Thankfully, Sheryl’s idea worked. The healing sleep spells Hana was maintaining all collapsed when Earl carried her away from camp, and the reduced load on her system was immediately obvious to my diagnostic spell. She was still unconscious, so he set up an IV with a bag of saline solution to address the dehydration. With any luck she’d be up and around again by the time we were ready to leave. Although considering how tiny she was, if we did end up having to carry her we could manage.
Meanwhile, I did what I could for the others. It was a gruesome job, and more than once I was glad I had a strong stomach. I don’t know how regular medical professionals do it. I got queasy just looking at something like Anthony’s abdominal wound, let alone rooting around in there with a pair of tweezers.
With my limited mana supply there was no way I could heal everything, so I tried to be strategic about it. I wasn’t about to leave the sheriff’s daughter out here in this situation, so I focused on Sheryl first. Putting that broken bone back together was a tough, mana-intensive job, and I had to follow up with some work on the mangled muscle tissue around it. But once I got her to the point where her tendons were attached and the ragged ends of torn muscles were more or less lined up I found I didn’t need to keep going. At that point her own regeneration kicked in, and she started to heal with startling speed.
Anthony’s wounds were less complicated, but there were a lot more of them. The poor guy woke up while I was closing up the abdominal wound, which meant he got to experience the joy of Earl and I working together to deal with a nasty greenstick fracture in his arm. But once we’d finished with that, a severely fucked up knee and some big gashes in his legs I was pretty sure he’d be able to stagger to the cars under his own power.
The other two weren’t so lucky. I was running on fumes by then, so all I could do was give them a little boost to keep the poison from finishing them off. Several more dryads had arrived to fuss over the wounded while we were working, so I left them to it and staggered off to collapse under one of the giant trees. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Jenny sat next to me, and offered me a bottle of water and an apple. “Here, you look like you need it.”
I downed half the water in one go, and reached for the apple. Then I stopped, as my brain got back in gear. “Where did you get that?”
“The dryads are handing them out. Go on, they’re great for restoring your energy. I feel like I’m a teenager again.”
“It’s not like you were old to start with,” I scoffed.
“Hey, twenty-seven is not seventeen,” she protested. “My days of staying up all night to play the latest new game and getting through work the next day without anyone noticing are over. Or, they were, but maybe not anymore. Beri said these things actually make you younger if you’re past your ideal age, whatever that means.”
I frowned, and took a close look at her face. The healthy glow from her various enhancements had already made her seem a bit younger, but now that I looked for it she was right. The little lines around her eyes and lips had faded away, and there were other differences I couldn’t quite put my finger on. If we were meeting for the first time I’d guess she was, what, maybe twenty?
Those things were going to be worth a fortune. But I wasn’t ready to trust anything the dryads offered us.
“Does Mitsi have some way to identify magical items?” I asked.
“Mitsi doesn’t know how you humans can eat those disgusting things,” the catgirl’s voice drifted down from above me. She really liked perching in tree branches, didn’t she? “Fruit. Yuck. Give me a fresh bird, any day. Appraise says they’re ‘Apples of Vitality’, and they do a bunch of healing stuff. But there are skills for fooling that.”
“Huh. So there’s a detection arms race? Skills to spot sneaky hidden effects, and skills to hide them, and whoever spends the most points wins?”
“Yeah, except seeing stuff is a lot easier than hiding it,” Mitsi corrected. “I don’t think the dryads have enough points to fool me right now. But that’s just because there’s lots and lots of detection skills to spend points on, but a bad guy can put all his points in just one way to kill you. I think people who put all their points in one weird thing are going to end up being hard to handle.”
Jenny chuckled. “Is it racist that it feels weird to hear a cat talking about the System’s meta like some pro gamer?”
“It is kind of strange, isn’t it? Say, Mitsi, when the System was downloading all this information into your head did it include human ideas about how adventuring parties work? Because if you’re interested, I think you’d make a good member.”
“I’m not sure what that means. Is that like a pack? Mitsi is not a dog.”
Jenny leaned back to put her head in my lap, and looked up at the catgirl with an easy grin. “Nah, an adventuring party is something humans came up with for killing monsters. It’s like you said before, there are so many things to spend points on that no one can do everything. So what you do is you find some people who cover your weaknesses, and work together to kill monsters and get points. A good party should have some sneaky types like you who can scout around and find targets, some big tough types like Shasa who can hold a monster’s attention without dying, some people who can dish out a lot of damage in different ways, and at least one healer.”
“The System is more complicated than most of the games we used to play, and a lot less forgiving,” I put in. “I think we’re going to end up needing a bigger party than in a typical RPG, and maybe a dedicated support team back at base. But yeah, that’s the general idea. We work together to survive and collect points, and cover each other’s weaknesses so everyone can focus on being really good at their specialty.”
Mitsi gazed down at me from the branch she was perched on, looking thoughtful. “That sounds like it could work. Mommy could be on the support team, and Bitsy could keep her safe when I’m away. I want to get lots of smartness points, and that sounds like it could be a good way to do it.”
“You’re aiming for a mental focus?” Jenny said. “I’m surprised. I thought you’d go for some kind of magic ninja thing.”
“I won’t turn down any kind of points. But smartness points are the best. Cars are made with smartness. Phones are made with smartness. The System says even it was made with smartness. Obviously smartness is the best kind of power.”
“Heh. I can’t argue that,” I commented.
I stretched, and evaluated my condition. Still tired, and the day wasn’t over yet. But I felt like I could move again without passing out. Reluctantly, I decided to pass on that apple for now. Better to wait until we were done dealing with the dryads, in case there were side effects. In which case, it was time to move on to the next objective.
“Alright, that’s enough of a break. Time to rescue some dumb kids from the perils of the dryads.”
“Can’t I face just some of the peril?” Jenny protested, affecting a British accent.
“No, it’s far too perilous,” I replied. Then we both cracked up.
“Humans are weird,” Mitsi said sourly.
“Guilty as charged,” Jenny said, still giggling.
“Usually when humans do that they’re quoting something from a book or movie,” I explained. “It’s kind of an affirmation of tribal affiliation. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the dryads are going to make too much of a fuss about it, but we should still try to be smart about how we do this. Earl and I are probably the most resistant to whatever seduction powers they have, so if we’re splitting the party one of us should stay here with the wounded. Jenny, what did you end up buying as a defense?”
“I’ve got one point in an ability called Mind Defense, which does exactly what it sounds like. Only, I’m feeling kind of horny after all that fighting, and the rush from the apple is making it worse, and those dryads are really fucking hot. My defense only works on things that try to directly touch my mind, so if they just have a high seduction skill or something I might have trouble saying no.”
“Huh. How about you, Mitsi?”
“I don’t even want to know what crazy human weirdness lets a girl mount another girl. I’m not interested in dryads. Just… stay away from me until we leave, okay? You and Earl, and all the other males? I’m not used having urges I need to control, and I’m not sure what might happen.”
“Aw, no catgirl for the harem?” Jenny teased.
“Not now,” Mitsi replied. “Not here. With all the vitality in this place I’m sure I’d get pregnant, and then something would eat me.”
“Ooh, that sounded like maybe later might be an option. Nice.” Jenny poked me, and grinned. “Someone’s turning into a real stud, huh?”
“Someone’s turning into a nymphomaniac,” I replied. “Move it, wench. We’ve got work to do.”
“Yes, sir.” She threw a playful pout my way as she got up, but I ignored it. Playtime could wait until we got back to the hotel alive. Let’s see, now. Leave Earl to watch the wounded, split the combatants between us so each team has some firepower, and someone would need to babysit Bob…
Wait a minute.
“Guys, where’s Bob?” I asked, raising my voice so the rest of the group could hear me.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Who cares?” Mitsi muttered.
“Was he the big guy?” Sheryl asked. “I haven’t seen him for a while.”
“He went to go pee,” Shasa said. “I could tell, because he didn’t go very far. Wait, shouldn’t he have come back by now?”
I facepalmed.
It took all of two minutes for Shasa to follow Bob’s trail and confirm that, yes, the idiot had gone off alone to take a leak and gotten ambushed by a pair of dryads. There was no scent trail leading away from the spot, either. Bob had done his business, then all three scents just vanished into thin air.
I eyed the massive tree Bob had been standing next to. Dryads are supposed to live inside their trees, at least in a lot of legends. Was there some kind of dimensional pocket in there, that they could drag victims into? How would we get him out? Normally I’d just threaten to burn the tree down if they didn’t let him go, but I’m sure that would count as violence.
Beri was less than helpful.
“He’s been walking around smelling super sexy the whole time you’ve been here!” She protested. “It’s been driving me nuts, and I’m supposed to be the mature one with good self-control. If he ran into some of my girls on his own? That’s basically entrapment! You can’t blame us for that.”
“You know, she kind of has a point,” Jenny said.
“Maybe we should hold off on getting him back until you’ve rounded up the others?” Earl suggested. “Who knows, he might learn something from the experience.”
“Yeah, why clamjam the cute dryads? We should stay on their good side!” Jenny agreed gleefully.
I sighed. “You just want to see what happens when you tell Beth about it.”
“She can do better than that loser.”
“Right. Beri, is there a way you can talk to those dryads, and ask them to hand him over when the time comes?”
“It’s really rude to just barge into another dryad’s bower,” she protested. “Especially when she has a guest. We should just give them some time together. I’m sure they’ll kick him out once they’re done, and it’s good for our visitors too. Every fertilized tree means more apples to harvest.”
“Maybe we should spend the night,” Jenny said with a smirk.
“Do you really want to fight our way out through a horde of level ten monsters that have had all night to set up the perfect ambush?” I replied. “Because that’s what we’d be dealing with, and I don’t think we’re ready for it. What about the others, Beri? They’ve been missing for hours now. Surely they’ve done their business, and they’re just sleeping it off?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. They’re such sturdy young men, and a dryad’s bower is full of vitality. There’s no telling how long they might keep things going. I’m really kind of jealous. I’ve been so busy trying to run the grove and take care of our visitors that I haven’t had a chance to sample such pleasures myself.”
Was she fishing for a bribe? A little quickie, in return for expediting the return of the missing guys? She was, wasn’t she? Only, that was a sucker’s game. Luring some poor sap into a magical space with the power of boobs isn’t violence, and neither is refusing to open the exit for him afterwards. At best I’d end up trapped until morning, and then we’d lose half the party trying to fight our way back to town through an army of level ten monsters At worst the dryads might just hold onto their victims indefinitely, using drugs or magic to keep them pliable.
Glancing around, I noted the other dryads trying to keep an eye on our interaction without being obvious about it. A pair of blondes were all over Earl, practically salivating with predatory lust, and another was already trying to chat up Sheryl.
I met Earl’s eyes for a moment. Yeah, we could both see where this was going. No fighting in the grove, and none of us had dimensional powers, so if we wanted to get the others back in any reasonable amount of time someone would have to convince them to help. Time to turn the tables on these devious wenches.
“That’s a shame,” I said, turning my attention back to Beri. “Maybe we should have a discussion, about how we can help each other out. Earl, you and Mitsi can keep an eye on the wounded for a bit, right? Shasa, you should stay here and help Earl with that.”
Shasa saluted with her mace. “Okay! Nothing will sneak up on me, Tom!”
“Don’t take too long,” Earl said. “We won’t be sending out any search parties.”
“We’ll be fine,” I assured him, getting a knowing look in return. “So, Beri, maybe you could show me and Jenny around?”
“Both of you?” Beri said, surprised but intrigued.
Jenny stepped up to press her breasts into my side, and shot the dryad a sultry look. “We do everything together.”
“How interesting,” Beri purred. “Well, I wouldn’t want to split up such a close team. Why don’t we head off around the lake? I know you’re anxious to find your friends, but there are a few things I’d like to show you along the way.”
I was a little worried that Sheryl would try to stop us, and make things more complicated. But the teenager seemed to get that Earl and I were up to something, and didn’t comment. That, or maybe she really was distracted by the buxom redhead who was feeding her berries.
Beri led us down a path that curved around towards the other side of the pond, winding between flower patches and stands of bushes. As we passed a bush loaded with bright red berries she waved at it.
“These are for visitors, so feel free to help yourselves. All the berries in the grove are supposed to be safe for humans to eat, and they have other benefits too. Red for energy, blue to help you relax, and purple for fun.”
“Is that your way of saying the purple berries are aphrodisiacs?” Jenny asked.
“Maybe? I’m not sure if they’d count. They won’t make you go crazy and tear your clothes off or anything. They just make everything feel better.”
“Sounds like fun. Do they work on dryads?” Jenny teased.
Beri opened her mouth, closed it, and got a thoughtful look. “You know, I have no idea. We don’t actually need to eat, since our trees sustain us. But we can if we want to, and Lady Shaylis warned us to be careful of alcohol. So, maybe?”
Jenny giggled. “You girls are going to have some awesome parties once you figure all this shit out. How fast do those apples grow, anyway? Could you supply a whole town with them?”
“That depends on how many strapping young men we have here to keep the trees fertilized,” Beri said slyly.
“Too bad you can’t just make a deal with the army,” I mused. “A resource that can make their old veterans young again would be more than worth the cost of stationing a company here to guard the grove. There are only, what, a few dozen dryads? Keeping them happy wouldn’t take much manpower for a national organization.”
“That sounds delightful. But I think the Lady would prefer we keep some degree of independence,” Beri objected.
“That doesn’t surprise me. Well, it wasn’t a very realistic idea anyway. The military is going to be way too busy to consider that kind of thing anytime soon, and the same goes for the rest of the government.”
Beri stopped beside a stand of flowering bushes, and pouted. “I never thought it would be so hard to get a little attention from a handsome man. The Lady made it sound like every group of visitors would be a party, but instead it’s been nothing but stress. Is there something wrong with me?”
She posed, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes on her face. Which was definitely suspicious, since I wasn’t an impressionable teenager anymore.
“You’re beautiful, Beri,” I told her, stepping closer. I met her eyes, and pushed. Not too hard, yet. Just enough to build a connection.
She smiled up at me, her big blue eyes full of temptation. “Am I, Tom? You’re so standoffish, it’s enough to make a girl wonder. I don’t mind if you look.”
I stepped closer, and cupped her hand in my cheek. “Maybe I’d rather touch.”
“Oh!” Her pupils dilated, and she leaned into my touch. The connection in our gaze blossomed, and I turned up the power.
“Would you like me to touch you?” I asked, still gazing into her eyes.
“Yes.” Her voice had gone soft, dazed.
“Then just relax, and I’ll touch you more,” I said, bringing my free hand up to her other cheek.
“Relax,” she breathed.
“Look into my eyes and relax, Beri. Everything is fine. It’s all going to work out. Just relax, and look into my eyes.”
“Look into your eyes,” she repeated. “I’m going to get fertilized.”
She said it so casually, it almost threw me off my game. These dryads definitely didn’t have a human sense of shame. But I quickly dragged my focus back where it belonged.
“That’s right, Beri. You’re going to get fertilized. No need to act, just relax and accept. No need to think, just listen. Listen to my voice, and let everything else fade away.”
“Voice,” she sighed. Her eyes were as blank as that receptionist now.
“Good girl,” I said. “Let your mind go blank, until the only words in your head are mine. It feels good to relax, to let your mind go blank, to stop thinking and just let yourself obey the words in your head. Relaxed and happy. Blank and obedient. Are you ready to obey, Beri?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Blank and obedient.”
“That’s good, Beri. Now, what do dryads do with men they’ve caught?”
“Lure him into her bower, and drain him dry. Sex for days,” she crooned, licking her lips.
“I see. How do you keep them going so long, Beri?”
“Bower magic. Whatever passion they come in with, stays until their vitality runs out.”
“What happens then, Beri? Do they die?”
A faint frown crossed her face. “No! Love men. Don’t want to hurt them. Blow their minds, take their seed, maybe drain some free points. They’ll come back for more.”
“Drain their points? How does that work, Beri?”
She leaned into me, and her hand came to rest on the bulge in my pants. “Just free points. Not spent, not attached, come out if you cum hard enough.”
Jenny leaned against my back, and snickered. “I think I’ve seen that hentai,” she whispered in my ear.
No doubt. What else did I need to know?
“Is there a way to make a dryad release someone before she’s done with him?”
“Lots.”
“Tell me how,” I ordered.
“Fill her up. Get her drunk, or feed her purple berries. Make her pass out. Make friends, or become partners. Charm her. Lots of ways.”
That… seemed suspiciously easy, actually. Just find a way to please or incapacitate the dryad, or to turn the tables on her influence-wise, without resorting to violence? Not to mention Beri was maybe a day old, and she’d already thought of that many ways to do it?
Or maybe she hadn’t needed to figure it out for herself.
“Is this some kind of test?” I asked suspiciously.
“It’s a secret,” she replied.
“Whose secret?” I pressed.
“Lady Shaylis. She said not to tell. Can’t disobey our Lady.”
I considered that for a moment. Or at least, I tried to. It was getting hard to think straight, with my nympho girlfriend nuzzling my neck while this naked, helplessly entranced dryad pressed her breasts into my chest. I couldn’t get into a dryad’s bower to interact with her, and even if I could trying to please or bargain with a whole series of them was bound to end in disaster. There ought to be a better way.
“Beri, you said something earlier about being in charge of the grove. Can you order the other dryads to let their captives go?”
“Yes, but I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Can’t want to. Only do it if someone makes me.”
“Is it just me, or is this whole thing starting to sound like someone’s pervy test?” Jenny observed.
“It’s not just you. Alright, so I just need to figure out how to get her to cooperate without burning any bridges.”
Jenny snaked her hand into my pants to grab my erection. “Hah! You’re overthinking this, master. Beri, from now on you’re going to be Tom’s devoted pet dryad. He’s got the best cock in the world, and whenever he fucks you it makes you feel so good you cum your brains out and never even think about trying to drain his points. You get a sexy thrill when he orders you around, and you’ll be happy to do anything he wants as long as he keeps slipping you the D. Understand?”
“Oh fuck yes,” Beri slurred. “Break me with your big dick, Tom. Make me your pet.”
“Um, but,” I started to object, thrown completely off my game by the sudden shift.
I didn’t even realize Jenny had gotten my fly open until I found myself springing out to nestle between Beri’s thighs. Even entranced, the lusty dryad instinctively angled her hips to take me in, and impaled herself on my length.
I groaned at the sudden sensation of slick heat.
“Yeah, fuck that horny hypnoslut,” Jenny urged. “Put some hearts in those eyes, master!”
Some part of me still wanted to look for excuses not to. To find some other way to navigate this maze that would be more socially acceptable. One that didn’t involve using mind control to have sex with… with… with the living sex object who was eager to seduce me, and who’d literally been created for exactly this purpose, and who clearly didn’t have any problems with that even before I’d hypnotized her…
That was stupid. Jenny was right. There was no reason not to enjoy this. So I picked Beri up by the hips, pinned her back against the nearest tree and did my best to make her scream my name.