? Normality came to an abrupt end the second you entered the Crimson Quarters.

Both Nodes were dressed provocatively, with form-clinging leggings and crop tops, dark in colour and heavy in lycra. Their thick curves were on full display, as was their proud bulge down below. They shared an excited grin as the hydraulic doors hissed and rolled back smoothly. Tani pulled down and stroked her long, silken ears as the corrupted goblin by her side twitched with anticipation.

The steam cleared to reveal a delightfully dark corridor, the downlights having been snuffed out a long time ago. The corridor wasn't pitch black though; an inviting, seductive amber glow emanated from the hand-scribbled graffiti, carved desperately into the walls...

NEVER LET ME GO.

Messages to their queen...

WITHOUT YOU, I'M NOTHING.

Each as obsessive and lavish as the last, a mix of insanity, love and ecstasy was achingly spelled out on the walls...

FIRE OF MY HEART, LEADER OF MY LOVE.

Love hearts drawn in crackling, honey-coloured goo lit their way down the corridor, casting their soft glow and warming the air. Walking into the den elated both of them, the heat prickled at the backs of their necks as they hurried their step, urging them deeper.

Their heels clacked on the floor in unison until they reached the end of the corridor, the entryway shrouded in thick ruby curtains, the edges of which looked almost like glowing embers. As they approached, a familiar sound and smell graced their senses. Tani entered first, pushing through the heavy curtains, savouring their silken touch against her skin. Mina followed quickly behind her.

It was brighter inside the main chamber, but the lighting still retained that same deep, amber haze. The light had a fire-like effect to it, casting flickering, sweeping shadows across the room from the lanterns mounted on the walls. There were several Nodes inside already, dotted evenly around with as many Marks as they could possibly desire, bent over the heavy furniture that was laid out for just such a purpose. Not a second went by without a wet slap or a fierce moan. Panting, whispers and lust filled the air.

It was a sexual feast, and those participating were utterly entranced, lost in their personal pleasure, taking out their corruptive desire with wild abandon. Another Node entered the room, tall and busty, from another curtain-covered side entrance. A line of Marks followed behind her closely, their eyes bouncing from Node to Node. They followed their leader willingly, no chains or shackles on their limbs. Nothing but a hungry, knowing smile on their faces. This was where they wanted to be.

The Node gave Tani and Mina a friendly wave and gently gestured towards the Marks behind her, inviting them to partake. The pair declined politely however, pressing their fingers together to make a heart and pointing towards the larger curtains ahead of them, lined in gold and fire. The Node nodded knowingly and continued on her way, her line of eager volunteers trailing behind her.

Tani and Mina licked their lips as their corruptive desire intensified, but they knew that if they just waited, they had a bigger meal ahead of them. They pushed through the gold-adorned curtains and entered into a massive chamber. Crimson tapestries hung from the ceiling against the stone-like interior. The insides of the wing had been hollowed to to more closely resemble the inside of a cathedral with a wicked, sexual taint to it. Sat centre against the far wall was a grand throne, sculpted from melted ship hulls. The edge of the chair was lined with precious white messiahryte, looted from ships destroyed, giving the throne an enticing, eye-catching white halo, where the Molten Mistress herself was currently sitting, in all her epic blazing glory. Her fiery dreadlocks danced behind her head, curling beneath her warmth. Her thick, muscular body dominated the room. Underneath her throne, two small streams of bright amber fluid flowed the width of the chamber, caged with a black grating.

Moltezz sat with her legs hanging over one of the arms of her throne, leaning back contentedly as multi-coloured flames danced along her arms, illuminating the chamber even more vibrantly. She was dressed in a metallic bra and a black loincloth which barely covered her massive manhood. The shadows flickered and teased around her hips, begging to reveal just a little bit more.

Her piercing yellow halos immediately locked onto the two approaching Nodes. Underneath the hot hazy air and the flickering flames that danced along her hands, they could just make out the curve of a smile that graced the Controller's lips.

"Perfectly on time, and dressed as requested! I expected no less from you two. Those lycra leggings really do bring out the best in your figures." She grinned, her voice projecting through the chamber with an astounding clarity.

Both Tani and Mina felt an excited smile grace their own pretty faces, and a rush of adrenaline spiked in their chests.

"We wouldn't dream of missing out on one of your parties! Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Mina hummed happily. "When do we begin?"

"In ten minutes exactly. The Marks are being prepared as we speak. Why don't you two come and have a seat whilst we wait?"

The Nodes looked about and noted the distinct lack of furniture around Moltezz's throne, but before they could wonder for long, the Molten Mistress snapped her fingers. The flowing fluid underneath the chamber erupted from its grating on either side of her. In the blink of an eye, it had shaped itself under the mistress' psyonic command, and with a second definitive *snap* the fluid cooled with a loud hiss and a burst of sparks. Two smaller, metal thrones now sat on either side of Moltezz, cooled and safe for the pair to sit on.

Tani and Mina turned to face each-other slowly with their ever-widening grins and quickly rushed to take their spot.

"That was fucking sick." Mina laughed. "No-one has ever made me chair in my life, nevermind with such style!"

"Oh Mina, for god's sake darling! Can you not just let the moment breathe? Sometimes less is more!" Tani giggled back, resting her palm against her forehead in exasperation.

"Less is more?! Oh cottage whore, more is more!" Mina protested, grabbing her large breasts and shaking them up and down. "Ain't no one gonna tell me otherwise!"

Moltezz stretched her hand out in front of her, rolling her palm around until a bright cyan flame erupted from it, unphased by her subjects' bickering.

"You've served me excellently over the last few months. Your help in building rapport and trust with the Nodes has not gone unnoticed. Loyalty, honesty and performance, three of my favourite qualities in a person and you two deliver it by the cart-load. And for that, I am incredibly grateful."

Tani and Mina visibly blushed and squirmed in their seats at their queen's complement.

"Your loyalty seems without question. I can confidently say that you've earned your places by my side. Not once have you tried to deceive me, not even has the thought entered your heads, and for that, I trust you whole-heartedly."

"My queen, whyever would we?" Tani asked. "You lead from the front, and you look after us. All the Nodes and Marks are so well looked after under your care. What reason is there to throw that away?"

The flame intensified in Moltezz's palm, then rose into the air, dominating the room. Both of the girls watched in awe, captivated by its every motion in its almost seductive performance.

"I'm glad you think so, Tani. Just as bad actors are made an example of, so are good ones."

She spoke with such confidence. An undefeatable aura. To sit by her side was nothing short of a constant rush. For an individual of such calibre and power to praise you? To reward you? The act in itself was a reward, nevermind the substance behind it. She'd meant every word she said, and it filled both the Nodes with a brimming pride.

"I don't know if Plasia saw something in you both, or if she just got lucky. But it doesn't matter, you're in my domain now. And as long as you continue to serve me willingly, with passion and skill, I will continue to protect and reward you, as a good queen should."

"Speaking of... What happens to Plasia, now that she's here?" Mina asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"Hmm?"

"Plasia, we know a bit about what happened with her from the other nodes but... do you think she can be loyal to you?" Mina's pointed ears twitched up and down cutely as she spoke.

"A valid question." Moltezz squeezed her hand into a fist, killing the massive flame. "Controllers are... difficult. I find Nodes so much easier."

"Well... I suppose we would be!" Mina replied thoughtfully. "If a Node ever dared to step out of line, you could make them do your bidding with just a mere thought!"

"Not that that's necessary, my queen!" Tani interrupted, casting a glare over at the goblin."Not really, you let us do what we want!"

"Which is exactly how I want it to be. I don't want to have to control you. As my loyal subjects, I trust you to make your own decisions. I want an empire, not a room of mindless drones puppeted around by me. Controllers however are... more complicated. If my kind has proven anything, it's that we're remarkably stubborn." Moltezz scoffed, flicking her dreadlocks. "I suspect I intimidate the others, and that makes our relationship that much harder - big egos and bigger dicks. Plasia has an unusual place within our little council though, which she can't be blamed for... I just want Plasia to see sense, pay her dues and know her place."

"If you don't mind me asking -" Mina piped up again, seeing Tani lean forward in her chair and shoot her daggers that screamed don't take the piss! But the goblin carried on, unphased. "How d'ya feel about her? Us and the rest of Nodes are super curious about having a new Controller. There haven't been any since Venom and Rio left ages ago!"

Despite Tani's hesitation, Moltezz was unfazed by her subject's questioning.

"You know Mina, I appreciate your willingness to be forthright with me. I swear everybody on the station thinks they're treading on hot coal with me, but my ego isn't so easily bruised... I am intensely angry at Plasia for contributing to my prince's escape and, I must admit, jealous over the time she has spent with him." She paused for a second, scratching her chin. "Hmm. I must ensure my jealousy does not boil over into her punishment. It should be just and appropriate for her actions and none more."

"Why did ya rescue her?" Mina asked again, tilting her head to the side.

Moltezz casually threw a fireball into the air and caught it in her palm as sparks rained down.

"Two reasons: One, I wanted her out of the DA's hands. They're the last faction any of us want finding out about our secrets. And two, she's far from the strongest Controller here. I didn't want hers to become the face of the Rewritten, a crying, pathetic little mess."

She threw the fireball into the air again.

"Yeah, I get it! You didn't -"

The fireball suddenly slammed into the ground at the foot of Moltezz's throne, leaving a blackened scorch mark on the stone. Moltezz's casual demeanour had suddenly shifted. She bolted upright on her throne, her face caught somewhere between serious and shocked. She sat in silence for a few moments, fingers gripping at the arms of her throne, as Tani and Mina watched her closely, and with great concern.

"M-my queen? Is everything okay?"

"I... I just..." Moltezz stammered, her eyes darting around the room.

"Are we in danger? What's going on?"

"I just... I just lied."

"Wha-what? What do you mean?"

"My statement about Plasia, why I agreed to rescue her... I just lied!" Her temper rose immediately as she barked her words into the hall. "Why was it a lie?! I do not believe this statement to be incorrect!"

She stood from her throne suddenly, her eyes locking with the burnt patch on the floor. Her heart was racing in her chest, racing and... aching.

"- I didn't want her to make Controllers look weak and I didn't want the DA knowing too much about us." She repeated, suddenly feeling an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. "Again! W-What is this?! WHY IS THIS STATEMENT A LIE?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

I was so angry...when we found out she'd been captured...

Her face flickered through several different emotions, from worried, to annoyed, to angry, then back to confused.

Tortured...

Something was teetering at the edge of her vision, in her mind's eye. There was something there, a thought, a memory, something repressed, that she couldn't quite remember. It was like a dark, swirling cloud that threatened to break into a storm at any moment.

Why... did I care...

As her emotions flared again, she felt a pair of hands on each of her own.

She glanced either side to see both Tani and Mina standing from their smaller thrones, holding onto her clawed hands carefully, and staring up at her with great concern.

"Whatever is going on with you, we will help!" Tani nodded, squeezing her fingers.

"I agree with big ears! We'll stick together through this!" Mina confirmed with equal, heartfelt vigour.

Slowly, the worry from Moltezz's face faded and she forced a smile at the two Nodes. Her eyes couldn't hide the conflict within their queen. Whatever this was, Moltezz didn't have an answer right now. And, for just for a split second, the girls thought they saw something in their Controller's eyes that they'd never seen before.

Fear.

*

Diego's ears twitched in annoyance as Fairylin's stupid cackle echoed in the distance. He snorted through his nostrils as he swiped the feather duster back and forth across the already gleaming bannisters.

I was supposed to be wearing this shit for Seeth, not for cleaning this fucking estate.

He was dressed in a deeply feminine maid's outfit, complete with all the feathery trimmings you'd expect, but the persistent scowl on his face and his overtly strong grip on the duster did not lend to the aesthetic particularly well.

She's been here every day of this week. UGH!

He glanced behind him where Karen and Fairylin were outside together, currently sunning themselves in the spring warmth and enjoying the freshly tended garden. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but that frequent grating cackle would indicate that it was some kind of gossip. He couldn't fathom which innocent unsuspecting acquaintance of hers she was bitching about this time, and quite frankly he didn't want to know, didn't really care, but he couldn't shake the immediate and significant impact she'd had on him. Even Karen's attitude towards him had shifted slightly under her influence. Just slightly, but it was a shift nonetheless.

Diego quickly turned away and headed into the laundry room to grab some more cleaning supplies. The tip of his tail flicked side to side in annoyance as he passed the washing machine, full to the brim with spinning maid's outfits.

As he grabbed what he needed, he heard the words he'd been dreading for the last few hours.

"Diego! Another cocktail, NOW! And not so heavy on the ice this time! Honestly!"

"Y-Yes, Fairylin. Coming."

He dropped the cleaning supplies to the floor and marched over to the kitchen, where Fairylin was tutting and fanning herself at the door, half leaning against it in a provocative manner - or atleast, in the attempt of one. Diego grinded his teeth together as he forced a smile to his face and made his way over to Karen's absurdly large fridge to grab what she wanted.

"I must say, you do look nice dressed in such a frilly outfit, Diego. Really adds some humility, don't you think Karen?" Fairylin smiled and glanced back at the dragoness, then ran her eyes up and down Diego's form. "I'm not sure you should be so muscular though. Karen, you need to restrict his diet and personal time more."

"Less ice this time? You said?" Doing his best to appear unfazed, Diego poured a scarlett liquid into the shaker.

"Yes! The amount of ice you put in last time was arrogant. You should use four pieces, maximum. I had six in there last time. Six! Honestly, what were you, raised in a barn or something? Your parents must have failed you something rotten to produce such a woefully under-equipped morsel like yourself. Nevermind darling, you can't help the way you are. Someone needs to be below the average, else it wouldn't be the average!"

Fire suddenly raged in Diego's chest. His blood boiled, heat was rising to the surface of his skin. He could feel Fairylin's unwavering, ignorant stare burning into his core, fueling his rage. The moment ached on for what felt like forever, with this obnoxious bitch just fanning herself and expecting her drink. Diego fought to bury his anger, but he felt a spark crackle across his arms.

"W-What did you just say?" He half-spat between his gritted teeth.

"You're taking too long. I'm missing precious sun-time talking to a simpleton. Bring it out to me when your clumsy fingers figure out how to not mutilate a cocktail."

And with that, she departed back to the garden without a care in the world, oblivious to the hell that she'd left brewing in the kitchen.

Diego fought with every morsel of strength he had to keep calm, but it was just too much. All week she'd been relentlessly, needlessly mean with every slithering word that oozed out of her godforsaken maw. He snatched her glass from the countertop and padded over to the fridge again to fetch some ice, but her words kept bouncing around his head.

You... you of all people want to bring up how I was raised... MY PARENTS?! Do you even know...

A snapfire of pure amber energy crackled over his skin. The collar around his neck hissed, but Diego didn't even notice. A strong burning smell seared into his nose as he placed his hand on the long metal handle of the fridge, and he breathed it in longingly.

You're lucky. You're so god-damn lucky. I shouldn't have given it up, I wouldn't be here if I hadn't stopped myself.

He lost himself in his thoughts, he imagined his hand clasped tightly around the handle of his oversized blade.

Maybe she was right... God, Moltezz could have given me so much power...

The thought of driving that titanic weapon into the hearts of those who deserved it more than anyone else, the satisfaction of a well earned, hard fought victory.

He felt something crumble in his grasp, warmth trickled over his fingers and a familiar smell accompanied the burning still lingering in his nostrils. However, he remained lost in the moment.

His shoulders tensed as if he were swinging the blade, bracing for the crack of its impact, the roar of its swing.

You deserve no less, slaver scum. For what you do to those poor people you keep on your estate, for what you put me through. The DA hasn't changed at all. You're all dirt, all of you. Every last one of you fuckers.