Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 040

Water filled the fountain, and soon overflowed the edges, soaking the grounds of the ephemeral garden. The liquid below his feet was turning blue, swirling beneath him as he rubbed at his clit, then took the hand off his breast to finger himself, struggling with the awkward angle of it all. With every gasp and moan, the lights around him shimmered in response, and the spring began to bubble, heat flooding through it and up his bare legs.

The fountain rippled, water gushing over the sides as a figure formed beneath the surface. Naia's features emerged from the spring, her hands sliding along Mike's legs. The statue was still there, and he instantly knew that he was looking at the piece of her that he carried within him.

"How...?" he asked.

"This place is very much like the Dreamscape," she told him, then kissed his inner thigh. "You look like you could use a hand."

"I could use both," he muttered, squinting in sweet agony when Naia slid her fingers into Mike's pussy, stroking him from the inside. "I... need the... emerald..."

"Let me help you with that," she said with a smirk. As Naia penetrated him with her hands, she leaned forward and rolled her tongue around on his exposed clit. His whole body tensed up for a second and then relaxed, waves of pleasure radiating out from where they were connected.

He closed his eyes, picturing the house. Somewhere, deep within, the spring was waiting, pressure steadily pushing water to the surface. With every small contraction of his pussy, he imagined the emerald squeezing its way toward the surface, rolling around tight corners and flowing freely through small caverns no more than a foot across.

"Yes," he hissed, his magic permeating the pool and swirling beneath the water. Naia's tongue danced circles over him, and her fingers stirred his arousal into a frenzy, forcing the emerald ever upward through the tight passages. His breath came faster now, and Naia grabbed him by the legs and yanked him into the water. It flowed around him, and he was suddenly covered in watery hands that caressed every erogenous zone of his body.

Water flowed through the spring, the emerald tumbling ever upward as it approached the surface. The cries emanating from Mike were those of a woman on the edge, and he closed his legs, pinning Naia's head in place. Lifting his hips, he allowed her to fill him completely with fingers made of water. His entire body felt like it was ready to burst, and when he opened his mouth, a cry emanated from him that caused the flickering lights to spiral up into the sky and then fall like stars.

The fountain exploded, water gushing upward like a waterfall in reverse, and his limbs went rigid, the sky above falling down upon him in chunks. He closed his eyes and let the warm, soothing waves carry away his mind until all was dark.

He shuddered, the orgasm still tickling the base of his spine.

"Um... are you okay?" It was Ratu's voice, and he opened his eyes. He still stood in front of the fountain, but the runes on Naia's torso glowed brightly, shining as if the stone had never encroached on that region.

"Uh, yeah. What happened?"

Ratu made a face. "You zoned out for a couple of minutes and then let out a really loud moan. Naia's runes started to glow, and, um..." She pointed at his crotch.

He looked down and was hit with the sudden realization that he had come in his pants, the stain already visible.

"So... I'm guessing you know what happened more than I do." She leaned toward him with sudden interest. "And I would love to hear more about it."

"Maybe later." He stepped into the fountain and knelt down, his eyes scanning the water. It wasn't long before he stepped on something, and he lifted his foot to reveal the glittering green object beneath it. He picked up the emerald, water pouring off the sides of his hand, and held it up to the light. It sparkled brightly, and he couldn't suppress the grin that crossed his face.

The cool air caressed his wet pant legs, making him shiver. His shoes squished uncomfortably as he walked toward the edge of the fountain. He took them off to dump them out properly, then opened up his pants long enough to scoop out the load he had deposited there. He rinsed off his fingers, hoping not to think of it again.

"It really worked." Ratu helped him out of the fountain, then held up his shoes. Fire crawled along her hands, steam seeping free of his sneakers until she handed them back, completely dry. "Here."

"Thank you," he said, pocketing the emerald. He wondered what the next step was, then flinched at the sound of an explosion. Looking at each other in a panic, they left the fountain behind and ran for the back door.

---

The scorpion beasts had taken some time to defeat. Yuki was able to stone the first one, but the next one was covered in gibbering mouths instead of eyes, and it had become hard to hit it without getting bitten. Then came a second round of demonic beings, which turned into half an hour of punching, kicking, and blasting them back to Hell.

In a separate attack, Yuki had frozen the legs of a creature that looked like it had been stitched together by a bored five year old while Abella punched it in the face repeatedly, her legs wrapped around its giraffe neck. The street briefly went quiet when a police car passed through. Yuki fought hard to avoid laughing when the cops stood in the front yard, shining their lights across the battle that waged in front of them, their eyes casually sliding over Abella as she ripped the head off of the poorly made creature and tossed it to the ground.

Hearing nothing of interest, the cops shrugged and left.

For the remainder of the night, every time a threat was vanquished, a new one immediately appeared.

Yuki knew that this was a stall tactic, an attempt to wear the two of them down, and it was working. Her magic reserves were dangerously low, and Abella's movements had long ago become sluggish. The Society was playing a game of attrition, and once they were sufficiently weak, she expected to see their stupid blindfolded faces once again.

The sun was climbing into the sky, her stomach growling as she ripped apart a tiger made of junk. Abella had to help her with it, because the damn thing kept regenerating, but they eventually broke it apart to the point where its legs could no longer support its weight, and it collapsed in the front yard.

Abella flopped down onto the ground, her eyes up on the sky. "I don't know how much longer I can go," she admitted, then sat back up. "I'm surprised they didn't show up sooner, to be honest."

"They want to be sure. I've fooled them more than once, and every one of them we kill is irreplaceable." She gave the junk tiger's head a kick, shattering its face into pieces of metal, glass and plastic. "Expect a big push when it happens."

"Yeah, well..." Abella looked back at the house, then stood up. "Hold on a second."

"What is it?"

"I thought I heard—" she turned around and scowled. "Looks like we're in for a treat."

"Indeed." Amir stepped over the rubble in the front yard. Behind him, eight others followed close behind, each of them blindfolded as he was. "You've lasted the night, but I doubt you last much longer."

"That's what you think." Yuki found the three cards she had tucked away, her fingers closing around each. "I can do this forever."

"No, you can't. I've been watching, you are barely holding on as it is." He grinned and held up a bag. "There is literally nothing you can do to stop us now."

"We'll see about that." Yuki took a step back, toward Abella. Abella closed the gap, and they now stood side by side. "You shall go no farther."

"Do you really think the two of you can stop me?"

Yuki held up a card. "Three of us." She slashed the card through the air, cutting a hole in reality. Dark smoke leaked through it, the sky above growing darker as the figure stepped through. Astride his pale horse, Death regarded the men and women before him with casual indifference, then looked over his shoulder at Yuki.

"Avatar of Death, this I command. Your contract shall not be fulfilled until you collect the soul of that man right there." She pointed a finger at Amir, who leaned away in shock. "Death, deal thy sting!"

The horse let out a blast of air from its nostrils, and Death dismounted, holding his scythe above Amir. The Society members backed away as Death silently strode forward and swung the blade through the leader of the Society, who let out a scream and crumpled onto the ground, steam hissing from his wounds.

"Cut off the head, and the body will follow." She slapped the Strength card onto Abella's flesh and stuck the Magician card in her teeth, willing both cards to release their power. "Let's clean house."

Abella blasted forward, wings outstretched and reaching. A powerful surge of magic raced through Yuki's veins, and she commanded the water in the air to freeze, massing it around the legs of the men and women who stood on her lawn. Ice crawled up their legs, holding them in place, and she summoned massive icicles from the ground, spearing several of them on the spot.

"Go, go, go!" she hollered, watching Abella tear through the others, tossing them high into the sky. Screams filled the air as they fell back to the ground, and Yuki felt the magic roaring inside of her. The few who tried to escape were speared by hundreds of icicles that sprouted from the ground like teeth, the front yard chewing them up. Snowflakes swirled around Yuki now, blurring the world around her. The Society had been too bold, had gotten too cocky, and now they were paying for it.

A dark figure moved in the corner of her vision. She turned to see that Death had meandered over to the front of the house, quietly pondering the bushes in front of it.

That's odd. He should have left by now. Turning her attention back to the others, she felt the icy grasp of a hand around her ankle. Stunned, she looked down in time to see Amir give her a yank, pulling her off of her feet and casually tossing her across the yard. She crashed into one of her own icicles, busting through it to tumble on the ground.

"Yuki!" Abella flew toward Amir, cocking her fist back to punch him. Amir took the first punch, half of his head exploding into a black, swirling cloud that lingered behind him when he moved. The gargoyle reversed course and came for him again, but he sidestepped her attack and grabbed her by the wing. With a hard twist, he altered her trajectory and hurled her toward the house with a blast of black fire. She crashed into the roof above the porch, then fell, caving in the steps below. Dark flames sputtered around her motionless body and then went out.

"Now," he commanded, and several dark vines sprouted from the ground and circled the gargoyle, pinning her in place.

Who cast that? Yuki looked around and saw that Elizabeth stood between the lions now, her hand outstretched and weaving through the air with a trail of green light behind it. The vines held Abella in place, despite her renewed strength.

"I don't understand. You should be dead!"

"I've lived a very long life. You don't get to do that without being two steps ahead of your enemy." He snapped his fingers and the witches and warlocks around him crumbled into ash. "I knew you were waiting to spring this trap on me, and—"

Yuki blasted him with ice magic, but a fiery shield appeared before him, summoned by a warlock standing on top of the stone fence. She summoned more icicle spears, but the ground trembled, vibrating them apart. Society members appeared everywhere, all of their spells deliberately tailored to counter her every move. Crying out in rage, she sent waves of pure, magical energy across the yard, willing her attackers to be destroyed, but Amir summoned a black fog from the ground that gobbled up her assault, forcing her to go on the defensive.

Minutes passed. Despite pouring all of her magic into defending her position, she was quickly overwhelmed from every direction, beams of pure energy sizzling the air around her. She summoned walls of ice, walls that were easily shattered by their coordinated efforts. How had they gotten so good?

The Society members all stood a good distance away, and she saw that they had removed their blindfolds. When she would look at them, they would look down. They had circled the yard and, with their vision restored, had been able to renew their attack with pinpoint accuracy. She moved back toward the door, another plan forming in her mind.

A blast of lightning hit the ground behind her, launching her forward, the fur on her tails singed. Growling, she stood up to face Amir, who was holding the bag again. Death paced behind him, looking drastically out of place.

"You told your pet to take my soul. I don't have one anymore." He grinned, and then stuck his hand in the bag. It hissed as if it was full of snakes. "You're through."

"I'm not beaten yet," she hissed, gathering her magic. The temperature dropped, frost forming on the ground beneath her.

"Oh, this is no longer about beating you." He pulled a spherical object out of the bag. "Now it's about breaking you."

Yuki froze in shock as she stared at the severed head of the gorgon. Missing one eye, the snakes on its head hissed angrily as Amir held it aloft and pointed at her. White light came from its remaining eye, light that washed over Yuki and threatened to overwhelm her. In response, her own eye glowed as well, the magic of the gorgon now fighting itself. She closed her real eye, her head pounding as the gorgon's eye sapped her strength away.

"Where did you get that?" she cried in disbelief.

"We've had this in our possession for quite some time. I was a bit surprised to discover that you possessed the missing piece of it, but I will admit that I have wondered how this will work. Who will win, the gorgon or the fox?" He stepped closer, the gorgon's head filling Yuki's vision. "For that matter, what will happen? I have my theories."

Yuki let out a scream, and the gorgon opened its mouth in silent agony. The light grew so bright that she could no longer see, pain filling her head until she thought it would explode.

With a loud crack, the gorgon's head turned to stone. Now heavy, Amir dropped it on the ground where it cracked and fell apart.

Howling in pain, Yuki grabbed at her own face and pulled out the gorgon's eye as it busted into three stony pieces of its own. She reached for her inner pocket, trying to grab one of the major arcana cards, but Amir was quickly upon her.

"It's over for you." Amir removed his blindfold and gave her a kick, sending her sprawling on the ground. Yuki cried out in agony, trying to roll away. The members of the Society swarmed in, surrounding them both. "Kali, break this geas right now."

"Yes, High Priest." She plucked some tiny heads from her pouch and tossed them out. They swam through the air lazily, moving back and forth to build her a table out of soil and retrieve a large sack from the edge of the yard.

"I must say, you were a troublesome fox." He knelt down and grabbed Yuki by the chin. "You will make an excellent addition to my collection."

"No." It was the fight with Emily all over again. She had been tricked, outmatched, and now lay defeated once more. This had become her fate somehow, every decision leading her here once more. Her mind and body were suddenly numb from shock.

"You were strong, I'll give you that much. But you weren't strong enough." He pushed her down and twisted his fingers in the air. A set of thick chains sprang from the ground and circled her ankles and wrists, forcing her into a seated position. They tightened, trapping her hands by the ground. "From here on out, we're done playing games."

Her thoughts were suddenly thick, a tide of emotions rushing up to consume her. She had lost everything before, but not on this scale. Her failures had now cost the others, her own pride her downfall. Her head throbbed painfully, and she tried to summon up her magic, but she was officially tapped out of power.

She tried to reach her inner pocket where she had tucked the remaining major arcana cards, but the chains weren't long enough. The only thing she could reach was the minor arcana that she had tucked into her sleeve, but it was no use. The spells, even directed, wouldn't be enough to free her or give her an edge.

Looking over at Abella, she thought back to what the gargoyle had said. If Mike had been here, the others would have been able to help her. If she hadn't locked them away, they could have made sure this never happened. She had been so caught up in her own quest for justice that she had become blind to the truth that surrounded her. No matter how much she desired the position, the house would never obey her whims, never truly allow her to become the Caretaker and protect everybody inside.

Blinded by rage, greed and revenge, she had tried to force her will on the house, to bend it to her whims. The signs had been there, but the rush of what she had thought would be an ascent to glory had made her unable to see the lack of wisdom in her decisions. She had ruined everything.

She wished someone could help her, could save the others from their fate. Thinking back to the man who she had tried to murder, she realized that she honestly wished he was there to help. A simple twist of the sun dial would have sent all of these people away.

The epiphany hit her like a rush of cold water. She had been so focused on protecting the house that she had forgotten that being the Caretaker didn't just mean keeping the place safe. It also meant taking care of it, and nurturing those within. Mike likely wasn't the protector she expected, but he was what the house needed. Someone to love and care for the others, to nurture and encourage them, and utilize their strengths as his own.

She didn't have the others, not now. Mike had a small army of strengths to pick and choose from.

All she had was herself and a handful of cards. And even if it was only a few minutes, maybe it would be the minutes that counted the most. Already, the others had taken defensive positions around the sun dial, ready to tear apart anyone who came out of the house to stop them.

Shaking her arm, she let the remains of the minor arcana fall into her palm. There were maybe thirty cards left, some of them the weakest spells she had created. However, just like a tarot reading, it wasn't about which cards were drawn individually, but how they went together as a whole.

Abella's words came to her and Yuki gritted her teeth, focusing all of her rage on the people around her.

"Time to make some big things happen," she growled, pinching the cards in her fingers. Flipping her wrist over, she squeezed, causing the cards to leap up from her hands, the magic in all of them activating at the same time.

---

Mike stood helplessly at the window, the storm of magic outside so excessively violent that both Ratu and Tink had held him back.

It was a technicolor storm of magic. Water, fire, earth and air had been unleashed in every direction at the same time, swirls of fire and earth climbing into the sky, powerful rain battering the sides of the house. The men and women on his lawn were tossed about like popcorn, their screams drowned out by the wind. Swords fell from the sky, chasing each other like angry birds and crashing into anybody who got in the way. A blast of air sent Amir across the yard, and a pair of swords ripped into him when he tried to stand back up.

"What do we do?" he cried, his face pressed against the glass.

"We wait. This is... I don't even know. It's pure chaos out there." Ratu frowned and looked at Tink, who gazed at the scene through her goggles. "Do you see anything?"

"Magic everywhere," Tink whispered in awe.