Sarasha, for the first time in a long time, felt like she was the normal person in the room.
"We needed to keep those golems! They were so much fun!" Harriott exclaimed.
"They were all bound to that guy's brother, who was dead in the basement," Conna replied.
"Plus. they were too unpredictable. We don't need them going on a rampage or turning into nightmares when we sleep or something," Cat added as she walked into the lounge. "Besides, toys are fun but I'd rather have a real man in me than some paper golem."
"The golems didn't finish too soon or sob because they can't get it up," Inky pointed out.
"Faults be damned, I want the real thing!" Hannah announced as she carried Ving into the lounge over her shoulder like she was abducting her.
Cat raised her glass at her friends' support and smiled as Ving was tossed to the couch and mounted for a hard kiss.
Harriott refused to admit defeat. "All I'm saying is that between them and the vibrating wand, I choose them."
Hannah stopped her kiss to respond while Ving whined, "Maybe, if the golems also vibrated. But they are still just toys. I need the personal connection."
"How much personal connection can you have when you have a man behind you and you don't even know his name?" Harriott asked, confused and trying to not sound snarky.
Ving huffed in annoyance as Hanna responded again. "If I have someone inside me, I think that's a damn solid connection. The golems just feel hollow."
"That's not the sensation I had when I was stuffed full of them." Vile entered and went over to Inky. "And I bet you had that emotional connection before you knew what they were."
"Seriously!" Ving shouted.
Hannah hushed her, "Sort of. Something did feel missing. Like, it was all about me. Normally that's fine, some men like to please, but it didn't feel like someone was enjoying it besides me."
"Like they were just being paid to like you?" Leira sat up from inside the fountain. "Because I'm willing to bet more than a few clients feel that way with us."
"That's why it's so important to have that connection for me!" Hannah responded, her breasts in Vings mouth to keep her from complaining when she continued speaking. "If I can feel it, so can they. Most of the time. Point is, it won't ever replace the real thing. Sure, if we had one for fun I'd prolly use it like I do the vibrating wand, sparingly and probably with someone else on the ship."
"Moot point though. We couldn't keep those ones and we can't make any new ones," Liddy finally added after closing her novel.
"I figured out the golem spell!" shouted Emma as she ran through the ship and up the stairs, falling only once.
Liddy took a deep breath, wishing Emma had said something before she had.
Emma arrived in the lounge, excited and holding a picture frame. "I got it!"
"Easy girl, slow down or you will hurt yourself." Cat reached out to steady the elf against the rocking of the ship in flight.
"Right!" Emma started. "So you know how the golems responded to what people wanted? Well, that part was easy. Then there was the paper for the golems, that was easy as well."
"Glad to be of help!" Easy shouted as she and Mari came into the lounge with others who were interested in what was going on.
Emma paused for a moment before she got the joke and smiled. "So the real trick was the scale of it."
"Damn," Hannah interrupted. "There is a Trixy joke in there somewhere."
Liddy threw her paperback at Hannah and hit her in the shoulder. "Continue, Emma."
"So I did things small scale."
"Well, you are tiny," Hannah interrupted again.
"Hannah! I only have a table left to throw at you and it's an antique so hush!" Liddy threatened.
"I got her," Ving replied as she pushed Hannah's head to her chest and felt her love nibble at her breasts.
"I cast the spell but used this picture frame instead. On it, I used our photos. So the idea is that we have it on the podium where we greet clients. They look at it, even from behind it shouldn't matter, and the image of who on the ship they want most shows up to whoever greeted them."
"What makes you think they will look at it?" Cat asked, curious.
"Well," Emma started. "I don't know about you, but men always stare at my breasts. If it's on the podium in front of us then they will be looking at it. I tested it on Tonna and she and Hope are fucking right now because that's who it showed!"
They all went silent to listen and could hear the sounds of sex below.
"That better not be my room again," Liddy commented sternly before focusing on what Emma had made. "But this is remarkable. Let's set it up! We can test it on Sarasha since she knows us all the least."
Sarasha got up and followed the gang down the main staircase to where Emma and Liddy were setting up the picture frame. When they were ready, she looked at Liddy who was focused on the frame.
"It's just swirling, not showing any faces," Liddy stated.
"Imagine you are looking for sex with someone on the ship," Emma instructed.
"Haven't had much of a mood for that in a long while. Tis why I be living on my own. Only ever brought me trouble," Sarasha explained.
"Damn, we need a stranger to test it on. A man ideally," Emma stated.
"We are in the air. We aren't going to have a man in sight for days." Liddy rested her hand on Emma's shoulder.
Suddenly a loud noise and a shadow flew by outside, followed by several others, then they could see outside the windows a pair of men sitting in a flying machine coming alongside them. One was the pilot, the other manned the machine gun that was aimed at their ship.
"Liddy, stop talking. Or at least say things the opposite of what you mean." Hannah commented, stuffing her breasts back into her top as she went down the stairs to get her kit. "Like, 'We aren't ever going to have over a hundred orgasms in a day' or something."
Everyone rushed to their stations. Ving took the helm while Liddy picked up the radio and scanned the channels. Inky and her soldiers kitted up and readied their weapons but stopped short of letting their escorts see them. Tonna and Hope emerged from Liddy's room and got the holy warrior dressed for a fight. The rest changed into more utilitarian outfits and waited for something to do.
Liddy finally found the channel, "...ntion unknown yacht, you are being ordered to alter your flight path. Respond and divert or you will be fired upon. Your ship is now the property of the Mad King." She could see the pilot to the left of the ship, flying closely, with his hand to his mask whenever the voice spoke.
"Tonna, on the left, guy with the gun, stone him!" Liddy shouted.
The aircraft suddenly dipped hard before struggling to get back to where it was.
"Hey asshole," Liddy started diplomatically. "I just had your gunner turned to granite. If you want the curse broken, you are going to play nicely now before I do the same with anyone who looks in our direction. Understand?" Liddy cut the transmission. "Inky! Fangs out!"
Very quickly, girls armed with machine guns appeared at every door on the ship aiming in all directions. Vile climbed on top of the ship, battling with the wind with her powerful body before igniting her hands in flame. The streams of fire flowing from her hands as the ship moved.
Liddy could see the man on the radio but nothing came over her set. She hazarded a guess that he was speaking with his boss until she saw the fighter that was in front of them slowing down and getting close with the gunner keeping his head down. Liddy was about to order Ving to turn sharply when the fighter did it instead.
"Dumbasses," Emma snorted after using her spectral hand to move the tailfin on the fighter.
"Nice try, I'll give you that. But we have more than what you have seen to swat you with," Liddy announced over the radio. "Accept the loss or learn to live as statues and hope they don't break when you crash."
A different voice came over the radio. "This is the..." the voice paused to sigh, "Mad King. I see we made a mistake in accosting your vessel. If you really did turn one of my men to stone, then I'd like it undone before you leave."
"We can do that but there is an obstacle at the moment."
"It can't be done in flight I assume."
"I was going to say it's expensive, but that as well."
"I'd be offended if it wasn't exactly how I would have done it. Fine, if you follow my fighters you can dock at our main base and-" there was a brief disconnect. "Like I said, our main base. You will be under my protection."
"You will respect the fact I will protect my ship and crew."
"Of course."
"Fine, we will be there soon." Liddy finished, nodding to Ving to follow the fighter that had returned in front of them at a longer distance. "Looks like we are landing someplace special. Everyone keep your guard up."
****
Inky kept looking out the open door. On their approach to the lake, they passed a few spots where it looked like ships could land. A few sheds and vehicles surrounded them and the tracks lead to the water. It was clearly a well-run operation where ships were forced to land and give up their possessions. She knew Liddy had made the right call. Getting into their main base was a gamble but a stand-up fight against manoeuvrable fighters would have gone against them if they simply attacked from below. Whatever kills they earned before then would have just made survival afterwards more difficult. She noticed they seemed to be going in circles so she went up to the bridge to see what was going on.
"They haven't told us to land yet, so I'm not going to until then," Liddy explained as she saw Inky come up the stairs.
"This low they can't get under us, so we can still fight if we need to," Ving explained.
"Good call," Inky agreed. "What's the plan then?"
"Land on the water, let a single boat approach, probably have their stone man with them. Then we are off," Liddy postulated. "Unless something hap-"
