“I still don’t think that thing was a snake.”

 

“Looked like a snake to me Lynx.”

 

“How many snakes do you know that have acidic blood Khan?”

 

“That doesn’t mean anything, remember that huge toad in the Grey Swamps?”

 

“Not the same thing at all.”

 

“Whatever, it moved like a snake. Hells, nearly too fast for you”

 

“Don’t remind me. I think my rib is cracked. Anyway, something about it was off.”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

“No, I guess not.”

 

The idle chatter cut through the background noise of the jungle, as the two men emerged from the depths of the temple. Any onlookers would have first noticed the difference in size between the two. The taller man, wearing little more than furs, stood almost seven feet tall, while his companion, clad in a dark leather cuirass, only came up to one of his friend’s toned pectorals. Assuming they were from civilised parts, any onlookers would of course have recognised the duo as Lynx and Khan, adventurers and treasure seekers without compare. Khan, the larger of the two, carried an axe with a misshapen head over one shoulder, and a burlap sack in the other hand. His companion, Lynx, held one hand against his side, while the other cradled a large green gemstone.

 

Amidst a barrage of banter, the pair set up camp just outside the temple ruins. With the fire kindled, Khan sat himself on a large stone and began to examine the gemstone. “This looks like the stone from the stories, sure enough. The Serpent’s Eye.” he said, turning it this way and that, admiring how the light reflected off the multifaceted edges.

 

“Put the stone down, you big Ox. You know how you get with shiny things. Remember that Sorceress in the Golden Wastes?”

 

His companion furrowed his brow. “No.”

 

“Precisely my point.” Lynx plucked the gemstone from the larger man’s hands, stowing it inside his knapsack before replacing it with a battered metal tin. “You’re going to need some of the unguent, my friend.” Khan looked down, noticing the burns on his skin for the first time. He nodded, unscrewing the tin and applying the salve. “Whereas I will be needing some of this.” Lynx held up a small vial of violent red liquid, uncorking and downing it in one smooth motion. “Gods Above, I hate that stuff.”

 

“It works though.”

 

“True that. It’s worth the cost and the taste.”

 

“I’ll take first watch. I won’t be sleeping until the battle trance has fully worn off, and those potions always make you drowsy.”

 

As if on cue, the smaller man stifled a yawn. “Right enough. Do you want my sword?” he nodded at the malformed axe lying on the floor by Khan’s feet.

 

“Nah” his friend said, hefting the weapon up, “I can do plenty of damage with it like this.”

 

“No argument there. Wake me when it’s my watch.”

 

 

*************************

 

 

Khan sat for a while, staring at the gemstone that he had surreptitiously retrieved from Lynx’s knapsack. He twisted it slowly, this way and that, admiring the way the firelight refracted through its green depths. He had no idea what his friend had meant with his remarks about a Sorceress, but then again, he couldn’t be expected to keep track of everyone they had encountered. And he always found it helped, having something to focus on as he came down from his battle rage.

 

All of this probably contributed to the barbarian hero being caught completely unaware, as a soft, sibilant voice slithered into his ears.

 

“Sssuch a ssspecial ssstone, that one.”

 

He should have started, should have leapt up, but the lights were pretty, and the voice was one that demanded to be listened to.

 

“Of course, that sssilly ssstone was also responsible for my ssstate of imprisonment.” Parts of Khan’s brain were aware of a presence to his left, and movement to his right, but they weren’t able to get a foothold against the words sliding into his mind.

 

“I sssupose I have you two to thank for that. Free again, after sssuch a long time. And it’s only right that I reward sssuch a ssservice.”

 

The firelight disappeared from the gemstone, replaced by a shifting pattern of blue, green and gold. “That’s much better, wouldn’t you sssay?”

 

Khan found himself nodding, the new colours were prettier, more relaxing. He felt himself grow heavier.

 

“But it’s nothing compared to the real thing, ssso why don’t you take a look?”

 

A pressure on his chin guided the Barbarian’s head to turn sideways, and he found himself staring into two pools swirling blue, green and gold.

 

“That’s right, just ssstare. Ssstare, and sssink. Sssink and ssurrender.”

 

 

*************************

 

 

Lynx awoke with a start. His instincts, well-honed by many years of sharing watches, told him that he should have been roused hours ago. He rose quickly and quietly, sword in hand. There was no sign of his companion, but the misshapen axe lay untouched.

 

“Not good. What’s happened to you, you big dumb brute?” Lynx whispered to himself, an old habit that helped to calm his nerves. On a hunch, he knelt and rummaged through his knapsack, unable to find the Serpent’s Eye. “Gods Below” he cursed, “that Sorceress has a lot to answer for.”

 

His companion had always brought brawn to their partnership, while he prided himself on providing the brains. But Khan’s mind, though not as sharp as his own, had always been secure, reliable. That was until they had a run-in with a Sorceress, about a year back. The pair had completed some task or other, only to find that the conniving enchantress had no intention of paying them. They’d managed to escape...somehow...but his friend had never quite been the same.

 

He could still remember watching his companion fall under her spell, watching helplessly as she swung a captivating crystal pendant before Khan’s eyes, then dropped him deeper with a quick reveal of her breasts, those pert nipples drawing his attention, diamond piercings reflecting the light so irresistibly...

 

“Focus Lynx” he said to himself, aware that the memory was causing him to stir, “now is not the time.” He forced himself to return to the here and now, scanning the area lit by firelight for footprints. “And there’s the big ox’s hoof prints right there. But, dearest Khan, why are you heading back to the temple?”

 

He set off in the direction they had come from, eschewing a torch and trusting to his own senses. “If you’ve gone back into the damn thing, then so help me I’ll...”  But Lynx didn’t get to finish that sentence, as before he reached the entrance to the subterranean temple complex, he saw a familiar figure slumped against the wall. Caution born of experience won a brief war with immediate concern and the small man slunk through the shadows towards his companion.

 

The first thing that Lynx noticed, with no small amount of relief, was that his friend was still breathing. The second thing that he noticed was that his friend was entirely naked. The third thing that he noticed was that his friend was fully erect, his large member throbbing and shaking. The fact that his friend’s eyes were open, then, was fully the fourth thing that Lynx noticed. Not just open but filled with a gentle pattern of colours. Blues, greens, and golds, he realised as he took a closer look, but dulled, like a reflection in a pond.

 

“He’s been like that for hours, you know.”

 

Lynx span around, sword raised, but there was nobody in sight.

 

“Teetering on the edge for ssso long, desperate for release, but also craving the torment. Can you even imagine?”

 

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, reaching his ears without the need to travel.

 

“What have you done to him?” Lynx asked the darkness.

 

“He freed me from my imprisonment, and in return I freed him from the burden of thinking for himself.”

 

“Imprisonment? Oh Hells” Lynx muttered under his breath.

 

“Come to think of it, he’s not the only one I should be rewarding, is he? After all, it was a team effort. You deserve the sssame.”

 

“Enough talk. Show yourself.” Khan was the muscle in their partnership, sure enough, but Lynx was quite able to take care of himself. He held his sword in guard, stance ready.

 

“Where are my manners? Introductions are in order. My name is Ssselene.” One shadow among many detached itself from the wall and advanced towards Lynx. His breath caught as the shape entered the moonlight, revealing a beautiful woman. He took in her light blue skin, her long green hair, the thin wrap barely holding in her large full breasts, forming a deep, cavernous cleavage... “And you must be Lynx.”

 

Lynx didn’t respond, his body still tensed and ready, but his mind lingered, along with his gaze, on her big, soft, blue breasts. Most of it did, anyway. A small part was trying to make itself heard. Something was... wrong?

 

“My eyes are up here sssweetheart.” Instinctively, the rogue’s eyes leapt up at the rebuke to meet hers. He found himself staring into a pair of sultry, half-lidded eyes with irises of deep emerald. “That’s right, ssso much more polite to ssstare into my eyes while I’m ssspeaking to you.”

 

The irises began to grow, expanding pools of emerald rippling out from the centre. Lynx could only stare as the ripples became rings, captivating concentric circles of green, blue and gold, pulsing outwards in a mesmerising pattern. “That’s right, it feels ssso good to ssstare into my eyes.” She was right, it did feel good. He felt the tension leaving his body as her eyes became the centre of his attention. “Ssstare and sssink, sssink for me.” It was as though the pattern pulling him in, deeper and deeper. “Sssink and sssubmit, little cat.”

 

With a last reserve of willpower, Lynx slammed his eyes shut, blocking out the hypnotic pattern. This was bad, he thought to himself, but he could still find a way out of this, he just had to think. A part of his brain still screamed that something was wrong.

 

“Sssuch a ssstrong little cat. But you’re only delaying the inevitable.” He could still see remnants of the captivating colours on the backs of his eyelids. Lynx felt a gentle tug pull his sword away and could not find the strength to keep his grip on the weapon. “You have no idea how pleasurable your sssurender will be.” Her hand crept along his waistband, sliding down towards his crotch. He gasped as she slid a along the underside of his hard cock, tracing a gentle pattern around his head with one long nail. “But I think you want to find out.”

 

Lynx let out an involuntary moan as she began to massage his head. “How long can you hold out, little cat, when I have you precisely where I want you?” He screwed his eyes shut tighter, trying to ignore the delicious sensations she was inflicting on his cock. It was a hopeless task, and a wave of intense pleasure had his knees buckling. He felt her place a hand on each shoulder, gently pushing him down into a comfortable seat, never ceasing her ministrations on his manhood.

Hold on. If those were her hands, then what was on his cock? Lynx opened his eyes and realised what part of his mind had been trying to tell him. He’d been so distracted by her breasts, and then her eyes, that he hadn’t noticed the enormous serpentine tail extending from her torso in place of legs. She had gently pushed him down to sit on her coils, while the end of her tail disappeared down his waistband.

 

“What the…” his outrage drained away as Selene wrapped the end of her tail around his cock, and began to stroke him in earnest “fuuuuuck.”

 

The snake-woman let out a throaty chuckle. “I told you that your sssurrender would be pleasurable, didn’t I?” Her tail was impossibly soft, impossibly smooth. “Impossible to resssisstt me now.” She reached a slender hand down under his chin and lifted his face up to hers. This time, when the colourful rings filled her eyes, he wasn’t able to look away.

 

 

*************************

 

 

What to do, what to do?

 

Of course, the first thing that the Lamia wanted to do after her long imprisonment was satisfy her urges. She had, Selene considered whilst running a finger up the impressive shaft of the larger of her two new acquisitions, got that well in hand. So to speak. She savoured the full-body shudder that her touch engendered in the muscled barbarian.

 

“Sssuch a ssstrong body, but sssuch a weak mind. Not that your friend fared much better.” She turned her head to regard Lynx, now similarly naked, wrapped and bound in her coils, cock left to stand erect in the warm night air. She continued her teasing, her tail dancing around his shaft, keeping him in a constant state of near-bliss. She hissed contentedly, enjoying the feeling of domination once again. A girl could get used to this.

 

But Selene stopped herself. That had been the problem last time, wasn’t it? She had gotten too greedy, too focused on her pleasures, and she hadn’t seen the danger in time, until it was too late. She held the hated Serpent’s Eye in her free hand, realising that she didn’t even know how long she’d been imprisoned for.

 

“If it hadn’t been for you two lovely boys, I may never have gotten out.” She increased her attention on them, bringing both right to the edge of a truly mind-melting orgasm. Part of her wanted nothing more than to take her new thralls down into the depths of the temple right now, to use them and use them until she was truly sated, and they were truly drained. She fought down the desire. She would play the long game this time. “Perhaps your real ssservice will be in finding me more playthings.”

 

Selene let the gemstone fall from one hand as she thought about the work ahead of her. She would be careful this time, measured. She would slowly build up her harem of thralls, brave and foolhardy adventurers turned into helpless devotees tending to her every whim. She would want for nothing, no pleasure would be denied to her again.

 

“Yesssssssss” she hissed, her whole body vibrating with needy anticipation. She felt her two captives responding under her constant attention, the breaths of all three quickening together. “Time to sssurender for Ssselene, time to sssubmit to Ssslene. Time to cum for Ssselene.” The pair of adventurers went rigid, then slack, at the same time, as they both exploded under the ministrations of their new mistress.

 

 

*************************

 

 

“Just look at this haul, would you?”

 

The table of their quarters below deck was strewn with golden jewellery and precious stones. Lynx examined a golden chalice with a serpent pattern, inlaid with large opals for eyes.

 

“Maybe I’ll keep this. There’s something extremely appealing about drinking one portion of your loot out of another portion.”

 

“Aye right. You’ll keep it for a while, until the rest of the money runs out, then you’ll swap it for one more mug of ale.”

 

“Or one more pretty girl to warm my bed.”

 

“Or that. This haul should see us right for a while. Think we should keep it a secret where we got it from?”

 

Lynx didn’t answer at first, starring off into the middle distance. “No…” he said slowly “…there’s no point. The truth would come out eventually. We’ll tell our tale in every tavern, as is our way.”

 

His companion nodded thoughtfully. “It’s a shame we couldn’t find the Serpent’s Eye though. After all, that’s why we went in the first place.”

 

Lynx picked up an emerald gemstone from the table, admiring the way the candlelight refracted through it, throwing colours of green, blue and gold through the crystal. He looked deeper into the crystal, sighing deeply.

 

“What’s the matter, Lynx?”

 

The small man shook his head. “Oh, nothing. I had just hoped that this emerald would fetch a pretty penny. But…” he took a step to the cabin’s porthole and opened it “…it’s a fake.” With one swift motion, he hurled the gemstone into the depths of the ocean.