Eli awoke with a start. The memory of the gas was still at the forefront of his mind, causing him to shoot to his feet while gasping for air. All around him a vaguely familiar grey mist swirled in complex patterns, tugging at the edges of his consciousness as if to remind him of something.

  “The sleeper awakes! What fun, what fun!” A voice said from behind him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

  Eli whirled around to see the orc from the chamber. He was still wearing the same red robes as before – ones that looked like a cross between a monastic monk’s habit and a ceremonial kimono. He held his hands out to either side of his body, his eyes unfocused.

  Not wanting to give the orc any more opportunities, Eli charged forward as he triggered his transformation into his own orcish form. He finished his metamorphosis just in time to swing at the mysterious orc, only for his fist to sail through his body and cause Eli to stumble. Anticipating a counterattack he turned the movement into a tight roll, springing up several feet away as he turned back to face his opponent.

  “The sleeper chooses not his gifts, instead he just attacks with fists!” The orc said in a sing-song voice as he turned around.

  Eli quelled the rising anger in him as he circled the orc slowly. He took a calming breath as he examined the creature, belatedly noticing that his voice had changed from the deep booming one he’d heard before into something higher pitched and almost childish. Grunting, he summoned his mana, mentally preparing a salvo of magical attacks.

  When the familiar golden glow failed to appear around his hands, Eli’s concern grew. He furrowed his brow as he glanced down, then glanced back up at the now-grinning creature in front of him. Narrowing his eyes he doubled down, consciously forcing himself to go through the motion that had become muscle memory for him.

  “It will not work, at least not now! Your mana seems all gone, somehow.”

  “You’re doing this.” Eli said.

  The orc cackled with glee as he nodded. The large, green, muscular man then threw his hands in the air and began to dance in a circle, shaking them back and forth in ways Eli had never seen an orc move. He was momentarily stunned by the motion before shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Where are my friends? The ones I came here with, and the two desert elves?” He questioned.

  “Still asleep and in their dreams, though their thoughts burst at the seams!”

  “Take me to them.” Eli demanded furiously.

  “Follow me then, to save your friends. It’s not far, just round the bend. But only if you grant my wish: an audience with a talking fish.”

  Eli blinked several times at the nonsensical rhyme. “Who are you?” Eli asked finally.

  “I am not the one you see, but him and you and me make three!” The orc giggled as he continued to dance while he moved deeper into the swirling mists.

  Eli watched him go for a moment, debating whether to try attacking or denying the creature’s request. He peered around him, trying to find any familiar landmarks – the cavern walls, a torch, anything. When he couldn’t, he let out a frustrated snort before following the path the creature made through the fog.

  Eli’s brow furrowed as he turned the orc’s words over in his mind, trying to parse his strange way of speaking. “You’re speaking to me through this orc? Maybe through a spell, or…” He trailed off, the memory of the cavern burning brightly in his mind. “You’re the one they called Hades!”

  “What’s in a name? I’ve had a few – one for each mood I’m cycling through!”

  So he’s clearly insane. Eli thought to himself as he walked through the mists. But he’s powerful too. He’s supressing my magic while possessing this orc.

  The orc cackled with delight when he spoke again, interrupting Eli’s thoughts. “Yes I’m insane, but charming too! And oh – the strange things I can do!”

  “I…didn’t say that part out loud.” Eli said.

  “Your thoughts say more than mouths allow, especially thoughts you disavow! Since we’re being honest, heart to core – you have wandered through these mists before!”

  Deciding there was no point in holding back what was on his mind anymore, Eli dropped any pretense of a mental filter. “What the fuck are you?”

  “A man I was, with gifts unearned, and oh how bright my power burned, I touched the stars, I drank the flame, the world would tremble at my name. But then I tasted something…wrong. And it has ruled me all along.” The orc replied.

  “That… doesn’t make any sense.” Eli shook his head again. “And what’s with the rhyming? You sound like knockoff Dr. Suess with schizophrenia.”

  “I like to rhyme, is that a crime?” The orc said without looking back.

  “A poet, huh? What a treat. Just what I needed. That’s…real neat.” Eli replied, deadpanning.

  Suddenly, the mists around him disappeared – replaced with flames. The orc spun around as his skin turned red, and he seemed to grow another 2 feet tall. All around him Eli heard people screaming, and above him a full moon with black tentacles writhing around it appeared.

  “I am the only one who rhymes!” The orc shouted.

  Eli threw up his hands to defend himself, but an attack never came. Instead, the world around him converted back into the softly swirling mists, and the screaming was replaced by silence. Above him the moon disappeared and the orc reverted to his usual form – only with an overly large fish’s head where the orc’s head should have been. He continued to dance and started away from Eli as if nothing happened.

  “Uh…okay. You’re the one who rhymes then. Got it.” Eli muttered as he began to follow, doing his best to shake off the horrifying vision he just experienced. “So…I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re an eldritch creature?”

  The orc turned slowly before pointing at his own head, then Eli’s. “It’s all in there – each piece, each thread. Just put it right, before you’re dead.”

  “Well that’s not ominous at all.” Eli replied sarcastically as the orc turned back around, leading him to wherever their destination was.

  “The clock is ticking, don’t delay! Each moment lost might slip away.”

  Eli rubbed his temples as he parsed through everything the creature said in his mind. When that didn’t help he started to try to connect the dots to any other piece of magical knowledge he had, wracking his brain for any connection to Talaedra’s magic lessons or books that he’d read. Knowing that the creature would hear his thoughts anyways he began to reason out loud – something that helped him solve particularly difficult problems.

  “So you’re Hades, an eldritch creature.” He started. “Hades. Like the Greek god of the dead – which probably explains the red skin and the flames and the-” He flailed madly, mimicking tentacles. “That.”

  “So far, so good…how strange, how rare! But stranger still lies up the stair.”

  Eli looked at the fish head on the orc’s body, tilting his own head in confusion. “If you can modify your body like that, why appear as an orc at all? Why not show me what you really look like?”

  “If you beheld my shape unmasked, your mind would crack – no questions asked.”

  “I…see.” Eli said hesitantly before continuing his train of thought. “You know, I once met someone else who took the name of a Greek god – Athena. Any chance you know her?”

  “Yes! I know the owl-born queen, whose plots span ages, slow, unseen. Her wisdom holds the final spark – our shield against the howling dark.”

  A wave of realization crashed down on Eli and he stopped dead. “Holy shit. You know Athena?!”

  “If you need proof, don’t clench your fists – just take a look, behold the mists!”

  Eli looked around and his eyes went wide. “They’re the same ones as when Athena appears to me.” He stopped walking. “We’re not physically going anywhere, are we? This is all happening in my mind.”

  The orc turned, his fishlike mouth flapping distractingly as he spoke. “At last, your thoughts begin to flow – don’t stop now, there’s more to know.”

  “That… explains why you were after the book, I guess.” Eli reasoned. “But you’re still fucking crazy. You used one of your followers to kill another one!”

  “They’re only tools, with roles to play – use them well, then toss away.”

  “That’s sick and twisted.” Eli said, folding his arms. “You asked for an audience – tell me what you wanted to say, then release me and my friends like you promised.”

  “Very well – your path draws near. The truest threat shall soon appear. You must prevail, but heed my plea: don’t end it as it ended me. Their death, if earned by cursed art, will poison deep your soul and heart. I cannot guide you much, not now…but take this gift. I make this vow.”

  With that, the orc moved shockingly quickly. He darted towards Eli and pressed his thumb against his forehead, speaking a single word as he did. A glowing gold light blinded Eli momentarily, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut.

  When he opened them again, he was laying on a rocky floor. All around him, torches burned brightly and people danced wildly. He scrambled to his feet to defend himself before relaxing slightly when he realized the dancing people were his allies, and that Hades’ minions had all disappeared.

  “Uh… guys?” Eli asked hesitantly as he watched them perform the same manic dances that the eldritch creature did. “What are you doing?”

  When none of them answered Eli gently placed both hands on Vespera’s shoulders and held her firmly. In response she screamed, and in that moment he saw the look of absolute terror behind her eyes. He reflexively let go of her, causing her to resume her dance in perfect time with the rest of his retinue.

  “What the everloving fuck is going on?” He muttered.

  As if to answer, a cloud of pink gas drifted downwards through the room. As his friends breathed it in their wild dancing intensified, both speeding up and beginning to involve more vigorous movements. Eli quickly covered his mouth to try and block out the gas, but stopped when he belatedly realized a layer of it had settled near the ground that he’d been laying on until only moments ago.

  The gas must be causing them to dance. He thought to himself. But if I was laying in it, why doesn’t it affect me?

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Looking upwards, Eli saw the same fleshy sac that emitted the knockout gas. It was horrifying to look at – a pulsing mass of beige flesh in the shape of a flower bulb, with what must have been several dozen tentacles branching out from its base across the ceiling. As it shifted one tentacle Eli caught a glimpse of the suction cups on the bottom that were holding it upside down.

  I have to stop that thing from emitting gas. He thought to himself as it shot out another puff of pink mist. Maybe if I can do that, they’ll stop dancing and recover.

  Eli summoned his mana for an attack before he recalled the way the orc had triggered the knockout gas. He paused his attack mid-motion, wracking his brain trying to predict what type of gas might be emitted based on the various schools of magic he could use to take the creature down. As he did, he began to register the fact that ever-so-slowly, his mana was draining and his body was glowing gold.

  That only happens when I cast spells. He thought to himself as he put the pieces together. Did I start to cast unconsciously? Like the mana beams, or spell absorption?

  Shaking off the thought, Eli refocused on the problem at hand. Instead of focusing on the fleshy sac above him, he looked at his allies once more. An idea slowly formed in his mind as he looked at Kaelira, her wings shaking and sweat dripping down her forehead from the exertion of her dance.

  Sorry Kaelira, but you’ve got wings and you’re the smallest – so you get to be the guinea pig. He thought to himself before casting a spell.

  “Snámh Objet!”

  Eli watched intently as she slowly rose a few inches off the cave floor, never pausing in her dance. Holding onto the spell he gave her a gentle shove with one hand – a movement that caused her to float towards the cave entrance and away from the rest of the group. As he moved closer to her he could see the look of pure terror behind her eyes – one that doubled his resolve.

  “Don’t worry.” He said softly as he released the spell, causing her to gently float back down to the ground. “I’m getting you out of here.”

  When she didn’t immediately run back to join the group Eli grinned, then summoned even more mana. He focused his intent on all of his friends, his eyes flicking back and forth between their gyrating forms. Exhaling deeply he allowed his muscle memory to guide him, casting the spell once more.

  “Snámh Objet!”

  This time, all his friends rose into the air. He wasted no time, jogging across the room before pushing their still-dancing bodies towards the entrance. They glided through the air smoothly before crashing into one another at the edge of the cave, rebounding like billiard balls as they did.

  Eli jogged across the room once more, grabbing their thrusting and shaking bodies as he did. Once he’d corralled them all at the entrance to the cave he reached his arms as wide as he could to either side, wrapping them around the group as best he could. They unintentionally punched and kicked him with their dance moves– something he did his best to ignore as he started to push them up the stone tunnel towards the exit.

  In the end, it took another 15 minutes before they were out of the cave and breathing fresh air again. Eli had almost broken his spell’s concentration at one point when one of Ziran’s dance moves kicked out between Eli’s legs – something he had to jump to avoid. In that moment he did his best not to take the attack personally, knowing that his retainer currently had no control over his limbs.

  The moment they reached the boulders Eli saw his friends’ dance moves start to falter and slow. Emboldened by his success, he squeezed them through the crack in the rock formation one by one, collapsing on the other side to catch his breath once he released his control over the spell. His friends slumped onto the ground next to him, each of them breathing heavily.

  “Everyone…good?” Eli said through labored breaths.

  “What happened?” Sira managed to croak out. “I dreamt…oh…no…”

  “How did we get outside?” Ziran asked.

  “I carried you.” Eli replied. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  “I remember the gas, then…” Vespera trailed off.

  “I dreamt…I dreamt…oh, no. No, no, no, no.” Thenith whispered.

  “I don’t want to go back there.” Kaelira added. “Never, never, never.”

  “Agreed.” Ziran muttered.

  “Yeah, I’m on board with that.” Eli said, sitting up. “Did anyone else meet someone named Hades though?”

  When they each shook their heads in response, Vespera spoke up. “What happened?”

  “You were possessed. There’s a…creature in there. It emits gas that controls people, makes them do different things. I have no idea how it works, but it’s got a bunch of tentacles and it looks like it belongs in a horror movie.”

  “A fleshlumen.” Kaelira said. “Their digestive system can emit different gasses for different purposes.”

  “Those things have a name?” Eli asked. “And I thought Shadowhome was magical Australia.”

  “They’re very rare.” Thenith explained. “They can’t be cultivated, and never grow outside of this realm – the moment anyone has tried to take one through a portal it’s withered and died almost instantly.” She paused. “What I can’t figure out is why you weren’t affected by the gasses like we were. Did you cast a spell that protects you?”

  Eli furrowed his brow before noticing that he was no longer glowing and his mana was no longer being drained. “I… think Hades taught me a spell. Or unlocked something in me. I don’t know which.”

  “Who is this Hades you keep mentioning?” Vespera asked.

  “Come on. I’ll explain it along the way.” Eli said, gesturing in the direction of the portal. “I’ve got no desire to stay anywhere close to that thing.”

  Given that there were 6 of them now, they couldn’t just fly back to the portal – a fact that made the return trip much longer than the trip out. Fortunately for all of them it was a blissfully uneventful hike, punctuated only by a radio announcement when Aria arrived with reinforcements through the portal. It also gave Eli the chance to bring the rest of the group up to speed on everything that had happened, including the interaction with Hades and the escape from the cave.

  By the time they reached the clearing with the portal the sun had almost fully set. Eli couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the rest of his bond mates gathered near the portal. He almost made a beeline towards them but was stopped suddenly by Vespera, who placed a hand firmly on his shoulder and turned him around.

  “Eli. Can we talk privately for a minute?” She asked softly.

  Eli nodded before addressing the rest of the group. “You guys go ahead. I’ll be there in a second. Get us ready to go home.”

  Vespera waited for them to leave earshot before she spoke again. “Do you remember how we met?”

  Eli raised one eyebrow in confusion before answering. “Yeah. We were in Purgatory, and you came through the doorway to the demonic pocket dimension.”

  “With Korvus. That asshole of an incubus.” She added.

  “Right.”

  “Eli I need you to understand how much I couldn’t stand being controlled like that. He wasn’t just using desire magic – he’d been granted some sort of mind control spell by Lady Lust. Why she did that for him I’ll never know, but… my point is that I hated my life. It was wrong, it was a perversion of the natural order, and he made me do all sorts of things I didn’t want to do. He forced me to be celibate.”

  “That sounds bad for a succubus.” Eli said.

  “It’s terrible. It’s like forcing a human to live in perpetual darkness.”

  “I’m…sorry.” Eli said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

  “No, wait, I’m not done.” She said, pushing him away slightly. “I need to get all this out now, or else I’m going to lose my nerve.”

  “Okay.” Eli responded, backing up slightly.

  She took a steadying breath, then continued. “When I was… in the cave, all I could think about was that time. It kept playing over and over again in my head. How miserable I was. How many times I tried to…” She shuddered, then continued. “Well, let’s just say that if I had full control over my body during those times, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”

  “Fuck.” Eli said. “Vespera, I didn’t-”

  She held up a hand. “I’m almost done, please.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “This is the second time you’ve put yourself at risk to save me from being controlled.”

  “Of course.” Eli said. “I care about you, Vespera.”

  “I know you do.” She said, placing her hands in his. “That’s why I wanted to say this: I’m still celibate– I have been since before I was mind controlled by Korvus. But now it’s by choice. Because I’m saving my body for the man who already has my heart: you.”

  Her fierce eyes met his for a moment, locking together. Then, as if by unspoken agreement the two of them closed the distance, their lips meeting for the first time. His hands slipped around her back and her arms across his shoulders, interlinking her fingers as if to keep him in the embrace longer. In response he deepened the kiss, pushing her gently against a nearby tree to give him more leverage as their tongues slipped into each others mouths. It was an interesting challenge to kiss her while avoiding her horns, but he managed to do it by tilting his head as he kissed – something that added a new element to the makeout session.

  Suddenly, an animal’s roar echoed from deeper within the forest. It sounded far enough away to not be an immediate danger, but given their recent experience with the local wildlife Eli didn’t want to take any chances. He reluctantly pulled back, offering a few more soft kisses on her lips before squeezing her tightly.

  “I hate to interrupt this, but… let’s not tempt fate, shall we? I don’t know what creature that was, and I really don’t want to find out.”

  “Agreed.” She said, a grin appearing on her face.

  He stepped back before interlocking her fingers with his own. “Time to go home.”