Slithering Sins in Assala's Sanctum (Hypnosis, Petrification)

Hey folks!

Looks like the Quest is starting to heat up. I hope people are enjoying the game - I'm certainly enjoying seeing people's suggestions and votes! I wonder how it's all going to turn out...

This week's story - demons, hypnosis, and some petrification thrown in too! Not a combo I get asked for all that often, so I hope you all enjoy!

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There were two kinds of people in this world – those who had It, and those who didn’t. Those were the rules, Assala didn’t make them, she just exploited them for all that they were worth.

Of course, what It was varied, according to time and place. It could be power, it could be blood, it could be magic, it could be anything at all – so long as It was horded and coveted in equal measure. So long as there were those with it, and those desperate to get it.

Right now, in the modern era, Assala was delighted to declare that It was wealth. Gold, currency, bank notes, crypto, it didn’t matter what form that wealth took – all that mattered was you had it. And if you had it, well, there was no limit to what you could do.

That suited the demon just fine. Wealth was easy to generate, and all these greedy little humans had never been so desperate for a taste of it. They practically worshiped the stuff, which was just flat out hilarious to her. And of course, if you had it, then they worshiped you, too, cozying up in the glutenous hope of more.

Ah, such deliciously carnal greed. She loved it. It was so easy to exploit. These foolish souls practically offered themselves up to her on a platter. She didn’t even need to try. In this world, you got richer just by being rich, no effort required.

With an ease that would have been insulting in any other century, Assala had slipped into high society in the guise of a human woman, and wrapped herself in their finest trappings. She cast herself as an exotic beauty, with tanned skin and dark hair, with the most captivating green eyes that so many claimed to have been enchanted by. Which was just delightful, because she’d only bothered to enchant perhaps a third of them. How simple these humans were.

Yes, ‘Lady Assala’ had firmly entrenched herself in the decadent culture of humanity. She’d quickly become the woman to know. She was the apple of society’s eye, the belle of every ball, and the Mistress of so, so, so many exclusive bedrooms. Her parties were the event of the season. Everyone wanted an invitation – and oh, so few received them.

Truly, it was an insult to call them mere parties. They were gatherings of wealth and extravagance, an endless stream of chance for her to show off just how much better she was than those who attended. Let them drool over what they could never hope to afford, go home with heads full of dreams about worshiping her. But really, what else was a party supposed to be?

People spent months trying to work out how she constructed her guest list, trying to worm their way in. Sometimes she allowed them to, sometimes she simply enjoyed watching them squirm. No need to let them know that she mostly just  picked names at random from the appropriate lists. She didn’t really care for any of these people. They were just around to boost her profile that much more – her rich getting richer.

No, the real guests of honour were the others. The ones who were sure they must have been invited by mistake – common people who’d simply caught Assala’s eye for their beauty, or some quality of their spirit that only she could see. She collected names and faces as she went about her life, remembering them as only a demon could, to invite them into her company to examine them closer – to see if they were worthy.

Worthy of what? Why, that was quite simple. If these girls wanted to grant her tribute, who was she to refuse? Every quarter, she selected three random guests – the lucky few of the lucky few – and invited them for a private audience in her garden. What she did with them there, oh, that depended entirely on her casual whim – but whatever she chose, they’d never return to the outside world as the women they’d been. They’d be hers, through and through, in every way that mattered, and most that didn’t.

Sometimes she simply sucked out their souls, left them wandering as mindless husks. Sometimes she broke their minds, crushed the shards of who they had been into powder, and remoulded them into entirely new beings. Sometimes she fed them on a diet of lust and sin until they were plump on debauchery, and then spent months breaking them in as her new succubus slaves.

No one ever questioned her in regard to them. She was far too rich to bother with trivial matters like that.

None of that this yeah, though. She liked to keep things fresh… And besides - this year, she was in the mood for something a little more decorative. Her garden needed a little sprucing up. It had gotten a little dull, a little stagnant. It needed something to spruce it up, give some life to the place – figuratively, at least.

And when she raised a glass of sparkling golden champaign to open her latest extravaganza on this hot summer’s night, she already knew exactly which three girls she wanted this time. Three names had made their way to the top of her lists, and she intended to take them for all they were worth.

It wasn’t that they were special in any way. They weren’t unearthly beauties, or especially talented, or possessed of incredible genius. No, like so many things for Assala, it was simply a collection of whims. She had seen them all at just the right time, and decided they were what she wanted. Luck of the draw, that was all that it was.

Of course, they were fine choices, even if none of them stood out…

Vanessa van Heeren, the daughter of a politician – Dutch, if the demon recalled correctly. A scheming blonde beauty, always looking for ways to improve her station at the cost of others. Oh, the vanity practically dripped from her.

Karen Akiyama, a ‘variety’ streamer by day, and an ‘NSFW’ streamer by night. There was a woman who thought entirely too much of herself, convinced she had talent while everyone around her could see she had nothing. She was sure she was here because she’d impressed someone of importance, rather than her face coming up randomly in the demon’s feed one day. Hubris and ego in an intoxicating brunette package.

And then there was Sin Ah-Ra, an up-and-coming influencer from Korea. A dark-haired woman with no apparent scruples, willing to do whatever it took to increase her view count and boost her follows. Raw ambition in its purest form.

Yes, she wanted these three. Three fine sacrifices to the demon Assala, as far as the demon Assala was concerned.

And so it was these three that she paid attention to as the party progressed. Oh, she spoke to people, she smiled and waved and partook in all the usual social niceties, but that was all done by habit and instinct. She didn’t actually notice any of it. Her focus was fully upon the three she had picked, tracking them as each made their way through various social circles and buffet tables. The demon was like a shark circling prey in the water, waiting for it to get too tired to fight back, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Patience was a virtue, as they said.

And her chance arrived as the party started to enter its second hour. The flow of the crowds, chaotic but never entirely unpredictable, ebbed and swirled in such a way that the three chosen were drawn, quite obliviously, into proximity with one another. Two of them, Ah-Ra and Karen, had ended up in the same small circle of conversation around an executive from one of the big streaming companies, both smiling and nodding as they tried to glean information that would be useful for their careers. Meanwhile, Vanessa had been chatting with a more local politician, but was starting to circle in closer on the others as she overheard some details that might relate to her OnlyFans channel…

She had just stepped in when a small hush fell over the conversation. All three women blinked, uncertain why there was this strange pause – and then all three noticed the other new arrival.

“Good evening, everyone,” Assala purred, playing up her casual arrival as if she wasn’t aware that she was the focus of everyone present. “I hope you’re all having a fine time at my little get together?”

People practically fell over themselves to assure her that they were. To compliment her on her taste, her beauty, her grace. To lavish her with attention, to prostrate themselves before her glory.

But, naturally, she wasn’t here for any of that. She was here for her chosen. The others were unimportant. Not a word they said reached her ears, merely disappearing into the background babble, like the whistle of the wind or the growl of traffic.

Instead, casually and carefully, with words laced with magic and charm, she dismissed those unimportant fools. The group grew smaller and smaller, other people finding themselves breaking away to get drinks, or see sights, or chat amongst themselves – until it was just the Lady of the evening and her three victims left.

And now, only now, did she truly pay attention.

“- So yeah, it’s all about having a good time and giving chat the best experience possible, no matter the cost~” Ah-Ra was leading the talk at the moment, all bubbly cheer. “You know, if you’re in the industry, I would love to do a collab!”

Vanessa snorted. “Really? My, I thought I could sense the stench of desperation. Doing so badly you need to cling on to more popular channels to make ends meet, hm? Could never be me.”

Ah-Ra’s eyes narrowed, but it was Karen who spoke up next – bursting out laughing. “Yeah, tell me about it. You think I need your help with numbers? I bet I get at least twice as many views as you do.”

“And I, ten times. At least.” Vanessa smirked. “If you want a collab, I’m sure you can donate to my channel. If I feel like reading your message out, well, that’s close enough, right?”

Oh, how wonderful. Assala couldn’t help but smile. These three hadn’t noticed they were alone with her yet, and they loathed each other. Such haughty, petty emotions. Weren’t they just delightful? For a moment, she was tempted to just let them bicker in front of her, let herself bask in their meaningless spite… But no, she had plans, and it would be annoying to regather them all if one of them stormed off. So instead…

“My, that sounds fascinating,” she lied. “How interesting that you’re all involved in such an interesting industry. I’d love to hear more, but it’s so loud out here. Would you three mind if we took this conversation to somewhere quieter? My private garden would be ideal for a chat…”

She could practically hear it, the sound of gleeful ambition ringing in their brains as they realised both who was speaking to them, and what an invitation from Lady Assala could mean for them. They thought this was their chance to flatter her. Befriend her. Use her. Oh, they could not have been even the slightest bit more wrong.

“Why, I’d be delighted,” Vanessa said, pouring on the charm, and completely forgetting everything she’d said about how desperate it was to desire a ‘collab’. If she could collab with a super celebrity like Assala, why, she’d be set for life!

“I suppose I could take some time to explain the details too you, if you insist…” Karen put on a show of hesitancy, the brunette shoving her hands in her pockets, before ‘grudgingly’ nodding. The demon wasn’t fooled – this one was even more desperate for her approval than the other two, she was just too stubborn to show it.

And Ah-Ra? “Oh, that sounds amazing, my lady” All cheer and politeness. “In fact, I have some really cool ideas for cameos I think you’ll love”

But despite her sweet tones, this one was by far the most ambitious of the trio. If Assala hadn’t been a demon, she probably would have had to watch her closely, instead of just finding her amusing~

“Then please, girls, follow me~” She turned and began to walk, leading away from the gathered crowds, off into the more secluded parts of her mansion. It went without saying that she didn’t look back, nor did she listen for the sounds of their heels tapping against the floor with each step. There as no need - she knew they’d follow.

It wasn’t long before they reached her destination. The inner gardens of the Assala estate ere a beautiful place – naturally. As if she’d settle for anything less in her inner sanctum. Plantlife from across the world resided her in impossible harmony. Vines covered the walls, while tress shaded the paths, weaving through lush green grass lawns and flower beds of dazzling colour. At the heart of it all, several pathways and an enchanted hedge maze away from these three sets of prying eyes, was the alter through which Assala channelled most of her power. Though out of sight, its influence was cast wide over the garden – the girls were truly at her mercy now.

Alas, she really didn’t have any.

“Make yourselves at home,” she said, gesturing for the humans to enter ahead of her. “I just need to talk with the gardener for a moment before I join you.”

“How beautiful!” Ah-Ra was already filming on her phone as she walked in, trying to record every sight and sound. “Please, take all the time you need – I won’t be going anywhere~”

“Well don’t leave me here too long.” Karen was less polite, hands shoved in her pockets as she shuffled past the doors. “I’ve got places to be, you know.”

And Vanessa rolled her eyes at her ‘companions’ less than graceful displays – but didn’t do anything different as she strutted in, arms folded. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to Alassa confidentially, as if they were allies in any way. “I’ll keep them in line.”

The demon in disguise just nodded, before shutting the doors behind them. None of the three heard the click of the lock.

But for once, she hadn’t been lying. Her inner sanctum was tended to around the clock by one of her many thralls – a demon who had fallen into her services millennia ago, who had performed menial labour and tasks in her name ever since. How else could such splendour be kept alive and picturesque for whenever she wanted a nice backdrop for her business? That was a lot of work she had just no interest in doing personally. Fortunately, that was what thralls were for.

“Sorle.” She called for him as the three ladies vanished into her lair, oblivious to their looming doom. Her voice held none of the charm she used around humans – only the cold command of power over her slave. “Show yourself.”

The shadows at her feet pooled and twisted, before rising from the ground and shaping themselves into the form of a coiling hollow serpent, a being of pure darkness, from which only his glowing red eyes could be perceived. He swayed in front of his Mistress like a cobra before a flute player, watching her intently.

She smirked. “Some new flies have troubled themselves to get entangled in my web, but I’m simply too tired to play the part of the spider. Be a good boy and go play the part of the snake for our curious Eves, instead, hm?”

The creature hissed, nodding, before darting away into the shadows once more. Assala’s cold eyes watched him weave away into the garden, trailing after her prey. Then, smirking to herself, she stepped away from the garden, and into a private room across the hall. A room where a comfortable chair awaited her, along with a tray of drinks, and a scrying mirror that would give her the very best view of the spectacle yet to come.

Taking a seat, she leaned back, took up a glass of wine, and waved a hand, activating the mirror. Three souls were about to be sacrificed in her honour – she certainly didn’t want to miss the show.

-

Vanessa van Heeran had no interest in socialising with a pair of- of Tiktokers, or whatever those two women thought they were. She was a serious woman of status, of wealth and power. The only person she as interested in talking with in this garden tonight was Lady Assala – who she was sure would be present soon enough. Until she was, however, Vanessa was just going to enjoy the only other company she could stand – her own.

She’d wandered away from the others, not even taking care to see what part of the garden they were heading towards. Instead, she’d followed a charming path through a leafy trellis, and found herself in a delightful little grove, complete with a running stream and stone bench. With the tree cover so thick around her, she felt as though she really was in a forest, rather than a rich woman’s mansion.

Well, there was no point in just standing around, doing nothing. The surroundings were idyllic enough. Why not wait here while getting some business done? The blonde took a seat in the stone chair, pulling out her phone and opening up a stock trader app. In seconds, she was oblivious to the world around her.

Which meant she never saw the dark creature slithering its way through the branches above her until it was far, far too late.

Fwump!

“The fuck-?!”

The blonde’s phone went flying, landing in the stream with a splash as a heavy weight suddenly dropped onto her shoulders, nearly knocking her to the ground. She managed to stay in her seat just barely, rocking and trying to throw whatever had fallen on her off, but it was too fast and slick for her to grip, quickly wrapping around her arms and squeezing them tight against her sides.

Before Vanessa knew what was happening, she’d been firmly bound in the coils of the snake, pinned in the stone chair. She struggled, of course, but her muscles, having never lifted anything heavier than a particularly thick magazine, were no match for the servant of darkness.

In fact it as only when the serpent’s face rose to sway gently in front of her own that she even realised this heavy weight was a living creature. “Hey, get off me you disgusting…!”

Her acidic snarl faltered as the red eyes in front of her began to glow. Her perfect brow furrowed, confusion taking up residence behind it. Animals didn’t normally glow… Did they? She’d only ever seen nature from a distance before. Normally there was no way she’d let a creature get so… get so…

Ah… What was she just thinking, again…?

Red light filled her vision, pulsing gently. Vanessa found herself staring into the snake’s eyes, trying to focus on his pupils. But it was funny, she couldn’t quite… y’know, like, lock… lock on. It was like his eyes were spinning, swirling around, twisting in such a strange way that it made her dizzy to look at.

Weren’t snake eyes supposed to be slitted? She thought she’d heard that somewhere – or she did, until the memory dissolved away in her head, bleached into nothingness by the red light. Red light that swirled around and around and around in her mind, washing through her thoughts and sweeping them away.

Her struggle was starting to weaken, her arms starting to go slack. She was finding it harder and harder to work up the energy to keep going. Hard to remember why she should. Plus, it was kind of getting harder to do. The coils around her arms had grown in number, the snake’s body wrapping around and around hers even as his head remained firmly in front of her face. And what’s more, those coils were starting to tighten.

To squeeze.

A moan rolled out of her throat as her body was caressed, and air began to grow short. Vanessa had the oddest sense, as yet more coils circled around her, laying up over her shoulders, sliding around her neck, that she was in danger – but that sense struggled to make itself heard under the red light that was filling her head, draining everything else away. So captivated, she could barely respond as her breath became laboured.

She still tried, of course. The politician’s daughter was far too vain, far too vapid, to properly comprehend what a dire situation she was in, but she understood on a primal level that it was happening against her wishes. In an act of incredible mental fortitude, she gathered every last scrap of willpower she had, in order to commit the ultimate act of resistance.

She tried to lodge a complaint.

“Yuh… You can… Can’t doooo thish…” The blonde stammered, her jaw slurring as it struggled not to fall open. “Dun… Dun’chu know… Who I-?”

The coils around her neck clenched, and squeezed tight.

“Huhk!”

Instantly, her face turned blue, air shut off. But she barely noticed that, as the shocking sensation of the squeeze shot straight up into her brain – and popped the last gathering of her willpower like a balloon.

“Nn!”

Vanessa fell silent, a silly, relaxed smile spreading over her lips. Her eyes fluttered, just once, eyelids out of sync, and then opened wide, showing that her pupils had been completely replaced by red, swirling spirals. She stiffened in place, all of her muscles locked in total stillness – completely posable, but utterly without any inner power. Her head was completely hollow, filled only with red light.

Even as the snake finally slid off her, finally unwinding himself from her catatonic figure, she didn’t move. She just sat on the bench in the middle of the clearing, staring into nothingness, arms pressed firmly against her sides, knees locked together. There was no question that she could be left there, mind lost in an eternal spiral, for as long as her captor wanted.

But the snake wasn’t done. A swipe of his strong tail sliced open the blonde’s clothing from top to bottom, casting aside her fine party dress and revealing her naked figure to the forest. It wasn’t a bad one – a surgeon’s touch had given her finely shaped breasts, and her hips showed the pride of a bottom-heavy bitch, marked only by the sprawling blue rose tattoo running down her leg.

A fine figure, in fact – one that deserved to be shown off. That was clearly what Assala’s creature believed. Now freed of having to bind her, the snake rose up in front of Vanessa’s spiral-filled eyes once again, his light shining on her face, their gazes locked once again.

His wordless commands filled her head – and mindlessly, she obeyed. Her legs opened, one hand dipping to spread her lower lips, while the other lifted to her chest – a pose of self pleasure. There, she froze again, her mind running on empty, but that was fine. She had obeyed sufficiently, and taken the last action Vanessa van Heeren would ever be capable of taking.

The snake bowed forwards, drawing close – and then his eyes began to shine. Not merely glow, no, this time light poured from his gaze, so bright it was almost white, washing over Vanessa, her empty mind, her frozen body, and filling the clearing as a sudden chill filled the air…

-

“Oh, very good, Pet…”

In her private room, Assala smirked, leaning back with her glass of wine as she watched the light begin to fade. The magic of her creature’s gaze was very potent indeed, when she allowed it to be. Just a taste could still thoughts, lock minds into empty oblivion. Full on? Well…

On the bench in the clearing, no human woman say. No, no one would make that mistake. Instead, there was a simple grey statue, a sculpture, a fountain depicting a naked lady, enjoying a little alone time. Water streamed from the statue’s mouth, rushing down her chin as though she were mindlessly drooling, drizzling down her chest, and then flowing down between her legs, looking for all the world like she was dripping from her frantic self-pleasure.

A truly humiliating eternal fate for that mindless soul – one that Assala herself would feed on until the end of time.

Watching her pet slither away, she couldn’t wait to see what he did next.

-

“Look, listen to me.” Ah-Ra wasn’t giving up. She’d followed the brown-haired woman – Karen? She seemed like a Karen – down the paths into the forest (or was it a jungle? Some of these trees seemed…) and was, even now, continuing to give her collab pitch. “It’ll be fun! And I’m sure we’ll both get a big audience boost!”

“As if I care!” The brunette was being stubborn. “I don’t need any stupid stunts to boost my- my whatever. I just game! I’m good at gaming.”

“Really? Because from what I’ve seen of your channel, you need to get your top off an awful lot to keep your audience…” Naturally, the dark-haired content creator had already looked the other woman up on her phone.

“Oh my god! You can’t just-!” Karen picked up the pace, dashing off into the darker parts of the woods. “Leave me alone!”

If she thought that would be enough, though, she was mistaken. The Korean idol hadn’t gotten as far as she had backing off at the first ‘no’. Vanessa had seemed pretty stubborn – and pretty unpleasant – but Karen seemed like she was made of softer stuff (even if she, too, seemed like an utter pill). She knew she could wear her down – and, hey, if she kept being stubborn, she’d just humiliate her instead. That ought to be good for a few clicks! In fact, maybe she’d do that whether or not she co-operated!

“Look- Wah!” She went to follow after the other woman, easily keeping pace (the gamer was definitely out of shape despite her figure) - only to trip. Her foot snagged on something heavy – something she could have sworn wasn’t there a second ago.

“Ack!” The brunette was of absolutely no help in staying upright, and the pair went down together, quickly ending up a pile of tangled limbs and annoyed glares. “Get off me!”

“Alright, alright.” Ah-Ra rolled her eyes at how stubborn Karen was being. “Keep your hair on. Just get off my leg and I can shift.”

“I’m not on your leg,” the other woman growled in irritation. “How about you stop sitting on my arm instead?”

“But I’m not…” The Korean woman blinked, looking down. It was dark, but- was there something else in this pile with them?

There was.

The snake struck suddenly, having already woven its way around the pair. Before they even knew what was happening, the two women had been hoisted into the air and bound together, their backs pressed against one another tightly, thick coils wrapped around their stomachs holding them aloft.

They protested, obviously.

“Let me go!”

“Woah, what is this thing?!”

But Assala’s dark servant didn’t care for their words. He simply continued winding around them, slowly looping his long, scaled body around them again and again, his red eyes staring at them all the while.

Neither of them were strong enough to break free, despite their squirming. Thus, Karen decided to try a different tactic.

“Leme go and eat her instead! I can… I can, like… help… you…” She started strong, but trailed off as she made eye contact with the snake as it circled her. Her gaze locked on his, she found herself dizzily losing track of what she was saying, her head spinning – only to snap back into muggy focus as he passed out of her line of sight, just in time for her to hear Ah-Ra’s angry response.

“You- You bitch!” The Korean tried to kick her. “How dare you- H-how dare youooohh…”

But like her brunette friend, she found herself falling into a hazy, uncertain stammer, eventually just stretching her words into a sigh like a dumbass as she found herself in a staring contest with a creature that seemed to lack eyelids. There was just something so captivating about his gaze… She just got lost on it, sinking deeper and deeper into those swirling scarlet pools…

Which gave Karen room to keep trying to throw her under the bus. “You don’t want me! I’m mostly gristle. Now her – see her fat tits? I bet those’d make a good ubha zuba huuuuh…”

Of course, she stopped speaking sense as soon as she caught sight of the red light again, utterly scrambling any command of the English language that she had, along with her sense and intelligence, but you got the idea. Her captor ignored her none the less.

Meanwhile, Ah-Ra’s eyes were still swirling with red light, spinning around her irises even though the Snake was behind her now. Her head swayed, drool leaking from the side of her grinning mouth as more coils continued to wrap around her and her companion. She was practically giggling as she spoke, her mouth rambling without much insight from her brain. “Ha… Ha… That’s a cool idea, actually…  vore live on camera… one small change though, it should tooootally be znkr vuuub…”

Another blast of red light was enough to sort that out.

By this point, both women’s minds were well and truly circling the drain. Neither of them was exactly what one would call a mental titan – and their mentals were certainly being tightened right now. One more glimpse of spinning red, one more peak at swirling bliss, a tiny nudge and squeeze around their throats, and that would probably be enough to pop their brains right where they dangled.

But Assala’s creature was an artist – he wasn’t satisfied with the easy route. So instead it flexed its mighty muscles, turning his mostly mindless captives around in his grip. Then, with the tip of his tail and the crest of his head, he pushed their faces together.

“Hu-ah?”

“Mhmn?”

Both smiling, drooling idiots startled, momentarily snapping out of their mesmerized daze as they realised they were suddenly kissing someone they rather disliked-

Squeeze!

- Only for that to cease mattering in an instant, as the coils around their next tightened into a choke.

Pop!

And a pair of mindlessly kissing hypnotised morons was all that was left, their brains completely removed from the equation. They simply stared into one another’s spiralling eyes, endlessly draining themselves of all will and thought. Two bottomless pools of stupidity.

The snake moved quickly after that, stripping them of their outfits and posing the two closer together, entwining their legs, while pulling apart their chests so that their bodies formed an O shape, connected between heads and toes. They were as malleable as Vanessa had become – and were soon to be just as stiff.

Another flash of bright reddish-white light, another rush of chill, and the two woman were flesh and blood no more, cast in rock grey from top to bottom. There was a quiet hiss, and then the sound of rushing water – and four sprays of crystal clear liquid arched through the air, pouring forth from the former women’s nipples. Their breasts had been converted into water features, now to feed the forest for as long as they were left in place.

They were stone through and through, locked forever in an embrace with one another. Their souls bound in mindless service to the owner of the garden, their life-force repurposed into gathering water from their surroundings to constantly pump out of their tits.

Another fine work of art for the garden.

-

“Excellent work, my pet~” Assala congratulated the lowly demon as she stepped into the gardens once more, already enjoying the taste of her new soul collection. Said pet soon dropped down onto her shoulders. She grinned, stroking his scales as he swayed in front of her face, red eyes glowing.

“I should reward you, I think,” she said. “What would you like, my pet? An extra rat for lunch? Perhaps another rose bush to tend in my garden?” The demon in human guise laughed, tickling her servant under the chin. “You may name your desire, pet – so long as it isn’t too expensive~”

Red swirling light was the only answer.

Assala tried to frown, but her jaw was oddly slack. She was starting to feel a little dizzy…

-

The gardens of Lord Sorle were always the highlight of his extravagant parties. He offered them freely to touring guests, often said that they were meant to be seen by many, not enjoyed by a few. And certainly, no one was going to argue with a man of his wealth.

As a habit, the man often asked visitors what their favourite art piece had been. He got a lot of different answers, all of which amused him.

Some appreciated the statue of a woman in her prime caught in a moment of exquisite intimacy, water bubbling up from within to run down her form. They called it challenging, bold, and somehow thrilling. He simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Some preferred the two lovers locked in a beautiful dance, arching water currents symbolising their devotion to one another. Guests spoke of how the sight made their hearts beat, how they felt their connection with their own partner grow, to see such a display of love and beauty. To that, he would always grin.

But most said their favourite was the last exhibit, displayed boldly near the center of the gardens. A statue of a tall, beautiful woman who seemed familiar to many, but who none could name. Exotic in beauty, striking in presence, frozen naked in stone for all to enjoy.

The particularly appreciated the water running from her ears to pool beneath her head and flow away to the rest of the garden, as if her very mind was pouring out of her, drizzling away to leave her a thoughtless mess. The stupefied expression on her face certainly sold that interpretation, her tongue lolling, her spiral-bound eyes crossed…

What else could such a statue be but a representation of the height of hubris?

That answer always got a hearty laugh, and a handshake, with an appreciative donation of money soon to follow. The noble was a generous man to those who said the right thing.

Oh yes, Lord Sorle loved showing off his statues to anyone he could. And what did his statues think?

Why, nothing at all. They were simply statues – and they would be, forever more. Especially the stupidest one of the lot~