The Alraune Affair

The torch in Cecilia's hand illuminated the dark corridor of the catacombs, as she carefully walked around the corner, sword in her other hand. She moved in such a way so as to minimize the noise of her plate armor, just in case something was waiting in ambush. As Cecilia rounded the corner, she peered into yet another dark and damp corridor. Her torch cast a warm light against the stone corridor before her, the walls made of stacked limestone and mortar keeping it all together. The walls met above her in a curved arch that continued down the corridor well past her torch's glow. The illuminated floor was covered in various debris, a slight shimmer from water pooling along the floor. The corridor itself, like the previous corridor, was in various states of disrepair and neglect. The walls were chipped and eroded, cracks in the ceiling gave way to the dripping of water coming from an unknown source, and the air hung stale with the smell of mildew and decomposing debris.

After gaining her bearings, Cecilia once again got her shield at the ready in her right hand, and proceeded to carefully move forward with the torch outstretched in her left. If this corridor was anything like the last, she would encounter nothing more than small rodents and the sound of dripping water hitting the puddles formed below. However, she had been in the profession of adventurer for long enough to know that complacency came before peril, and these catacombs had been abandoned out in the wilderness long enough for any number of beings to call them home. As Cecilia began another march down this corridor, she began to think back a few days prior, when she first accepted this contract.

"Name?" asked the large man behind the wooden counter, in a rather gruff voice. The board behind him was filled with a variety of notes and parchment pinned to wood via sharp implements, mostly small daggers. All around the room were various tables and chairs, with a variety of people gathered in groups discussing one thing or another. Cecilia stood before this man, in her platemail with her helmet under her arm, the light filtered through the windows shining and highlighting her strawberry blonde hair. As she cleared her throat and began to speak, she could feel this man's eyes looking up and down her body. Whether he was judging her prowess or lusting after her, she could not tell, but either way it sent shivers down her spine.

"C... Cecelia," she quietly responded. She was starting to have second doubts about coming here for work, but she needed the money. Ever since she walked in, she felt like hostile eyes were leering at her. She had been at this life since she turned 18, and probably had more experience in this line of work than most of the people in this room. That didn't stop her from feeling like they were judging her as an inferior, and making her feel small, despite standing at over 6 feet.

"Age and experience?" The man turned away from her and began taking down one of the notes off the board, before bringing it to the counter.

"26, and I have experience fighting similar creatures. Just last year I took on a feral treant, and have taken many jobs in the town of Oakenwood dealing with their fungal creature infestation," Cecilia proudly declared, quickly finding her confidence again as she talked about her previous jobs.

"Heh, well even with all that bragging, I doubt you've ever met a creature like an alraune before. Entrancing creatures, and many stronger than you have fallen under their thrall," the man replied as he put the contract down in front of Cecilia, "Still, if you want to throw yourself head first into this one, I can't stop you. Just let me know if you need anything else." The man returned to polishing the counter as Cecilia read over the details of the contract.

As Cecilia continued down the corridor, she went over the contract in her head again. A few days prior to her arrival in the region, a local lord's daughter, Beatrice, had gone missing shortly after her 19th birthday. The only lead the local guards had was a maid who was found in a daze, and upon recovering had mentioned she saw creeping vines coming to the window, and the strong scent of blooming roses and nectar. After that all she remembered was the guards standing over her and interrogating her regarding the whereabouts of the lord's daughter. Local experts managed to connect these events with the behavior and actions of a possible alraune. At that point the lord put out word of a hefty reward for anyone who stops the beast and returns his daughter.

It was then that Cecilia came into the town and looked into the contract. It took her four days of wandering the local forest, following a faint trail of footsteps, before she found strange and accelerated floral growth that was usually associated with alraune movements. She followed it to the entrance of ancient ruins that led down into abandoned catacombs, and it was here that she now found herself, wandering the dark and hoping for another lead soon.

Cecilia soon came upon an intersection in the catacombs. The corridor she just left opened into a larger chamber, that itself branched off into three other passageways. Unable to determine which direction would be the right course of action, Cecilia decided to break and make camp in this chamber. As she rested and began making plans to explore each of these branches for any further tracks, Cecilia heard a noise down one of the paths. The sound of footsteps scraping and skin brushing against limestone echoed loudly from the dark.

"Hello, who is there?" Cecilia called out, but nothing responded. Cecilia took a spare torch, lit it, and threw it down that corridor to see if it would illuminate any figures lying in the dark. The torch hit the floor and rolled, the sound of wood hitting stone reverberated throughout the catacombs. As Cecilia focused to see beyond the space the torch illuminated, she saw something humanoid in the dark, peering around a corner at the end of the hall, their outline barely visible but still present. As she tried to make out the figure, it noticed her then retreated back around the corner and further into the dark, the sound of feet rapidly scuffling against debris and stone floors slowly fading. Clearly, this was the direction Cecilia needed to be heading, or at least whatever this figure was could provide some answers as to if her target was within these ruins.

Cecilia scooped up her torch and collected her equipment before pursuing the figure down the corridor. She began to move more briskly through the dark tunnel in hopes of catching up to whatever was watching her. While she recognized this meant she was more likely to risk being caught off guard, she didn't wish to lose the trail of this creature. As she moved, her torch illuminated spots on the ground that looked like they were disturbed by footsteps, meaning she could use these to track this creature through the catacombs should she come across another fork in the path. As she moved, Cecilia slowly began to lower her defensive stance and started to run as much as her armor would allow. The sound of the metal plates loudly giving away her position and any advantage she had, but at this point she didn't care, she needed to find whatever this thing was. And then she came across something that surprised her...

The corridor of limestone gave way and opened up into a more natural cavern before her. It was a large and expansive cavern, with a massive opening above her filtering in sunlight. Since the torch was no longer needed, Cecilia extinguished it and began to explore this enormous chamber. What surprised her wasn't the size of it, but how much flora was thriving in the caverns. The sound of water running through a creek was the first immediate sound she noticed, but the sound of trees and grass rustling from cavern winds also fell upon her ears. The smells of sweet roses and nectar filled her nose, as well as fruits. As Cecilia looked around, she felt this place less like a cavern, and more like a large meadow or garden. If the cavern walls weren't all around her, she would never be able to tell that she was still underground.

As Cecilia began to explore this large garden, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds, she felt herself getting warmer and warmer. Even the cool winds of the cavern did little to alleviate these sensations overcoming her body. As Cecilia began to feel uncomfortably warm, and the sun coming down from the opening doing little to help, she began to undo the fasteners and buckles on her armor, with her breast plate and her leggings dropping to the garden ground. Her shield also felt heavy on her arm, so she let it go as well as she continued exploring. The dull thud of the shield as it hit the ground did not cause Cecilia any concern. Even though now she was covered in just her wool shirt and her leggings, and the wool undergarments underneath, she still felt warm, but it felt more bearable.

Cecilia continued to wander the garden, coming across a ring of trees before the warmth and softness of the ground finally took their toll on her. Her whole body began to feel weak and heavy. She tried to find her sword as a precaution, but it was nowhere on her anymore, clearly having been abandoned somewhere in the gardens. Cecilia looked back to where she came, where she swore she dropped all of her equipment, but none of it could be seen. As Cecilia collapsed to the ground in weakness, she saw that her shirt and leggings had also been removed from her body and discarded somewhere. "What is going on?" Cecilia weakly mumbled out, her own mouth failing her as all she wanted to do was relax in this meadow and give in. But it wasn't to last for long.

As Cecilia continued to muster every ounce of her strength to even crawl, she peered into the gathering of trees, and at the center of them she saw the figure she assumed was watching her in the catacombs.

It was a girl, her back turned to Cecilia, but matching the description of Beatrice. Her clothes were clearly ruined by the dirt and grime of the catacombs, but it was her nonetheless. Cecilia gathered a second wind within herself to stumble to her knees, then her feet, as she quickly clambered through the garden over to the girl in the clearing.

"BEATRICE!" Cecilia called to her as she collapsed behind her, grabbing onto her shoulders and beginning to try and gently shake her to grab her attention. As the girl turned around, she stared back at Cecilia with an empty expression on her face, as if she wasn't aware of anything and not in control of her own body. She then slipped out from under Cecilia's grasp and collapsed onto the ground, her eyes closed and she fell asleep. Cecilia weakly fell onto her knees and braced herself on her hands on the ground before she heard a hypnotic voice come from behind her.

"Oh dear, I guess she wasn't fully ready yet. But she did what I wanted her to do. Now, let's have a look at my catch," an unknown figure said in a calm, dominant manner. Whoever this figure was, Cecilia did not like that she was being spoken of as if she was the one who was being hunted the whole time. Soon, she felt this figure's hands grab her side. The strangest part of this is where her skin made contact with this person, Cecilia began to feel cooler and a sense of euphoria. Her body began to respond to this touch and this figure's statement by pulling itself towards the figure and turning around to face the figure, as if Cecilia was little more than a doll.

As Cecilia got turned around, kneeling before the figure now in front of her, she got a good look at the creature she was supposed to be hunting, standing before her. The alraune towered above her kneeling figure, the skin of this creature a rich green, with the tone of it fading off into a yellow hue along her arms and her legs. Her lips were the richest red that Cecilia has ever seen, like a well kept rose. Her eyes were of a pinkish-red hue, matching her hair, which cascaded down around her face and the back of her head like long wilted flower petals and long, flat leaves. Vines wrapped around her body in various ways, with budding red flowers sprouting from her chest and a fig leaf falling over her crotch, covering any indecency she may have had. Sprouting from her wrists were more of the pinkish-red leaves, dangling down and off her hand like sleeves on a royal gown.

Cecilia's gaze began to pan downward past the creature's thighs and her smooth legs, she saw that the alraune had bare feet, and behind the creature was a trail of vibrant flowers and vegetation. As Cecilia continued to look at the alraune before her, she noticed that this creature's figure is very alluring, with hips that seem to sway with the wind in the cavern, and very soft and toned skin. As Cecilia continued to study the alraune before her, the alraune spoke, the very tone of her voice lingered in Cecilia's ears like sweet nectar.

"I think you'll do just fine," the Alraune said as she cupped Cecilia's chin in her hand, looking her over like a buyer looks over merchandise before purchasing it. "Forgive me, where are my manners though," she continued to speak, her voice further lulling Cecilia into a trance, "this is my home, and I've been living out here for a long time maintaining and growing my garden. But you see, the problem is that a garden like this is impossible to maintain on one's own, even for a being like me. So over the years I have... attracted many individuals to come live and tend to my garden, fulfilling various roles. In return, I take care of them and ensure they live free of any worries or concerns." As the Alraune spoke, from behind a boulder came two figures, one man and one woman, both clad in clothes made from fibers and various vegetation, with baskets under arm. They both approached the trees and began harvesting the fruits, collecting them in the baskets. The Alraune beckoned, and the man walked over to her, before standing at her side as she started to caress and pet him, taking a fruit out of the basket.

"As many as I have taken care of, they each fill various roles. Some are good at tending to the garden. Some are good at tending to me. And some are good at attracting others into my home when I need more caretakers. However, what I have been looking for as of late has been something more. I have been looking for... well let's call it a personal pet to be by my side and to keep me company in bed at night," the Alraune's voice melted in Cecilia's ears as she continued to speak, "and after having a look at you, I think you will do nicely. Many people over the ages have called me Venus, but you... you can call me Mistress." Upon saying that, the Alraune began to take a bite of the fruit in her hand while staring down at Cecilia with a smirk on her face.

Hearing the word Mistress stirred something inside Cecilia, and the thought of being this creature's pet brought a new fire within her. Cecilia managed to snap from the trance long enough to attempt to stand up and strike Venus. "I WILL NOT BE ANYONE'S PLAYTHING!" Cecilia screamed at this creature, but as soon as she began to rise, she found herself quickly brought back down by force. Cecilia looked and saw vines wrapping around her legs and thighs, binding them to the earth beneath her. She tried to bring her hands to tear away at them, but found more vines and vegetation binding her hands into fists, then wrapping around her arms and bringing them behind her, continuing to bind and wrap until her elbows very nearly touched. This is followed by the vines pulling her back so her back was slightly arched, and her chest brought forth towards Venus.

All while this was happening, a large flower sprouted from behind Venus, and moved towards her, allowing her to sit upon one of its petals like a throne. She then moved the throne closer to Cecilia, and crossed one of her legs over the other, before planting a foot right between Cecilia's cleavage. As Venus brought her foot closer, Cecilia tried her best to fight and struggle with what little strength she had. Upon touching her chest, Cecilia felt another comforting and cooling feeling wash over her body, which up until this point she hadn't noticed was uncomfortably hot, causing her to start sweating.

"Oh dear," Venus cooed softly, "it seems my pet doesn't appreciate what I have offered her. You seemed fine with everything else, so what happened?" Venus sat, pondering for a minute while Cecilia weakly struggled in her binds, before a thought entered her head, "OH! Perhaps you aren't ready for full submission yet. No matter, we have all the time in the world, and the pheromones and pollen that permeates this chamber will continue to work away at that strong will of yours. It seems your body is already warmed up from the pollen, and the only touch that will give it relief is from contact with my body. Don't worry, soon you will begin to feel other effects to as your body slowly succumbs to my will."

Cecilia continued to fight and weakly struggled in her bonds. It felt like every attempt she made to break her bonds was met with more resistance. The vines pulled tighter, more wrapped around her, and the feeling of warmth and weakness started to wear away at what little strength she had. Cecilia looked up, still staring at Venus with a look of defiance in her eyes. Venus just stared down back at her, a curious glare in her eyes and a smirk on her lips. Venus leaned in closer, her foot in front of Cecilia's chest, and she brought a hand close to Cecilia's face, before stroking down her cheek to under her chin, the touch bringing cooling relief to Cecilia's body.

"Awwww, such a strong will," Venus spoke in a dominant tone as she continued to stroke Cecilia's face, "those are my favorite ones, and they always make the best companions. I love watching the defiance slowly fade from your kind, as you begin to willingly submit to me."

Those words lingered in Cecilia's ear and brought her mind into a short state of euphoria before she shook herself out of it. Cecilia's further struggles caused Venus to take her hand away and lean back in her seat, continuing to watch intently as the chamber continued to weaken Cecilia's resolve. "Noooo, I w-will noot givvee..." Cecilia's words fell past her lips in a slur, as if she was drunk on one too many ales. Venus put her finger to Cecilia's lips and made a shushing sound, before continuing to speak, "Save your strength, pet, you'll need it if you want to continue to fight me."

Cecilia was losing track of time as she continued to struggle in her bindings. Her body barely responded to her commands anymore, and she could barely keep her head steady. She continued to glare defiantly up at Venus, and all Venus did in return was just stare back with an ever widening smirk over her juicy lips. Cecilia continued to study her foe, looking up and down her comforting looking body. Cecilia's eyes wandered down past her wide hips and over her tender looking thighs to her lower legs. "Wait," Cecilia then thought to herself, "these aren't my thoughts... I don't... But are they?" However, she continued to stare at her captor, her glares going from studying her foe to longing for her.

Venus once again leaned forward in her chair, continuing to watch Cecilia. "Ah, ready to submit soon?" she asked with a playful sarcasm in her tone. Cecilia continued to stare at Venus' foot, almost ignoring the words that came out of her mouth. Just looking up and down her leg, over the sole of her foot, and watching her toes playfully wiggle in front of Cecilia. She couldn't do much more than gently nod her head in compliance with Venus' question as her mouth weakly drooped open, her mind going fuzzy and warm with the thought of submitting and serving her Mistress.

"Good pet," Venus said with a pleased tone in her voice, "now, why don't you show me that you deserve to submit to me." Cecilia felt the vines pulling her body back loosen, allowing her to lean forward. Venus moved her seat closer to Cecilia, and brought her foot closer to Cecilia's face. As Cecilia brought her nose to brush against Venus' sole, her mind raced through a number of thoughts. This wasn't like her. Cecilia was a strong adventurer, and now here she was, her body betraying her, and her subconscious compelling her to give in and worship this being above her.