Trials and Trances Ch. 03

Trance Advisory: This story is designed to give you the experience of having your mind enthralled by a tentacle faced monster that erases your memories by sliding its tentacles into your brain.

Chapter 3: The Thought Slayer's Thrall

Hi there! This is Brandy. I guess you know me as Brad, but I'd appreciate if you called me Brandy today and used she/her pronouns. My character is still Rungar, for now. Alice usually records our sessions, but she couldn't do it this time because her memory is gone. Well, not completely gone, but she doesn't remember anything at all about Alphina. Alphina's mind got completely wiped by the thought slayer. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Now where was I?

Oh right, Brandy! You see, I hung out Erica before the game. They're so amazing. They let me borrow some of their clothes and helped me pick out a red dress with a matching pair of heels. They even taught me how put on make-up. We got to the game a few minutes late, because It took me three tries to get the waterline right on my eyeliner, but it was totally worth the wait. I got to look fabulous, and everyone loved the new me. I'm definitely going to try this again some time. But enough about me.

This month's session was the most incredible yet. I really felt the game getting into my head in unexpected ways. We returned to the manor you see, expecting to meet our Mistress, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead we discovered a massive trail of chaos and seduction.

A path had been hacked through the hedge maze, and it was lined with dozens of ensnared Imperial soldiers. Their arms and legs were tightly bound by enchanted roots that had wound around and up and down in an inescapable net. Snaring roots had curled around curves and under clothes, binding boobs and cocks. The poor ensnared soldiers had long ago passed out, but the animate plants were still in motion. They were deviously tickling delicate tummies, armpits, and delectable toes whilst inserting themselves from every angle into every fuckable hole.

Jolleff foolishly decided to riffle through the pockets of the bound and helpless soldiers. He managed to get a coin purse with a dozen gold pieces, but when he went to retrieve a hand axe he accidentally sliced a root. The roots struck back when he was distracted by a flask of shimmering liquid. They coiled round and round his legs, slowly looping and pulling him down to the ground. He struggled in vain against them, exhausting his muscles without ever finding the leverage to break free.

I grabbed hold of Jolleff and easily passed a physical check to pull him up to safety. His pants got snagged on a branch though, and he had to wiggle out of them as I pulled him up and out of the roots. Somehow my hand found its way to his cock, which was unsurprisingly hard considering how much of a bondage enthusiast Jeff is. I grabbed hold of something else and hoisted him to freedom. He gave me the axe and promised not to touch the roots again. The carved passageway was easy and safe to follow after that.

We found more soldiers at the fountain, frozen in place in an eternal orgy. Some were standing, others kneeling or laying down as they licked and sucked and fingered and fucked from every conceivable position. It's hard to describe the hopelessly jumbled collection of bodies, without doing so in a way that leaves you with a hopelessly jumbled picture of your thoughts. Suffice it to say that they all wore looks of pure orgasmic bliss as they reached out to pleasure every available erogenous zone.

Alphina was smart enough to know that the water made them FREEZE up after cumming, turning them into pleasure statues. She gave me a knowing look that reminded me how easy it would have been for her and I to end up that way. Her skilled and eager lips could have easily made me CUM and FREEZE up for an eternity. I tried not to think of that terrifying fate, but the soldiers in the fountain were hard to ignore.

Lycanna kept us moving forwards towards the manor, but they stopped just shy of the entrance. The door had been broken inwards, hacked to pieces by imperial blades and battering rams. Several soldiers lay face down in the entry hall. Their armor was torn to pieces and their bottoms savaged beaten. Scattered amongst them were the crumbled remains of a pair of androgynous dominatrix statues. Lycanna's mood shifted dramatically when they caught sight of the broken marble.

"THWAP! SHOCK!" They cried out as they rushed inside. Tears filled their eyes and they knelt down next to the statues heads. "I know you're just statues and that Mistress can reshape you later, but it's sad to see you like this after all the time you spent conditioning me to serve her will."

Lycanna was mourning for the statues as if they were actual people, and given what we witnessed at the fountain outside, they may very well have been, at one point. Alphina stepped in after a moment of silence and wrapped Lycanna in a warm embrace. They both just stood there for a minute, Lycanna resting her head on Alphina's soft and calming bosom while Alphina's fingers ran through their hair stroking the loss and pain from their mind.

"Don't worry," with kindness, Alphina instructed. "Let's hurry, to Mistress. They'll be reconstructed."

And so we continued to the great mirrored hall, where the mirrors of submission once lined every wall. The hall was in chaos. The mirrors were shattered. Thousands of broken glass shards had been scattered. All throughout the room there were soldiers abound, kneeling and crawling all over the ground. They all wore the same vacant look on their face, as they chanted in unison at a slow pace.

"I must obey, enthralled I'll stay, my mind gives way, under her sway." A chorus of voices all chanted as one. I wanted to join in. It seemed like such fun. "I must obey, enthralled I'll stay, my mind gives way, under her sway." The rhyme was too catchy, it got in my head. I tried to resist but I chanted instead. "I must obey, enthralled I'll stay, my mind gives way, under her sway." I spoke that sweet mantra and I bowed my neck, as I failed completely on a social check. "I must obey, enthralled I'll stay, my mind gives way, under her sway."

"Ten," I chanted as I gave in to the mesmerizing mantra. "Taking a deep relaxing breath as my mind starts slowing down. Nine. Slowly slipping and shifting into the world of Trials and Trances."

Jolleff covered my mouth and guided me quickly to the other side of the hall. Fortunately the voices faded away as we walked deeper into the manor. The compulsion to chant went with them, slowly fading in the distance until I could barely hear that mantra like a faint echo in the depths of my thoughts, endlessly repeating "I must obey, enthralled I'll stay, my mind gives way, under her sway." over and over again.

We followed a trail of ensnared, enthralled, and unconscious Imperial soldiers the rest of the way to our Mistress's chambers. Her doors were wide open, but the room look undisturbed. It was like she fought every step of the way through her manor, using every spell she knew to thwart the invading forces, but then she just gave in when they reached her room. We found nothing unusual inside, except for a letter on the bedside table which read:

"Lady Morgana,

You have been charged with crimes of witchcraft and sexual deviance. Under new Imperial law the punishment for such crimes is death by pyre. You are hereby ordered to present yourself at the Imperial palace to renounce your wicked ways and beg forgiveness for your crimes. Failure to do so in two months time will result in the full might of the Imperial army being brought against you and any who stand in our way.

~Christian Von Sichette IV"

A chill ran down my spine as I read the letter. It was stamped with the Imperial seal and signed by the king himself.

"Our Mistress is in serious trouble!" I said, relaying the information to my friends. "But what can we do to help her? And should we really be helping a criminal who tricked us into her service?"

"You're right," Jolleff answered, looking rather upset all of a sudden. "The only reason we helped this sorceress is because we were under her spell. Now that we've completed her task I no longer feel compelled by her magic."

"Wait!" Said Lycanna, snatching the paper from my hands. "You were tricked here, it's true, but it wasn't our Mistress's plan. It was my idea to trick you."

"Explain yourself," Jolleff demanded, quickly drawing his dagger.

"Morgana is my lover," Lycanna explained. "We met last Autumn at the harvest festival and spent the winter together. In springtime she told me that she had to go. She had to return to her land, a land where our love was forbidden. I begged her to stay with me, but she told me she could not."

"Why not?" asked Alphina. "Elvengrove is at peace with the Imperial empire, and has had an open border policy for years. Why couldn't Morgana just stay in our lands where your love was allowed?"

"Because the king wants her dead," Lycanna answered. "His chief imperial Inquisitor showed up on MY doorstep to serve Morgana this warrant. Had she not left our lands the Imperial army would have marched on the Heartswood once more."

"Oh shit," I exclaimed, before slipping back into character. "We dwarves remember well the dark ages when the flames of the Imperial army scorched the earth. The lady Morgana did a noble thing by turning herself in to avoid a war. But how is any of this your fault?"

"I faked my own kidnapping," Lycanna explained. "It was all an elaborate ruse to trick you all here. I knew that my sister would put together a team of the bravest adventurers in the land. I need your strength Rungar, and your courage Jolleff, and your cunning Alphina. Together we can save Morgana and set things right in this kingdom. What do you say. Will you join me and rescue our Mistress?"

"Your cause is just," I answered uncertainly. "But I just signed up for a simple quest. I came here to repay my bar tab, and I haven't even gotten paid yet. Let's talk about that first."

"You're right," Jolleff chimed in. "We were swindled and deceived. But look at the riches around us. We could easily loot this place for our payment and leave."

"Please," Lycanna begged, holding up the letter as if she was searching it for something to say to change our minds.

"What's this?" I asked, when I noticed a note had been written on the back of the summons. I snatched the parchment from her hands and read the elegant script aloud.

"Obedient thralls,

My apologies for deceiving you and controlling you with my magic. I need the help of people that I can trust absolutely. This was the only way to be sure on such short notice. By the time you've read this, I'll be well on my way to the palace jail. The empire has passed a cruel set of laws that unfairly target people like me. I need your help to save my life and to set my kingdom free from the laws of a hateful tyrant.

You won't be able to catch up to us on the road, but if you travel through the Befuddling bog you may just arrive before my trial. If you successfully retrieved my rod of command there may be a chance to set me free.

~Morgana Spellsinger

P.S. You'reabout to discover that I prepared enchanting runes. I would stilllove to see you come underyour own volition, but I cannot take unnecessary risks with mylife on the line. Hence this SPELLto control your minds once more."

Five words inked in magic began to glow with a fascinating red light, revealing a secret message of dominance and control. I felt a familiar sensation overwhelming my mind as her magic sank deep into my head like a dizzying fog, swirling about in a mesmerizing pattern as it rolled in and blanked out my thoughts. One failed willpower check later I embraced her control like a feebleminded thrall.

"Eight," I chanted thoughtlessly, as my consciousness level plummeted. "Every step down takes me deeper and deeper. Seven. Soothing thoughts swirling inside as I become Rungar once more. Six. Feeling that familiar fog fill up my mind."

"We've got to travel to the capital and save our Mistress," I declared, holding up the letter so that my friends could see the glowing runes. Their eyes glazed over as they read the enchanting words. Then they blinked and woke up without realizing that anything magical had happened.

"You're right," Jolleff agreed, nodding along obediently.

We quickly gathered the supplies for our journey through the bog. Lycanna knew exactly where to find rations, a map, and other adventuring essentials. She insisted that we take the heads of Shock and Thwap along so that Morgana could later reshape them. I wanted to impress Lycanna with my dauntless dwarven strength, so I made the mistake of carrying both heads in my pack.

Unfortunately my physical prowess failed me on this journey. My powerful muscles started out strong and made it to the bog without any problems. Then the ground got soft and muddy. The heavy load made my boots sink in a little deeper. Every step sapped me of my strength as the murky ground clung to my feet and tried to pull me under. An hour later I was so exhausted that I could barely move at all. I found the nearest patch of solid ground and just collapsed.

"Five," I said as my muscles fell slack on a soft and mossy rock. "So easy to let my thoughts drift away inside this fascinating fantasy world."

My friends sat down beside me and we took a nice rest. I took a literal weight off my shoulders by giving Thwap back to Lycanna. It felt so wonderfully relaxing to let go of all that stress and tension and to just be still for a while. I must have dozed off for a few minutes, though it felt more like blinking my eyes, and then suddenly becoming aware that a cloud of white haze was rolling in all around us.

"Hey gang," Jolleff said, soundly slightly alarmed. "Do any of you know what these mushrooms are or when they got here? I don't remember seeing them when we sat down."

I blinked my drowsy eyes and took a look around. Sure enough we were surrounded by a field of glowing blue and green fungi. They were long and thin, with large umbrella like caps that slowly swayed back and forth in the breeze. When the wind caught them just right it pulled them through the air like glimmering parasols, swirling and twirling in a fascinating flight as they danced back and forth through the air towards us.

"Those are spore spurters," Alphina answered, observing the mesmerizing fungi. "I read about them in a book of psychedelic herbology. There was something special about their spores, but I can't quite remember. They might cause hallucinations if you breath them in. Or do they allow the mushrooms to communicate telepathically? I wish I could say for sure, but it's all a hazy blur inside my head."

We found out the truth when a little spore spurter landed next to our rock and began a most curious process. The stalk grew longer and thicker, like a muscle within it suddenly flexed to life. Meanwhile the cap folded in on itself, shifting from an umbrella shape into something more like a bulb. The stalk began to twitch and throb, and then a thick creamy fluid spurted forth from the bulb. The viscous secretion dissolved into misty spores as it flew towards my face.

Jolleff acted quickly, grabbing our hands and yelling "hold your breath and run." He could tell that these mushrooms wanted us to breath in their mysterious spores. None of us wanted to stick around long enough to learn why. We held our breath and ran for our lives, but the fungi had us surrounded. Everywhere we turned there was another mushroom spurting it's gunk in our direction. When our aching lungs ran out of air, we were forced to breath in the intoxicating spores.

Lycanna was the first to give in. Their frail elven form was powerless against the mind altering toxins, and soon they were stumbling along in drunken waltz. Alphina and I grabbed them under the shoulders as we struggled in vain to flee the phallic fungus. But Alphina was soon staggering along in the dance, and Jolleff was barely able to stay on his feet. I alone had the fortitude to remain completely upright and conscious, but the effect still hit me like a drug.

It was subtle at first, but I could feel it growing stronger with every deep breath I took. I felt unbalanced, like my center of gravity was whimsically wobbling, back and forth. Then I noticed a halo of light around my friends. It looked like an aura of enchanting colors that shimmered and swayed, back and forth. It wasn't just my friends. The mushrooms had an aura as well. In fact, everything in the bog seemed to be coated with hazy colors lazily cycling back and forth across the horizon.

"Do not be afraid," A sweet voice whispered into our minds. "Rejoice in psychedelic bliss, for you have found your true purpose as of thrall of the hive. We are one. We are thralls. One and all, and you shall spread our spores far and wide across the earth. Just say it, accept it, embrace it. We are one. We are thralls. one and all. Say it and feel the bliss that fills your thoughts as you accept us into your mind."

"We are one. We are thralls. One and all." I chanted with Jolleff and Lycanna as we all failed a social check. I felt compelled to obey the voices that echoed like thoughts in my dreamy mind.

"Four," I said in a relaxed and monotone voice. "Embracing the hazy sensation that every deep breath brings. Three. Consciousness slipping away into a dream of blissful obedience."

"Good thralls," said the sweet voice of the fungal hive, sending an irresistible wave of pleasure and narcotic bliss washing over our minds. "You exist to serve the hive now. You will spread our message of obedient thoughtlessness, far and wide across this world using the power we give you to convert the minds of all those you meet. We are one. We are thralls. One and all."

"No!" Alphina screamed with enough strength and intensity to wake us all up. "We need to keep running. We need to make it through this bog to rescue our Mistress."

"You can run, but you cannot hide," The fungal hive mind laughed inside our heads as we fled. "Our spores have already infected your thoughts. We are one. We are thralls. One and all."

The spore spurters tried to control us as we ran, but we knew that their taunts were toothless. We could hear their voices getting fainter as we distanced ourselves from their spores, until we barely even noticed them saying. "We are one. We are thralls. One and all. Stop resisting and just give in to our will." It was easy to outpace the slow moving spurters, and now that we knew what to look for we would not get surrounded again. But it's also easy to get turned around when you are walking through a psychedelic bog.

Alphina helped us navigate through the hazy maze of fascinating colors, but even her impressive intellect got turned around and twisted upside down like a thoughtless ditz on a carnival ride as the befuddling bog baffled and boggled our minds. Fortunately for us we knew we'd wondered the wrong way when a mesmerizing mushroom whispered louder in our thoughts. "We are one. We are thralls. One and all. There is no choice left except when to give in to your fate."

We didn't realize it at the time, but they were guiding us into a trap by controlling the volume of our thoughts. Every time we ventured off course a voice in our heads would get louder "We are one. We are thralls. One and all. You will surrender to our will." They subtly guided us onwards, deeper into the heart of the bog, towards their Master's lair. We followed their cues like witless wanderers thoughtlessly stumbling deeper down into a mesmerizing mind trap.