The loud humming drum of the single engine aircraft buzzed through Mika’s body as he glanced out the small craft’s window. The trees below were strange, massive things that slowly became more numerous as the normal jungle of the Amazon rainforest receded, as if afraid to enter this strange bastion of a lost primordial world.

“Impressive, aren’t they?” his pilot, a twenty-something woman named Oklahoma grinned, “I’ll tell you something kid, you’ve got to be careful that jungle doesn’t swallow you up.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said dismissively, looking out the window.

“Yeah, okay He-Man,” she chuckled, bringing the plane into the path of the wide and winding brownish blue river below. She brushed her long brown hair over her shoulder as the plane began to descend, “Last chance to go back, I’ll even refund enough of your money to buy a jetliner home,” she turned back and grinned, “first class, for nice soft boys.”

He blushed, looking away. He wasn’t a large man, having preferred time in the library to the soccer pitch growing up, and he didn’t care for the casual insults the woman seemed so willing to lay on someone who’d paid her so much. Still, Oklahoma was his only choice if he wanted to reach the Lemurian Jungle, no other pilot would take the job, and there were no guides to take him overland.

There was a rough splash, causing birds to take to the sky as monkeys cackled in the distance, watching the small pontooned aircraft come to a slow stop atop the river. From the ground the trees on the far side of the river looked all the more ominous, vast rising things that loomed like skyscrapers, but no man had a hand in these…

“So why do you want to go in there anyway?” Oklahoma asked, unbuckling her seatbelt.

I’ve been dreaming of it for as long as I can remember, he wanted to say, longer than I knew where or what it was. He thought back, when he’d first seen the black and white photos in the library book, his heart pounding and his mind blank as he recognized the lost primordial jungle that he had been so sure only existed in his dreams.

“I-I’m an archeologist,” he stammered finally, blinking. “I’m interested in any potential ruins.”

Oklahoma snorted, “Good fucking luck, there are no natives living in there kid, they’re too smart for it.”

“What do you mean?” Mika asked with a frown.

“They took one look at those trees, and decided to live on that side of the river,” Oklahoma said, pointing to the riverbank where normal Amazon flora and fauna flourished, “the side of the river I’ll be camping on while I wait for you by the way.”

“You’re scared,” Mika said, smirking a little.

Oklahoma glared at him a moment, suddenly going serious, “Listen here Mikey, it doesn’t just stop with natives, there are no criminal groups, rogue guerillas, corporate logging camps, poachers, or any of the other shit you normally want to avoid out in the jungle either, if the most dangerous people in the world think it’s too dangerous for them? I’m not arguing!”

“The name is Mika,” he said, annoyed, “and surely someone comes out here, sometimes?”

Oklahoma chewed her lip a moment, “A few guys I know from back in Sao Paolo say they went in once, smugglers who wanted to see about setting up a depot of sorts.” She looked up at the enormous trees, the tangling vines thick as a man’s arm, and the darkness within. “They must have gotten high on their own supply,” she said quietly, “they came back telling stories of giant snakes.”

“Anacondas are native to the region,” Mika said slowly.

“Not big snakes, giant snakes,” Oklahoma said, “Like, could fight Godzilla giant.” She beamed suddenly, “but hey, that’s just a bunch of bullshit, has to be, right?”

“R-Right,” Mika stammered, watching as she pulled the door of the small airplane open. She leapt down onto the pontoon, leaving him alone with his thoughts as she unbuckled a small canoe which he’d use to cross the river. It bobbed slightly as he climbed into it, and he checked to make sure his pack was secure as the rich musty humidity of the titanic forest reached his nostrils, sweat already beginning to form on his forehead.

“You got a gun?” Oklahoma asked, eyeing his pack a moment.

“I’ve never used one,” he replied, starting to paddle off.

Oklahoma just chuckled, opening her vest for a moment, and letting him get a look at a small shining pistol holstered under her shoulder, “Well if you need one, run like hell back here, because you can’t borrow mine!” She thought a moment, “What about any next of kin? You know, to tell if you don’t come back?”

“I’m an orphan,” he shouted back, raising an eyebrow as she just chuckled at the response.

Strange girl, he thought, not for the first time. As the canoe hit the riverbank he glanced back, seeing Oklahoma setting up her own camp on the far side, the normal side, of the river. With a deep breath, he took his first steps into the impossible forest.

…

Chloe stirred, the distant buzz of the aircraft engine echoing over her jungle as she stretched, yawning and blinking at the rising sun. She brushed a long strand of auburn hair out of her eyes as her snakelike lower half uncoiled, the shining red and yellow scales catching the light as she rose, slithering her way out of the massive stone ruins.

She made her way down among the immense trees, idly reaching up to pull down a large striped fruit, plunging her fingers into it and pulling the outer shell away. The snake-woman lifted it to her mouth, taking a long slow drink, savoring the sweet flavor of the fruit’s milk before letting her teeth sink into the succulent solid flesh.

As she enjoyed her meal, she scanned the sky, thinking. The buzz of an aircraft would mean more of those strange little things which looked half like her, but had two appendages where their long, scaled tails should have been. They scurried about, sometimes in things that flew, like birds, sometimes in little metal boxes, but they always fled when they saw her.

Chloe wasn’t sure what to make of them, she’d only seen them a few times growing up, but lately more and more of them were in her territory. She sniffed the air and smiled, they certainly did have an appealing aroma though, and taste. She slithered quickly through the trees, eager to locate the newest arrivals.

…

The small group of mercenaries loaded the beach ball sized fruit into the back of the large truck, the rubbery spheres bouncing slightly as they were tossed haphazardly in.

Higgins watched from the jeep nearby, his ice-grey eyes unblinking the men worked. Where the rest were rough and tanned from the sun, Higgins somehow kept a pale complexion, even in a place like this. His black suit was always crisp and pressed, as though it had come straight from the dry cleaner’s.

His phone buzzed, and he gave a sigh that was almost a growl as he read the instructions from his superiors, “Listen up,” he called, instantly catching the men’s attentions. “We’ve got a pair of trespassers in the area, coming this direction from the river. Fan out in that direction and eliminate them both.”

One of the men shifted uncertainly, “Sir,” he said, “if they took a plane in… won’t that have woken up the-“

“If you encounter her, you know what might happen,” Higgins replied sternly, “if you disobey me, you know what will happen.” He growled at the nervous looks on the mercenaries faces, “You are all paid exceedingly well, the tradeoff for that is that this company expects you to act without question.”

With a final sullen look the man growled angrily, slamming a magazine into his rifle and marching into the jungle to obey the suited man. He watched them go, then turned to the large crop of Lemurian fruit, still sitting in the truck. The secrets locked within those unassuming spheres were worth billions, more even, but as he climbed into his own personal jeep and started the engine, Higgins reflected that nothing worth having was easy to get.

…

Mika glanced at his compass, frowning as he saw it spinning in all directions, everything about this place defies explanation, he thought with a sigh.

Still, there was an unshakable sense of déjà vu as he looked up at the stretching tree canopies, hundreds of meters high.

I almost expect to see them come out from behind one of these trees, he thought, thinking of the smiling middle-aged man and woman in safari khakis that greeted him warmly in his dreams. They were his parents, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t remember anything about them. Like the Lemurian Jungle itself he’d dismissed them as phantoms, dreams he couldn’t explain, but standing here it was impossible to deny that some part of his childhood phantoms were real.

A burst of gunfire shocked him out of his thoughts, and with a scream he threw himself to the ground, scrambling across the wet earth as clods of mud were kicked up by bullets around him.

“I’m unarmed!” he shouted, throwing his hands over the back of his head.

“Good!” a laughing voice barked as a trio of men stepped into view, “that makes this easier!”

…

Chloe’s snake tail curled around the trees, holding her massive form suspended in the air as she watched the scene below in confusion. She’d camouflaged herself, her skin and scales effortlessly matching the colors of the tree trunks and leaves around her, and while she was the most massive creature in the forest, she could move completely silently when she wanted to. From her perch on the tree, none of the scurrying creatures below would be aware of her presence.

She frowned, trying to determine what they were doing. One of them seemed scared as the other three closed in, their small stinging weapons in hand. Those weapons were no serious danger to Chloe of course, but sometimes if they hit her just right it would itch or tickle slightly, and the loud racket they made always annoyed her.

The smallest of them though, the scared one… what was that feeling? Something about him called to her, something familiar she couldn’t quite place. She had to examine him closer, but how? These things always ran when she showed herself, or worse, tried to hurt her. There was a cry of pain as one of them kicked the one she wanted, and without hesitation, she sprang downward.

…

Mika coughed, clutching his aching ribs as the men laughed at his pain, “Enough of this shit Ray,” one taunted, “finish him off so we can get the fuck out of here.” Mika looked up, eyes wide with horror as the gun barrel leveled with his head.

Suddenly a scream caught his attention, and he looked up, stunned to see the sky changing color in patches. No, not the sky, a monstrous creature, hundreds of meters in length, with a red and yellow scaled tail as long as a train, but more stunning was the enormous torso of a naked woman that was coming into view, a girl with long brown hair that shimmered almost red in the sunlight, hanging down like curtains around a freckled face the size of a house as she loomed over them.

In the blink of an eye her mouth opened, a long tongue darting out, covered in a sticky saliva that glistened briefly in the light. There was a wet *smack* as it made contact with the back of the man who was holding the gun to Mika’s head, then he watched, stunned as the man was yanked upward, as if tied to a bungie cord. Her soft lips closed behind him, trapping him within the gigantic mouth as muffled gunshots rang out from inside. The girl’s head arched back, and a loud and audible *gulp* rang out through the clearing, and her throat bulged ever so slightly for a moment as her morsel traveled downward.

Mika found himself looking up, spellbound, not even hearing the shouts of the other two men as they ran for the brush. The giant girl’s eyes followed them for a moment, but she didn’t pursue, instead drawing those enormous saucers back to him, gazing on his quaking form as she slithered down the tree. The enormity of her size dawned on him as she moved ever closer, the mere proximity to her body warming the air around him as the gigantic mouth, a mouth which had just swallowed a man whole before his very eyes, came within arm’s reach. The hair on his head was ruffled as the enormous nostrils overhead sniffed him.

“C-Chloe-“ he stammered. He frowned, suddenly confused, Who is Chloe? He wondered, but the air around him whooshed as the enormous snake-girl reared back, as if stung. He blinked, “Are you Chloe?” he asked hesitantly, his heart pounding.

She stared at him, shocked. He’d said her name, and why was that her name? Since when did she have a name? Chloe blinked in confusion, a mix of emotions flooding through her. Down below the human stood up, but while she suddenly remembered what exactly he was, the noises he made were still just gibberish to her.

Mika felt his heart pounding as the girl slithered by him, studying him intently. Her scaled tail was like a wall as it circled around him, easily a hundred and fifty meters long. He tried to keep his eyes on her face as he was surrounded by red and black wall, his escape made impossible as the freckled giant stroked her chin.

I’m the size of a mouse, he gulped, remembering how she’d casually slurped the other man to his doom, and she’s definitely got the instincts of a snake…

Finally, it seemed the snake-girl, Chloe, had made her decision. Her hand came down, snatching him up in her warm palm, a wall of flesh that tenderly wrapped around him and caused his stomach to lurch as he was lifted off the ground. For a moment he felt relief, until he realized he was being held over her rapidly opening mouth.

“No!” he shouted in panic, “W-Wait, Chloe please don’t!”

She only understood her own name, but she couldn’t help but giggle a little at the panic in the tiny human’s voice. Part of her wanted to reassure him he would be okay, that he wouldn’t meet the other human’s fate, for now.  

Her fingers snapped open, releasing the flailing, screaming form of Mika to tumble the few meters down into her mouth. Her breath was warm, even more humid than the jungles themselves, and her soft pink tongue lolled out like a trampoline, almost eager to catch him. He landed on it with a wet squishing sound, his hands sliding over the rough surface of her tastebuds as he panicked, looking for purchase, escape.

Chloe simply pulled her tongue back into her mouth, as if he were any other caught prey. Her soft red lips slowly pressed closed, giving a terrified Mika one last look at the outside world before her cavernous mouth sealed him in.

Chloe hummed happily to herself, vibrating the walls of Mika’s prison as she enjoyed the rich luscious taste of a human. Everything in her instincts told her this was right, that there was an adorable morsel of prey trapped in her mouth, that his struggles would only stimulating her tastebuds making his flavor all the more succulent as the soft pink walls around him dripped saliva in anticipation. It would be easy to forget everything, to simply enjoy this surprise meal and go back to her temple to sleep, letting the hapless human digest within in her inescapable belly…

…But that wasn’t what she really wanted, not right now. The human had stirred odd memories, and he knew her name. Something stronger than hunger held her back from swallowing him whole like the other one. She needed to know more, she needed to take him back to her den to examine him further.

The forest shook and rumbled as the massive snake-girl began her slithering journey back towards the immense stone temple, her passenger stowed safely in her mouth.

Mika stumbled around in the dark cavern, his hands feeling slowly around and grimacing as his fingers traced over the hard wall of the girl’s teeth. The saliva dripped around him ceaselessly, soaking through his clothes and plastering his hair to his face. The wet spongy ground of her tongue shifted as she moved, and he gasped in terror as he slid backwards, towards the black void at the back of her mouth.

One flick of her tongue, and I’m lunch! He thought in a panic. He imagined what it would be like, pressed on all sides by the powerful muscles of her throat, helplessly squeezed ever downward until he dropped into her waiting belly.

The thought was oddly compelling, like the perverse edge to leap off when standing at the edge of a tall cliff. Part of him was enticed by it, already imagining the journey downward, how outwardly she’d just be patting that toned bellybutton just above her snake tail… All that would be left of him would be the small belch she’d let out before going to sleep.

He shook his head; I’ve got to get out of here somehow! He gritted his teeth, hitting feebly against the ivory wall of teeth. He was rewarded with another of the rumbling giggles that remind him just how big his captor was as his teeth rattled, and below him her tongue leapt to life.

Chloe decided to put the little snack in his place, and her tongue began to slowly push him against the walls of her cheeks, pressing him along the soft elastic walls of her mouth with just enough force to make him grunt in surprise. Slowly the tip of her tongue worked at the straps of his backpack, and in the dark he fought feebly against the slimy appendage as it easily overpowered him. For Chloe it was like playing with a particularly tough piece of the Lemurian fruit, the sweet taste only encouraging her eager exploration.

“Oh no you don’t!” Mika grunted, trying in vain to hold on to the strap of his backpack. The tongue thrashed itself across his front, body slamming him down to the bottom of her mouth as he lost his grip. His heart skipped a beat as her head tilted slightly, and the wet slick *gulp* rang out again, closer, louder.

Chloe just smirked, keeping her lips locked as she felt the tiny pack tumble down her throat. It didn’t have much of a flavor, and it did less than nothing to sate her hunger, but the message was sent. The tiny human didn’t resist as her tongue flipped him back up, ceasing his struggles as she pressed him against the roof of her mouth. Pinning him there, she simply let her spit absorb the flavor, sucking it off him idly like a piece of hard candy.

Chloe slithered through the massive stone pillars of the stone temple, columns of light from the carved windows illuminating the building even as she traveled deeper inside. Finally, she reached her den, a spot in the very center of the complex where she’d piled dried leaves of a soft sort she’d found, along with an assortment of things she’d found that were interesting.

Mika shouted as he was spat out roughly, ejected like a pilot from a jet fighter as the snake-girl sent him flying into her cupped palms.

“Y-You could have carried me,” he stammered, wiping the muck of her saliva from his eyes.

Chloe just smiled and shrugged, she couldn’t understand the words, but she guessed the meaning.

He wanted to say something else to her, but his breath caught as he looked around the temple. Like everything else he’d found here, it was familiar. The massive columns of carved stone rising up to a darkened ceiling, the crumbled statues standing as high as an office building, he’d seen it all before, and not just in his dreams, he was sure of it.

“I don’t suppose you know what this place is?” he asked, looking up at his captor with a sigh.

She just cocked her head, not comprehending the question.

“It’s very beautiful,” he muttered, glancing around. His gaze lingered over Chloe, and he blushed as he realized she was naked, her pert city-bus sized breasts jutting out from a toned and perfect torso. In the chaos and shock of their first meeting he hadn’t had time to realize just how attractive of a girl she was… on her upper half, anyway.

“W-Well uh…” he cleared his throat, pointing to himself, “I’m Mika, Mika,” he repeated, jabbing his finger into his own chest.

“Mi-Ka,” she slowly stammered. She grinned, pointing to herself, “Chl-oe!” she said slowly, “Chloe!”

He blinked; she talks?

“Nice to meet you,” he said, nodding. He frowned a moment, “But we’ve met before, haven’t we?” He chewed his lip a moment, “Do you know how we know each other?”

Chloe just stared at him blankly.

“Right,” he sighed, “Well there’s no fun in an easy mystery, is there?” He looked at Chloe’s pile of “curiosities.” There were a number of interesting looking items down there, stone carvings, metal, and a few odds and ends that looked more modern. “Can you put me down?” He pointed at the items.

Chloe’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly slithered over to her collection, lowering the human to the stone floor. She’d long picked up interesting things from around the temple and the jungle, and having someone else excited to see it sent an unfamiliar excitement through her.

“I’m an archeologist,” Mika explained, picking up an odd bronze disc, “Or I’d like to be…” he glanced up at the girl, who was watching him eagerly, but with no understanding behind her eyes. “We’ll work on your English,” he muttered, “If you don’t eat me anyway.”

Chloe watched him looking through her items, babbling away in his strange tongue. She was starting to understand that the sounds meant something, and she wanted to learn them herself. She leaned over him curiously, her massive form blocking out the outside light as he eagerly picked up a shimmering metal sculpture, pointing at it excitedly and almost jumping up and down.

“…and if this is a sculpture of Sumerian origin, it would prove transatlantic contact in the bronze age, everything we know about history would have to be re-written! We’d-“ He looked up at the smiling billboard sized face and chuckled, “I’m sorry, I kind of ramble on…” He looked down at the sculpture, whom he was certain was Gilgamesh, and with a shrug tossed it back into her pile. “You know what the funny thing is? You might be a man-eating snake-thing, but I think you’re the only girl who’s shown interest in my profession.”

Chloe just grinned and nodded excitedly, happy that he was happy.

“Let’s see what else you have here,” Mika chuckled. A small leatherbound book caught his eye, and he frowned. That has to be recent, he thought, and his voice caught in his throat as he realized it had English lettering. Without thinking he picked it up, flipping open the cover, dilapidated from years, decades of exposure to the jungle heat and humidity. The faded polaroid tucked into the inside cover had fared better, a man and a woman in safari khakis, standing before the massive temple complex and grinning as each held the hand of a young boy, one Mika recognized from his own childhood photos.

His hand shook as he looked at the photo, then slowly up at Chloe, “W-Where did you find this?” he rasped. Chloe didn’t respond, but she’d sensed the change in his mood, a concerned look coming over her face.

Did you eat them? He wondered. No… probably not, he decided finally. Chloe had felt familiar, but not in a foreboding or dangerous sense, and while he had dreamed of the couple he now knew were his parents, and the temple itself, Chloe wasn’t in any of those memories, not physically anyway. Whatever happened to them, you came later, he decided, but you’re a piece of this puzzle, what happened to us here? He thought back to the men who had attacked him in the jungle, Who were they? Who’s so interested in keeping people out of this jungle that they’d kill someone like me on sight?

He tucked the photo back into the journal, grimacing as he looked around the vast stonework amphitheater at the center of the sprawling temple city. It would take a proper archeological dig years to properly excavate it, countless careers could be made on the secrets in any particular room, he was sure of it… but the secrets he was most interested in were hidden here too.

“Okay Chloe,” he sighed, “let’s try to talk.”

For her part the enormous snake-girl beamed excitedly.

…

Higgins sipped from a plastic water bottle inside the climate controlled mobile command trailer. His hands flew across the keyboard, establishing the satellite link to his benefactor’s headquarters.

The circular sigil of a snake eating its own tail flashed across the screen, “Ouroboros Incorporated,” a woman’s recorded voice greeted, “In the business of forever.”

“Mr. Higgins,” a voice drawled on the other line, “I understand there was a complication during today’s operation?”

“We lost a man to Subject Alpha,” Higgins said, his voice level, “there was an outside intruder and I ordered his elimination per your orders. The first squad encountered the naga and she killed one of the hired security staff, the intruder is presumed dead as well…” He looked down at the tablet in his lap, scrolling through the report, “the second intruder, one Sadie “Oklahoma” Espinoza, eluded capture and escaped in her aircraft, two men have gunshot wounds but are expected to recover.”

“One dead, and one escaped,” the voice growled, “Tell me Mister Higgins, does this sound acceptable?”

Higgins was unphased, “We are already contacting friends in the local government to have Miss Espinoza recovered for us,” he said curtly, “if you wish for us to be able to work more effectively, I am confident the Naga can be eliminated if we are granted access to heavier weapons.”

“No!” the voice said sharply, “Subject Alpha is not to be harmed, nor are your men to approach the temple complex unless ordered.”

Higgins was quiet a moment, “Yes sir,” he growled, “I’ll send a written report to you by tomorrow morning.”

“See that you do.”

There was a click as the line went quiet, and Higgins sighed in frustration. The job was only getting more complicated…

Mika stirred, he was asleep someplace warm, dark… and wet? He started as a wall of soft bumpy flesh licked up the side of his body, slathering him in another coat of the thick slimy spit. He pushed it away with a grunt, but it just slammed into him again, sliding up and down his body, playfully picking at his clothes and soaking his hair.

“I’m up!” he shouted, “I’m awake!”

A rumbling female giggle vibrated his entire body as Chloe’s mouth opened, letting the light of the morning creep in. The tongue extended out of her mouth, carrying him with it as he was plopped into her cupped hands. As he looked up at the freckled face with a scowl, she licked her lips playfully and gave him a wink.

“Do I have to sleep in your mouth?” he asked, annoyed.

The gigantic naga nodded, “Safer,” she said with a smug grin.

Safer… right. He was sure that the snake-woman just liked sucking on him as she slept, whatever he tasted like she liked it, and it also had the added bonus of keeping him from escaping.

Her vocabulary had grown rapidly over the last few days as they’d talked, and Mika wondered how long it would be before they were having full conversations. Chloe was intelligent, at least as smart as he was, he was sure of it.

Maybe I could convince her to let me go? He thought. He looked at the pleased expression on Chloe’s face as she lowered him down to the floor of the temple. No, I’m either a pet or a snack at this point… hopefully I can stay the former.

Chloe watched intently as he wiped her goopy spit off of his face, feeling it dry in the warm humidity of the early jungle morning. With a sigh he walked over to her pile of treasures, intent to make the best of his captivity. As it was half the history books would need to be re-written if word of the artifacts here got out, but the secrets of the past he was most interested in were more recent.

He picked up what he was sure was his father’s journal, opening it and frowning as he looked once again at the old polaroid of his family. The journal itself was faded in places, soaked and runny in others, but maybe every other page was readable.

The temple complex is thousands of years old, predating the ruins at… He scowled, turning the page, financial backers at Ouroboros are demanding results, multiple icons and murals suggest ritual use of local plantlife.

“What is?” Chloe asked, pointing one of her massive fingers down at the journal.

“A book,” he said, pausing his reading and holding up the journal to her. She frowned, looking at the scribbles inside, “These are letters,” he explained, “they each represent a sound and you can create words with them, tell stories, pass information.”

“Secrets?” Chloe asked eagerly.

Secrets, now there was a word she’d picked up on eagerly. While she couldn’t articulate it yet, Mika was getting the idea that Chloe was just as curious about her own past as he was about his, evidently whatever had poked holes in his memory had poked holes in hers too.

“Secrets,” he nodded, “words can tell secrets!”

A look of excitement came over Chloe’s freckled face, and Mika grunted as he was swept up, squeezed hard with a grunt as the massive naga slithered eagerly through the temple. Mika tried to get a good look at the temple as it blurred by, but it was like riding a roller coaster as Chloe slithered under and over massive collapsed pillars, finally bringing them to a large chamber with light streaming in from windows along the walls.

“Secrets!” Chloe said, pointing to a stone wall stretching hundreds of meters high. Mika’s eyes went wide as he took it in, across the front were massive runes pounded into the stone bricks, but the mural, somehow retaining its color after countless millennia, was what drew his gaze.

It was a naga, not Chloe, this one had bright green hair and scales in contrast to her auburn hair and red and yellow striped body. Sticklike human hieroglyphs knelt before her, prostrate in an obvious display of worship. There were smaller scenes depicting the snake goddess in various settings on the walls around them, one in particular made Mika gulp nervously.

They’re definitely sacrificing people to her, he thought, taking in the scene where a bound and tied man was presented the snake-goddess’s open mouth. He glanced up at Chloe, shivering as he remembered how easily she’d swallowed one of his attackers down.

“Like me,” Chloe said, pointing to the snake goddess. She grinned and pointed down to the stick figures worshipping the snake goddess, “Like you!”

“Yeah,” Mika said, his eyes still stuck on the one being lowered into the goddess’s mouth in the mural, “Like me.” The picture also showed several of the large fruit from the massive trees outside in the goddess’s mouth along with the sacrifice, and below her stomach was revealed, a pair of stick figures residing in it atop piles of them.

Chloe seemed to notice his trepidation and frowned, “Won’t eat you,” she said reassuringly, “will keep you safe!”

“Thanks,” he sighed. He looked up at her, then at the murals. The language below it was like nothing he’d ever seen, with the jagged points of Sumerian Cuneiform and the odd pictoral symbols often used by Mesoamerican kingdoms. I can’t read any of it, he thought with a frown. His mind drifted back to his father’s journal, maybe there would be some answers there.

“I don’t know these words,” he explained to Chloe, who was watching him intently, “but maybe I can learn them…” His own stomach rumbled a moment, “Chloe, do you have any food? For humans I mean,” he added quickly.

Chloe tapped her chin a moment, then snapped her fingers! Before he could protest, he was swept up again, his stomach lurching as the train-long snake woman slithered up a wall and out one of the magnificent windows.

…

Higgins sighed as he looked over his tablet, the men were spooked following the naga’s incursion into their harvesting area the day before. With little help expected from his superiors, he was struggling to find a way to motivate a faster collection of the material, money couldn’t be spent from inside a snake-girl’s belly after all.

He stepped out of his mobile command trailer, adjusting his suit overcoat and hiding the pistol on his belt. Appearances had to be maintained after all, he needed to be the rock, the authority in this camp.

“Gentlemen,” he said in a loud, firm voice, as he approached the gathered mercenaries, “I understand we all have concerns about the naga’s encroachment into the operation zone-“

“She ate Ray!” one of them shouted, causing murmurs of agreement.

“Be that as it may-“

“We aren’t doing another day of work unless we get some rockets, or a fucking tank or something!” one of the mercenaries shouted. The workers nodded in agreement, and the guards hefted their guns uncertainly.

Are you getting ready to shoot them or me? Higgins wondered, frustrated, “Our employer has been clear that the naga is not to be engaged. During our entire time here she has remained close to the temple complex, I am willing to compromise by moving us further north for gathering.”

“I don’t want to be in this jungle at all!” one of the workers shouted, “How do we know she’s not about to swoop down on us right now?”

Higgins sighed, “She has no idea where our camp is, she-“

“Hi!” a woman’s voice called.

Higgins felt his heart skip a beat as the air around one of the massive Lemurian jungle trees shimmered, a scaled body coming into view as the naga ceased camouflaging herself. She was wrapped around a tree, the human upper half of her body extending over her camp, letting the massive breasts the size of his trailer sway suggestively as her grinning face hovered down.

She talks? He blinked in shock as the men shouted, numbly he reached for his own gun, knowing how futile the gesture was.

“Wait!” she said, holding up a hand.

“HOLD!” Higgins shouted, his own voice feeling far away as the guards hesitated, shaking with fear as they looked between him and the monster.

“Want food!” the snake-woman said with a smile.

So that’s it then, “You can take them!” he said, pointing to the workers, who screamed in panic.

The titanic girl giggled, looking almost cute as a smile lit up her freckled features, “No, human food!”

Her clenched hand came down, and Higgins raised an eyebrow as he saw a young man in her hand, the same young man the surveillance had spotted entering the jungle before. Slowly she slithered down the tree, placing him at the edge of their camp.

“Uh, hi,” he said awkwardly, “I-I’m Mika-“

“That’s the kid from yesterday!” one of the guards sneered, raising his gun.

Before he could get any further the naga had slithered forward, rumbling the ground and causing the workers to stumble as she snatched the man up. There was a scream as her open mouth came down, and Higgins watched, stunned, as she reared up to her full height again, silhouetted against the sun like a skyscraper with two legs kicking feebly out of her mouth.

*slurp*

It was like watching someone suck noodles into their mouth as the squirming man disappeared. There was a loud *gulp* and then silence as the crowd of workers and mercenaries watched the bulge drift down the girl’s elegant neck.

“Mmm…” The naga rubbed her toned belly, running a hand over her manhole cover sized bellybutton. She glanced down at the terrified men, “Food,” she repeated, pointing down to Mika, “For him!”

Higgins stepped forward, looming over the young man, “Do you have any allergies I should know about?” He hissed, fighting the urge to run.

Mika gulped, “No uh… I’m good to eat whatever.”

“I don’t suppose you want to tell me what there is between you and that… thing?” Higgins growled.

“I don’t know myself sir,” Mika said as politely as he could, “but… I would stay away from us.”

“Would that I could,” he muttered. “That trailer over there is full of military rations, along with a few frozen steaks.” He thought a moment, then pointed to a small tent with a series of propane grills set up, “You’ll want to take something from there to cook with.”

“Thanks,” Mika said, gesturing to the naga.

Higgins watched, stoney faced as the giant snake-girl picked the trailer up easily, then plucked up a small propane cooking set to go with it. She grinned, extending her free hand down to the young man, who sheepishly stepped into it as she collected him up too.

Without a word she slithered back through the trees, heading off in the direction of the temple complex. While the tension seemed to leave the camp, Higgins unclipped the leather strap over the top of his pistol, letting his hand drift down and turning the safety off.

“What the hell was that?” someone shouted finally. Anger began to roil in the workers, “he told her to take us?” They were approaching him now, well justified anger on their faces.

“I’d suggest everyone step back and take a deep breath,” he said flatly. “It’s been a stressful time for all of us and I wouldn’t want any of you to make any mistakes. ” He sighed as the workers continued to advance, joined by a few of his hired guns. “Okay then,” he muttered.

…

Chloe gently set the trailer full of ready to eat meals down in the part of the temple that constituted her “bedroom.” She’d already arrayed the small camp stove with him, along with several small propane tanks that would allow him to heat up any food that required it.

Guess I’m going to learn to cook too, Mika thought with a sigh. He’d already helped himself to a bag of beef jerky and nuts, and while he’d sated his appetite he was still thinking over Chloe’s actions at the camp.

She ate another person, he thought, shivering. With the way she treated him, it was sometimes hard to remember that Chloe was a predator, seeing her in action again had renewed his fear, the worry that she’d leap down on him at any moment, her mouth open and that powerful pink tongue ready to wrestle him to the back of her throat.

And yet…

He’d felt an odd stirring below the waist, Why does that sound enticing? He thought angrily. Being eaten alive would be a terrifying and no doubt painful experience… so why did he keep fantasizing about slipping down that wet throat? It’s just stress, he told himself, you sleep in her mouth, and she’s… She’s definitely a girl, isn’t she?

It was an understatement. He glanced up at Chloe’s towering form as she arranged the supplies she’d pilfered for him from the strange men’s encampment. Her breasts hung free, impressively massive globes that he could rest on like a hill. Her top half was a toned and smooth body, ending right where her hips would be with a puffy lipped womanhood that drew the eye as much as anything else.

And then there was her face… how could a person not be attracted to that face? Smooth and girlish, with freckles that lit up with her billboard sized smile. Curtains of Auburn hair that he could quite literally get lost in shifted as she glanced back at him, an eager grin on her face as she presented his new “kitchen.”

“T-Thanks,” he stammered, pulled out of his thoughts.

…

The rest of the day was spent ruminating over his father’s journal. Chloe left for a short period, returning with several handfuls of the strange fruit that grew in the jungle. He watched her devour it like a handful of blueberries, crunching through the thick rinds with teeth the size of lawn chairs.

There’s something off about that stuff, he thought, Chloe’s whole biology is impossible, she can’t possibly be sustaining herself on what animals or… people, she catches. He thought back to the mercenary camp, there had been several flatbed trucks full of the strange beachball sized fruit. They weren’t drug dealers, smugglers, or anything like that, he thought, thinking back to their sleek and sophisticated communications trailer, they looked like something I’d have expected back in the states from a government outfit…

“Share?” Chloe asked, holding her truckbed sized palm down to him, the mix of fruit rolling in her hands like beachballs.

“Uh… Okay,” Mika muttered. He reached for one, pressing his thumb into it and wincing at the way the ripe flesh collapsed under his fingernail, staining it and stinging him slightly when it found a scant cut. It had a sweet smell, but somehow was still unappealing, like something pleasant that had spoiled on a hot day. With a grimace he brought it to his mouth. The merest drop of the fruit against his tongue caused him to almost retch… but then his vision started going spotty.

“C-Chloe!?” he shouted, he heard her gasp in surprise, and he collapsed against the floor as the giant girl’s face filled his sight just before everything disappeared.

…

“These people built this ruin thousands of years ago Mika,” his father said, holding his hand as they walked through the temple.

“Who were they dad?” he asked.

“We don’t know,” his mom beamed, “but we’re going to find out!”

“Who’s that?” Mika asked, pointing to the giant snake mural.

“She was their goddess,” his father explained, “this fellow here, we think he was the high priest.” He pointed to one of the human figures on the wall with ornate clothing drawn across his torso and an elaborate feathered headdress. “To be consumed by the snake goddess was death, except for those blessed by her.”

Mika shivered, hugging his father close for a moment, “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be eaten.” He muttered.

His father just chuckled, “who can say what it all really means, it could be metaphor, a myth, or maybe a truth we just don’t understand, something we don’t have the context to understand.”

Mika frowned, “I’m going to find out the truth, if it takes a hundred years here!”

“That’s our little archeologist!” his mom smiled, ruffling his hair playfully.

…

Chloe’s heart raced, “H-Help?” she cried out to no one as her immense snakelike tail circled around Mika. She poked his stomach with a fingertip almost as big as his torso, letting out a worried whine as she leaned her ear down over him.

The low * thump* *thump* *thump* of his heart was just barely audible, and she sighed with relief. She looked at the fruit that had tumbled from his hand, the same fruit that she ate by the handful every day.

She slowly scooped Mika up, not knowing what to do except hug him close to her. Slowly she brought him up to her breasts, pressing him between them. He stirred slightly, as if the two massive pillows were a comfort as her body warmed his sleeping form.

Chloe snuggled him close, hoping he’d wake soon.

…

Mika walked hand in hand with his parents through the temple, taking it in as they muttered together about things he didn’t understand. Funding, expedition goals, “backers.” He didn’t care, he was just happy to be with them.

The world started to ripple, and he gasped as the years raced by.

…

Mika’s body went stiff like he was being electrocuted, and he gasped and writhed against the tree trunk thick fingers that held him close to Chloe’s immense chest.

What the hell was that!? He thought, still trying to catch his breath. An illusion? A hallucination!? He looked down at the fruit, then at Chloe and the temple. No, whatever that was… he shivered, it was real, those were my parents.

“C-Chloe? He managed, looking up at her. The sun had set, the only light in the temple was from the full moon over the clear jungle skies, drifting eerily into the temple grounds.

The naga herself was asleep, the gentle breathing rocking him up and down slowly, shifting his entire world. With a grunt he managed to wriggle out of her grip, tumbling against the hill sized pillow of her breast. She was warm, even in the hot jungle night he felt himself almost eagerly pressing himself into her as he tried to keep from tumbling down her body.

She was leaning slightly against a wall, resting atop a pile of dried leaves and twigs, with her snakelike tail coiled tightly below her as she snored softly.

I can get away if I can climb down her body, he thought, glancing over her toned belly and the coiled snake tail below. This could by my only chance…

Mika climbed down slowly, gulping as passed over her navel. Her bellybutton was the size of a sewer cover, and as her breathing lifted it up he tumbled into it slightly, the warm indent swallowing him up like an innertube in a pool as the soft flesh rose and fell around him.

He froze as he felt a flutter of movement beneath him, that can’t be… He thought back to the men Chloe had swallowed whole, and he found himself wondering just how long they lasted inside her. A moment later there was a soft gurgling sound, like water rushing out of a bathtub after one pulled the drain. The flurried movement picked up for a moment, then ceased. Up above him there was a soft belching sound as Chloe burped in her sleep.

He lay there for a while, stuck in her belly button and trying to comprehend what he’d witnessed. The men, her prey, were certainly gone now, he was sure of that much…

Why am I hard!? He cursed himself, groaning as he realized his erection was straining against his pants. He fought a shiver as he forced himself to turn over, summoning all of his strength to crawl out of her bellybutton. I can’t think about that, s-she’s a pretty girl, she’s nice to you, you do not want her to eat you! He swore softly under his breath, even having to deny it was troubling on its own.

A moment later another sound caught his ear, the faint sound of his satellite phone’s ringtone, a singsong jingle that was muffled by the walls of her stomach and the soft skin of her belly.

My backpack? He realized wildly, remembering the day before when she’d swallowed it in an effort to intimidate him… an effort that had worked. Her stomach must have multiple parts, he realized, one where things arestored, and another… He looked a little further down her tummy, to where the scales of her snakelike tail began, another where things are broken down, no coming back from that.

He made his way down her lower belly, delicately tracing his hands as though he were on a frozen pond, with any stray movement ready to crack the ice and spell his doom, or in this case awaken the snake-goddess… who now had an empty belly.

Chloe stirred, “Mmm…” she hummed happily as he crawled lower, never opening her eyes.

He gulped, pausing his movements as her finger traced over her smooth skin just in front of him. His eyes traced the pillar of soft skin for a moment, then he breathed a sigh of relief as it lifted up again.

Almost there, he thought.

Chloe shifted suddenly, causing him to tumble. His hand met the soft puffy outer lip of her womanhood, and he almost shouted in surprise as he fell on top of it.

In her sleep Chloe suddenly grinned, sighing happily. Mika’s nose was suddenly alight with a warm musky scent, and while it wasn’t the first time he’d smelled a woman’s arousal, this was thicker, stronger, than any human woman. He shifted, panicking as he tried to climb out of the indent he’d found himself in, the slimy mucus already wetting his pants as Chloe’s hand traced closer to him, an ominously approaching shark ready to seal his doom.

Chloe’s eyes flittered open as she felt a pleasurable tingle from just above where her tail began. She licked her lips, moaning happily as the new feeling raced up her spine, like a warm cottony sensation that was spreading through her as the movement around her slit picked up. She leaned up, smiling as she saw Mika was the cause of the wonderful waves of pleasure that were radiating through her.

“Alive!” she said happily, pointing to him.

“Y-Yeah,” he stammered.

“Feels good,” she murmured, closing her eyes and shivering slightly. She blinked a few times, biting her lip and giving him a hopeful expression, “More?”

“Uhh…” Mika gulped. Part of him warned that this was a titanic man-eating monster, a woman who could kill him with a flick of her finger, who swallowed humans whole and was central to whatever dark mysteries the temple held… Another part of him was less rational.

She’s so beautiful, he thought, his mouth going dry as he took her in. At her size she was like some overwhelming natural feature, her female features carrying the striking beauty of a mountain face. He wanted her, he wasn’t sure what that would look like, but he wanted her.

“Yes!” he shouted, “more!”

Her fingers came down on him, pressing on his stomach with enough force to send his entire body sliding down into her wet and waiting slit. 

It was like being plunged into a warm ocean, and his arms scrambled for purchase as her finger easily pressed him further into her. He could feel her lips pressing over his head, and as the wetness filled his mouth he felt his head disappear down between them, rising like quicksand as her muscles gripped him in place like a venus flytrap that had caught a foolish insect. 

The smell of her sex overwhelmed him, driving away all other smells and even pressing the very air from his lungs as the thick earthy musk soaked his clothes. He choked slightly as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of the pungent juices, the thick viscous wetness increasing around him as she eagerly swallowed him up.

Chloe purred softly, fingering herself as her most intimate place swallowed her tiny human toy up. She giggled and gasped, her snakelike tail whipping straight as she toyed with the small nub on the top of her slit. Each wave of pleasure brought another contraction of her insides, and with each wave Mika was pulled further in.

He tried to hold his breath as the fluids surged and squeezed around him, the silky juices clinging to his skin and lubricating him. His lungs burned, and finally he gasped, letting the slimy goo fill his lungs…

Wait a minute… I’m not choking? He realized that, though Chloe’s cum had a sticky and unusual feeling in his chest, it was as good as a breath of air. He breathed out, feeling more of the stuff fill his nostrils, tumbling down into his lungs where it seemed to evaporate into something he could breathe. There’s light too? He blinked again, realizing that he could see his soaked hand just in front of his face, as though some barest bit of illumination was coming from somewhere. It’s her, he realized, somehow her insides glow, at least a little bit…

The shudder of her arousal battered his body suddenly, cutting off his train of thought. In a panic Mika tried to fight against the warm fleshy tunnel that molded around him, eagerly clenching against him and seeming to delight in each struggle he made. It was useless, the undulating walls of warm flesh around him simply twitched excitedly, slurping him further inside of Chloe’s womanly chasm. The walls of her pussy were stronger than his entire body several times over, and he was rapidly growing exhausted fighting against her, it was like treading water in an ocean storm.

How far is there left to go!? He thought wildly. He grunted and elbowed his way outward again, giving it all of his strength.

“MIIIKA!” Chloe squealed, her fingers growing wet as his struggles sent a flood of her silky lubricant outward.

Inside her Mika gasped for the last bits of air as her orgasm flooded his world, the waving undulations of the walls around him sucking him inwards. He was finally held in place as the earthquake of tremors rocked his senses and the pounding drumbeat of her heart nearly deafened him through the height of her pleasure. 

Mika felt the tight walls around him relax, letting him gasp and suck in the Chloe-scented air as the wave of slimy lubrication subsided. He could hear Chloe’s heartbeat from within her, and he lay for a moment, listening to it slow back to normal as his muscles ached.

Her pussy just beat the crap out of me, he thought wildly. It was a humbling thought, and he was tense as he slowly began to climb his way out, hopeful not to awaken the fires of her lust again.

“Very good,” Chloe mused, squirming slightly as her tail swished back and forth happily, “Very good…”

Her fingers ceased slowly circling her clit, pinching Mika’s hand between her fingers as it emerged. Slowly she lifted him out, grinning at the sticky slime that covered him, soaking his clothes and plastering his hair to his face. She brought him close, sniffing him and wrinkling her nose with a giggle.

“Smell like…” she pointed to her still wet womanhood, smirking smugly at him.

“Y-Yeah,” he panted, wiping some of her cum out of his eyes.

“What called?” she asked dreamily.

“Sex?” he said. “Kind of...”

“Mika is very good for sex,” she declared, causing him to blush and feel even more embarrassment that was possible.

It’s a good thing someone finally thinks so, he thought wryly as she snuggled him back to her chest. He grunted as he was shoved between the massive pillows of her breasts, squeezed between them like a pair of boulders as she shifted over on her side. Sleep was taking her quickly again, and he found thoughts of escape slipping away as the twin pillows sandwiched him and warmed his body. With the smell of Chloe’s womanhood still lingering in his nostrils he felt himself drift off too.

…

Higgins sighed angrily as he brushed the barrel of his pistol. After the chaos of the previous day the gun had needed cleaning, and part of survival in a place like this was making sure one’s tools were always ready for peak performance. Outside the remaining mercenaries were gathering up what equipment could be salvaged, along with sealing up the trucks with the fruit they’d managed to harvest.

This operation is over, he thought angrily.

He looked up from his disassembled weapon as his communications suite beeped. The Ouroboros label flashed on the screen, and with a growl he wheeled his chair over to it. With a flick the video call engaged.

“This is Higgins,” he said in a low voice, “I trust you’ve read my report?”

“I have,” the distorted voice replied, “You are to fall back to the river but do not abandon your position.”

Higgins balked, “after the workers mutinied, we don’t have any way to continue operations,” he almost shouted, “I told you, we need heavy weaponry to engage that thing! She came right into our camp, she looted supplies-“

“For her human, this human, correct?”

The screen flashed, showing a picture of Mika, the smiling young man shaking hands with a history professor at a prestigious American university.

“That’s him,” Higgins said, “what of it? She probably just wants to eat him later.”

“No, this is a definite change in Subject Alpha’s behavior,” the voice drawled, “we’re going to be sending a special agent to take control of things Higgins, one from the deeper parts of the company.”

“Good, I’ll be on the next flight out of here,” He muttered.

“No, you will remain and act according to our agent’s orders,” his benefactor said firmly. “You are well aware of the consequences for abandoning a job like this, you’ve certainly told your underlings what they were enough times.”

“Do you think you can scare me?” Higgins rasped, “You’ve seen my record?”

“Yes, work for the Americans and the Russians,” the voice said, amused, “along with some of the less ethical companies on the Fortune 500.” There was a giggle, almost girlish? “Just accept that you’re our creature for a little while longer, if money is an issue we’ll give you enough that by this time next year you’ll be able to retire comfortably from all of this!”

“I have a very high standard of comfort,” he hissed.

“I’m sure,” the voice said, and while he couldn’t see the speaker he could almost see the smug smirk.

He sat there, fuming for a moment, until one of his men knocked on the trailer door.

“Boss?” he asked, “do we have an evac coming?”

“No,” he said, “We’re pulling back to the river…”

“Are we getting some anti-tank weapons or something at least?” the mercenary asked incredulously.

“We’re getting…” He thought to the agent that was supposedly coming to oversee things, “We’re getting something, he said finally. The man stared at him a moment, muttered a swear under his breath, and went to help pack up the camp. Whatever Ouroboros is sending had better be good, he thought angrily.

…

The light rainstorm pitter pattered over the roof of the temple and the wide jungle leaves outside, the steady rhythm and cloudy skies bringing a sense of calm and tranquility over the temple complex. Surprising Mika one of the temple’s large fountains had sputtered to life, the ancient rooftop piping evidently still in operation after how many thousands of years. It quickly filled, and he set down the journal he’d been reading and walked towards it, splashing his face in the cool rain water.

“This place is full of surprises,” he said, glancing up at the artificial waterfall that drained into the basin below.

He grimaced as the motion of the water billowed his own scent back on him. Between spending time in Chloe’s mouth, among other places, and the general dirt and grime of the temple he was filthy, having not bathed since he arrived. He glanced at the fountain and shrugged; it would make as good a shower as any. Slowly Mika started unbuttoning his shirt, tossing it aside and then beginning work on his belt buckle.

There was a shifting sound behind him, and he felt warm breath on his back. Slowly he turned around, fighting the urge to jump in surprise as a pair of eyes the size of couches stared down at him, a curious and eager expression lighting the giantess’s face.

“Don’t stop,” Chloe giggled.

He hesitated, You’ve already seen her naked, he reasoned, and done more than that… With a sigh he slid his pants down, trying to ignore the way Chloe’s breath rushed by him as she licked her lips, eager to see him strip. His boxers came down next, finally leaving him naked before the naga’s gaze.

“I like,” Chloe said simply, grinning widely as she tilted her head, trying to get a better view of him as he nervously stepped into the fountain.

“A-Are you just going to watch me take a bath?” he stammered, his heart pounding.

“Yes,” Chloe replied flatly, her eyes tracing intently over his body.

There was no mistaking the gleam in her brown eyes as he let the water run through his hair and over his chest, she wanted him. The peep show went on for a few minutes as he slowly got used to her, scowling and forcing himself to finish his bath.

As he stepped out and reached for his clothes Chloe pouted, “Why wear?” she asked, pointing to them. “Mika is good to see,” she winked, taking one final glance at his form as he slid his pants back up.

“It’s just what humans do,” he said defensively.

It was odd being the object of lust for someone like this. Mika knew he wasn’t ugly, but he’d always been shy and struggled with girls at his university. A bewildered part of him had to wonder if Chloe wasn’t the perfect girl for him, in spite of everything.

She hangs on your every word when you drone on about archeology, and she definitely likes me… He paused, chuckling to himself. I’ve been in the jungle too long.

…

Mika frowned as he read through his father’s journal, he’d found only one page mentioning the fruit, along with a hasty sketch. His father hadn’t thought much of it, except to note its presence in certain murals indicating ritual use. He glanced down at the softball sized orb in his hand, hefting it as Chloe looked on nervously.

“Mika fruit is bad for you!” she said. She slithered around him, the massive scaled wall of her tail encircling him almost protectively. “Fruit bad!” she insisted, reaching down for it.

“No!” he said, pulling it away from the giant fingers, “This fruit unlocked some of my memories,” he explained, “maybe it can tell us why we’re here? How we know each other?”

Chloe frowned, but nodded, “Will keep you safe,” she said softly, lowering her hand down as if to catch him if the fruit made him fall again.

He sighed, “Thanks,” he gave her a smile as he brought the fruit to his mouth, wincing as he prepared for the fadeout that had come the first time.

“Bleh,” he muttered, wincing away at the sour taste. He blinked, expecting to collapse again, but nothing happened. “Huh,” he steeled himself, then sank his teeth into the fruit’s flesh, coughing and sputtering after a minute from the foul flavor as Chloe looked on, concerned.

“Why isn’t it working this time?” he wondered aloud. He looked up to Chloe, who just shrugged.

Mika frowned as he looked beyond the towering snake-woman, his eyes tracing over the murals of her ancestor that lined the walls. He lingered on one, showing the stick figure in the elaborate headdress, the high priest? He was in the snake goddess’s mouth in one, illuminated by a shimmering gold plating, as if symbolizing… Enlightenment?

Chloe can eat the fruit like it’s nothing, Mika realized, looking up at her, and if these murals are anything to go by, the snake goddess always has. He licked his lips as he thought, suddenly having a flash of insight as his own spit wetted them. It’s her saliva, he realized, I was practically coated in it yesterday after sleeping in her mouth… He glanced at the fountain, but today I’m clean.

“Chloe,” he said suddenly, “can you…” he gulped, almost sure he was going to regret it, “put me in your mouth?”

She looked at him, confused, then a mischievous grin slowly traced over her features. The floor shook as she slammed her hands on the ground on either side of him, smirking down and playfully licking her lips. Slowly, menacingly, she lowered her face down, opening her mouth wide and playfully lolling her tongue at him. The pink pillar of flesh drifted down, licking up his side coating him with her sticky spit, a moment later he felt her finger poke the center of his back, sending him flailing forward and into the soft wall. The tongue curled underneath him, drawing him inward

He hissed in arousal as he realized his manhood was throbbing, and even through his pants the movement of the powerful tongue against him sent a jolt up his spine. He was quickly slurped into Chloe’s mouth, and the light slowly disappeared as the cavernous teeth clacked shut behind him, sealing him in.

He took a moment to bask in the warmth, the humidity, enjoying the way her spit pooled around him in a soft almost sauna-like way. His hands pressed along the soft bumpy surface of her tastebuds, causing a loud yet happy growl that reverberated through the chamber as the mattress sized tongue savored his taste.

Focus, he scolded himself, you don NOT like being in Chloe’s mouth! You are not food, dammit! He breathed out slowly, deciding to leave the internal struggle for another time. He brought the fruit, still clenched in his hand, up to his mouth, tearing open the skin and feeling his way for the membranous flesh. He bit down on it, and somehow it didn’t taste nearly as foul this time.

Her spit must neutralize some kind of chemical in it, he realized, swallowing it and letting the pulpy mass slip down his throat.

He gasped as his vision started going spotty, and he rolled onto his back, going limp as the vision took him.

…

This time the temple complex was new, with bright fires dancing in the braziers outside while the polished stone reflected the rising sun. Mika put on his ceremonial headdress, walking alongside his guards as he ascended the massive steps to the temple’s summit.

The goddess waited, not Chloe, but a green scaled Naga just as big, with a friendly smile as he approached a platform, almost like a diving board, that hovered over her grinning face.

“Are you ready?” she giggled.

It wasn’t English she was speaking, but somehow, he could understand, and when he responded in an affirmative his words were in the same lost tongue. With a grin he leapt, and the naga leapt up, snapping her jaws shut around him like a fish leaping out of the water to snatch a flying bug.

…

Mika jerked awake, gasping. He was still covered in Chloe’s spit, but she’d lowered him down to a mass of soft dried leaves and straw.

“Did you find secrets?” Chloe inquired hesitantly, looming over him and casting a shadow over his heaving form.

“Y-Yeah,” he blinked, wiping a glob of her spit out of his eye.

I’m just not sure who they belonged to…

Mika sighed as he looked down at his father’s journal, then up at the walls again. With little else to do in his apparent jungle captivity, he’d taken to studying the temple inscriptions and ruins as much as he could. Despite the sprawling temple complex, larger than any shopping malls or airports he’d seen, getting around it proved to be easy. Chloe had been obsessively following him since the beginning, and she was all too happy to pick him up and ferry him to another part of the temple whenever the whim struck him.

“It’s no good,” he said, looking up at the symbols, “This section is all some kind of crop rotation schedule, look, the naga in it isn’t even doing anything, she’s just watching from the pyramid.” He pointed to the depicted green snake-woman, lounging lazily beneath the sun as the hierogplyphic stick figures worked the fields below her.

“So humans used to grow their food near the temple?” Chloe asked, leaning in and rubbing her chin thoughtfully, “Why don’t I have any humans to watch now then?”

“That’s what I’d like to find out,” Mika said with an exasperated sigh, “Obviously whatever civilization built this place predates anything else I’ve ever heard about, and they had contact with an impossible number of other peoples too… I don’t know how they managed to cross those kinds of distances, there’s stuff in here from Ancient China, Greece, Sumeria, and a dozen other places I don’t recognize.”

“Maybe she carried them?” Chloe asked, pointing to the snake goddess. “I don’t know how far away these places are, but I’ll bet I could get to them a lot faster than you could on those… what were they called again?”

“Legs Chloe,” he said, looking down at them with a sigh, “They’re legs.”

The enormous Naga had picked up English almost perfectly by the end of Mika’s first week in the jungle, with her vocabulary growing with every conversation. While she still had a certain naivete, she was rapidly absorbing everything he told her about himself, and the outside world. Like him, she was interested in their murky past together, along with the mysteries of the temple itself. Still, where the matter was existential to him, she seemed almost to treat it as a passing amusement, and part of him worried what would happen to him once the novelty wore off.

“Right,” she murmured, nodding, “legs… Anyways a nice tail like mine,”  she gestured to her long red bottom half with yellow flecks, “would get you a lot farther, plus I’m big, and I can swim!”

Mika frowned, “You can swim?”

Chloe nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Yeah, sometimes I want to eat river fish, but I never go too far from here, the trees on the other side are just so small, no good for coiling or climbing.”

Mika shook his head and sighed, filing the information away for later. A part of him had wondered if he’d be safe from Chloe if he managed to make it over the water, but evidently that wasn’t an option. Another, bizarre, yet increasingly strong part of him, didn’t want to leave at all…

“I wonder if you could swim in an ocean?” Mika mused.

“Maybe, I don’t need air underwater,” Chloe said casually.

Mika paused, “What do you mean by that?”

The looming snake girl shrugged, “I just don’t have to breathe, I can rest at the bottom of the river as long as I want on really hot days.”

“Nothing about that makes sense,” he gestured up at her in exasperation, “nothing about you makes any sense!”

“Well I don’t really know much about you either,” she said defensively, “you say you spend all day reading books at something called a university, but if that’s true how would you get food? It doesn’t add up Mika!”

“No,” He rubbed his temples and sighed, trying to explain it, “I mean your entire existence just doesn’t make sense to me, like how are you this big? The amount of food you should need to sustain yourself is way more than what I see you eat!”

“Some stuff is more filling than the rest,” she said uncertainly, “and I wasn’t always this big!”

He frowned, “Do you remember anything of your childhood? How you got here? Parents maybe?”

“Parents…” she trailed off, “No, I remember everything being dark, like I was trapped inside something… And then I was pretty small for a long time, like there was this frog that was in the temple, and he used to try to grab me and gobble me up every time I saw him… but then one day, I was too big for him, and then later…” She grinned wickedly, “I got to have him for dinner!”

“Right,” Mika thought, fighting a shudder as he imagined the frog’s fate. “So you used to be small, much smaller than I am, but how long did it take you to get this big?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe mused, “I don’t really know how old I am.”

“You’re about nineteen,” Mika said casually, then stopped. “Now how do I know that?”

“A good guess?” Chloe shrugged, “like my name.”

“It wasn’t a guess,” he insisted, “I knew it, just like I know how old you are.” He sighed, “Look, let’s go look at the stuff on the western side of the temple, I don’t think there’s anything over here with any practical value to us.”

“Okay!” Chloe said eagerly, reaching for him.

He readied himself as her warm fingers snaked around him, gripping him tightly and squeezing his arms and legs together as Chloe raised him up to her billboard sized face with a grin. She loved handling him, even going as far as to simply snatch him up for a quick snuggle against her pillowy cheek while he was trying to read the runes on the walls. In spite of himself Mika found that he was enjoying it more and more, letting himself relax as Chloe raced through the ruins like the world’s largest subway train.

“Here we go,” she said eagerly, setting him down again in front of a large wall depicting a vast array of animals arrayed before the snake goddess.

“Right,” he sighed, “I think this one says something about your ah… diet.”

“I don’t know,” Chloe said, squinting as she looked over the giraffes, monkeys, and other exotic animals displayed, “I haven’t eaten half of these…”

“They’re not native to this part of the world,” Mika said, “I think they’re sacrifices, offerings people gave to your ancestor from far away.”

“And how would we get them to start doing this again?” Chloe asked, licking her lips as she looked over the pictured animals.

“I uh… wouldn’t know,” Mika said, walking along the stone floor to the next section. He frowned as he saw many of the animals from before weighed on a massive scale, “Interesting,” he said, “now this is an Egyptian motif, a scale weighed by our snake goddess herself,” he pointed up to the green Naga. He glanced at the other side of the scale and frowned, “Huh…” the scale was clearly heavily tipped in one direction, a single human figure massively outweighing the combined animal kingdom that seemed stacked on the other end.

“It looks like it’s saying one human is worth a lot of animals to her,” Chloe said, airing Mika’s thoughts. “That’s what I keep trying to tell you, humans are way more filling than anything else, I’m still feeling full from those bad guys I ate a few days ago.”

Something about eating humans is how she’s able to do all of this, Mika realized, a pit forming in his stomach, it’s how she’s able to sustain her size, how she’s able to violate the square cube law and a dozen other rules of nature.

“Mika? What’s wrong? You seem upset,” Chloe said, frowning as she leaned down to him.

He gulped and slowly turned to face her, “C-Chloe, if this says what I think it does, that means you and your ancestors have been eating humans for a long time, maybe we’re your natural prey even…”

Chloe just shrugged, the casual motion only causing his heart to race faster, “Yeah, I haven’t eaten many humans, but they’ve definitely felt a lot better than almost anything else I’ve had.”

“You don’t see how that would make me upset!?” Mika exclaimed, “you’re supposed to eat humans, I’m a human!”

“Yeah, but you’re my friend, so I’m not going to eat you,” Chloe said dismissively.  

Mika sighed, It’s like arguing with a brick wall, he thought miserably. “What if you just took a break from eating humans, just for a little bit?” he pleaded. Maybe her ethics will develop as fast as her language skills.

Chloe frowned, drawing herself up to loom over him like an angry mountain, “The only humans I’ve been eating so far have been people trying to hurt me, or hurt you, that sounds like bad humans to me, and bad humans don’t get friend privileges like you do.”

Mika wanted to say something, but just scowled, It’s not like she’s eating widows and orphans, he had to admit to himself. Whoever these people in the jungle are, they were going to kill me as soon as they saw me.

“We’ll talk about this another time,” he said with a sigh. He looked up at the hieroglyphics, “Maybe it’s time we tried the fruit again?”

Chloe’s frown slowly turned into a smug grin, “Oh really? You know where you’ll have to go for that?”

“We could try having you spit on me again,” he protested.

“No, it won’t last long enough!” Chloe giggled.

“Fine,” he sighed, “Yes, I know where I’m going to have to go… But I have friend privileges, right? ”

“Right,” Chloe beamed, nodding eagerly, “And you’ve got that delicious friend taste on you too!”

“Delicious best friend-“

“Well you taste a lot better than any of those other guys, that’s for sure,” Chloe explained.

Somehow, the thought didn’t comfort Mika.

…

Mika took a deep breath, looking at the peeled piece of Lemurian jungle fruit before him. Chloe had gathered several of the spongy cantaloupe-like spheres, laying them before him and giving him his pick. Whatever memory recalling powers the fruit held, it was nothing more than a bitter tasting bile unless Chloe’s spit came into contact with, it, no doubt some enzyme therein unlocked the potential, but whatever it was was fleeting outside of the warm embrace of her mouth.

You’ve been in there before, he told himself, looking up at the grinning colossus of a woman, it’s just her mouth, she’s made you sleep in it even!

Still, the revelation of just what Chloe’s natural diet entailed was giving him pause. What if this was the time she decided to swallow?

“I like putting you in my mouth,” Chloe smirked, “It makes me feel tingly here,” she pointed down to her slit, slowly fingering it as he saw it glisten slightly with arousal. “What did you call this again?” she asked absently.

“Y-Your vagina,” he stammered, “It’s got other names, Pussy, C-Cunt,”

Chloe frowned, “I don’t know if I like any of them, they feel odd to say.”

“Yeah, I’ve always thought so too,” he whispered fearfully.

“I think I’m going to play with it while I put you in though,” she continued, “These too,” she pinched the tips of her nipples, shivering slightly, “Breasts, right?”

“Right,” he said, his mouth dry.

Chloe’s eyes lit up, and she leaned close, the sudden approach of the house sized head causing him to stumble back slightly, “You’re excited too! Look, you’re hard down there!”

He winced as her massive finger gently poked the tent that had appeared in his pants, “I uh…” he gulped, “Yeah, a little…”

“Take your clothes off,” she said eagerly.

“What!?” he almost shouted.

“They just get in the way of tasting you, and it’s going to feel really good to climb into my mouth while you’re like that,” she said, pointing again to his erection.

Mika hesitated, but then slowly started to disrobe. Chloe’s eyes lit up, eagerly taking in each revealed inch of his naked form. She licked her lips eagerly, reaching down to slowly finger herself again as his pants fell and he turned around, facing her fully in the nude.

“H-Happy?” he stammered.

“Yes!” she said excitedly, “you just shouldn’t wear clothes, all of the girls where you come from would be much happier if you didn’t!”

If only that were true, he thought wildly, “Okay, do it!” he squeezed his eyes shut.

“No,” Chloe said with a smug giggle, “I want you to climb in.”

His eyes shot open, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“No,” she insisted, “Climb in, I want you to want this, just give yourself over to me!” She opened her mouth, letting her tongue loll in front of him almost like a ramp to the blackened cavern of her mouth. As he stood there trying to decided what to do her warm breath billowed over him, ruffling his hair slightly.

Evidently some instinct of hers runs very deep, he thought, recalling the vision he’d seen of a priest, himself, leaping off a sacrificial altar into the snake girl’s waiting mouth. He took a deep breath, and then started forward, trying to ignore the pleased look in the giant naga’s eyes as she stretched her mouth open just a little wider.

He began the slow clamber up her bumpy tongue, gripping her tastebuds like they were rocks on a climbing wall. The tongue itself was wet, slick with the familiar silky and sticky texture of her spit, and as he ducked his head under her teeth he gazed down her throat, pausing a moment as a mix of wonder, terror, and arousal hit him all at once.

You do NOT want her to swallow you! He scolded himself, You don’t want to slip down that glistening throat, sliding into her waiting belly and- He shook his head, the intrusive thoughts were getting worse the longer he spent with Chloe, I am NOT food! He insisted to himself.

Beneath him Chloe’s tongue began to retract, acting almost like an escalator bringing him up to his destination. The wet and bumpy mattress rippled below him, savoring his taste as it casually sucked him inside the enormous naga’s cavernous maw. There was a soft *click* as her teeth snapped shut behind him, trapping him like prison bars as she took him fully into her.

Chloe let Mika rest upon her soft tongue for a moment, smiling as she kept her lips tightly sealed shut. With a smirk she grabbed the handful of fruit she’d prepared, then slithered up one of the walls and through a large gap in the ceiling. With a casual stretch she laid herself across the temple roof, enjoying the sunlight as her tongue toyed with her tiny friend.

Mika gasped as he realized there was a small amount of light coming in, almost like he were in a large basement with a single fluorescent bulb.

The sun, he realized, somehow its rays pass through her… a little anyways.

He wasn’t sure if the extra light was a blessing or a curse, it illuminated in full the glistening wet prison he was trapped in, and the monstrous tongue that was body slamming him against the soft rubbery walls of her cheeks, the tip sliding up and down across his face, whipping it back and forth as the naga tasted him.

With a grunt he tried to push the slimy appendage away, but he only earned a playful earth rumbling giggle as the rest of the pink wall came over, scooping him up and pressing him against the ridged roof of her mouth while the slimy bumps of her tastebuds scraped over him.

He gasped, seizing in pleasure at the sensation on his erection, and outside Chloe had started playing with herself, slowly sliding her fingers in and out of her warm slit as she casually manipulated her lover back and forth over the roof of her mouth.

Is she really going to go all the way? He wondered, but another very deliberate grind of her soft wet tongue over his manhood answered him, causing him to reflexively stretch his arms out, grabbing the massive pink appendage as if it were a lover, involuntarily bucking his hips against it.

Chloe stretched in the sun, enjoying the warm rays as she slowly, casually, played with herself, enjoying the frantic and flustered movements of the tiny man trapped helplessly upon her tongue.

Mika squirmed, forcing his way backwards and away from the more mobile tip of her tongue, but each movement just caused him to wince in pleasure as his arousal built, and as he slipped ever closer to the back of Chloe’s mouth his orgasm slipped ever nearer to climax.

“ CHLOE!” he gasped, feeling himself cum against the soft wet surface of her tongue as his arms went limp. He felt himself beginning to slide down a slick slope, and started feebly as he realized he’d reached Chloe’s throat. Only the sudden rapid motion of her tongue, saved him from sliding down entirely, bulging backwards and pressing him against the ceiling of her mouth again.

Chloe held him there a moment, the flavor of his cum whetting an apetite in her she didn’t know she had. Mika froze as his post orgasm haze left, and he realized that he was on the precipice of her throat, waiting to see if one loud gulp would seal his doom and end his journey.

With a growl of hunger and lust Chloe’s tongue lurched, launching him back towards the front of her mouth. Mika breathed a sigh of relief, realizing just how close he had come to a journey to Chloe’s belly. A moment later the white wall of teeth finally opened up, and he saw her massive hand toss a small handful of the exotic fruit in. He was tossed up and down as her teeth crushed it to pulp, and her tongue carefully shepherded him away from the giant pillars of ivory as she chewed.

As the juiced pulp flowed down the rivers of her saliva to him, Mika began to see his vision go spotty as the effect started. He relaxed himself, stretching upon Chloe’s soft tongue as the flashback began.

…

Mika walked through the temple, alone. His parents were elsewhere, studying the ruins, leaving him to wander the grounds. He frowned as he looked up at a massive altar, the familiar stone carved face of the snake-goddess smiling warmly down at him.

Curiously, he reached out to touch the altar, and then leapt back at the rumbling sound of stone against stone. A series of long thuds rang out, and stones began to slide in front of the entrance. The young boy watched, awestruck, as a secret chamber emerged, within it, on a raised platform, was a smooth egg shaped stone.

Immediately Mika could feel a warmth radiating from it, and he slowly stepped forward and scooped it off the platform. It glowed slightly in his hands for a moment, then went still. A sense of calm and familiarity washed over him, and he almost didn’t hear his parents approaching.

“Mika!” his father shouted, running up to him, “What happened? What did you do?”

“I-I just touched it,” he stammered, looking down at the egg.

His mother gingerly took the stone from him, “What do you think?” she asked, glancing around the hidden chamber.

“Some kind of fertility cult maybe?” His father mused.

“Hey, give me that back!” Mika protested, reaching for the stone, “I found it, it’s mine!”

His parents exchanged glances, “It belongs in a museum pal,” His dad said, kneeling down with a chuckle. Seeing Mika’s sorrowful expression he sighed, “Tell you what, why don’t you hold onto this one? Until we’re ready to go back?” He gently handed the egg shaped stone back to Mika.

“Richard,” His mother said with a frown.

“What!?” His dad laughed, “Mika, you’ll take care of this rock for us, won’t you?”

“It’s not a rock,” Mika insisted, “It’s an egg! And I’m going to hatch it!”

“And what’s in it tough guy?” His mother asked with a smile.

“A dragon,” Mika insisted, “A girl dragon, and I’m going to name her-“

…

“Chloe!” Mika gasped sitting back up as the vision left him. He was suddenly aware of just how close the soft flesh of her cheek was, and he scowled, squirming feebly as he realized she’d popped him into her mouth like a piece of hard candy, sucking idly on him while he’d been experiencing the vision.

“Mmm?” The giant naga finally noticed his motions, and Mika’s world spun as he was swished about through her mouth in a sea of spit one final time. “Pfft” she spat him out into her cupped palms, grinning down at his soaked form as he wiped her saliva from his eyes. “Did you learn anything new?”

“Yeah,” he panted, “I… I think anyway.”

…

Higgins watched as the helicopter landed, giving the arriving aircraft his best stern and in control gaze, one well practiced in a dozen conflict zones and disputed territories the world over. As a change from his usual attire he wore an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, and all of his men were similarly armed to greet the company agent that would ostensibly be taking command of the operation.

The chopper itself was a large luxury civilian model, and as the engine died and the sliding door opened, four armed guards in crisp black uniforms marched out, simple handguns at their sides as they glanced around the jungle. They weren’t anything special, run of the mill mercenaries not unlike what Higgins already had in his camp, if better dressed. No, the object of his interests came next, a pair of young women.  

Both had bizarre appearances, they wore mirrored sunglasses obscuring their eyes, more reminiscent of a nineties surfer than the black shades Higgins himself had taken from his time in the CIA. They also had elaborate flowing hairstyles, permed looks that billowed around their ears. One was a dark haired girl with Asian features as far as Higgins could see, she had a smug grin as she was shepherded by her guards down the ramp to him. She wore a simple business skirt, cut short for more freedom of movement, along with flat heeled business shoes. The other was blonde, and seemed more nervous, glancing up at the trees and licking her lips. She wore a hooded white dress, an odd choice for the matching work boots that let her traipse easily across the jungle mud. As they drew closer Higgins frowned as he realized what he’d taken for purses or bags were in fact massive leather bound books, clasped tightly shut and kept on slings for quick access.

“Greetings!” the black haired one said, “I am Yukia, and this is my associate Emilia,” she gestured at the blonde, who politely smiled and waved. “You must be Higgins?” she asked, leaning forward expectantly.

“I am,” he said flatly, “And what, may I ask, are your roles within the Ouroboros organization?”

The two women giggled at one another, sharing a knowing look Higgins didn’t care for at all, “We’re uh… very high up,” Yukia said, “don’t worry about specific titles…” She hefted the massive book she had with her, quickly flipping it open and scanning for a page, “I’m told you worked for… Ah yes, America, and… Russia?” She frowned, looking to the blonde, “Is that a big country? I don’t recall-“

“She’s joking,” the blonde said quickly, “We’re very familiar with your work Mr. Higgins and we’re excited to be working with you.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” he said raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll need a private tent of course,” the blonde said, “So we can change, bathe, and all that.”

“Naturally,” Higgins said. Who the hell are these girls?

The hum of additional helicopters interrupted his thoughts, and he frowned as he looked up at the whirling blades of additional troop transports. They landed in the cleared field outside the camp, the rotors coming to a stop as dozens of men marched out, all with heavy weaponry, the sort Higgins had been denied so many times, rockets, large caliber machine guns, and even an armored car were being wheeled out.

“I hope you don’t mind if we brought a few extra toys,” the black haired girl cackled, “We’re just really looking forward to playing with the naga!”

“Subject Alpha,” the blonde corrected with a frown.

“Of course,” Yukia waved dismissively. “Higgins, could you be a dear and take us to the prisoner?”

…

“When I get out of here I’m going to shove my boot so far up all of your asses!” Oklahoma shouted, rocking the chair as she struggled against her bonds. “I have rights, I’m a US citizen!” she howled. She froze as the tent flaps opened, and the two women strode in, their sunglasses gleaming in the late afternoon jungle light.

“Now let’s see, why did I need to speak to you,” Yukia drawled, flipping through her massive book. “Ah, yes… that makes sense,” she snapped it shut and smiled, leaning close to the tied woman.

“Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Oklahoma spat.

“Hungry,” Yukia said, licking her lips.

“Yukia,” the blonde warned, glancing at Higgins, who raised an eyebrow.

The black haired girl scowled, “Higgins, go get my luggage into my tent!” she ordered.

The mercenary hesitated, but growled angrily, “As you wish,” he said in a low voice, leaving the trio alone.

“Now, what do you know about our dear friends…” She seemed to think a moment, then with a sigh lifted the book, flipping through the pages.

“Mika,” The blonde said, “What do you know of Mika?”

Yukia paused, then chuckled, snapping her book shut, “That’s why you’re the archivist!”

“I don’t know shit, never heard of him, what’s Mika, a brand of crackers?” Oklahoma howled, “by the way, where’s my lawyer? I’ve been tied up for two days and the only time they let me up is to take a piss, these conditions aren’t-“

“Hush!” The dark haired woman sneered, leaning in close, “You will tell us everything you know about Mika, or things will get unpleasant for you!”

Oklahoma gasped, the strange woman suddenly seemed to be looming over her, and the ropes were suddenly looser around her body as she gazed up fearfully.

“W-What the fuck.” She whispered fearfully, looking up at an ever growing Yukia, whos grin widened at the realization. “Y-You drugged me,” Oklahoma accused, “there’s no way this is happening!”

“A girl like you would know right away if we slipped you drugs,” Emilia ? said calmly, looking away, “I suggest you tell her what you know, I don’t like to watch when she does this.”

“O-Okay!” Oklahoma stammered as her clothes started to loosen against her skin, “J-Just fix me!” She blinked and suddenly she was back in the chair, tied tightly and with all of her clothes properly fitted. With a gulp she began, “He was some kid, just got his archeology PhD, or started it, I forget which. He’s not here for school though, he’s just… curious I guess.”

“Curious,” the black haired woman mused. She glanced at the blonde, “Curiosity killed the cat!” at that the two shared an odd laugh at some shared joke, ignoring a confused and increasingly tense Oklahoma.

“Anything else?” Yukia asked.

“No,” Oklahoma said sullenly, “Look, guys, he’s just a dumb kid bumbling around out here, whatever you feel like you’ve got to do to me, you can let him go, he won’t tell anyone!”

“Emilia?, clean this up,” Yukia laughed, walking out of the tent dismissively.

Emilia? sighed, turning to Oklahoma and letting the girl’s terrified face reflect in her mirrored glasses, “Okay Oklahoma,” she said slowly, “I’m Emilia.”

“Hi Emilia,” Oklahoma said cautiously, “by clean up, does she mean…”

“If she wanted to kill you, she’d eat you herself,” Emilia replied nonchalantly.

Oklahoma frowned, “hold on, did you say-“

“What did you think would have happened if she’d reduced you all the way,” the blonde giggled. “I don’t really like that kind of thing, I’m more about… preservation you might say.” She tapped the woman’s head, and a sense of calm filled her tied prisoner. “How do we feel?”

“Good,” Oklahoma droned in a monotone voice.

“Good,” Emilia echoed.

“Now Yukia wants all of your memories of the last few weeks wiped, but we’re not going to do that, okay? I’m just going to wipe a few minutes, but you’re going to have to pretend you don’t know where you are if anyone asks.”

“Okay,” Oklahoma blinked, understanding through the haze.

“I’m going to give you these,” Emilia said, drawing a small satellite phone and a red bottle out of her cargo pants pocket, “but I’m not going to let you remember that I gave them to you.”

“Groovy,” Oklahoma nodded, “What’s the red stuff do?”

“It’ll heal you from the very brink of death,” Emilia explained, “hold onto it just in case… As for the satellite phone, there’s one number saved in there, you won’t remember it’s mine, you’ll just remember it’s someone you can trust, someone you want to reach out to for help.”

“I can count on you for help,” Oklahoma nodded, blinking as she tried to make sense of the new beliefs crystallizing in her head.

“I’m glad we had this chat,” Emilia giggled, tucking the phone and the potion into the pocket of Oklahoma’s own pants pocket before leaving as Yukia had moments before.

…

Higgins poured himself a fifteen year old whisky as he watched the feed from the trail cam in his command trailer. While the devices had been provided to help track the naga’s movements, he’d taken the opportunity to plant one in his new superior’s tent when they’d forced him to carry their luggage like a common chauffeur.

“Did you take care of the woman?” Yukia asked, pulling her sunglasses off and tossing them to her cot.

“It’s done,” Emilia nodded, “she’s wiped of all of her memories of this place.”

Higgins frowned, memory wipes? He leaned in close, sipping his drink as the two girls talked.

“You should have just let me take care of her, nobody bothers you after you have them for dinner,” Yukia said, running her hands through her dark hair. She turned towards the camera, not noticing it, and Higgins almost spat out his mouthful of whisky.

Her eyes, he thought wildly. They were slitted, and a bright yellow. A moment later she slid the skirt down, revealing a lazily swishing fur covered tail, the same color as the hair on her head. Yukia yawned, reaching into one of her suitcases and withdrawing a small bag of something.

“I want chicken, I want liver,” Yukia sang under her breath, tossing a few bits of the kibble into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, then offered some to Emilia, who declined. Yukia just rolled her eyes, “You don’t like humans, you don’t like Meow Mix, what do you eat Emilia?”

“I’m not saying I’ll never eat a human,” Emilia said defensively, “I just… haven’t met the right one yet!”

What the hell are they on about? Higgins wondered, blinking in shock. He looked at the glass, drained in one gulp, then refilled it, turning back to the monitor.

…

Chloe felt a small vibration through the ground, causing her to stop snoozing and slowly open one eye. The pitter patter of footsteps through the temple was imperceptible to human ears, but to her advanced predatory senses they may as well have been clapping cymbals together. She glanced down at Mika, who she’d allowed to sleep on her belly button for the night. Gently, carefully, she lifted his sleeping form off herself, using her fingers to scoop him up and lower him down to a nearby bed of dried leaves. When she was satisfied that Mika was asleep, she slithered out onto the temple grounds.

She camouflaged herself immediately, her scales shifting and bending the light until she was more like a blur moving through the dark temple, between the darkness and her innate ability to hide herself, she’d be all but invisible.

The approaching trio of mercenaries had advanced night vision goggles, bathing the vast temple in a green hue as the scouts slowly encroached upon the naga’s territory. Their mission was simple, determine the Naga’s sleeping location in preparation for a further attack, and if possible capture the young man known as “Mika.”

Chloe slithered up one of the massive stone pillars, watching the three gingerly step into the large atrium. She frowned as she saw the guns, no, that wouldn’t do at all.

“All quiet,” one of the men whispered.

“Let’s plant a motion sensor and- AH!”

His scream was cut off as he was tossed into the air, flailing as he landed in the outstretched open mouth of the titanic naga. There was a loud *click* as her teeth snapped shut, trapping him inside of her mouth, and she grinned down at the other two stunned men as she swallowed loudly. The squirming bulge made its way down her throat, plopping with an audible wet splash into her belly as she rubbed it playfully.

“RUN!” one of the two survivors shouted, but Chloe’s hand swept down, scooping him up like a fleeing mouse and dangling him by the leg over her face. He struggled with his rifle, firing a quick burst that did little more than cause Chloe to giggle as it tickled her face. Her mouth opened, giving him a long look down into the dark tunnel before she released her grip on his ankle. This time Chloe didn’t bother holding him in her mouth, just closing her mouth and swallowing him down. She shivered in pleasure as she felt the man’s struggles against the powerful muscles of her esophogaus, and she couldn’t help but trace a finger over her neck, following him down as the motion of her swallowing overwhelmed his feeble resistance, sending him to join his comrade in the prison of her toned belly.

She glanced down at the last one, casually curling her tail around him like a wall to cut off his escape. Curiously she loomed over him, licking her lips teasingly and smirking at his terrified expression.

“Why did you come here?” She asked.

“T-To-“

“I can’t have you guys hurting Mika,” she said casually, “He’s my friend.”

With that she leapt down on him, her mouth open like a striking cobra as her lips scooped him off the ground. She lifted up again, pinching the man’s torso between her lips as she titled her head back. Slowly, carefully, she slurped him in, letting his legs kick feebly as his waist, his knees, and finally his feet passed inside her mouth.

*gulp*

Chloe yawned, slithering back to her nest. Inside her she could hear the shouts, and it gave her pause as she realized she could understand the words now, making out the please, threats, and panic instead of just chatter. As she glanced down at Mika she suddenly became uncomfortable, though she couldn’t say why.

You’ve eaten plenty of them before, she told herself, this time’s no different.

She scooped Mika up again, coiling under herself and yawning, laying him back down on her soft bellybutton. Mika groaned, feeling the yielding soft waterbed of Chloe’s stomach underneath him. There were muffled noises coming from somewhere, and he slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked down at the belly button he’d been resting his head in, and gulped nervously as he realized the sound was coming from beneath it. Her stomach felt lumpier, fuller, and he could feel occasional movement stirring underneath him amid muffled sounds.

Did she… while I was asleep?

“Oh, sorry,” she murmured, “some of those guys came in with guns, I think the wanted to hurt you, and I was a little hungry, so everything worked out.” She reached over to a pile of the Lemurian jungle fruit she had near her bed. Scooping them up almost like grapes, she let them roll down her palm and into her mouth. She chewed them, swallowing them down. Mika watched as the stirring in her belly calmed, the shouts dying down after a moment. “The fruit makes things easier,” she explained, “puts anything in here,” she poked her belly, “to sleep…” 

“A-And then?” Mika asked, already knowing the answer.

Chloe’s finger traced lower, crossing from her human skin to her snakelike scales, “they go down here,” she finished, “and they don’t move anymore.”

He shivered, looking up at the sleepy naga’s dreamy smile. She looked so cute, so innocent… but he knew better. He slowly lay back down on Chloe’s stomach, savoring the warmth in the cool night air and trying not to think about what was going on on the other side of the soft flesh of her belly. 

The worst part was, like always, the idea fascinated him. He imagined himself sliding down her throat for the millionth time, waiting in her warm belly dreamily until he would drift lower…

He scowled as he realized he was growing hard, mentally slapping himself, you are NOT her food! She’s a maneater, she’s… He looked up at Chloe who was drifting back off to sleep. 

…

“Hmm…” Yukia muttered, watching the footage from the men’s helmet cams just before they’d lost contact, “I’d say the Naga isn’t going to be caught unawares.”

“Did we need to lose three men to find that out?” Higgins growled.

“We brought extras,” Yukia muttered, gesturing to the enlarged camp. “I swear Higgins, you just look for things to complain about! I’m having fun!”

“The boy, Mika,” Emilia mused, “She seems protective of him. That’s very unusual behavior, I’d like to get a blood sample from him, if we could.” She hefted her own massive grimoire, flipping through the pages with a frown. Higgins tried to sneak a peak at them, but she seemed to notice, stepping away with a frown so he couldn’t see them.

“She probably just thinks he’s funny or something,” Yukia said dismissively, “I’ll bet if we capture him, she’ll do what we want, she might even open the door to get him back.”

“Open the door?” Higgins asked with a frown, “is this related to the fruit operation?”

Yukia blinked, “Er… good question!” She quickly stepped back, lifting her book up and glancing from it and back to Higgins, ignoring his bewildered expression. She snapped it shut and beamed, “No, not related at all, the fruit is a secondary objective, the real treasure here is in the very center of the temple.”

“I agree,” Emilia said with a nod, “Mr. Higgins, begin preparations to extract Mika, alive. You may use the more advanced weaponry.”

“About goddamn time,” Higgins growled, looking out in the massive jungle.

Chloé yawned, waking up with the sunlight as she stretched. She gently leaned down, nudging Mika with her fingertip. He groaned, turning over and burying his face in her softy belly, she couldn’t help but giggle at how cute he looked. She pressed on his side again, hard enough to completely flip him over this time.

“I’m up!” Mika exclaimed, jolting awake as if expecting to fall out of bed. He looked up at the amused billboard sized face and scowled.

“Sorry,” Chloé smirked.

Mika rolled his eyes, trying to steady himself on the soft surface of her stomach. Walking across her toned tummy was almost like the inside of a moon bounce, yielding and a little difficult to keep his balance on, he didn’t make it three steps before tumbling forward, his face landing in her bellybutton and earning him giggle that felt like an earthquake tremor as he inadvertently tickled the giant Naga.

“HEY!” a muffled voice called from the belly underneath him, “LET US OUT OF HERE!”

Mika froze, then his eyes slowly trailed up to Chloé, who didn’t look surprised at all.

“They’re still alive?” He rasped.

Chloé nodded, “The fruit keeps things in the top stomach in good condition until I’m ready to send them lower.”

“The top stomach,” Mika said numbly.

“The one you keep your food in until you’re ready for it,” Chloé said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “don’t you have one?”

“No,” Mika said, blinking as he absorbed the information.

“Well whenever I get hungry enough, I just move food into the second stomach,” Chloé explained. She frowned, tapping her chin, “how do you digest your food if you only have one stomach?”

“Mine uh… does it all I guess,” he stammered, “Chloé, those men from last night are still in there!”

“LET US OUT!” there was a muffled vibration on the other side of her stomach’s wall, and Mika scurried backwards as he felt the three men pounding on the wall of Chloé’s insides.

“It’s very strange, being able to understand what they’re saying,” Chloé said curiously, “they seem really scared…”

“Chloé, you could let them out, right?” Mika said nervously.

“You people in my stomach,” Chloé said suddenly, “can you hear me?”

A trio of voices shouted out “Yes!” variously panicking and begging her for help. Mika watched as an odd expression came over Chloé’s face. For a moment there was something almost like sympathy, uncertainty even.

“How long can you keep them in there?” Mika asked.

“The fruit will keep them from being hurt until…” Chloé trailed off, suddenly not so quick to bring up what would happen when her digestion progressed.

Mika gulped, “Chloé, maybe you should-“

“Why did you come here?” Chloé asked, cutting him off.

“To catch that little fucking traitor and haul him back to our camp!” the man shouted angrily.

“Little traitor?” Mika frowned, “Do they mean me?”

“Yes we do you little puke!” another man’s voice called, “you’re up here shacking up with a fucking monster!”

“Mika, they don’t seem to be being very nice to you,” Chloé said, her expression darkening. “What’s a ‘little puke’ by the way?”

“An insult,” Mika said dismissively, “Who are you working for?” Mika shouted.

“We’re not telling you anything,” the voice replied angrily, “and when we’re done with this temple, we’re going to skin that slimy piece of filth and turn her scales into boots for the whole fucking crew!”

Chloé’s face flared with rage, “Slimy piece of filth!?”

Mika’s eyes widened, “No, wait!”

There was a loud sound almost like a gulp, then a slight gurgling not unlike what his own stomach would make after a big meal, only magnified by a hundred. Her lower belly bulged just slightly, and the puffy lips of her womanhood seemed to part as it slid downward, disappearing into the snakelike lower half of her body. There was a muffled splash, then nothing. Chloé sighed in satisfaction, her massive snakelike tail waving back and forth in front of her laying form.

“Did you… are they…” Mika looked down at the stomach below him, already knowing the answer.

“I sent them down, that’s it,” Chloé muttered. “They were awful Mika, they were here to hurt you, and they said such horrible things about me.” She crossed her arms defensively, holding her ground under his worried gaze.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Okay…” There’s no point in arguing this with her, at least not right now. For the most part Mika didn’t feel particularly sorry for the mercenaries, but he wondered what would happen if Chloé encountered someone who didn’t deserve it, someone who wasn’t her friend like he was…

And then there was another intrusive thought, anything that is in her stomach with the fruit is safe… until it goes lower, and she can control it. His mouth was dry and he felt the most peculiar stirring in his manhood as he realized the implication. She could eat me, and I would be safe, if she wanted me to be that is… He wiped a sudden sheen of sweat off his forehead that had nothing to do with the jungle heat.

No! he snapped at himself, a mental discipline that was becoming all too common, if you even bring that up… He looked up at Chloé, who was giving him an amused smile. She’d definitely do it the moment you asked.

“I’m going to go start making breakfast,” Mika stammered, sliding down the side of her belly. He grunted as he hit the stone floor of the temple, trying to walk casually away from her.

“You know Mika, anything that goes into the first stomach, I can bring back up anytime,” Chloé said with a knowing smirk. “So, if I accidentally ate something I didn’t mean to, I could pretty easily spit it up.”

“Good to know,” Mika said, refusing to turn around as his erection throbbed almost painfully against his pants. There are going to be so many messed up internet searches when I get back to civilization…

…

Mika stared up at the massive doorway, depicting a smiling green skinned Naga with a radiant glow about her person. The very center of the temple was an oddity, while most of the ruins showed the passage of time quite evidently through crumbling stone or overgrown vegetation, this particular chamber was as sleek and shining as the day it was built. What was odder was that despite spending hours in here at this point, he’d been unable to find where the light source in the room was coming from, there were no windows, no skylights, no electric lighting of course… and yet the room was lit.

One more mystery, he thought with a sigh.

“Mika,” Chloé’s voice echoed through the temple, “ Miiiikkkkaaa.”

“I’m in here!” he called, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

He heard the giant rumbling form of the enormous snake-woman approaching. She’d been letting him have more freedom over the last few days, even letting him out of her sight sometimes while he explored the temple grounds. If nothing else, she seemed convinced he wasn’t about to flee, and so she’d been increasingly lenient with letting him explore the ruins on his own.

Chloé slithered into the chamber, a handful of the Lemurian fruit in her palm. She popped them into her mouth, slurping down the cantaloupe sized orbs like they were mere blueberries. She tilted her hand, letting him watch the avalanche tumble into her maw, swallowing them all down in one magnificent gulp.

“Chloé, do you know what’s behind this door?” Mika asked, gesturing to it, “is there another entrance somewhere?”

“No,” Chloé said with a frown. She moved forward, running her hand over it, and Mika’s eyes widened as the colored etchings on the stones seemed to illuminate.

“Does it always do this!?” Mika asked, watching in awe as the etchings began to move.

“Yeah,” Chloé said obliviously, “pictures moving isn’t that strange Mika, I’ve even seen some of the humans watch moving pictures on those little black things they carry.”

Mika didn’t bother correcting her, watching in amazement as the green haired snake goddess slithered across the stones. She paused in front of a series of four pyramids, each glowed in turn, and a second later the snake goddess flashed, appearing back at the door, once again still and looking like an ordinary stone etching.

“Okay…” Mika breathed slowly, “so that only happens when you come in here,” Mika said, pulling his father’s journal out. “My dad didn’t see that, and when I was in here nothing happened.” He flipped through the pages, “Obviously it’s saying you need to go to these four temples,” he pointed to the pyramids on the wall, “in order to open the door.” He blinked again, still in shock over the moving wall drawings, “Why didn’t you say anything about this?”

“I’ve seen it a dozen times,” Chloé said with a shrug, “it’s just not that interesting to me anymore.”

In a jungle where everything is strange, it takes a lot more to warrant mention I guess, Mika thought grimly.

“So where are these temples?” Chloé asked curiously. “Could we go to them today? I’d really like to see what’s behind the door, I’ve been wondering for years.”

“I’d like to know too,” Mika said, “but I’ve got no idea where these temples could be. Do you have any clues?”

“Nope,” Chloé said with a smile, “but I’m sure it’s in here somewhere… It’s been a lot of fun having you here Mika, I’m learning a lot about this place!”

“I’m having a good time too,” he admitted, smiling back at her. Despite everything, it was true. He’d fallen into archeology because he’d been curious about the past, and the temple complex was the ultimate puzzle.

The expression on Chloé’s face changed, turning amorous as she looked down at him, “Mika, we should take a break,” she said, reaching for him.

“B-But I’m only just starting!” he stammered.

He couldn’t help but tense as the bus-stop sized hand reached for him, the powerful fingers tightening around his body and pinning his arms and legs together. He tried to protest further, but his stomach lurched as Chloé began an excited slithering through the ruins, up and over collapsed pillars, under crumbling columns. As always being carried by her was like a roller coaster as she almost casually made her way through the ancient complex. They reached the chamber that Chloé treated as a bedroom, and she quickly coiled herself up on the mat of dried straw and leaves she liked to rest on.

“Mika I’m…” she searched for the word, then sighed, “what’s the word when you want sex?” she asked.

“Horny, aroused, excited,” Mika said, looking up at her and feeling himself rise at the way the giant girl’s grin lit up her face.

“I like that second one, aroused ,” Chloé said, licking her lips as she gently tugged on his pants leg.

Mika shivered at the sensation of his clothing sliding against his skin as Chloé unwrapped him like a piece of candy, “It’s definitely one of the classier ways to say it,” he managed, “What uh… what has you in the mood?”

“I was thinking about you,” Chloé said casually.

That made Mika blush more than being stripped naked by a giant snake-girl, “Me!?”

“Yeah, like how nice it’s been to have you here, how I like talking to you about this place, about the human world…” She brought him up to her face, and he could feel her warm breath ruffle his hair as he was brought level with her lips for a pillowy kiss. “Then I started thinking about how cute your little face is,” she said in a sultry voice, “How much I love the expressions you make when I play with your penis!” Mika gasped as Chloé’s fingernails managed to pinch his underwear, sliding it down and sending it fluttering below with his pants. His manhood sprung free, and her eyes gleamed in excitement. “It gets hard when you want sex too, right?”

“Uh, not necessarily,” he stammered.

She frowned, “Oh… Do you want sex?”

As he took in the enormous pair of taxi-cab sized breasts, her soft toned upper half, and most of all that luscious and alluring red-hair framed face, he could only nod.

“Y-Yes!” he said, grinning.

“Oh good,” Chloé laughed, “I know you probably have sex with lots of human girls back home, and I was worried I would mess up asking you for it!”

Lots of human girls back home… Mika started a laugh, but it died in his throat as he realized he was being lowered down between the Naga’s massive breasts.

“I’ve seen you staring at these, you really like them, Mika!” She taunted.

She leaned back, pressing the twin orbs together and quickly smothering the tiny human in her warm flesh. Mika groaned; the sound stifled by the immense breasts that had submerged him so easily. He could distantly hear Chloé’s heartbeat, and the rumble of her giggle sent vibrations through his spine. A moment later she began to grind them together, the slow shifting motion causing him to gasp as tingles went up his spine.

The breasts parted suddenly, letting him tumble down Chloé’s belly, her soft, toned tummy acting almost like a trampoline as he came to a stop before the puffy slit of her womanhood, already glistening in anticipation of his arrival.  

Her hand came down behind him, gently nudging him closer with a few fingers. He stumbled, then before the mouth of her lips, the softness below him contrasting with the rich musky scent that billowed up, filling his nose, and driving him wild with desire. Her fingers came down, the twin columns spreading the labia before him open and letting him gaze wondrously into the glistening pink interior, exposing him to the heat coming off of it and the powerful pungent smell that called to him. 

Mika’s mind raced as he studied it, an analytical part of him noted that he didn’t see any urethral hole, but other than that what appeared before him looked very much like a human woman’s, only so much bigger…

“Are you ready to go in?” Chloé’s teasing voice called from above. 

He didn’t bother answering Chloé, instead eagerly facing downwards and diving in. He felt the tip of her tail make contact with his back, and the slick soft walls of her insides rushed against him as she stuffed him deep inside herself. The wet pinkness surrounded him, coating him with the silky lubricant as Chloé gasped, slowly rubbing her engorged clit as she felt him wiggle further in.

“Oh Mika,” Chloé murmured, biting her lip, “yes, that’s it!”

He couldn’t really make out what she was saying, but the tone was enough for him to continue his motions. Soon he was being gripped on either side by the powerful walls of the snake girl’s most intimate place, and the rumbling contractions drew him further in. Each motion of his seemed to cause a cascade of shaking vibrations in turn, and her eager womanhood was soon swallowing him up.

Chloé sighed, her tail curling tightly as her muscles tensed with each new exploration. She playfully clenched herself around him, biting her lip as his ensuing struggle sent more jolts of pleasure up her spine. She reached a finger down, continuing to toy with herself as she rolled over in her dried leaf bed, groaning involuntarily as Mika’s descent into her continued.

For Mika’s part the motion of the wet walls against him was the most powerful full body massage he could ever experience, the walls of her vaginal canal molded around him, pressing and grinding against him as Chloé’s arousal built to a point where he could no longer struggle against her. He still fought, but as she clenched him tight in the height of her pleasure, he realized that the strength of his entire body couldn’t match her in this state, and though he could somehow breathe in the wet depths of her sex, the feeling of her pungent and almost tangy juices sliding down his throat and coating his lungs still added a new layer of her overpowering presence, reminding him of exactly where he was with each labored breath.

That’s it! Chloé thought eagerly, arching her back as her tail whipped around her in a near frenzy, KEEP GOING! She cried out, a long low mewling sound as Mika’s motions brought her over the edge and into the tempest of orgasm.

Is this safe!? One panicked part of Mika thought as her walls seemed to hug him tighter than ever before, causing him to cry out as the pressure increased with each thundering heartbeat of the giant Naga. Worries left him as the grinding motion sent his own pleasure boiling over the top, and he joined Chloé’s screams of pleasure as he felt himself begin to spurt his seed deep into Chloé’s waiting tunnel. His thick cum mixed with the viscous fluid running over him, sliding down into the depths of her womanhood as the tremors slowly abated.

Holy shit, Mika thought, blinking and scowling as Chloé’s sticky juices stung his eyes slightly. The tunnel around him loosened his grip as he heard the thundering drum of her heartbeat slow, and gradually he was able to move again. Tucking his legs up to his chest, he was able to shift positions, and the fleshy tunnel that had been so eager to squeeze and massage him earlier gave no protest as he shifted his position and began crawling out of her.

“That was even better than last time,” Chloé panted. She had a goofy grin on her face as she lay back against her bedding, dimly aware of the squirming of her lover trying to exit her womanhood. She glanced down at her slit, and fought a laugh as Mika’s head poked out, sleepy. “No,” she said in a pouty voice, “stay in there!”

Mika looked up in surprise as the very tip of Chloé’s tail seemed to curve around, the tip pressing down on the top of his head and easily sending his slippery body back down into her nethers. He grunted, fighting his way back up again, but Chloé giggled, each time easily undoing his work by pressing him back in.

“Chloé!” he managed finally, grunting as he tried to claw his way back out, dodging the tail tip’s thrust, “seriously, I can’t stay in here all day!”

“I think you could,” Chloé murmured, “but… okay, you can come out.”

This time the tip of her tail gently hooked around his waist, curling under his arms, and lifting him upward. There was a wet schlicking sound as he was pulled out of her, and the massive scaled appendage gently laid him across her stomach again before laying flat.

“Did you finish too?” Chloé asked, grinning in amusement at his soaked body.

“Yeah,” he breathed, “it was… intense.”

“Yeah,” Chloé agreed, yawning. “I’m pretty beat… I think I’ll take a little nap…”

“That does sound nice,” Mika muttered, feeling the warmth of her skin below him contrast with the coolness of the drying fluids on his body. As her belly rose and fell slowly beneath him, he quickly drifted off himself.

…

Mika frowned as he realized he was looking down at a charcoal grill, a row of hamburgers sizzling on it. He reached down with a spatula, flipping each one as the puffy white clouds rolled in the empty blue sky overhead.

He was in a normal suburban backyard, back in the United States somewhere. He heard laughing voices, and he turned to see his mom and Chloé, sitting at a small patio table with tall glasses of lemonade in their hands…

Only that wasn’t Chloé, or was it? She was human, with normal human legs, jeans, and a t-shirt, but with that same freckled face and long red hair. He studied her for a moment, watching her converse about something with his mother, laughing at some shared joke.

“Careful, you don’t want the burgers too dry,” his father said, coming to his side and handing him a cool glass of beer.

He started, “D-Dad?”

His father chuckled, taking the spatula from him and flipping the burgers one after the other, causing a series of hisses as the grease dripped down to the hot coals below.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said softly, “I’m glad you finally remembered your mom and I… I wondered how long it would take you to end up back here.”

“This isn’t a normal dream,” Mika asked slowly, “is it?”

“Nope,” his father said with a knowing smile. “I picked this place actually,” he said, gesturing around the neighborhood. “I always thought your mother and I would settle down someplace like this when we were done traveling…” He sighed, staring down at the burgers. “That’s not important now, we need to talk about you, ” he gestured with the spatula to Chloé, “and her. ”

“Me and Chloé?” Mika asked, brow furrowed.

“You found the inner room,” his father said, taking a sip of his beer and looking up at the sky, “That’s why I can reach you like this. When your mother and I… when we passed, we became part of this place, sort of.”

“There are so many things I want to ask,” Mika began excitedly, but his father only held up a hand.

“I can’t give you much real information,” his dad said solemnly, “there are rules, even with gods and magic.”

“What can you tell me then?” Mika asked.

“Chloé needs to open the door,” his dad replied, “you already know how.”

“The four temples,” Mika muttered, “Where are they?”

“You have everything you need to find them,” his father said softly, “You’ll need to guide Chloé through this, she’s the last line of defense.”

“Defense against what?” Mika asked, “and why does Chloé need me ? She’s a giant snake-woman dad, and I’m pretty sure she’s bulletproof too.”

“You’re a smart kid, you’ll figure it out,” his dad said with a smirk.

“Mika!” Chloé said excitedly, bounding up to them, “Your mom is so funny!”

His mom chuckled as she walked up to them, “I just wanted to have a chat with her,” she said, reaching over and ruffling Mika’s hair. She looked him over with a sad smile on her face, “You’ve really grown up…”

“Yeah,” Mika said, blinking away a quick tear, “It’s uh… nice to see you again mom.”

“I wish we could stay longer,” she sighed, “but I think this is about as good as we can do.”

The wind started to blow through the trees of the small suburb, and the sky darkened as roiling storm clouds began to roll overhead. Mika watched as his mother and father embraced, smiling at him one last time as thunder boomed, then they were gone.

“It looks like rain,” Chloé said, walking to his side.

“Yeah,” Mika said, looking at the sky. He glanced at her and smirked, in her human form she was a few inches shorter than he was, “It’s odd looking down at you…”

She shrugged, turning to face him with a smile, “Do you like me better like this?” she asked softly.

He gulped, “I uh…”

“I know you’re scared of me,” Chloé said, “but maybe if I was like this, you wouldn’t be?” She looked down at her legs with a frown, slowly lifting her feet one at a time, as if trying to balance.

He sighed, it’s a dream, right? Why not be honest.

“You do scare me Chloé,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear, “but you’re also the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, even if you’re hundreds of meters long and half snake.”

She giggled, then leapt up to kiss him, her arms embracing his body as the first of the raindrops started to fall.

…

Mika groaned, shifting against the scratchy straw matting, “Chloé?” he mumbled, blinking sleep out of his eyes. She must have put me down to go do something, he reasoned, glancing up at the vast temple ceiling.

“Mika!” she called, “Over here!”

He turned towards the sound of her voice and almost fell over in shock, “Chloé, y-you’re-“

“Human!” she giggled. She was sitting up in the straw, naked, normal sized, and with legs. She gingerly tried to sit up, putting her left foot under herself, but with a cry of surprise she tumbled forward, grunting with mild pain as the straw cushioned her fall. She huffed angrily as she stared up at him, “how do these things work!?” she exclaimed, pointing at her legs.

“Uh… I guess you just sort of put one foot in front of the other?” Mika said with a grin. “So, you can turn into a human… Interesting.”

“Yeah, just like this weird dream I had,” Chloé muttered.

Mika froze, “The dream with the suburb, and my parents?”

“I don’t know what a suburb is,” Chloé said, “there were a lot of strange boxy things, I think humans lived in them? And yeah, you and your parents were there.”

We had the same dream, he thought, a chill going up his spine. His mouth was dry as he thought over the implications. So, does Dad really want me to open that door?

“Uh, Mika?” Chloé said nervously, “you might want to step back, I think I’m about to-“ She yelped in surprise. Before Mika could react, she was growing bigger, her legs fusing together and her scales sliding up out of the skin of her legs. He grunted as the massive tail flattened him, pinning him against the stone floor. “Ugh,” Chloé moaned, swaying slightly, “that really takes a lot out of me…” She blinked, “Mika? Where’d you go?” She felt a sudden desperate scratching and squirming from beneath her tail, and with a blush she lifted it up. Mika was spread eagle against the floor, a stunned look on his face. “Sorry!” she giggled, “I’ll try to give you some warning next time!”

“N-Next time?” Mika stammered.

“I think I can turn human again, and maybe stay that way a little longer,” Chloé mused, “I guess that’s one more thing to figure out!”

Add it to the list, Mika thought, staring up at the ceiling.

…

Higgins hefted the large assault rifle in his grip, checking the magazine and sights before slinging it over his back. He’d traded his usual suit and tie for a black tactical outfit, his sunglasses for a pair of infrared goggles. The Naga would not be using her camouflage to hide this time.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he turned to see the two representatives of Ouroboros walking by them, inspecting the troops before battle. Their catlike ears and tails were hidden, along with the slitted pupils , but he knew.

And what can I do with that? Higgins wondered. For now, nothing, he’d decided. If his employers were some kind of cat-creatures, he’d worked for truly despicable people in the past, and it didn’t really matter at the end of the day so long as he was paid.

“The Naga will do what we want if we take her human,” Yukia muttered, “they might be maneaters, but they get sentimental about certain ones…”

“I’d like to urge caution,” Emilia said, “we must take Mika alive. ”

“We’ll do our best,” Higgins said mildly.

“Fine, do your best,” Emilia said with a shrug, “if you hurt him… Well, it won’t be me standing in front of a pissed off Naga.” She turned to the rest of the men, “Once you have him, withdraw immediately, bring him back here and Yukia and I will confront the Naga with our terms.”

“What makes you think she won’t eat you or crush you first and ask questions later?” Higgins asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’ll be much more willing to talk to us, ” Yukia said, her reflective glasses shining as she grinned.

…

Chloé was picking handfuls of the Lemurian fruit. After her earlier meal she wouldn’t need to eat again for some time, but she still liked to chew on a few of the fruit while Mika ate his own small meal, it somehow made her feel good to eat at the same time he did. She paused as she felt the vibrations through the ground.

Human footsteps? She frowned as she quickly lost count of the marching feet against the stone floor of the temple. With a scowl she tossed the fruit away, slithering back into the temple complex.

…

Emilia walked through the camp, making a beeline for the tent where Oklahoma was kept prisoner. The pair of guards outside glanced at her, but didn’t protest as she walked in. The group they’d arrived with knew better than to question her or Yukia.

“Hello,” she said cheerfully, smiling at the tied pilot.

“Bite me,” Oklahoma growled.

“The time has come to set you loose, my catspaw,” Emilia said with a smile. She reached into her bag, shuffling her massive grimoire to the side and pulling out a small knife.

“What are you-“

Emilia ignored her, casually slicing through the woman’s bonds, freeing her hands.

“Uh, thanks,” Oklahoma said uncertainly, rubbing her wrists. “Am I free to go?”

“Oh, dear me, no,” Emilia said with a sad smile, “every guard in this camp will shoot you before letting you leave.” She reached into the bag again, handing Oklahoma her handgun holster and pistol, bundled neatly together.

“So, what’s my plan then?” She asked, gazing down at the strange woman in the hooded dress. She pulled back the slide on her pistol, enjoying the familiar *ka-klack* as it racked into place.

Emilia tapped her forehead, “You realized your bonds were loose,” she said, altering the pilot’s memories, “You decided that the best way to escape us was to head for the temple, you found your gun, and then you took a hostage…”

…

“Everyone hands where I can see them!” Oklahoma shouted, bursting out of the tent with Emilia in her arms. The guards balked, but threw their guns down as they saw Oklahoma’s pistol level with their employer’s head.

“Do what she says!” Emilia shouted.

“How did she get loose?” someone shouted.

“Shut up!” Oklahoma shouted, pressing the gun against Emilia’s ear. “I see any of you move and she’s dead!”

The guards hesitated for a moment, but slowly everyone in the camp raised their hands, watching coldly as Oklahoma edged her way out of their encampment, glancing at all of them nervously. Finally, she made it into the thick of the jungle, and let out a relieved chuckle.

Emilia grunted as the pilot shoved her away, “Guess I was just too tricky for you,” Oklahoma chuckled, holstering her gun.

“Oh yes, you’ve outwitted me,” Emilia said with a smug smile.

Oklahoma frowned, but the sound of shouting men from the campsite interrupted any other thoughts she might have had. With one last scowl she abandoned Emilia, fleeing into the jungle in the direction of the temple.

…

Mika studied his father’s journal, Coordinates appear coded in the ruins, he read, his interest piquing. This suggests the presence of other temples of this culture in other parts of the world. We might need to recheck some of the ruins for errors in our understanding of the runes, if accurate it would suggest temples in-

The sound of running boots against stone interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up in surprise as a dozen armed men stormed into the chamber, assault rifles raised.

“Clear!” a voice shouted.

Higgins stepped forward with a smirk, readying a pair of zip ties, “good news kid, I’m here to rescue you.”

Mika gulped, “I uh, I’d rather stay.”

“Not an option,” Higgins chuckled, waving two of his men forward.

Mika struggled, but they easily pinned him down, tying his hands together. He grunted as they hefted him up, forcing him to walk with an assault rifle barrel poked into his back.

“I really think you’re better off with us,” Higgins said as the group made their way towards the exit, “I know she’s got a good pair of tits kid, but she’s not your friend.”

“You people tried to kill me the first time you saw me!” Mika hissed, “and who are you, anyway?”

“We’ll do a whole big meet and greet when we get back to our camp,” Higgins said with a grin.

The group exited the temple, walking through one of the massive stone arches into the setting sun. They quickly came to a halt, and Mika looked up to see Chloé, furious and silhouetted against the setting sun.

“Let him go now, ” she hissed angrily, looming over the men like an angry goddess.

Higgins met her gaze, pulling Mika along to the front of the group. With a flourish he drew his handgun, leveling it to Mika and smirking up at the Naga.

“You’re going to come back with us and talk to my employers,” Higgins said coolly, “if you do what I want, he won’t get hurt…” Chloé slithered closer, and the men readied their weapons, “Steady,” Higgins called, his heartbeat picking up.

Chloé paused, glowering down at them all hatefully, “If he’s hurt, I’m eating you first,” she muttered.

Higgins smiled, gently pushing Mika past Chloé’s massive form as his men followed him, relaxing slightly, “Now just come with me-“

The loud popping of gunfire interrupted their conversation, and his eyes went wide as he saw the pilot, Oklahoma, stumble out of the brush, smoking pistol in hand. Several other mercenaries followed her, firing at the fleeing woman as she dove behind a large ruined stone altar.

“No,” Higgins shouted, “STOP!”

The young man in his grip jolted, crying out in pain. Higgins eyes went wide as he saw Mika had been hit by a ricocheted bullet. Chloé saw it too, and the barely contained fury boiled over. With a scream that rocked the jungle and sent birds flying into the air for miles, Chloé dove at the group of mercenaries, who panicked, opening fire with their weapons.

The world seemed to slow as Higgins slung the injured Mika over his shoulder, bolting for the trees as his men sprayed Chloé with automatic gunfire.

…

Chloé winced, shielding her eyes with her arm as the men peppered her with bullets. These ones were bigger, hitting her harder, while they weren’t doing much damage they hurt. With a roar she swung her tail around, knocking the men off their feet.

“MIKA!?” she called.

There was a hiss, and then something struck her back, the rocket exploded, causing her to cry out in pain as she tumbled forward. She rose with a growl, glancing at one of the mercenaries who was quickly trying to reload the weapon. Her tail lanced out, curling around the tube and flicking it up and away. She almost leapt at him, mouth wide, but the distant sound of Mika’s cry of pain caught her attention. She ignored the stinging barbs of the bullets as she leapt into the trees, camouflaging herself as she went.

…

Higgins lay Mika against a large rock. The young man was out cold, and Higgins cursed as he realized the bullet had hit an artery. Mika was pale, unmoving, and his breathing was shallow. He glanced back toward the temple, wondering how long his men would be able to hold the Naga off before she came looking for him.

“Reach for the sky!” A woman’s voice called.

Higgins sighed, lifting his hands skyward as he slowly turned around, “Oklahoma, was it?” he asked.

“The one and only,” she grinned, slowly skittering forward, and lifting his assault rifle off him. She slung it over her own shoulder, keeping her pistol on him the whole time. She glanced at Mika and frowned, “He’s coming with me,” she declared.

“He’ll be dead within a few minutes anyway,” Higgins growled, “what’s it to you?”

“Let me worry about that,” Oklahoma said, “the only reason you’re not getting plugged too is that I don’t like shooting people.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Higgins muttered.

“Said I didn’t like it, not that I wouldn’t do it,” Oklahoma warned, “now get.”

Higgins sighed, then turned, sprinting into the jungle, Live to fight another day, he thought angrily.

Oklahoma knelt over Mika, cutting his bonds with her pocket knife, and tapping his cheek with her palm, frowning at the lack of response.

She pulled the small red bottle from her pocket, “This will fix you right up kid,” she muttered, bringing it to his lips and tilting it back. For a moment she wondered where she’d gotten that bottle, or how she knew it would heal his wounds, but as he coughed and color returned to his cheeks, she decided it didn’t matter.

“Thanks,” he muttered, “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Oklahoma shrugged, “definitely not snake oil, that’s for sure!”

There was a rumbling sound, and the two paused, looking up as the air shimmered. A moment later Chloé appeared. Her hair was frayed, and there was a bruise on her back where the rocket had hit, but other than that she showed little sign that she’d just fought off a small army.

“Mika!” she said excitedly. Her eyes darted to Oklahoma, “Oh, another one,” she growled, reaching down for her.

“Wait!” Mika said, jumping in front of the stunned pilot, “This is Oklahoma, she’s a friend!”

Chloé frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah!” Oklahoma said with a nervous smile, hooking an arm around Mika, “we’re best friends, we go way back! Me and Mika here! Any friend of his is a friend of mine, and I would never discriminate against a uh…” She glanced down at Chloé’s snakelike tail, “whatever you are…”

“Her name’s Chloé,” Mika said, “and she needs to swim us across the river, we can figure out what to do from there.”

“Wait a minute!” Oklahoma protested as the giant hand came down towards her. She grunted as Chloé gripped her tightly, slithering through the jungle with the two humans in hand.

…

Crossing the river with Chloé was easy, Mika and Oklahoma didn’t even get wet as she easily held them up above the waterline. Slithering across to the next shore Chloé grimaced, looking at the short trees, none of which would be tall enough to conceal her, much less climb on.

“What now?” she asked, slowly lowering Mika and Oklahoma down.

“We find the temples,” Mika said, reaching down into his bag and retrieving his father’s journal. “I think I know where the first one is, but we’re going to need some help getting there…” he glanced at Oklahoma.

Her eyes widened, “Oh no kid, I think I’ve had enough of giant snake monsters and mercenary armies.”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Mika said tersely, “You’re exactly what I need, a pilot with some criminal ties-“

“Hey now, I’ve never been convicted of anything!” Oklahoma protested.

“And one who I know isn’t working with them,” Mike continued. He jerked his thumb back at the far side of the river, “besides, do you really think those people will just let you walk away? They’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth unless you help me finish this.”

“What is this?” Oklahoma asked, crossing her arms.

“I’m not sure yet,” Mika said with a smile and a shrug, “I’ll fill you in as we go.”

“And what if I just feel like faking my death, moving to Arizona, and flying tourists over the Grand Canyon for the next few years?” Oklahoma asked skeptically.

“Ooh, Mika!” Chloé said excitedly, “if she’s not going to help, is she off the do-not-eat list?”

Oklahoma’s face paled, “Y-You wouldn’t-“

Chloe giggled, leaning down over Oklahoma and slowly opening her mouth, letting the woman look up into her dripping maw. The pilot gulped as she realized just how easily she’d fit inside of it.

“Does she really eat people?” Oklahoma rasped.

“Bad ones,” Mika sighed.

Oklahoma paled, “She’s just joking about me though, right?”

“Probably,” Mika smirked, “but you know you should help us anyways, right?”

“You bastard,” she muttered, “Fine, I’m in. There had better be some treasure on this trip, or at least good booze…” She looked up at Chloé, “how exactly are we sneaking her anywhere?”

Chloé’s scales shimmered, and she smiled as she dwindled down, her tail splitting evenly, her insides squishing slightly as they rearranged themselves to her new form. A few seconds later she stood before a stunned Oklahoma in her human form, naked and beaming.

“How’s this?” she asked, gesturing down. She frowned, wobbling, then collapsed to the ground. “Oops, I don’t have the hang of this walking thing yet…”

“Well uh, that’ll do it I guess,” Oklahoma muttered. “Can she make clothes, or something?”

“She can do a lot, but not that,” Mika laughed. “We’ll have to get her something when we find a village or a town or something.”

Mika leaned down, looping Chloé’s arms over his neck and carrying her over his back with a smile.

“Let’s head out, I want to put as much distance between us and those people back there as possible,” Mika said. “Do you know anyone in these jungles who could help us out?”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma sighed, “there’s a guy maybe a few days west of here who owes me a car ride… let’s get walking.”

The trio disappeared into the jungle as the sun began to set.

The trek through the Amazon rainforest was a difficult one, before coming to the rainforest Mika’s only real exercise had been long walks around campus, and Chloé was still struggling to move her human body.

“I think I’ve got it!” she shouted, striding behind him and Oklahoma with a grin. Her motions were exaggerated, and she swung her arms before her to balance, but she was walking, which was good, both he and Oklahoma were exhausted from carrying her.

“Congratulations,” Oklahoma muttered in a tired voice, “Are you sure she can’t just turn into a big snake again and carry us there?”

“People will see her,” Mika replied, “she can camouflage herself, but it’s harder to stay hidden when she’s moving, besides she can’t camouflage us, so unless you want to ride inside of her somewhere, that option is out.”

“Plus I don’t think I can weave around these trees,” Chloé said, looking up at the normal jungle foliage, “I’d leave a pretty big trail even if I could hide myself.”

The group made it to a road a few hours later, a dirt and gravel thing that could have been mistaken for a simple mudflow if not for the tire tracks in it. They followed it north, occasionally ducking further into the brush as they heard a truck rumble by.

“I-I need a break guys!” Chloé stammered after a few hours.

“Right,” Mika agreed, wiping sweat from his forehead, “I could use a breather too.”

“No,” Chloé said nervously, “a break from being human.”

Oklahoma frowned, “What, you can’t just stay like this?”

“It’s like tensing a muscle,” Chloé explains, “it takes energy… I’m not sure how to explain it!”

“Shit,” Oklahoma muttered, “Well, you can turn invisible if you’re standing still, right?”

“It makes it easier to not be seen,” Chloé said.

“Right,” Oklahoma sighed, “Okay, come on, we need to get to a clearing or something…”

Finding an open space for Chloé to transform was difficult, and in exasperation Mika and Oklahoma decided to simply separate themselves from her, letting her flatting a section of the brush far from the road.

From where they waited, they could hear the splintering of trees being bowled over and the earth shifting as Chloé went from a normal human girl to an enormous Naga. Mika glanced up through the jungle canopy, slowly letting his eyes trace over the blue sky.

There, he thought. There was just the slightest incongruity in the view, a bit of difference in depth perception between Chloé’s camouflaged form and a cloud passing overhead. A person’s eyes would slide right over it if they didn’t know what they were looking for.

“She’d be right on top of someone before they noticed,” Oklahoma said, airing his thoughts.

“I’ve seen it firsthand,” Mika said with a sigh.

“Is this really a good idea?” Oklahoma asked him, “taking her back to civilization I mean? This could be like taking a fat guy to an all you can eat buffet, and we’re the endless portions.”

“She’s starting to get it, I think,” Mika muttered. “At the very least she seems to understand that some people aren’t for eating.”

“Am I on that list?” Oklahoma asked, crossing her arms.

“Hey guys!” Chloé said, waving to them as she walked back. She stumbled, swaying slightly and using a tree for support.

“Are you okay?” Mika asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Chloé stammered, “It’s just that transforming takes a lot out of me, and I haven’t eaten in a while.”

Oklahoma shot him a glare, but Mika did his best to ignore it, “Let’s get into town, then we can figure something out… You said someone here owes you a favor?”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma sighed, “I can get us a ride to a bigger town and maybe some cash for a hotel or something, beyond that? We’re going to have to figure something out, credit cards and banks are out since those people after us will probably be able to track them.”

“One thing at a time,” Mika sighed, “Let’s go.”

…

Oklahoma’s contact had been a late middle aged farmer with grey streaked through his dark black hair. Whatever favor she’d done for him once upon a time must have been substantial, because he greeted Oklahoma with a grin and a bear hug that made her grunt. He’d given them food, and had his daughters bring new clothing for Chloé, and as Oklahoma translated the man’s Portuguese the only questions he had were about what they needed, rather than what Oklahoma was doing in the middle of the jungle with an American and a naked girl.

Chloé herself had waited back in the brush until Oklahoma and Mika returned with a pile of neatly folded women’s clothes. Chloé took the dress, bra, and panties, and looked at them skeptically.

“Do I really need these?” she asked.

“Yes,” Mika said, handing her the panties first, “put one foot through each hole, then pull them up.”

“Okay…” Chloé said, eyeing the bra warily, “What’s that part?”

“A bra, it holds your ah…” Mika trailed off as he fumbled with the clasp.

“You’re a real ladykiller, huh?” Oklahoma smirked, grabbing it from him and unhooking it with a *click.* She handed it to Chloé, who slowly put it on with a frown. The dress went on easily enough, and Chloé twirled it slightly, smiling at the way the fabric swished through the air. “Okay great, now hold still,” the pilot ordered.

“Ooh, that feels, strange,” Chloé murmured as Oklahoma dragged a hairbrush over her scalp.

“You can’t go around with your hair a mop like that,” Oklahoma growled. Chloé winced as she pulled the brush through a particularly stubborn knot.

Wow, Mika thought, glancing up and down Chloé’s dressed and groomed figure. He’d seen Chloé naked, both in Naga and human form, but there was a strange eroticism to seeing her like this as well. He suddenly wondered what Chloé would look like in a bikini, and he blushed. Chloé seemed to notice, and giggled as she clasped his hand, letting him lead her towards the farmstead.

A few hours later they were in the back of his old car, rolling through a paved city of a few hundred thousand. He’d dropped them off in front of a hotel, handing Oklahoma a wad of cash before driving off with a smile and a wave.

“That’s one hell of a favor,” Mika muttered, watching her tuck the money into her jacket pocket.

“He seemed nice,” Chloé said with a smile, “Why couldn’t he speak?”

“That was a different language,” Mika explained, “Portuguese, basically like English, what we’re speaking now, but… different words for things.”

“So humans have different ways of talking?” Chloé asked curiously.

“That’s one way to put it,” Mika nodded.

“Neat,” Chloé said, looking up at the rising buildings in awe. The town they were in wasn’t particularly large, but as a regional hub for the nearby countryside it had a few more modern buildings, along with a handful of older cars traversing the streets.

“There are so many humans,” Chloé said, her eyes wide, “I-Is this the place you spoke about Mika? New York City?”

Oklahoma snorted, “This place would be a neighborhood in New York, come on, I need a shower.”

…

The hotel was far from a luxury accommodation, but as Mika flopped onto one of their room’s twin beds he couldn’t help but sigh in pleasure. After weeks of roughing it in the deep jungle or sleeping in Chloé’s next, a real bed felt heavenly against his back.

“This is all so amazing,” Chloé breathed, looking out the window, “S-So many humans!” She turned to Mika, almost leaping at him eagerly, “Can you take me out to see more? I want to see humans doing all of their human jobs!”

“We should lay low,” Oklahoma said sternly, “There’s a guy I know here that I sometimes carry “packages” for, he’ll probably be able to get us transportation to anywhere we want to go, fake names, fake passports, you name it.” She licked her lips, “he’s a guy I do not want to be in debt to, so if I do this for you guys, I need some assurance that one of these temples you’re after is going to have some treasure?”

“Chloé’s temple had enough gold and gems to make a person rich a few times over,” Mika said with a shrug. “You can have the first pick of anything we find.” With a grunt he forced himself up and out of the bed, “Come on Chloé, we’re going to go walk around town a little.”

“Did you not hear me?” Oklahoma asked with a frown, “we should stay inside until-“

“I think it would be best if Chloé saw a little bit of human society,” Mika said in a hushed voice, shooting a glance at Chloé, who was still glued to the window, looking down. “Maybe if she gets to know some people, she’ll be a little more empathetic? Less likely to see people as dinner?”

Oklahoma licked her lips, “Yeah… actually that might be a good idea.”

“Oh, before we go, how do humans relieve themselves?” Chloé asked, turning to them both with a smile.

“Uh… relieve themselves?” Mika asked, confused.

“You know, make waste?” Chloé asked hesitantly. “I noticed I have two holes down here now, but I’m not really sure how humans are supposed to, you know, go.”

Mika’s eyes went wide, “Oh wow, uh…” He shot a pleading look at Oklahoma, who scowled angrily.

“Okay, come on,” Oklahoma waved her into the bathroom, “let’s go over the basics of using the girl’s room.”

Mika sighed, rubbing his temples, there’s so much she doesn’t know…

…

Chloé gripped Mika’s hand tightly as the pair walked through the market, her eyes bulging at every market stall. Most of it was locally grown fruit, though there were a handful of vendors with clothing, and even one merchant with jewelry.

“So where do these humans get all of this stuff?” Chloé wondered.

“They make it, they grow it, they trade for it,” Mika said with a shrug, “there’s a whole network of humans exchanging goods and services, all over the world.”

“Wow,” Chloé whispered, stopping and cocking her head at large pile of apples, “Can I try one of these?” Mika handed one of the vendors a crumpled bill he’d gotten from Oklahoma, and the vendor handed the shining red fruit to Chloé. She eagerly bit into it, “MMMM!” she crooned, leaning into Mika.

She’s so much like a normal girl when she’s like this, Mika thought, it’s almost like I really could just take her home, show her things, maybe…

There a crash, then a dozen voices shouting in Portuguese. A pair of vendors chased a fleeing man through a stunned crowd. For a moment it looked like he would escape, but a police officer appeared seemingly from nowhere, tackling the thief and wrestling the struggling man to the ground. With a grunt the police officer pried the bag from the man, showing a handful of stolen phones. The crowd clapped and smiled as the officer led the man away, and a few minutes later the shopping resumed.

“What was that?” Chloé asked curiously.

“That man tried to take what didn’t belong to him without paying,” Mika explained.

“So he’s bad,” Chloé said, her expression going serious, “Like the mercenaries in the jungle.” She smirked, “Maybe I should follow them and get a quick snack?”

“No!” Mika said in exasperation. “He committed a crime, but that’s not the same thing as trying to murder someone!”

“But he did a bad thing to someone else,” Chloé said with a frown.

“He did,” Mika nodded, “but does he really deserve to die for that? We don’t know why he did it, maybe he was hungry, maybe his family needed medicine, or maybe he was just greedy, all of that matters, don’t you think?”

Chloé rubbed her chin in thought, “I think so…” she admitted slowly, “but what can be done with him then?”

Mika sighed, grabbing her hand and all but dragging her to the edge of the market. A police station sat at the far side of the square, a pair of older looking squadcars resting in front.

“We have places to hold bad people,” Mika explained, “some people for a short time, some people for a long time, some people are even killed depending on their crimes, but we always try to determine the reason they did it, and how to make the punishment fit the crime.” He looked at her, gripping her shoulders and looking her in the eye, “They’re all people Chloé, even the bad ones, they all think and feel just like we do.”

Chloé shifted uncomfortably, “T-That seems like a good system for humans,” she admitted, but Mika scowled as he noticed the causal exemption she’d given herself.

“Chloé,” Mika said in a low voice, “I really like you, you’re a curious person, like me, and I want to show you the world… But you scare me Chloé, I’m worried about how you decide when it’s okay to eat a person.”

Chloé’s eyes were watery, and she sniffed a moment, “I-I’d never eat you Mika, or Oklahoma, or anyone else who was friends with you!”

“And what about innocent people who aren’t my friends Chloé?” Mika said harshly, “do you think you’ve ever eaten an innocent person? A person who did nothing wrong except being near you at the wrong time?”

Chloé was silent, looking down.

“Think about what I’ve told you,” Mika said slowly, “do you think you’ve ever eaten a person like that?”

“I… don’t know,” Chloé said softly, “I don’t think so… they’ve always had guns, and never seemed very friendly.”

Mika sighed, you’ll never know for sure, he told himself, and even if you did, would it be fair to hold it against her? She wouldn’t have had any idea humans were like her.

“M-Mika?” Chloé asked, biting her lip as a single tear rolled down the side of her face.

He hugged her close, “Hey,” he said, stroking her hair, “don’t cry, I want to be with you Chloé, I really do like you… but I want you to promise not to eat any more people, okay?”

“Yeah,” she said in a resigned voice, “I promise.”

Mika slowly let out a breath, then smiled, separating from her. It was like a load had been lifted, and they held hands, staring into each other’s eyes for a moment.

“Americano,” one of the vendors shouted, “Kiss that girl already!” a chorus of other shopkeepers joined in, along with a few laughing shoppers.

Mika rolled his eyes, but pulled Chloé in to a passionate kiss that made her squeal with delight.

…

Mika nervously looked up and down the deserted street as Chloé transformed in the large vacant lot behind him. She would leave an indent in the ground, there was no helping that, but at least he’d been able to find a relatively deserted strip of buildings for her to transform back into her true form. Her camouflage would keep anyone from seeing her unless they got too close, but she’d been at her hundred fifty plus meter height for almost a half hour now.

“Are you almost done?” he hissed under his breath.

There was a rush of air behind him, and a moment later Chloé was stumbling up to him, straightening her dress as she struggled to pull it back on.

“Sorry,” Chloé panted, “it’s hard to stay in human form so long, the longer this goes on the more rest I’m going to need.”

“We won’t always be in a city,” Mika sighed, “after this we should stick to the countryside unless we have no other options.” He glanced down the street, frowning at the darkened alleyways and windows. It’s almost guaranteed that someone saw something strange, he thought, but hopefully they won’t know what to make of it.

“I need to eat soon,” Chloé said, holding her stomach as it growled loudly. “Really eat, in my true form I mean.”

“Eat what?” Mika asked, nervous about the answer.

“I can eat any kind of meat,” Chloé said, “Humans are just… richer.” She licked her lips, “is there a watering hole near here? Lots of big animals go near those.”

Mika was about to answer, but the whistle of a train interrupted his thoughts. He glanced down the street towards the edge of the town, where a long train was coming in to the town’s freight station. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the numerous filled cattle cars, and as the wind blew the smell of bovine manure and bodies hit his nostrils.

“I’ve got an idea,” he said.

…

Higgins stared down at the streets of Rio De Janeiro from his hotel suite. With Mika, Chloé, and Oklahoma seemingly off the radar, for now anyway, Yukia and Emilia had gathered up most of the men and flown them all by helicopter back here.

We know you know; Yukia had said to him with a smirk. She’d removed her glasses, letting him see the slitted pupils with his own eyes. We’ll make you rich, but you’re working with us until the end now.

How did they know? He wondered, Who the hell am I really working for?. For the first time in a long career, he found himself wondering about more than his employer’s ability to pay. Is that a conscience? He chuckled to himself, No, I killed that cricket a long time ago… He walked to the minibar, smiling as he saw it held his favorite brand of whiskey, and then scowling at the price.

He took the mini-bottle anyway, pouring it over ice into a hotel monogrammed glass. He placed it next to his laptop on the room’s small writing desk, opening it up and waiting for the secure satellite connection. Yukia and Emilia had insisted he start attending video conferences for the higher ups in Ouroboros, as well as commanding their personal detachment of mercenaries. Once upon a time moving up in an organization like this would have brought him some satisfaction, but now he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

…

Oklahoma glanced at the door to the hotel room, They’ll be gone for awhile, she thought, I need to check in. She frowned, briefly wondering who she was checking in with, and why, but she suddenly remembered it was important not to worry about that, and she almost eagerly pulled the satellite phone out of her pocket and began dialing the memorized number.

“Ah, I wondered when I’d hear from you,” Emilia said in a pleased voice as she answered the call.

“We’re in a small hotel,” Oklahoma said, “I can give you the location-“

“No need, the phone has a tracker in it,” Emilia said, “How are Mika and Chloé? I assume she’s discovered her human form if you’ve made it this far?”

“Yes! It’s really something,” Oklahoma said, “She needs to turn back into a big snake girl every now and then though.”

“She’ll get better at holding that form over time,” Emilia mused, “particularly if she’s with the boy… Listen to me Oklahoma, I want you to keep them safe, stay with them. Do you need any money?”

“Always,” Oklahoma said eagerly, “how much can you send me?”

Emilia’s mouth curled into a smirk, even under mental control and with manipulated memories a human’s true personality showed through.

“I’ll see what I can arrange for you,” she promised, “you will tell Mika and Chloé that you received it from your criminal associates.”

“Hey, I’ve never been convicted of-“

“Yes dear,” Emilia giggled, “you’ve never been convicted of anything, I’ll be in touch.”

There was a click as she hung up, and Oklahoma briefly wondered who that had been. A moment later the conversation was vanishing, and by the time the phone was back in her pocket it was gone.

Back in the hotel suite Emilia sighed, opening her large grimoire and making a few notes. She and all of her sisters carried the books, against the tide of years some things simply needed to be written down to be remembered, although as an archivist her mind was sharper than the rest.

A beep called her attention over to her computer, along with a small machine attached to it via a USB cable. She watched the spiraling DNA on the screen, waiting for the results to appear on the monitor. Collecting some of Mika’s spilled blood had been almost an afterthought, merely something to satisfy her own curiosity about the lineage of the Snake Cult’s priests.

“Now let’s see where you fit in Thulsa Doom’s family tree,” Emilia muttered to herself. She reached for a small cup of warm milk she’d prepared herself, taking a sip as she read. She almost dropped the saucer, and her catlike ears went flat against her head as she read the DNA results.

“No,” she whispered, “t-that’s not right, can’t be right.”

NEKO DNA DETECTED, PROBABLE VIABILITY.

He’s one of US!? Emilia’s hands shook as she placed her cup of milk down. A male… they’re all supposed to be dead? Gods, how long has it been? She tried to calm herself down, No, not a Neko, just enough of a cross somewhere in that genetic code to be viable…

She almost leapt out of her chair as Yukia burst into her room, “Emilia!” she shouted eagerly, “Look at this!” she waved a copy of a magazine overhead, and before the other cat-girl could see what was on her screen Emilia casually closed the laptop, scowling at the intrusion.

“What!? I’m very busy here!”

“Oh yeah,” Yukia laughed, “Being the archivist is soooo hard, gotta keep track of all the human nonsense, right?”

“It is hard,” Emilia snapped, grabbing the magazine. She quickly scanned it, “Weekly World News?” she scowled, reading the headline, “Giant Snake Woman eats entire train full of livestock? Turns invisible to escape?”

“Yeah, looks like we’ve got them!” Yukia said eagerly.

“Secret cabal of cat girls controls world, rigs sporting events,” Emilia muttered, reading the second page story. “Damnit, how does this reporter always figure out our plans?”

Yukia shrugged, “The humans don’t seem to take them seriously, but I hear the fat cats at the top have been looking for that Gloria Chesterfield girl for a long time.”

Emilia glanced at the story author’s picture, she was a young woman with a nose ring and a flamboyant grin.

This lot probably forgets she has the nose ring, Emilia thought with a sigh. The bigger picture was where her people excelled, and how they had come into so much power and wealth in the human world, but day to day details were always a struggle.

“Come on,” Yukia said eagerly, “it’s almost time for the big meeting. The Princesse is going to update the humans on things.”

Emilia nodded, glancing at her laptop, “Why don’t we stream it to the TV?” she asked, glancing at the screen on the wall, “bigger picture, you know?”

“Whatever,” Yukia shrugged, flopping on the couch.

Most of the other parties to the teleconference were already dialed in. On one screen the organization’s headquarters in Japan was shown, a large amphitheater with a podium at the front and a ring of seating around it. Like a bizarre university class hooded Nekos sat with their large grimoires next to them, looking down as another, a black-haired cat-woman with European features walked, unhooded and unmasked, to the podium. The human attendees were in a number of locations, business leaders, political figures, and media personalities looked on with interest, waiting for the Princesse to speak.

The humans involved with Ouroboros had several layers. On the outside Ouroboros was a normal pharmaceutical company, of the upper echelons of the company only a small handful knew of the Neko’s existence, usually those that had been involved in the company’s more questionable activities for several years and had proved themselves capable of keeping secrets. Of the other important figures most were recruited through the company’s lobbying firm. While Ouroboros was far from all powerful or all knowing, but their influence was substantial, and growing with each passing decade.

“I’m pleased to see that everyone could make it,” the Princesse said with a small smile. “We have a number of matters to discuss.”

“We need to discuss the price of oil!” a petroleum industry CEO shouted.

“They can’t go any higher, they’re impacting transportation costs!” another man butted in.

Yukia sighed, pulling out her phone and starting a game of Tetris, “This is the dullest stuff,” she muttered, “humans and their money, who cares?”

“It does all seem rather ridiculous,” Emilia said with a small smile, “given what’s coming when the Princesse gets into that temple.”

“It’s going to be the cat’s meow,” Yukia giggled, focusing on her game, “I swear, I’m going to eat like a dozen humans that first day, I might start getting fat if I’m not careful.” She glanced up at the row of humans in the meeting, “I think I want to eat that one newscaster, the cute one with the weird hair,” she said pointing to the human in question.

“I’m sorry, what was that, Yukia?” The Princesse said sternly.

Yukia’s eyes went wide, and she looked down to see she’d accidentally rolled over the remote with her bottom, temporarily turning their microphone on.

“I said I wanted to MEET that one newscaster,” she said quickly, “I-I’m sorry, my microphone went on by accident!”

The Princesse just frowned, but clicked a button the podium, a “microphone muted” icon appeared in the corner of their screen as she continued addressing the gathered human’s economic concerns.

“Smooth,” Emilia smirked.

“Hey, these humans who work with us know what we are,” Yukia said with a shrug, “If they aren’t running out on now…”

“I think Higgins suspects something,” Emilia said casually.

“Who?” Yukia asked.

“The one you put in charge of our guards,” Emilia said.

Yukia frowned, pulling her grimoire up and flipping through it. She nodded as she read the entry on Higgins, the slapped it closed again.

“It doesn’t matter,” Yukia said with a shrug, “soon they’ll all be scurrying around underfoot, worshipping us like they used to for those stupid snakes.”

Emilia nodded, not really listening. The truth was she didn’t particularly want to see her people’s plans come to fruition. The way some of her sisters reveled in cruelty to the humans unnerved her, and while she’d been able to force herself to look the other way for the long centuries, with their ultimate goal in sight she was beginning to have doubts.

This Mika boy… he presents another way, Emilia thought to herself, a real future for our race, but he’s human, or human enough anyways… and the Naga already has him.

“Finally,” the Princesse said on the screen, “We believe that opening the temple in South America is within our grasp, and once we do, we will be able to give you all exactly what you deserve!” the Nekos in attendance with her clapped politely at that as she smiled out at all of them.

What they deserve, Emilia couldn’t help but roll her eyes, the Princesse was all but spelling it out for them, and next to her Yukia chuckled at the “joke.”

I’ve got to talk to the Princesse, Emilia decided, maybe if she knows there’s hope for children, for a future, she’ll end this madness. It was a far-flung hope, but she had to try.

…

The tavern on the edge of town was filled with hushed Portuguese voices, and Mika could feel a dozen pairs of eyes on him as Oklahoma guided him and Chloé back to a small booth against the far wall. While he couldn’t understand the language, the sorts of men who were found in these sorts of establishments were universal, and Mika did his best not to look nervous.

“Loosen up,” Oklahoma muttered, “you couldn’t look more like an American who doesn’t belong here!”

“I am an American who doesn’t belong here!” he hissed.

“Just try to act natural,” Oklahoma grumbled.

“Oklahoma!” a man’s voice called, waving them over to a dim booth in the back, “if it isn’t my favorite pilot!”

“Raul!” she said, returning his smile as she and Mika sat down across from him.

He was a lean man, with a flannel shirt and a cigarette in his mouth, the tendrils of smoke matching the handful of grey hairs in his smooth black hair. He stubbed the cigarette out on the table’s ashtray as he studied them, his smile never wavering.

“Who is this man?” Raul asked, glancing at Mika, “and you said there was a girl?”

“I’m Mika,” he said quickly reaching a shaking hand across the table. Raul took it with some amusement, and Mika did his best to give the man a firm grip. “This here is Chloé-“ he started as he realized she wasn’t with them, and he glanced over his shoulder in a panic. “CHLOÉ!?”

“I met some new friends!” she called, waving from the bar.

Mika’s face went pale as he looked at the rough looking group of men who were gathering on either side of her, smiles on their faces.

“What will the lady have?” the biggest of the men grinned, slamming a wad of crumpled bills on the bar.

“Does this place have Coca Cola with vanilla?” Chloé asked innocently, “I tried that earlier today and I really liked it!”

“I should go get her,” Mika said, standing up.

Raul’s hand caught his arm, “She’ll be fine,” he insisted, roughly forcing Mika back into his seat.

Mika chewed his lip, watching the bartender slide a bottle of Cola in front of a grinning Chloé, “She can handle herself,” Oklahoma said under her breath, “she’s the most dangerous person at that bar.”

He breathed out slowly, then forced himself to face Raul, “Right, like Oklahoma has said, we need to get out of the country, ideally without being detected by any official sources.”

“Would you like to share why?” Raul asked casually, “I don’t need specifics, but a bit of professional curiosity is natural, isn’t it? Oklahoma was always going to get herself into trouble eventually,” he smirked at the pilot’s glare, but otherwise ignored her, “You and the girl though? You don’t look like the types to get into real trouble…”

“He’s dodging child support,” Oklahoma lied quickly.

Mika’s eyes went wide, “WHAT!?”

“I know you’re embarrassed to be a deadbeat dad Mika, but Raul won’t judge,” Oklahoma said with a grin.

“Child support,” Raul said with a smirk, clearly not believing the tale, “right… Let me go talk to a friend and see when our next ship is leaving port.”

As soon as he got up and left Mika whirled to Oklahoma, “what was that!?” he asked angrily.

“I needed to tell him something,” Oklahoma said with a shrug.

“Dodging child support?” Mika asked, crossing his arms, “you couldn’t have told him I was a drug dealer, or dealing in stolen artifacts or something?”

“There’s no way anyone here is going to believe you are a drug dealer,” Oklahoma chuckled, “and if I said you were trafficking stolen artifacts he’d expect to see them at some point. Just stick to the child support story.”

At the bar Chloé was sipping her vanilla coke, listening to the men dip in and out of English and Portuguese as they alternated telling stories to try to impress her and get her attention, then slid into their native tongues to insult or threaten one another.

Finally the biggest of the men, a fellow with a bald head and a long thick mustache, slammed his fist on the bar, “I think she’ll drink with me now,” he said with a lecherous grin. The smaller men sheepishly returned to their own tables and drinks.

“Oh, okay!” Chloé said with a sweet smile.

Mika scowled as he saw the man buying Chloé another drink. He wanted to get up and go over to her, but Raul returned, and he forced his attention back to the smuggler.

“I have some good news, and some bad news,” Raul said with a sigh. “The good news is that I will be sending you to Rio De Janeiro free of charge!”

Oklahoma blinked, then she grinned, “I always knew I could count on you Raul! Are we delivering a package or-“

“You are the package,” Raul grinned, pulling a pistol and cocking it in one smooth motion. Around them several other men drew weapons, joining their employer.

“Damnit Raul!” Oklahoma scowled, “I thought we were friends!”

“Friends are one thing, but business is business,” he growled, “and there is a very large reward for the capture of you and your friends.” He gestured up at the bar with the gun, “go get the girl!”

Back at the bar the large man’s aggressive flirting was beginning to make Chloé uncomfortable, so much so that she didn’t even notice the pair of armed men approaching her from the other side of the tavern.

“Look girl,” the big man growled, “I’m through playing games, you’re going to come home with me, now.”

“I-I can’t,” Chloé stammered, “I’m here with friends!”

“You can call them tomorrow,” he said dismissively.

“I need to go,” Chloé said, sliding off the barstool.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me!” the man said in a raised voice. His hand shot out, gripping Chloé’s arm hard enough to make her gasp.

It was enough to break her concentration, and the next few minutes were filled with crashes and chaos as Chloé’s form began to revert. Wood splintered, and men were thrown against the wall before the onrushing wall of scales. The walls of the tavern exploded outward, and against the night sky Chloé reared up to her full height, stretching involuntarily as the ruined roof tiles and ceiling beams tumbled down her mountainous breasts like so much sand.

Mika groaned, rubbing his head as his vision started to clear, “Chloé?” he murmured.

Police sirens were blaring in the distance, and a handful of the bar’s patrons were firing their weapons up at the looming Naga, the *pop pop pop* of gunfire echoing through the night as the bullets bounced harmlessly off Chloé’s skin.

“Oops,” Chloé muttered, looking down at the destruction. She scanned the debris below for Mika, then scowled when she saw the large bar patron that had startled her. She reached down, wrapping her fingers around his stunned form, raising him up to her face with an angry growl. “Grabbing my arm wasn’t very nice,” she said angrily, her voice booming over the town.

“I-I’m sorry!” the man screamed, wriggling pathetically in her grip, “I-I’ll never do it again!”

“No,” Chloé giggled, licking her lips, “you won’t!” She opened her mouth, and the man shouted in terror, fighting feebly against her fingertips as he stared down the long black tunnel of her throat.

“Please!” he begged, fighting back tears.

Chloé paused, closing her mouth with a frown. Her stomach growled, and every instinct she had told her to eat the man, that he deserved it, that she was hungry, that she needed to do it.

“Chloé?” Mika’s voice called from somewhere down below.

She sighed, slowly placing the man on the top of a nearby building, “Be nice from now on!” she said in a stern voice.

“There they are!” Raul shouted, pointing at Mika and Oklahoma with a sneer as he and his men stepped over the rubble.

“Shit!” Oklahoma fumbled for her own gun as she tried to help Mika up, but the gesture wasn’t needed. A pair of hands swept down like angels, scooping them up and curling protectively around them as the bullets thudded against the outside of Chloé’s hands.

Chloé slithered away through the town, her massive form barely fitting between some of the streets. Cars were crushed beneath her, and red and blue lights flashed behind her as the police attempted to chase them. Soon she reached the edge of town, camouflaging herself against the night sky and the expansive jungle as the pursuit ended.

…

Emilia sipped her morning milk, reading the Weekly World News. She scowled as she saw Gloria Chesterfield’s smirking smile beneath the tasteless nose ring.

Giant Snake-Woman Returns, Destroys Tavern, Puts Local Womanizer in his Place? She folded the paper and wondered how long it would be before she and Yukia were ordered to pursue the group.

The patter of rain against the steel roof of the abandoned aircraft hanger was almost calming, and Mika had a small smile on his face as sipped from a warm cup of coffee.  Chloé was napping peacefully, coiled tightly in the middle of the massive space in her Naga form.

“How much longer does she need to sleep?” Oklahoma asked, walking up to him.

“Can we give her a few more hours?” Mika asked with a sigh, “ Chloé’s been in human form for a couple of days without a break, she’s exhausted.”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma muttered, “It’s just going to cost us another few thousand dollars, the guy who owns this place thinks we’re packing drugs in here so he and the crews will stay away so long as we keep “renting” it…” She chewed her lip a moment, “Do you have any idea where you want to go? I can’t keep dropping money on hiding spots like this, we might not get lucky enough to find another open aircraft hangar with an unscrupulous owner.”

Mika waved her to the hangar’s small office, and she followed him curiously. Inside he’d arranged his father’s journal, several printed maps, and some webpages pulled up on an ancient looking desktop computer.

“These guys don’t have the best internet,” Mika said, “but between my dad’s notes and a few things I looked up… I think I’ve got something.”

“Is this an X marks the spot situation?” Oklahoma asked, leaning over his shoulder and squinting at the blurry computer screen.

“Not exactly,” Mika explained, “the four additional temples were shown on a map at the one back in Brazil, but it’s very basic, essentially just showing what continent they’re on. The thing is, they included directions, of a sort.”

“Of a sort?” Oklahoma frowned.

“It’s hardly precise coordinates, and I can’t read the language so we’ll have to trust that my father’s interpretations were correct, but there are a number of geographic features described near the temples we’re looking for, things like they lay between two rivers, or beyond where the red flowers grow…” He pointed to the computer screen, “I think I’ve narrowed down the location of one, it’s in Mexico, the Yucatan specifically.”

“It could be worse,” Oklahoma sighed, “Okay, I can get us there… but there had better be some gold or something I can bring home from this one, because I’m running out of cash and I don’t know a lot of people in Mexico.”

“I’m sure it’s going to have something,” Mika said, “I didn’t find any reports of any ruins or anything in the area I think it’s in, so if it does exist, it’s probably untouched.”

“You’re not going to get all weird and tell me that the artifacts belong in a museum, are you?” Oklahoma asked with a wry smile.

Mika started, “W-Well some of them obviously do, there’s so much hidden history… I understand we’ll need to pawn some of it, but surely you see the academic value-“

“Okay, okay,” she said, raising her hands in mock surrender, “When this is all over, we’ll sell the artifacts to a museum, at a very reasonable price.”

Mika just rolled his eyes and reached for his coffee cup.

…

Emilia thumbed through the pages of her grimoire with a frown, more to distract herself than out of any particular desire to find anything. She’d immediately requested a meeting with the Princesse, hoping to meet with her in person to discuss the matter of Mika, and what the organization intended to do about it.

“Stop playing with those pages,” Yukia grumbled, stretching and yawning from her seat on their private jet. With a scowl she blinked her eyes open, glancing out at the sunlight coming in through the window. “Are you going to tell me why we need to meet the boss lady? I feel like we could have chased them on our own.”

“It’s a uh… special request,” Emilia muttered. She hadn’t let Yukia in on her findings, she was on decent enough terms with her usual partner on field missions, but Yukia was very happy with the status quo.

“Whatever,” Yukia drawled, “Higgins, how long until we land?”

“Forty-five minutes ma’am,” he said in a serious voice. He was seated up a few rows from the pair in the private plane, and hadn’t said much during the flight. Every now and then his eyes glanced up to the catlike ears that the pair of Nekos possessed, then back to staring ahead.

“What, are you still hung up on us not being humans?” Yukia teased.

“It’s somewhat… disconcerting,” he admitted in a gravelly voice.

“Normally we’d have wanted to work with you for a few more years before letting you in on the secret,” Yukia said with a shrug, “but you were a bad boy and found out on your own.” She beamed, “You’re pretty useful, so the easy thing to do was to keep you around, but remember, there’s only one way out now!” Higgins glared at her, and she giggled, “I can tell what you’re thinking,” Yukia said, “You’ve been threatened before, right?”

She stood up, “Yukia,” Emilia warned, suddenly watching her warily.

“I’m just demonstrating something!” Yukia said dismissively, “Higgins, get up!”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but he obeyed, glancing down at her uncertainly. On its face it was a comical situation, the towering and serious looking man in a business suit standing over a petite young woman with cat ears. Somehow though, he knew there was more to this, and the concealed handgun inside his suit jacket didn’t bring him the sense of security it usually did.

“Try to strike me,” Yukia said with a gleam in her eye.

Higgins hesitated, “I don’t-“

Like lightning Yukia’s hand leapt up, a tiny claw popped up from under her fingernail, tracing across the man’s face and leaving a thin trail of blood so shallow it could have been confused for a shaving cut. Still, the message was clear, and with a snarl Higgins threw a punch. Yukia dodged it with a giggle, ducking under the wide kick that was all the more impressive in the tight confines of the private jet.

“Yukia, enough!” Emilia shouted angrily.

Higgins gritted his teeth and adopted a new stance, raining a series of quick light blows down and widening his eyes in shock as Yukia deftly moved out of the way of each, occasionally stopping to stick her tongue out at him teasingly. He forced himself to calm, refusing to give in to the taunt as he fell back. Yukia leapt up one of the jet’s seats, leaping through the air in a graceful motion with a smirk on her face.

Gotcha, Higgins kept his face neutral as his hand shot out, deftly catching Yukia’s throat. Her eyes went wide, and it took all of his willpower not to return the teasing smirk he’d received from her earlier.

“Wow,” she rasped, grinning, “nobody’s managed to do anything like that in a really long time! You’re really good, and not just for a human!”

“Thanks,” he growled.

“The problem is, you’re still just a human,” she said with a mocking smile. Her open palm reached up to his hand, skin meeting skin.

Higgins felt a tingling, almost like an electric shock, and then he was falling through the air, flailing his arms for purchase as massive black clouds billowed alongside him.

No, he realized distantly, not clouds, fabric, that’s my suit! The realization was driven home by the sound of his gun, now the size of a city bus, clattering to the floor.

This time Yukia’s hand shot out, curling triumphantly around the now naked mercenary before he could fall any further. He struggled in the soft palm as she slowly brought him up to her face, giggling mischievously. Her warm breath billowed out over him as she licked her lips, and the catlike ears on her head twitched in excitement as her tail swayed back and forth.

“And you’re still fighting me,” she said, her smile growing wider, “that’s pretty brave, most humans just start screaming around this part.” She tilted her head back, and Higgins felt his heart race as he watched her mouth open wide, letting him look down the glistening dark tunnel of her throat.

“Yukia!” Emilia snapped.

That took the black haired neko back to reality, and she scowled, “I was just teasing him!” she insisted. She looked down at Higgins with an almost apologetic look, “You know I was just teasing you, right?”

He didn’t respond, gritting his teeth and tensing himself for whatever would come next. Yukia rolled her eyes, and a moment later he was sprawled across the floor of the jet cabin, landing on his clothing. He shakily gathered his things back up, slipping his pants back on and buttoning his shirt up. By the time he’d strapped his gun holster back under his jacket, he’d almost brought himself back to a state of calm.

“I guess now you know what happens to the humans that get in the way,” Yukia shrugged, “Serve us well, and you won’t need to worry about it.” She glanced at the back of the plane, where a private bedroom suite waited. She licked her lips again, “Speaking of, I feel the need for a little in-flight snack, I’ll see you two later!” The way she sauntered towards the back of the plane left no doubt in Higgin’s mind about what she had in her private cabin, and he wondered who would be taking his place in her belly.

Her back is turned, he thought, slowly reaching for his holster, she’s fast, but not faster than a bullet.

“I wouldn’t” Emilia said quietly.

He hesitated, and then nodded, “I… was simply adjusting it,” he said. He sighed, sitting back in his seat, trying to digest the insanity of what had just happened.

“So, things like you run the world,” Higgins said, causing Emilia to look up. It was a statement, not a question. “Your friend seems rather scatterbrained at times…”

“If you’d lived for as long as we have, you’d only remember the big moments yourself,” Emilia said, staring out the window. “In two hundred years you’ll be lucky if Yukia remembers you at all, let alone your name.” She gave a small smile and patted her own grimoire, “We write down our small details in these, to keep track of the things that would otherwise get swallowed up eons of other memories. I’m our people’s archivist because I’ve got a better mind for details.”

Higgins nodded, “So… where do I fit in with this?” he asked quietly.

Emilia shrugged, “We’re not complete monsters, many of our human servants live well, retire, and die happy when we’re done with them. If that ending appeals to you, do your job well. I don’t suppose I need to explain what happens if you don’t.”

“No,” Higgins said gravely.

Emilia turned back to her grimoire. Higgins wasn’t a good man; she’d read his profile and knew the sorts that Ouroboros typically enlisted. Still, she found herself hoping he wouldn’t find himself swallowed down by one of her sisters, and if she could help him by providing some slight reassurance, she would.

“She hasn’t consumed a human in several days,” Emilia said quietly, “she’s much faster and stronger immediately after doing so, all of us are. You’ll also want to avoid skin contact, that’s how the magic works.”

Higgins raised an eyebrow, “Thanks,” he said quietly.

The pair sat quietly for a moment, listening to the hum of the jet engine as the private plane began to descend. The small gulf island was, to outside observers, little more than an aircraft runway and a small private health spa catering to wealthy tourists. In reality of course the spa never had any guests, and was simply to explain the aircraft that came and went to local governments. The real purpose of the island was located beneath the Island’s surface. The many underground levels of the secret base, dating back to the cold war, housed luxury villas, research laboratories, and other facilities, a relic of a time when Princesse Natasha had been concerned that the humans would fire their atomic weapons at one another, sending both themselves and the Nekos back to square one. The base remained however, and at her behest Natasha had already arrived to hear her news.

“Stay with the jet,” Emilia said, standing up as the plane rolled to a halt. She saw his uncertain look, “Yukia will be joining me,” she said. Higgins had a look of relief come over his face, and a moment later seemed to resume his usual impassive stare.

…

Emilia entered her research lab at a quick pace, Yukia following behind her curiously. The pneumatic doors hissed closed behind them as she placed a steel suitcase on one of the tables, clicking it open and revealing the vial containing Mika’s blood sample.

“Emilia!” an eager voice called. She turned to see Myla, one of her research assistants. Like most Nekos she had dark hair, and an excitable air as she greeted her superiors. “I prepared the serum just like you ordered, the Lemurian fruit is easy enough to work with, once you understand it.”

The door hissed open, and the three of them started as Princesse Natasha walked in. The Neko ruler smiled, nodding slightly and putting them all at ease. She was wearing a flowing black dress, and at her side was her own grimoire, a massive tome with gilded pages and an ornate smiling face carved onto the wooden cover. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked into the lab, causing all of the other Nekos to step back unconsciously.

“Yukia, Emilia,” she said with a polite smile, “I didn’t expect to see you two again so soon, I hope this surprise meeting has to do with opening the Temple of Eternity?”

“No,” Emilia said, quickly moving past the frown that appeared on Natasha’s face, “but this is important, maybe even more than the temple!”

“That’s a bold claim,” Natasha said, raising an eyebrow as her tail swished curiously behind her.

“Myla,” Emilia said, “The Lemurian fruit serum please?”

“Y-Yes,” Myla stammered, “right this way!”

She led them over to a glass beaker, where a pale blue liquid pooled at the bottom. The Lemurian fruit itself was often stored in large freezers in the back of the lab, when exposed to room temperatures it degraded quickly, but a stable serum could be prepared from it which contained all of its properties.

“Good work,” Emilia said with a smile. Without waiting another second, she extended one of the small claws below her fingernail, puncturing the tip of her thumb. Yukia and Myla watched curiously as she squeezed a drop of blood in, causing the blue liquid to react in a fizzing motion. Seeing their looks she grinned, “The Lemurian fruit amplifies our ambient magical abilities,” she explained, “and those of the Naga.” She walked over to where Mika’s blood sample waited in the refrigerated suitcase. Not much of it remained, but as she popped the top a small amount of the congealed red liquid managed to dribble down into the waiting mixture of Emilia’s own blood and the Lemurian fruit serum.

“Whoa,” Yukia said, eyes wide as the mixture fizzed again, then went calm. “Does that mean that the boy, Mika, has magic?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Emilia said, “but our blood is compatible, look at how the serum absorbs both mine and his!”

“That… That needs to be written down or something,” Myla muttered, watching as the twin drops of blood dissolved into the blue liquid, merging with one another.

“What does this mean in practical terms Emilia?” Natasha asked.

“Obviously the theory would need some hands-on testing,” she blushed a little at the thought, “but it looks like Mika, the boy who has taken up with the Naga, can reproduce with us!”

There was stunned silence for a moment, Myla and Yukia turned to Natasha curiously, but the Princesse just scowled, waving dismissively.

“This changes nothing,” she growled, “I want you two to return to your search for the Naga and her human companions, they will be visiting one of her temples soon and I know you are aware of their locations Emilia.”

Emilia gulped, “Y-Yes, I am, but I think you’re missing the importance here!”

“Emilia, we lost our males to the humans and the foul Nagas in the first place,” Natasha snapped, “I will not pollute our lineage by replacing them with this… mongrel!” She scoffed, “I shudder to imagine how such a thing could have even happened!”

Emilia sighed, “Natasha…” she looked to Yukia and Myla for help, but they turned away. “We could end all of this! This curse we’ve brought on ourselves by consuming the humans, this long war, it could be a bad memory! We should find Mika, take him someplace safe, and then start making children!”

“Curse!?” Natasha laughed, “Please, we’re stronger than ever!” She ran a finger through her own black hair for a moment, “the humans fuel us Emilia, as they should. We are on the cusp of victory; I will not see us abandon rulership over humanity in order to be their bedwarmers. I am concerned by your refusal to partake in our natural prey, it has been long enough that you should have come around by now.”

Emilia was about to say something, but the sound of breaking glass interrupted her. They all looked to Myla, who had slipped trying to place the glass beaker back on the counter. Some of the fluid had splashed on her palm, and she looked up at them all in surprise.

“Myla, quickly,” Emilia said, “you should wash that-“

“EEE!” the other neko squealed as she shot downward, the shrinking magic taking effect and diminishing her down into the puddled clothing.

“T-The serum enhanced my natural shrinking abilities,” Emilia stammered, quickly dropping to her knees and searching for her tiny assistant. “The mixture of Mika’s blood must have amplified it too…” She grabbed the squirming naked form of Myla, slowly rising up and showing her to an amused Natasha and a concerned Yukia.

“W-We’re not supposed to be able to shrink each other!” Myla squealed.

“Indeed,” Natasha chuckled, licking her lips as she looked down at the now tiny catgirl.

“Hey, can I hold her?” Yukia asked, her eyes gleaming as she grinned.

Myla looked back and forth at the two dark haired Nekos, then up at Emilia in panic, “Fix this!” she demanded.

Natasha reached out curiously, touching the tip of her finger against Myla’s tiny head, “Odd,” the Princesse mused, “It doesn’t seem that I can regrow her…”

“The mixture of Mika’s blood may have made it permanent,” Emilia said nervously, “I’m sure that I could figure out a fix with some time…”

Yukia and Natasha were looming closer, each of them locking eyes on the tiny Neko, “Time?” Natasha chuckled, “I don’t think you have any of that Emilia.”

“Yeah, we need to get Mika and the snake,” Yukia agreed.

Myla’s catlike ears went flat against her head as she looked up at them, “Y-You guys are treating me like a-“

“Human,” Natasha muttered, “Yes, you’re just the size of a reduced one now, it’s making me…” Yukia’s hands darted for Myla, but Natasha was faster, chuckling as she held the tiny Neko out of Yukia’s grasp.

“Aw, come on!” Yukia pouted.

“Rank has its privileges!” Natasha laughed, gripping a flailing Myla by her tail and lifting her high.

“You can’t be serious!” Emilia panicked, “S-She’s one of us!”

Myla went pale as Natasha’s head tilted back, her pink lips parting and revealing the long glistening tunnel of her throat as her tongue lolled out. Myla had done this hundreds of times before from Natasha’s position, and knew what was coming.

“NO!” she squealed, grabbing at the air as the fingers released her. Emilia watched in horror as Natasha’s mouth caught Myla, the pouty pink lips sealing behind the tiny catgirl and muting her cries.

*Gulp*

Emilia felt numb as she watched the small bulge move down Natasha’s throat.

“Delicious,” Natasha laughed, “very similar to human, but… richer. ”

“It’s too bad there was only one of her,” Yukia murmured.

“Emilia, pack your things and return to the search,” Natasha ordered, as if nothing had happened.

“As you wish,” Emilia said numbly, walking back to her workstation and collecting her suitcase.

They’re insane, she realized, they’ve always been insane. She fought back tears, for centuries she’d tried to ignore what her sisters did to humans, but somehow seeing it happen to her own lab assistant had brought it all home.

Emilia looked at the readings on Mika’s DNA one last time, then clicked the case shut. She watched Natasha and Yukia leave, then moved to follow them.

All they want is to torment the humans for the rest of time, she thought bitterly, there isn’t any future there… Emilia grimaced as she thought about it, letting herself reckon for the first time with the reality of what the world Natasha was building would look like. The humans would never survive it, she thought bitterly, they’ll all be consumed or destroyed, and then what? Who will we turn on when we’ve had our revenge? 

The answer was obvious, and Myla had just offered a preview of who would be next on the menu when the last human had disappeared. 

Mika, he’s the only pathway to a future for our people. She sighed almost painfully as she realized what she had to do. The only way for me to save our people… is to betray them.

 …

The loud thrum of the cargo plane’s engines rattled Mika as he looked out the window, gulping nervously at what he knew was coming next. The group had managed to barter their way onto a cargo plane headed north, and per Oklahoma’s instructions he hadn’t asked what the other cargo was.

“Well, what do you think?” Oklahoma said, her voice raised.

“T-That looks like it,” Mika replied, “Look, there’s a large clearing of red flowers there, that’s fairly unique for this climate, and two rivers…” he pointed to a pair of small streams, barely visible from the aircraft.

“I definitely feel something here,”  Chloé murmured, peering down, “like I’ve been here before…”

Oklahoma slapped Mika on the back with a grin, “I’ll tell the pilot to get us lower, and we’ll jump out over those flowers, we won’t get a better landing spot than that, it’s easy to see and it’s nice and flat!”

“Are we really going to jump out of the plane?”  Chloé asked excitedly.

“Yes,” Mika said, his face pale.

“Okay snake-girl, you’re with me,” Oklahoma said, strapping in to one of the parachutes.

“This is so exciting!”  Chloé giggled. Oklahoma helped her strap her own vest on, then clipped theirs together.

“L-Let’s go over this again,” Mika stammered, looking down at his own nervously, “I wait three minutes, then pull the cord?”

“Right,” Oklahoma nodded as he buckled it on. “Don’t sweat it too much, it will automatically go if you get too close to the ground.”

“That’s a relief,” Mika sighed.

“Then again, the kinds of people who take ten thousand dollars in cash for a no questions asked flight over Mexico might not be up to date on all of their safety inspections,” Oklahoma said with a shrug.

Mika stared at her, “Y-You’re joking, you’ve done this before, right?”

She shrugged, “No, I’m more about landing planes than jumping out of them, but there’s a first time for everything.”

“Come on Mika,”  Chloé said eagerly, “it’s another new thing to try together!”

“Okay,” he sighed, moving over to the large sliding door of the aircraft.

There was a roar of wind as Oklahoma worked the door, sliding it out of the way as the pilot circled the large crimson field below. Mika’s face went white, and he froze.

“I-I don’t think I can-“ There was a push at his back, then he was screaming as he fell through the air, flailing wildly.

“There we go,”  Chloé said with a giggle.

“Wow,” Oklahoma chuckled, “I was going to do that, but I was going to give him a minute to get ready for it.”

“Let’s go!”  Chloé said eagerly.

“Alright, just don’t turn big while we’re in the air,” Oklahoma said, grinning as the pair leapt together into the open air.

…

Mika’s heart raced as the chute deployed, slowing his descent. He breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself as he descended towards the ground. He grunted as his feet made contact, causing him to bowl over as his parachute slowly descended around him. As he tried to free himself from the falling fabric, he saw Oklahoma and  Chloé, landing far more gracefully than he had only a few dozen feet away.

The trio freed themselves from the parachutes, leaving them on the ground as they walked towards each other through the field of red flowers. They were something like marigolds, but Mika doubted that they naturally grew as a vast carpet like this. He looked around, surveying the open expanse they’d found themselves in.

“Look,” Mika said, pointing to the edge of the clearing. Several trees poked higher than the rest, swaying gently in the wind. “Those are Lemurian fruit trees,” Mika said. They weren’t as tall as the ones in  Chloé’s jungle, and the few fruits they bore were small, withered looking, but there was no mistaking what they were. “This has to be the right place.”

“Well, I don’t see a pyramid or anything,” Oklahoma said, hands on her hips.

Mika frowned, “ Chloé, can you change into your true form?”

“That would feel great,”  Chloé muttered, stretching. “Just a moment!” Without warning she began stripping her clothes off, tossing her shirt to the ground, followed by her bra.

“Not a lot of modesty in that one, huh?” Oklahoma commented, crossing her arms.

“I don’t want to tear up my clothes!”  Chloé said defensively, “Just put them in your backpack or something!” She beamed at Mika’s quick glance and blush, even after all of this time seeing her naked could bring it out. “I don’t care if you like looking at me Mika,” she laughed, “You’re my friend, stare all you want!” she turned to Oklahoma, “That goes for you too I guess.”

Oklahoma smirked and rolled her eyes, “I need a lot more liquor in me than we have before I start staring at other girls, but thanks.”

 Chloé walked away from them, giving herself space. A moment later there was a shimmer, and  Chloé’s body expanded outward, her legs fusing together into the familiar red and yellow tail. As always Mika couldn’t help but stare as she took the form of a goddess, her looming form blocking out the sun as she stared down at him over those house sized breasts.

“Shouldn’t you make yourself invisible, or whatever it is you do?” Oklahoma shouted.

“No,”  Chloé muttered, looking around, “There aren’t any humans nearby except you two… or at least they aren’t taking any footsteps.”

“She can sense our footsteps?” Oklahoma whispered.

“She’s our natural predator, snakes can sense vibrations through the ground to track things, she can too,” Mika said in a hushed tone.

Oklahoma pursed her lips, but said nothing.

 Chloé suddenly had an odd expression on her face, “Mika, I can hear water!”

“The streams?” Mika asked, peering beyond the treeline.

“No,”  Chloé said, looking down, “It’s… below us?”

She slithered forward a little, and Oklahoma and Mika jogged after her massive form as she left a trail of trampled flowers in her wake. After a few minutes she found herself at a place in the middle of the field, but she leapt back with a cry of surprise as a massive stone pillar began to rise out of the field. The ground shook, and the three of them watched in shock as the stone, easily thirty meters in circumference, continued to lift itself up until it stood as tall as  Chloé did.

“Yeah, this is probably it,” Oklahoma muttered.

The two walked to  Chloé’s side, looking up at the stone monolith as  Chloé studied it, “Look here,” she said, “This looks like a pair of lips?” She pointed to the middle of the indented carving, “And there’s a little human sized pair of lips in the middle…”

“Uh… okay,” Mika said, pulling his father’s journal out of his bag. He flipped through the pages, eventually finding the relevant section. “It says here that in order to enter the temple, the goddess and her human priest must both kiss…”

“That’s easy enough!”  Chloé reached down for him, scooping his body up in her hand and lifting him high before he could say anything. His stomach lurched as he was brought up alongside  Chloé’s grinning billboard sized face. Her pillowy pink lips slammed into him, and his words were muffled as he did his best to purse his own lips against hers. They parted a moment later, and  Chloé frowned as she glanced at the stone monolith. “Why isn’t it opening?” she wondered.

Mika studied the pillar, in particular the carved pair of lips at the top, the small human sized ones with the larger set, obviously carved for a Naga…

“I think we’ve got to kiss those, ” he said, pointing to them, “at the same time.”

“The only way to do that is with you in my mouth,”  Chloé turned to him with a grin, “I do like having you there.”

“Yeah,” Mika muttered, sighing and readying himself. You’ve been in her mouth plenty of times before, he told himself, this isn’t any different.

 Chloé’s mouth opened, her tongue lolling out as he felt the familiar animalistic terror grip him. It was fleeting, wrestled back down by his conscious mind, but it was always there, somewhere in the back of his head. The warm humidity of  Chloé’s breath rolled over him like a thick fog as she gently opened her palm, tipping it and sending him sliding down onto the soft pink mattress.

“O-Okay, we need to kiss it at the same time, so just kind of-“

Her tongue lifted him up, casually twisting and flipping his body over. Mika grunted as his upper body was thrust forward, and a moment later the soft upper and lower lips clasped around his face and hands like a pillory.

 Chloé began moving her face towards the giant stone lips, and Mika did his best to pucker his own as his face was pressed into the smaller, human sized pair in the center.

This time the pillar lit up, sigils like the ones in the South American temple coming to life across it as it slowly descended back into the ground. There was a rumbling sound, and down below them Oklahoma fell back in shock as the field before them collapsed, slowly forming a massive tunnel leading down into the earth. Deep within it there was an odd blue glow, almost beckoning them.  Chloé slowly pulled Mika out of her mouth, staring in awe at the revealed passageway.

“I guess we know where we have to go,” Mika said, wiping a bit of  Chloé’s saliva off his arms.

 Chloé slithered forward, then paused, looking down at Oklahoma, “I don’t think you’re supposed to go in here,” she said sheepishly.

Oklahoma looked at the gargantuan underground passage with a grimace, “I’m fine with that,” she said, “I’ll wait up here, you two have fun.”

 Chloé nodded, cupping Mika in her hands as she began her journey downward into the underground chamber. The pair left the pilot behind as they descended into the tunnel, and within a few moments they’d come to the source of the blue light as the passageway opened up into a colossal chamber, large enough that even  Chloé couldn’t touch the ceiling. In the center was an elaborate blue fountain, seemingly carved of luminous crystal. The waters bubbled clean and clear, and small grooves in the floor carried water that spilled from it to the corners of the room, where more of the stunted Lemurian fruit trees waited.

That fountain must give them enough light and water to survive , even down in a place like this Mika realized. Beyond the fountain waited the temple itself, a columned building of the same elegantly carved stone as  Chloé’s, and while it wasn’t an elaborate complex like the one in South America, it accommodated  Chloé’s size easily as she made her way inside, holding Mika up.

Welcome to the Temple of Desire, a voice echoed. Mika and  Chloé started, and as they looked around for the source, he realized that it wasn’t speaking in English, or any other language he recognized, yet he could understand it.

“It’s coming from inside my head,”  Chloé murmured.

“Yeah,” Mika whispered back, squinting his eyes and peering into the darkness.

The far wall lit up suddenly, much like the moving engravings they’d seen before. The green snake goddess smiled out at them, as if in greeting, and the high priest, a simple stick figure with an ornate headdress, joined her.

You have come here as part of your rite of passage, as all your mothers and sisters before you did. You have brought your companion, ready to earn his trust, and the trust of his fellows.

The snake goddess lifted her human to her, holding him before her body almost the same way that  Chloé was to Mika in that moment.

To partake in the long-guarded secrets here, you must take your companion into your most sacred place, let him explore you, take you to the heights of pleasure, resisting the urge to take him for yourself, to control and consume him.

They watched as the snake goddess lay across her back, smiling as the hieroglyphic human slowly approached her lower body. At that the images stopped moving, leaving the two in silence.

“So… I think you’re supposed to go inside me again,”  Chloé said, chewing her lip and trying to hide her excitement.

“Yeah, that seems to be what they want,” Mika muttered, rubbing his chin as he thought, “fertility rites are fairly common in ancient cultures, but there’s something else here.”

“What?”  Chloé asked curiously.

“I think I have to take the lead,” he explained, “and you just have to lay back and let me.”

 Chloé frowned, “so wait, I can’t put you in, or-“

“Or push me back down, or any of that,” Mika said with a small smirk. “This place seems like it’s one big trust exercise, a human has to go into a Naga’s mouth to open it, and now it looks like I’ve got to go inside your…”

“Pussy?”  Chloé giggled.

“Yeah,” Mika said, smirking. “I suppose there’s nothing to do but get started.”

“Okay,” she said eagerly, reaching for his shirt.

“I think undressing me would defeat the purpose of it,” Mika said, holding up a hand, “put me down.”

 Chloé pouted, but obeyed, slowly lowering him down to the stone floor of the temple. She watched, barely containing herself, as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, then his pants, finally kicking off his shoes and socks and standing naked before her.

“Okay, lay down,” he ordered.

 Chloé gave him a small seductive smile, then stretched out, laying on her back across the massive stone floor. Her hands went up behind her head, letting him look at her body as the mountainous thing it was.

Okay, he thought, walking towards her, let’s get climbing.

 Chloé shivered at the ticklish sensation as she felt his tiny hands and feet tracing up her tail, and a moment later a small giggle erupted from her as he got higher up. For Mika’s part he felt almost like an insect, crawling across the body of a goddess as he worked his way along the scales of her tail.

He could see her leaning up now and then to watch him, biting her lip and fighting the urge to grab him and have her way. The temple went from blue to red, causing him to pause, “ Chloé,” he said sternly, “were you going to-“

“I was thinking about grabbing you, yeah,” she muttered, laying back down as the temple lighting returned to normal.

“We don’t want to find out what happens if we fail one of these,” Mika reminded her, “just lay back, I promise I’ll make it feel good.” He paused as he reached a strange interlocking set of scales. Idly he started to lift them, causing  Chloé to gasp.

“D-Don’t open that!” she stammered.

“Why not? What is it?” he asked curiously.

 Chloé blushed red, “T-That’s where my waste comes out, don’t mess with it!” He chuckled and moved away from it, causing  Chloé to give a sigh of relief as he continued his climb.

There was a low gurgling noise below him, and he stopped, looking down at the striped red and yellow surface of the scales, almost iridescent in the low light of the temple chamber. He knelt down, laying his hand flat on the smooth surface. He shivered as he could feel just the tiniest bit of movement, the remains of Chloé’s meals passing through her.

Her digestion is a lot like a snake’s, he thought to himself, shivering slightly, she swallows things whole, and she processes them slowly. As always when he thought of Chloé’s eating habits, the intrusive thoughts crept in, he saw himself squeezed through her lower belly, slowly being pushed along that tail by a powerful and ruthless digestive tract.

Focus, he told himself, trying to ignore the strange rush of excitement the idea held. He breathed out slowly, then continued up her body.

Finally, Mika finished climbing the scales, and  Chloé squeaked in surprise as he reached the part of her body where her skin began. A moment later he was standing over her slit, inhaling the warm musky scent of her arousal. With a grin he stood up over it, placing a foot on either side like a conqueror as he looked down at the massive body of the girl stretched before him.

From this angle you can’t even tell she’s half snake, he thought with a wry grin.

“Go in!” she pleaded.

“Not yet,” he chuckled, stepping further across the soft bouncy expanse of her skin.

“Mika!” she whined.

He ignored her, gently leaping over her bellybutton with a smirk. Walking across her skin was like traversing a large mattress, soft, springy, but also incredibly warm. As he made his way up her body, he walked in the valley between her mountainous breasts, taking a moment to watch and enjoy the gentle rise and fall of her breath. He glanced up, not surprised to see  Chloé leaning up and looking at him again.

“You’re beautiful,” he remarked, giving a small smile as he enjoyed the up-close look at her face. “I don’t usually have the chance to look at you up close like this…”

“If you want me to let you walk around on my tummy you just have to ask,”  Chloé said, blushing slightly. She raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer to her, tickling her body as he stepped along her breastbone and then up the tender flesh of her neck. Chloé gulped, suddenly nervous as Mika stood at the base of her neck, looking up at her face.

“The skin on your face is so soft,” he said quietly, brushing his hand along her chin. She almost reflexively lowered her head a little, leaning into his touch and letting him reach her lips. He poked them almost playfully, smirking at Chloé’s flustered expression.

“Y-You’ve touched my face before,” she stammered.

“I want to take my time with it,” he said with a smile. He kept going for a few moments, tracing his hand delicately across the surface of her cheeks, reaching up to playfully pat her nose, then finally leaning in and giving the lower half of her face a quick hug, savoring the warmth with a sigh. 

Chloé’s face was crimson, and she was fighting a giggle as she spoke, “Okay, are you ready for the rest?”

“I’m getting to it,” he laughed, turning back towards her chest. He reached up, gripping a handful of  Chloé’s breast as he forced himself up it, climbing slowly to the peak. She winced slightly at the tiny pinch of his hands, then watched eagerly as he reached the peak of her breast, looking down at a nipple the size of his chest.

“Oh,”  Chloé groaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back as he grabbed the top of her nipple, gently pinching it between the palms of his hand. Around him he saw her skin begin to prickle, the terrain growing rougher as goosebumps spread down her body. He grinned and licked his palm, adding a bit of lubrication to his efforts as he toyed with the giant brown point, teasing the nipple and causing  Chloé to pant slightly.

When she began to make small low mewling cries, he decided he’d done enough, and he slid down the far side of her breast, tumbling over the bumpy terrain as she shivered with excitement.

 Chloé gulped nervously, trembling with excitement as she felt the tiny pitter patter of his feet walk down her belly once again, jumping playfully over her bellybutton as he made his way back to her womanhood.

She’s definitely ready for me, he thought with a smirk. The slit below him hadn’t quite flowered open yet, but it was wet and glistening, almost overflowing with the rich smelling juices. It was odd, standing over her womanhood, a force of nature that had easily overwhelmed him on its own, and being in control. He slowly lay across the puffy lips of her labia , careful not to slip between them as he looked up Chloé’s body again, making contact with her pleading eyes as they met his own, staring through the valley of her breasts.

I’m at the gateway to your temple, Mika thought with a grin, now to open it.

His hand reached up, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he let his hand cup the sphere of her clitoris, resting at the top of her womanhood. He slid his hands over the moist pearl like it was a crystal ball, grinning as he watched  Chloé’s faraway face contort in pleasure.

“Ah!” she cried, panting as she fought to remain still. Below him Mika could feel the trembles of her body, the tremors of some explosive volcano, ready to erupt at any moment… But he continued, rubbing the sensitive node more and more until  Chloé was a quaking mess, helpless before his onslaught.

He felt himself getting excited too, and the tip of his manhood was pressing between  Chloé’s lips as he lay across them, tantalizing him with a promise of what lay inside.

When  Chloé thought she could take no more, the tantalizing torment ceased. With a heaving chest Chloé looked down her body, feeling her heartbeat quicken as Mika stood up over her womanhood once again. She bit her lip as she felt his bare feet plant themselves on her labia minora, spreading her open. She almost sat up with a jolt as Mika let himself slide in feet first, entering her up to his waist with a wet *schlick.*

“Are you okay?” Mika called up.

“Y-Yeah,” Chloé stammered, “it was just really intense!”

Mika began wiggling his way further into her, the wet mouth of her pussy gripping him tightly as he struggled to squeeze himself lower. His stomach disappeared, leaving him up to his armpits in Chloé as she breathed out slowly, fighting the urge to press him the rest of the way in. As he looked up at her, he smiled, feeling the force of gravity beginning to help him slide into her. 

“G-Good luck!” she yelped as she watched his shoulders slide into her, then, like a man going beneath the surface of quicksand, his head slipped down into her. 

Her powerful walls pressed tightly against Mika, gripping him like a vice as he grunted and struggled to wiggle his way down. Each motion made it harder for  Chloé to control herself, but with a mewling whine and a grimace, she clenched her fists, willing herself to relax, loosening the tunnel enough that Mika could continue. Gravity was his ally as he felt his body slide against the silky wet walls of her vaginal canal, and even when he paused, he still continued his inevitable slide downward. 

Within her Mika could see everything, bathed in the strange low light that seemed to exist everywhere within her body. The ridged pink walls seemed to invite him in, pulling at him and drawing him deeper to the core of her being, more and more Chloé realized that she wouldn’t be able to stop his descent if she wanted to, her own body betrayed her, and a thrilling sense of helplessness washed over the giant Naga as she felt a new tingling wave was over her as he dove deeper into her.

The steady thump of her heartbeat let Mika know what he was doing to her, and each slow advance through the dripping passageway caused it to flutter, a drum solo played only for him as the smallest touch of his fingertips against the sensitive walls caused new moans of excitement from the rumbling goddess he was now journeying into.

“C-Careful,”  Chloé managed, feeling herself tighten against him involuntarily.

Mika paused, giving her a second to recover before continuing, shivering as the motion of the soft fleshy tunnel against his own manhood brought him his own waves of thought scattering sensations. She probably couldn’t stop him, even if she clenched as hard as she could, she was soaking wet, and even if he held still he had a feeling he would slowly drift downward anyway. Still, he wanted to do this gently . The smell and taste were beginning to cloud his head too, the rich aroma burned in his nostrils, and each time he gasped for breath in the swampy confines more of her juices entered his mouth, coating his tongue and throat with the ripe musky taste of  Chloé’s juices, lingering on his skin and lips like a silky oil.

He continued forcing himself downward , fighting the urge to collapse and pleasure himself then and there, nearly given in just as his foot reached a spongy floor .  Chloé trembled around him like a collapsing subway tunnel, and he peered down curiously, blinking the warm juices of her arousal out of his eyes as he took in the small portal at the end of her womanhood.

Her cervix, he realized, gently tracing his toes across it. It quivered slightly, and he heard a loud low moan from outside . He didn’t hesitate any further, and with a grunt he curled his body downward, using all of his remaining strength to invert his body and bring his hands down to the entrance to Chloé’s womb. His fingers curled around the edges of the quivering ring of flesh, stretching it open as he dove down into the deepest part of Chloé’s womanhood.

“MIIIKKAAA!”  Chloé screamed, her eyes going wide as the floodgates burst, sending her over the edge as her tail writhed across the stone floor.

Mika grunted as his body slipped through, feeling the soft texture of the new chamber seeming to close around him, accommodating his body and keeping it safe, secure.

There was a sudden flash of blue, the same low shade as the temple fountain put off, then Mika and  Chloé cried out together as a wave of pleasure carried them into a trance.

…

Mika looked out across the vast city from his perch upon  Chloé’s shoulder. With a start he realized he was wearing a ceremonial outfit, not unlike what he’d imagine a priest in Egypt to have worn.

You trust each other, the snake goddess’s voice rang out, and that is the foundation of our relationship with one another.

The pair looked down as the snake goddess herself waited in the city’s central square, watching the countless humans parading past her, smiling and waving. She returned the gesture, and behind them neon lights burst into the sky.

We desire them in many ways, they rightfully fear us, but we can both prosper if we control our desires. Take from them only what is freely given, and give back to them more than you take.  

…

Mika blinked as he came back to reality, trying to process what he’d just seen.

Her womb, he realized, slowly touching the walls, I’m in her womb!

Outside  Chloé was panting, covered in sweat as the last remnants of the powerful orgasm left her. She collapsed onto the floor, her hand drifting down to her stomach and resting on her lower belly, subconsciously protecting the tiny fluttering motion of the human deep within her.

“ Chloé,” Mika said slowly, “Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” she said dreamily, “you feel so wonderful in there Mika… You could just stay, at least for a little while.” She crossed her arms behind her bed, relaxing with a smirk, “What’s it like in there, anyway?”

“It’s soft, very warm,” he said, touching the walls again, “a little pink?” He yawned, “a man could fall asleep in here…”

“I’d be okay with that,”  Chloé said, “it’s like you’re a little ball of light or something, it’s nice to have you there.”

“No,” he insisted, “We’ve got to finish this, I’m pretty sure the next part is you releasing me,  Chloé.”

She sighed, “Fine… What do I do?”

“Just relax,” he insisted, “and don’t worry, we’ll do this again sometime.”

With that he brought his hands down to the bottom of the tight chamber, pressing against the same ring of muscly flesh as he forced his way outside. He could feel it pressing against him, halfheartedly trying to keep him from escape, but with a final grunt he flopped his way back into  Chloé’s pussy, starting the journey back out of her.

 Chloé winced, feeling his hands once again begin their stimulating fumbling and pulling motion against her walls as he crawled inside her, but this time she took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. 

Mika frowned as he looked up at the distant light at the end of the tunnel. The climb out took much more of his strength, and he found himself straining his muscles as he tried to keep a grip against the slick walls around him. The gravity which had aided his descent now worked against him.

Chloé felt his struggles, and smiled, clenching around him and providing some rigidity to the tunnel around Mika.

“Thanks,” he sighed, finally able to continue his ascent. It was odd, being able to climb out of a body that seemed made to consume him in several ways. That’s the point, he thought, thinking on the temple’s instructions, I’m supposed to trust that she won’t hurt me, or simply take me, even though she could…

Within a few minutes he’d nearly reached the end, and as she looked down her body again, she saw his head pop out of her almost like a groundhog, looking around and blinking her juices out of his eyes as he hauled himself up, his arms on either side of her labia as he flopped out of her womanhood.

“Mika,” she giggled, snatching him up and squeezing him to her cheek before he could catch his breath. “That was… amazing!”

“Yeah,” he agreed, blinking, “It was.”

Being in control during an encounter with  Chloé had been… illuminating. She’d always been so powerful, so overwhelming, it had been like making love to a hurricane. Now though? It was almost like she was a normal girl.

…

Outside the temple Oklahoma was throwing rocks at nothing, occasionally glancing at the pit and wondering with Mika and  Chloé would return. The ring of the satellite phone startled her, and she leapt up, answering it quickly.

“Boss?” she asked, frowning, I don’t have a boss? The mental fog vanished as Emilia spoke.

“Oklahoma, I need you to tell me your location,” Emilia said in a hushed tone, “I’m going to come to you soon.”

“Can you send some more money?” Oklahoma said casually, “We’re out.” She paused, frowning, “And who the hell are you, anyway?”

“My influence on your mind is wearing off,” Emilia explained with a low chuckle, “but I’ll introduce myself again soon, and yes I’ll bring some more money.”

Some good news at least, Oklahoma thought with a grin.

Chloé’s eyes were wide as she looked around the luxurious hotel room. With a giggle she ran and threw herself onto the immaculately made bed, hugging a soft pillow to her chest.

“This hotel is way nicer than the last one!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah well, it’s also a lot more expensive,” Oklahoma muttered. She hefted a pair of backpacks they’d purchased from a large outlet store, bringing them onto one of the beds with a grunt. With a grin she unzipped the top, staring in at the glimmer of jewels and gold coins. After the trial was completed the three of them had searched around the temple a little more, eventually uncovering a small chamber with stored riches similar to the one in Chloé’s own temple.

“Did we really need this extravagant room?” Mika asked, grimacing at the size of the suite. “Those items are priceless historical artifacts, I don’t feel right pawning them for stays at upscale hotels.”

“Look, I’m sure Chloé’s ancestors would understand,” Oklahoma said, walking towards the minibar with a shrug.

“It’s mostly just shiny stuff to me,” Chloé said, “I’m still not completely sure how money works, but if the gold helps then I think they’d have wanted us to have it.”

“See?” Oklahoma said cheerily, “Chloé’s ancestors practically sent me this beer themselves,” she said, cracking one of the cans open, “it would be disrespectful to let it go to waste!” She took a deep swig, sighing appreciatively as she sat down in one of the suite’s chairs. “All right journal boy, can you tell us where we’re going next?”

Mika licked his lips, thumbing through the pages, “Obviously narrowing down the exact location is going to be difficult, but it’s somewhere in Scotland.”

Oklahoma raised an eyebrow, “Scotland? As in Scotland that’s across the Atlantic?”

“Unless you know of another one, yes that’s where we’re going,” Mika said with a nod. “Can you get us there?”

She rubbed her temples a moment, sighing in frustration, “I think so… but it’ll probably burn through all the treasure we just looted- I mean appropriated, from that last temple. Flying commercial is probably out, even if Chloé can stay human sized for an intercontinental flight, we’d need a lot of documents to get into the UK. Normally I’d just visit a few friends of mine to get some fake passports, but Ouroboros is probably still offering a lot of my old friends money for us, so they’re out.”

“What about by sea?” Mika asked.

“Slower, but probably easier,” Oklahoma replied, “Most of the cargo ships in the port here are private contractors, I’m sure if the right captain and crew were offered some cash they wouldn’t mind letting us hitch a ride.”

“I can’t wait to see the ocean!” Chloé exclaimed, “You said it was bigger than the rivers back home!? How long does it take to swim across, a day?”

Oklahoma and Mika exchanged looks, “You’ll see,” Oklahoma chuckled.

…

The wind whipped through Emilia’s blond hair as she stood with Yukia on the island’s private runway. Princesse Natasha had already departed, returning to her villa in southern France to await further news. A pair of private jets waited, fueled, crewed, and ready, one for each of the Nekos.

“So where is this temple again?” Yukia asked, her ears flickering uncertainly.

“It’s in a place called Four Corners, in the United States,” Emilia said. Yukia nodded, pulling her grimoire out of its satchel and scrawling the information down.

“Four Corners, United States,” Yukia muttered, “Anything special to look for?”

“Don’t worry, you and your team will be able to ambush them before they can enter the temple,” Emilia said. “I’ll take my men and prepare an ambush at the other temple location, in Scotland.”

“Sounds good!” Yukia grinned, “No matter which one they pick to go to, we’ll have them!”

“That we will,” Emilia said with a smile, turning towards her own private plane as Yukia walked up the stairs into the waiting aircraft.

Higgins waited for Emilia at the top of the stairs, the same neutral expression on his face he always had. This flight would only be the two of them and their pilot, who would be in the cockpit the entire time. Getting time alone with him was imperative, and as he pulled the door shut behind her she could tell that the mercenary was already aware that this would be no ordinary bodyguarding job.

“Yukia is not coming with us?” he asked, sitting in the leather chair across from her.

“No, she’s going to Four Corners,” Emilia said with a smirk.

Higgins frowned, “You believe the targets are going to a tourist trap in the middle of the desert?”

“No, I sent Yukia on a wild goose chase,” Emilia said flatly, “you and I need to have a talk.”

He raised an eyebrow, then gave a barely perceptible nod, “I’m listening…”

“You don’t like what you’ve been pulled into,” Emilia said, “You’re smart enough to see that we are not merely warlords, corrupt leaders, or criminals. What if I told you that we are planning the end of humanity’s time as the dominant species on this planet?”

Higgins’ eyes went wide, “I… I don’t know…” He swallowed, and Emilia could see him shift, ready to reach for his pistol.

“Would you want to save the world?” Emilia asked, giving him pause.

Higgins was silent as the aircraft climbed, studying her. Finally, as the clouds began to pass below them outside the windows, he spoke.

“If I could do something, I think I would like to,” he said in a low voice.

Emilia nodded, “I thought as much, good and evil don’t mean much in the face of survival or extinction.”

“They never meant anything to me anyway,” Higgins growled, “what do you need me to do?”

“Gather a group of loyal men, a dozen, a hundred, as many as possible,” Emilia said, “work through our organization, and when the time is right…” Emilia swallowed nervously, no going back now… “I want you to kill Princesse Natasha.”

Hearing her voice say it was strange, like she was listening to someone else, and yet she’d spoken the words. In that instant millennia of loyalty to her people were thrown to the wind.  

Higgins sensed the hesitation, leaning back and eyeing her coolly, “Assassinating your head of state,” he chuckled, “you don’t sound sure cat-girl, that’s one of those things you really need to be sure about.”

“I am, ” Emilia growled, “if Natasha is able to enter the central chamber of the South American complex, she’s going to use what’s in there to wipe out humanity, and she probably won’t stop with you!”

“Okay,” Higgins sighed, “It’ll take time, but I can pull something together… Can you get me close to her?”

“You’ll need to do it on your own,” Emilia said, “I’m leaving you.”

Higgins eyes went wide, “Now hold on a minute-“

“My people have several abilities,” she said, standing up, “the shrinking touch you’ve already seen, but we can also alter memories, implant ideas… I’m one of the best of us when it comes to this skill.”

“I don’t want to be mind controlled!” Higgins said, drawing his pistol and leveling it at her in one smooth motion.

Emilia gulped, unused to being in the line of fire herself, that was what Yukia was for after all, a warrior to do her bidding. Still, if this was to work, she’d need to find a bit of courage. She cleared her throat, keeping herself calm.

“The story you and the pilot will give my sisters is that I used my powers to overwhelm you, and then abandoned you. It’s not too different from what will happen.”

“And you’re making me a suicide agent?” Higgins asked angrily.

“No, I wouldn’t do that,” Emilia said softly, “I’m going to erase this conversation from your memory, so that even you won’t know you’re working for me. You’ll know you need to gather soldiers, you’ll know that you need to position yourself close to Natasha, but you won’t remember why. This will protect you when they question you.”

“I see,” he said slowly, “And do I get a trigger phrase? Something to remember all of this if I need to?”

“Pick one,” Emilia said with a smile.

“Valentine’s Day, Nineteen Twenty-Nine,” he said with a sigh, holstering his gun.

“The Valentine’s Day Massacre?” Emilia questioned with a smile, “I suppose it’s fitting, given what we’re going to do…”

“It’s about the only thing I remember from history class,” Higgins drawled, “I don’t suppose you’re going to reveal your people had something to do with it?”

Emilia chuckled softly, “I met Al Capone once in passing, we shared a traincar… but no, we were never involved with him.”

“A shame,” Higgins muttered, “I’d have liked to know what he was like.” He sighed, steeling himself as Emilia reached for his forehead to apply the memory wipe.

…

The Dexter Ward was a lucky find, it was a cargo ship nearly loaded and ready to depart to the United Kingdom, and with a crew and captain that were more than willing to take money from a group of “tourists” who wanted to experience life on a cargo barge for a few weeks. From the way the captain, a grizzled old salt that looked that part, stared at them while Oklahoma paid out the cash, he knew there was more to them than met the eye, but he didn’t care to know what it was. He’d even given them the crew’s spare cabin for their use, only warning them to stay out of the crew’s way as they carried out their duties.

“Wow,” Chloé whispered, gazing out to sea, wide eyed as they lost sight of the land.

“Yep, it’s pretty special the first time you see it,” Mika chuckled, going to her side.

“It’s like it could just go on forever,” Chloé said, hugging him close as she let her eyes trace along the horizon.

“It feels that way,” Mika said, “but it ends, and there are new places, new people… When you look at a map it almost feels strange to realize how small it really is.”

Chloé looked down at the waves, licking her lips, “Mika, I’ve been holding back like you asked, to try to keep us from being noticed… but could I eat the fish down there? I’m pretty hungry, I think I need to eat a lot of them…”

“Go for it,” Mika laughed, “just wait until night so the crew doesn’t see you.”

Chloé scowled, looking up at the sun in the sky and wishing it would hurry up and set.

…

Oklahoma laughed as one of the crewmates passed her a bottle of rum, “I’m telling you guys, they’ve got Jackalopes in the southwest, I’ve seen them!”

“Bullshit!” one of the sailors slurred, “that’s just the American version of Nessie!”

“No, Bigfoot’s our version of Nessie,” Oklahoma chuckled, “Jackalopes are a whole other thing.”

She’d encountered five of the crew drinking in the hold, and after offering to share a bottle from her own stash, they’d quickly taken the American woman in with them, swapping stories and drinks as the ship swayed back and forth.

“You Americans have so many stupid imaginary monsters,” a more sober man chuckled, taking the bottle to remedy his condition, “there’s a reason nobody from any other countries gets abducted by aliens!”

“Hey, if they’re coming to Earth, they may as well come to the best part!” Oklahoma retorted, getting a laugh from a few of them.

“Maybe the reason they think this planet has no intelligent life is because they only abduct Americans?” someone called.

“Hey now!” Oklahoma growled as they burst into laughter again.

“Be polite lads!” the biggest of the men drawled, standing up, “The lady’s a guest…” He glanced at the others, then grinned, “We should show her what’s in some of these containers!”

“The snake ones?” one of the sailors asked.

“Aye,” the man said, waving for Oklahoma to follow him.

She raised an eyebrow, then did so as the group walked up a set of spiral stairs to the ship’s deck. Her mouth went dry as she recognized the Ouroboros logo of a snake devouring its own tail on the side of one of the containers, but if the crew noticed her surprise they didn’t show it.

“Take a look here!” one of them grunted, forcing the lever of the door up, shoving it open and revealing the contents.

“Wow,” Oklahoma said, staring at piles of the gigantic Lemurian fruit. It was chilled, kept at freezing temperatures by a refrigeration unit at the back of the container.

“You ever see anything like that?” The sailor chuckled, forcing the door closed again. “Some of these fruits are the size of cars, it must be something for rich blokes.”

“Nope,” she lied, “Never seen anything like that…”

…

“So Ouroboros is using the same ship we are,” Mika muttered. “I don’t know if I like that coincidence.”

“I haven’t noticed anything weird,” Chloé muttered, “My senses aren’t as good in this form, but they’re still better than yours, I think.”

“So what do you want to do?” Oklahoma asked, crossing her arms and glancing at the door of their cabin.

“I think that the ship’s crew are innocent in all of this, they’re just contractors after all,” Mika decided with a sigh. “If they really wanted to get us, we’re out in the middle of the ocean… there’s no better place.” He shrugged, “I think we should just stick to our plan; I don’t think we can go anywhere else anyways.”

“Whatever,” Oklahoma muttered, tossing herself on the bed, “I don’t like it though.”

“It’s okay,” Chloé said cheerfully, “you guys have me with you, I’ll keep you safe! There’s no reason to get worried.”

“If things are bad enough that the giant snake-woman is the best way out then I drove by worried forty miles ago and I’m in panic,” Oklahoma said, but she did smile a little.

…

In spite of their worries, the journey went peacefully, and as they neared their destination Mika found himself almost sad. The ship had proved a respite from their other troubles, and the three of them had quickly fallen into an easygoing routine. Oklahoma would often spend the day playing cards with whatever sailors weren’t on duty, occasionally taking Chloé, Mika, or both with her. The ship had a surprising library, and while the satellite internet was spotty Mika was still able to introduce Chloé to some of his favorite movies, which they watched under a blanket together in their cabin.

Food for Chloé had been easier than ever, it was simply a matter of sneaking up to the deck with her and letting her leap into the water, transforming into her towering Naga form and swimming easily through the sea. Chloé would remain below the waterline to avoid the eyes of any crew members that were still awake, and fish were plentiful enough that she had a full belly on every night of the voyage.

Mika walked arm in arm with Chloé along the cargo ship’s railing, smiling as they looked up at the full moon together. Tonight’s feeding would be easy to sneak in, only the ship’s captain was on deck, and he wouldn’t be leaving his wheelhouse, giving the pair some privacy as he escorted Chloé to her late night dinner.

“It’s too bad we can’t just stay on the boat,” Mika murmured with a smile.

“It’s been nice,” Chloé said softly, “I never really had anyone around back in the jungle… spending my days with you and Oklahoma has…” She smirked, looking down for a moment, “I guess I never realized I was missing something in life, but now I don’t think I could live without it.”

“I know what you mean,” he sighed. Part of him had been wondering what things would be like for them when this was all over. We’ll make it work, he promised himself.

“I think the coast is clear,” Chloé whispered, looking up and down the railing one last time.

With a giggle she began stripping her clothes off, tossing them at Mika’s feet. As always, he took in her sumptuous physique, and he could swear her hips swayed a little under his gaze as she slipped her pants down, finally rendering herself naked. With one final wink and a blown kiss, she leapt backwards over the railing. Mika moved to the edge, looking down into the black sea. He heard a small splash, and then he saw the massive form of the Naga moving beneath the water, just barely visible in the dark as she returned to her true form.

He waited, holding her clothes, for about an hour. Eventually he saw movement, and Chloé’s massive body swelled up alongside the ship. Her normally toned belly bulged out slightly, like a person who’d just finished Thanksgiving Dinner, and she had a contented look on her face as she floated on her back.

“Okay, reach up here and change back!” Mika called.

“Give me a few minutes,” she murmured, “Staying in human form so long is like sitting down all day, I need to stretch my tail a little.” As if to punctuate the remark the massive appendage splashed up out of the water, causing Mika to wince.

“Careful,” he warned, “The sea’s pretty calm tonight, a big splash could wake someone up…”

“I just want to swim a little bit longer,” Chloé pouted, “Want to come with me?”

Mika glanced up and down the railing again, then chuckled to himself. Surprising Chloé he hefted himself up over the railing, leaping down to her. Her belly was soft, jiggling slightly as he collided with it, but the distance of the fall still nearly knocked the wind out of him.

Chloé giggled at the ticklish sensation, slowly letting herself drift away from the ship across the smooth seas. Soon the ship was a distant light as she moved through the water, her tail swishing slightly as it propelled them.

Having had so much time with her at human size, Mika found himself instantly enamored with the smooth surface of her belly. He lowered his ear to it, listening to the low gurgle of her digestion. He glanced downward, towards her more serpentine lower half.

As usual the intrusive thoughts won out, and he imagined himself, squeezed slowly through the long digestive tract just beneath those scales…

“Something interesting about my tail?” Chloé giggled, startling him.

“M-Maybe,” he stammered, leaning back up.

Chloé raised an eyebrow, then reached down for him, letting her massive finger slowly coil around him like pythons. As always his stomach lurched slightly as Chloé brought him up to her face, grinning down at him with those familiar auburn eyes, a mischievous glint in them highlighted by the twinkling stars reflected in the deep pools.

“You were imagining getting eaten by me, weren’t you?” she said in a low voice.

“No,” he said quickly, “Of course not, I wouldn’t want you to-“

“I can just imagine your little hands grabbing at the sides of my throat as you went down,” Chloé giggled, tilting her head back and letting her wet hair splash into the water. She teasingly lifted her free hand, tracing her index finger down her slender neck. “Mmm…” she moaned.

“Chloé,” Mika rasped, not sure what he wanted to say.

“Then you’d drop into my upper stomach,” she said, almost casually. She slowly brought Mika down, playfully poking his face into her tummy in a slow circle around her belly button. Mika grunted as the soft flesh covered his mouth and nose, wiggling in Chloé’s grip in a way that just seemed to encourage her. “Would you like to be in there?” she asked, “it would be warm, and things can stay in there for a very long time…”

“Yes!” he finally admitted, “Yes, I’d want to be in there!”

“I wonder,” Chloé mused, “would you just relax, letting it hold you until I was ready? Or would you be a naughty little snack, pounding on the sides and tickling my belly while you tried to get out?” She turned him over, opening her palm slightly and smirking as she saw the familiar bulge in the front of his pants. Her massive fingertip came down and teasingly poked at it, massaging his erection through the fabric. “Of course you couldn’t escape at that point, you’d just have to sit there and wait until I decided I was done savoring you…”

Mika groaned, the combination of Chloé’s mental and physical teasing finally breaking down his resistance to the idea he’d been trying to fight since he’d first met her.

I want her to eat me! he admitted to himself.

“W-What happens then?” he managed.

Chloé’s eyes flashed with excitement as she realized she’d broken through to him, and She brought him even lower, to where her scales began. She pressed him up against the sleek and smooth surface, letting him hear the slight rumbling and squishing sound of the fish she’d eaten earlier.

“You drop into my lower stomach,” she explained, “then you’re turned into nutrients. ” She glanced down the length of her tail, “And then you go through there, you slide through my…” she paused, trying to remember the word, “Intestines, yeah that’s it,” she giggled, recalling the brief lesson on anatomy she’d received from Oklahoma.

“And how long would I be in there?” he wondered aloud.

“It’s a long journey, where you’d be squeezed nice and tight, " Chloé grinned, “every last bit of anything good you have will get sucked out.”

The world blurred as Chloé leaned back into the water, holding him high above her as she gently floated through the inky black seas. She licked her lips as she made eye contact with him, and he stared back, his heart pounding as he imagined his own slow ride through her, feeding her, becoming nourishment for her…

“I could do it,” Chloé said softly, lowering him towards her mouth, “Just swallow you whole, out here… We could figure a way to get you out, I’m sure of it.”

A way to get me out… His heart skipped a beat as her mouth opened wide below him, letting him see down the glistening tunnel of her throat. Maybe I should just do it? He felt something similar to the perverse urge to leap that crept up the back of a person’s spine at the edge of a tall cliff, part of him wanting nothing more to force his way out of Chloé’s hand and take that plunge.

Chloé sensed it, and for a moment it seemed like their minds were one as her mouth opened wider. The slowly slackening grip of her fingers suddenly started Mika, and he realized just what was about to happen.

“WAIT!” he shouted. He breathed a sigh of relief as Chloé paused, then closed her mouth into a small smile as the spell broke for her too.

“I could just eat you anyway,” she teased, “what could you do about it?”

“I think you want me to make that decision myself,” he retorted. “Remember what your ancestor said? Only take what’s freely given.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow, “I think you’re right,” she said finally. She pulled him close to her cheek, cuddling him with a happy squeal. The feeling of her warm cheek contrasted sharply with the cool sea air, and Mika managed to free his arms to hug her cheek in return.

“Let’s get back to the ship,” she murmured.

…

Oklahoma turned in her cot, grumbling angrily as she heard something big hit the side of the ship.

“What the hell is the snake doing so close to the ship,” she muttered. With a scowl she slipped out of her bed, walking to their cabin’s small porthole. A giant eyeball stared in after her, and she leapt back with a cry of surprise. “Dammit Chloé!” she said once she’d caught her breath. “You scared the shit out of me!”

The eyeball backed up, and Oklahoma’s eyes went wide as she saw a woman with long green hair and small blue fins on the sides of her head where her ears would be. Judging by how she floated alongside the ship she was only a hair smaller than Chloé herself was, and with a cool expression she moved away from Oklahoma’s window.

“T-That’s not Chloé,” Oklahoma muttered, her heart pounding. The ship rocked again, causing her to stumble. “Chloé!” Oklahoma shouted, bolting for the door. She paused, grabbing her backpack which held what was left of the gold and jewels, along with the journal Mika had been using.

She ran into the hallway, “Captain, we’ve go to-“ she paused, listening. A haunting melody had filled the air, something strange, sweet, and somehow sad. She wanted to follow it, to embrace the singer…

“No,” she muttered, blinking and forcing the urge away, running up the stairs to the deck. “Captain!” she shouted again. The ship shifted under another blow, and she watched in horror as the ship’s cargo containers tumbled into the sea, giving her another glimpse of the towering green haired woman just before she dove into the water, a massive fishlike tail splashing behind her as she swam under them.

A mermaid, a GIANT mermaid, She thought wildly.

The mermaid rose out of the water again, looming over the cargoship and singing again, filling the air with a long series of chords that almost made Oklahoma leap off the railing to be with her. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see the ship’s crew filing towards the mermaid like zombies, their eyes locked on her form and joyous expressions on their faces.

“HEY!” Oklahoma shouted up at her angrily, “ARIEL! SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

The mermaid paused, her mouth twitching with amusement. Oklahoma’s stomach dropped as the giant woman folded her arms under naked breasts the size of small houses, bending over slightly to get a better look at the defiant human.

“You can resist my song?” she asked, her voice like silk on Oklahoma’s ears. “Curious, it seems to have ensnared the rest of these men.” She cocked her head, “Perhaps you are the thrall of another already?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Oklahoma said, more fire in her voice than she truly felt, “but you need to get out of here before my friend gets back, or else!”

“Or else?” The mermaid mused with a laugh. “I think I will swallow you first, feeling you fight inside of my belly will be a fine way to enter my slumber.”

Oklahoma’s eyes went wide, “I mean it, it’s going to be like Godzilla vs the Little Mermaid if you don’t go!”

The mermaid replied by flicking her tail upwards, letting the massive scaled appendage scrape along the ship’s side, sparking as it tore a massive hole in the side and let the sea rush in.

…

Chloé tensed, suddenly holding Mika close, “T-There’s something else here,” she whispered, “it’s at the ship!” With a sudden urgency she sped forward, slipping through the water like a moccasin as she raced back to the now listing cargo ship.

Is that a… Mermaid?” Mika thought in awe, watching the giant woman spot their approach. There was a splash as the enormous woman’s tail slapped the water behind her, and with a scowl she dove. A moment later Mika grunted as Chloé came to a sudden stop as the Mermaid rose out of the water in front of her, getting between them and the ship, which was now beginning to sink in earnest.

“Cousin,” the mermaid said icily, “long has it been since a child of Yig has crossed Father Dagon’s domain.”

“Cousin?” Chloé asked cluelessly. She nervously looked over the mermaid’s shoulder at the cargo ship, “Did you do this?”

The mermaid frowned, “I was taking my meal…”

With a cry Chloé launched herself out of the water, clenching a terrified Mika tightly in her fist for safety as she tackled the mermaid into the surf. The startled creature tried to dive, but Chloé’s long and powerful tail coiled around the fishlike tail, preventing her movement. Mika could only see the two shadowy figures struggling in the deep, his lungs burning as he held his breath. Chloé didn’t use the hand he was in to strike at her foe, but kept him firmly in her grip, away from the Mermaid’s struggling form.

“C-Chloé!” he gasped as they roiled to the surface again, “I can’t breathe under-“

They dove again, a sneer on Chloé’s face as she tightened around the mermaid, causing the other giant’s eyes to go wide in shock as she hefted them up to the ocean’s surface once again. Mika sucked in air as the mermaid yelped in pain.

“MERCY!” the mermaid cried, “Please stop this! I will not flee, just release me!”

With an icy glare Chloé slowly uncoiled the woman’s fishlike tail, but didn’t distance herself, keeping Mika close to her as she readied herself to leap from the water again at a moment’s notice.

“A-Are these humans claimed by the Naga?” the mermaid asked weakly.

“Yes!” Chloé said angrily, “the ones on the ship are my friends, I was traveling with them!”

The mermaid’s eyes went wide, and an almost apologetic look came over her, “I-I did not know! The children of Dagon wish for no quarrel with you, please accept my humblest apology!”

“Play along!” Mika hissed.

Chloé cleared her throat, “I suppose I can forgive this if you leave right now!”

The mermaid nodded, “As you wish cousin, pass my respects to your sisters!”

With that the mermaid dove, her vibrant blue tail flashing in the moonlight a final time as she descended into the depths.

“What was that about?” Chloé asked.

“More mysteries,” Mika sighed, “come on, we’ve got to get back to the boat!”

…

“What the hell happened?” The captain muttered, coming back to reality with the rest of his crew.

“The ship’s sinking!” Oklahoma shouted, “do we have lifeboats or something?”

“They should be right there,” The captain pointed numbly to the twisted steel section of the ship that the mermaid had torn to pieces. He licked his lips nervously, “We still have life jackets…”

There was another splash as a giant female figure rose out of the water, “Ah hell,” Oklahoma muttered, drawing her pistol, “You’re not taking me without a-“ she blinked as she saw Chloé smiling down at her, then with a relieved sigh she holstered it again. “Where were you!?” she asked angrily, “We got attacked by a mermaid!”

“We saw her,” Mika called down, “Chloé made her leave!”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?” one of the sailor’s shouted, pointing up at Chloé.

“GODS ABOVE, A LEVIATHAN!” The captain screamed.

“Okay, everyone calm down!” Oklahoma said, raising her hands, “She’s uh… That’s Chloé, the same Chloé that’s been traveling with us the whole time!”

“Hi!” Chloé said, waving down cheerfully.

“Captain,” a sailor called, “I don’t think we’ve got much more time!” there was a groaning sound as the ship’s hull began to fail.

“We can go into the water,” someone shouted, “wait for rescue?”

“I’m not getting in there with that thing!” another crewman said, pointing up at Chloé.

“Guys, it’s me!” Chloé said, a little hurt, “I’ll keep you safe!”

“This is some kind of nightmare,” the captain muttered, “It has to be…”

The ship lurched a final time, launching the humans onto the deck into the water. Chloé acted quickly, arching herself over them as best she could as the remaining cargo containers tumbled overboard, bursting open on her back instead of crushing down on the crew. The seas roiled as men shouted in fear, trying to swim free as the last of the massive freighter slipped into the depths.

Oklahoma surfaced, sputtering as she looked around and tried to get her bearings. A piece of giant Lemurian fruit floated by her, and she grabbed onto it, using it as a raft. The captain and crew were doing so as well, bobbing in the surf as they gripped the floating orbs, the last remnant of their cargo as they bobbed alone on the seas.

“Chloé, we’ve got to do something,” Mika muttered.

“Uh, okay,” Chloé said loudly, “Everyone listen up! You all need to get on my belly!” she slowly lowered herself onto her back, floating in the surf. There were a few grumbles, but the men slowly swam towards her, and within a few moments the dozen crewmates plus Oklahoma were huddled, soaked and shivering, on top of Chloé’s belly. She lowered Mika down to join them, gently letting herself float as she fought giggles from the way their movements tickled her.

“What kind of thing did we take on our ship?” The captain asked, looking at Mika angrily.

“It’s… complicated,” he muttered.

“Captain,” one of the crewmen called, “We’ve got some injuries…”

Mika and the captain turned to see one of the crewmen with a deep red bloodstain spreading over his shirt, his face pale. Another man had a leg bent at an odd angle, and the rest of them had ample bruises and cuts from the falling debris of the ship's destruction.

They floated for a few hours, watching as the first rays of dawn began to climb over the horizon. The shock of seeing Chloé’s snakelike form had started to dissipate, and with the confidence that she wasn’t out to harm them, now anyway, the crew had turned to the matter of their survival at sea. A few of the crew had other thoughts on their mind though.

“Hey,” one of the sailors said in a low voice, “Leeroy, look!” he pointed at the lips of Chloé’s labia, “the snake-girl’s got a giant pussy!”

“We all saw it Carl!” his friend hissed, “don’t make her mad by bringing it up!”

“How big of a cock do you think you’d need to-”

“CARL!” Leeroy snapped.

“Bigger’n mine probably,” Carl muttered. “Is it messed up to think she’s kind of hot? Like sure that’s a big cunt, but I feel like with enough foreplay-”

“Hey,” Oklahoma snapped, “her hearing is really good guys, so maybe stop talking about her bits?”

“Sorry,” the two men muttered together. For her part Chloé was fighting a giggle, but didn’t say anything about the men’s conversation. 

“Damned fools,” the captain muttered. He turned to Mika, “How long until this… creature, can get us to port?” 

“Uh, guys?” Chloé said, “I don’t know how to tell you all this, but I can’t just float on my back all the way to shore…”

“what of a

“T-There is one way I could carry you all!” Chloé offered with a grin, “a way that would let me swim too!”

Mika frowned, she couldn’t possibly mean…

They were interrupted by a long low growl, then a gurgling sound as the fish Chloé had feasted on the night before slid into her lower stomach. The men resting on her belly were all nervously looking down, contemplating the journey that something had just taken right below their feet. 

“T-There’s room now…” Chloé stammered apologetically. 

“Are you going to eat us?” Oklahoma asked in a tired voice.

“I-It’s just an idea,” Chloé said quickly, “And there’s plenty of Lemurian fruit out here too!” she said, pointing to the floating spheres, “That would help everyone calm down!”

“What is she talking about?” one of the sailors asked, glancing at Mika and Oklahoma.

Mika took a deep breath, standing up on Chloé’s belly and looking over everyone, “I know this has been a lot to take in,” he said slowly, “but I think we’re going to have to go inside Chloé to get back to land…”

“Inside?” murmurs of panic raced along the men, and some glanced at the ocean, clearly contemplating an attempt to swim away. “What if it’s a trick?”

“How do we know you’re not just going to eat us, then laugh it up with your two friends there?” the captain grunted, pointing to Mika and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma sighed angrily, stepping upright, “Okay, fine, Chloé? Me first!”

Chloé chewed her lip, “Are you sure?”

“Unless someone squirreled away a life raft and a motor, yeah, I guess we’re doing this,” Oklahoma declared in a tired voice, “Are you sure we can do this safely?”

“The fruit will soothe you and keep my stomach calm,” Chloé explained, reaching for one of the massive floating spheres. She slowly punched her finger into it, peeling the skin away and then dropping the fleshy center into her mouth. The group watched silently as she chewed, then swallowed.

“Alrighty then,” Oklahoma said, licking her lips, “Let’s do it!”

Chloé nodded, reaching down for her and slowly closing her fingers around her. Everyone on her belly watched, silent, as the woman was slowly lifted up to Chloé’s lips. Oklahoma did her best to maintain a stoic expression as Chloé smiled weakly at her.

“Just try to relax,” Chloé said in a low voice.

She lowered her mouth over her friend, releasing her grip and tilting her head back, letting Oklahoma’s legs stick out, kicking wildly into the air for a moment just before Chloé tilted her head back. There was a slurping sound as the pilot was sucked the rest of the way in, and then a loud * gulp* as the small bulge slipped down Chloé’s throat.

Oklahoma’s heart was racing as she was pushed through the tight tunnel, her mind recalling visits to waterparks and the long dark slides that had scared her in her youth. Chloé’s body had light coming from somewhere though, and as she fell into the open air of the giant Naga’s stomach, she could see the small pool of liquid at the bottom that she landed in with a splash.

“Are you all right?” Mika’s muffled voice called.

“Peachy,” Oklahoma shouted back. She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling herself growing calm. The mixture of the Lemurian fruit with the acids and enzymes of Chloé’s stomach was quickly being absorbed through her skin, and by the time she’d waded her way to the wall of Chloé’s belly, she felt surprisingly peaceful. “Whew,” she called with a laugh, “This stuff has a buzz…”

Up above, the men on Chloé’s belly looked down, marveling at the muffled sound of the pilot’s voice from beneath their feet.

“She seems okay,” The captain muttered, “and you’re sure you can get us out?”

Mika wasn’t, but he nodded anyways, “snakes can naturally regurgitate their food,” he offered.

“Right,” the captain muttered, “I’ll be next then!” he walked up Chloé’s stomach, pausing at the base of her breasts and steeling himself as Chloé reached down for him.

Chloé brought him up to her mouth, just as she had Oklahoma, and a moment later he was disappearing beyond her lips as well, only a quick cry of surprise as she swallowed to mark his passage into her insides.

That was how it went, one by one Chloé picked up the crew, swallowing them whole while the rest watched. Every now and then Chloé would pause to consume another of the floating fruit, bathing the growing group in her stomach in the juices, rendering them all calmed in spite of their confinement. Finally, the last of the crew was lifted over Chloé’s mouth, and she dropped him, catching him on her tongue with a giggle just before she snapped her mouth shut, swallowing the last man down with a flourish.

“Mmm…” Chloé licked her lips playfully, “A belly full of humans has a nice feel to it,” she patted her stomach, which had once again bulged slightly.

“So uh…” Mika gulped, fighting the mixed feelings of trepidation and excitement, “I guess there’s just me left!?”

“Oh, now you want me to eat you?” Chloé teased, “I don’t know…”

“You’re joking, right?” Mika asked, almost desperate.

Chloé reached for him, bringing him up to her mouth as she had for the previous passengers, then stopped him a few feet from her massive lips. She gave a low giggle as she saw his expression, then gently tapped the top of his head with her free hand, ruffling his hair.

“I want it to be special, if we do that,” she said quietly, “I don’t want to share that with a dozen strangers and Oklahoma.”

“I guess that’s okay,” Mika muttered, “but where am I going then? Are you just going to hold me while you swim?”

“Oh no,” Chloé smirked, “You’ll need to go somewhere safe, somewhere you’ve been before, and that’s why I saved you for last!”

She lifted him over her body again, lowering him down to the puffy lips of her labia. Mika’s world flipped as she turned him upside down, pressing his head against her slick opening. Her womanhood enveloped his shoulders, and a second later his arms were pinned to his side as he slid in up to his waist, the soft fleshy walls gripping him as if gleeful to have him return.

“Oh yeah,” Chloé growled, pulling her hand away. Her tail flipped up out of the water, dripping water as the tip pressed against Mika’s legs, forcing him the rest of the way in as she hissed in pleasure.

This time Mika’s journey towards her womb was quick, deliberate. Chloé’s long vaginal canal shuffled him along eagerly, bringing him to the tight portal at the end. His hands felt around for a moment, finally pushing the doorway of her cervix open and allowing him to slip down into the deepest part of Chloé’s womanhood with a wet *plopping* sound.

Chloé shivered, feeling her body ensnare Mika in a way that sent tingles up her spine. With her lover trapped in the depths of her womb, and her belly full of humans, it was hard not to feel satisfied, and she let herself have a few minutes to just float on the sea under the early morning sun before beginning her swim towards land.

Inside her belly the passengers, calmed and protected by the mixture of the fruit and her stomach juices, swayed slightly, bobbed up and down by the Naga’s up and down diving through the water.

“Captain, did we die?” someone asked.

“I don’t think so,” he muttered. “How are the wounded?”

“I’m great sir!” the man with the red stained shirt said, sitting up with a smile.

Oklahoma frowned, “That’s weird, I could’ve sworn that guy was-“

“Bleeding out,” The captain muttered.

Oklahoma looked down at her own hands, flexing them and realizing the small cuts and scratches over them had sealed up. She thought about questioning it, but decided she was simply too tired.

“Hey, Mika, come take a look at-” She frowned, “Mika?” She pounded her fist on the fleshy wall a moment, “Hey Chloé, send Mika down!”

“He’s already somewhere else!” Chloé’s rumbling voice called back.

Deep within her womb Mika fought a laugh, “Don’t worry, I’m safe and sound!”

Oklahoma and the crew all looked to the wall of her stomach, doing the mental calculation on where the sound had come from. 

Oklahoma scowled and rolled her eyes, “I guess that’s why she saved him for last…”

“Hold on,” Carl shouted, “Did he get to go in the giant snake lady’s-”

“He’s her boyfriend, or something,” Oklahoma said with a wave, “so I wouldn’t get any ideas.”

“That’s uh… quite the relationship,” the captain muttered.

“Yeah, I try not to think too much about the mechanics,” Oklahoma said with a shrug, “I think we’ll all be in here a while, does anyone have a deck of cards?” 

…

Emilia paced the shores of the Scottish coast, scowling as the cool wind blew through her hair and chilled her through her thick coat.

I should have betrayed Natasha somewhere warmer, she thought bitterly. She pulled her phone from her pocket, checking the tracking beacon she’d put on Oklahoma’s satellite phone. She’s just offshore, but there’s nothing there! She glanced out to sea, there was a misty fog in the air, but not so much that a boat would be missed, indeed the rocky coastline here was desolate and abandoned.

She thought of how she’d introduce herself, I need to be seen as regal, she decided, knowledgeable and ancient… She made sure her Grimoire was visible, strapped to her side as always. Idly she wondered if she should remove her wig, revealing her catlike ears, but decided to let them see her as a human first.

The phone beeped, and she glanced at it again, It must be broken, she thought, it shows her practically on top of me-

There was a rush of water as Chloé breached the surface, rolling up onto the beach like a viking longship slamming into the sand with an earth shaking force that left Emilia stunned.

“Oooh… this place is cold, ” Chloé muttered, shivering. She reached her hand down to her labia, cupping her hand over her slit as Mika slid out.

“Wow, you found it,” Mika laughed.

“I just sort of knew, ” Chloé said, “Like I’ve swam this way before…”

“It could be some kind of genetic memory,” Mika mused, “I think your people used to migrate over the oceans to-“

“EXCUSE ME!” Emilia shouted, waving up at them.

The giant naga, and the human in her palm, looked down at her, “Remember what we said to do if anyone saw you,” Mika hissed.

Chloé nodded, “I am the Loch Ness monster!” she declared with a grin, “Nessie! I’m friendly, so there’s no need to be afraid-”

“We’re two hundred kilometers from Loch Ness!” Emilia scowled, “And your name is Chloé, the human Mika!”

Mika frowned, crossing his arms as he looked down at her, “I don’t like that you know our names, can we get yours?”

“My name is Emilia!” she said with a grin, “I know you’re probably suspicious, and you should be! But I’m here to help, where is Oklahoma? She can help me explain.”

“Uh, guys?” Oklahoma’s muffled shout came from inside Chloé’s belly, “I don’t know what’s going on out there, but that fruit’s wearing off, and a lot of us in here are starting to freak out a little.”

“T-They’re starting to get a bit wiggly in there,” Chloé muttered, rubbing her belly as her passenger’s hands felt along her insides.

“Just stay calm!” Mika shouted.

“You’re not the one in a giant stomach!” Oklahoma replied, “my skin’s getting a little itchy, and I don’t think that’s a good sign!”

“Oh, she’s…” Emilia’s face paled, “Y-You ate her?”

“It’s a long story, but we’re going to get her and everyone else out!” Mika said. Chloé slowly lowered him down to the coarse black sand.

“Everyone else!?” Emilia squeaked. She practically sprinted to Mika, causing him to tense as she got closer, “How many people has Chloé been eating?” she hissed.

“None!” Chloé said defensively, “Or… well, none that haven’t done something to us.”

“I’m sorry, I’m still not sure who you are,” Mika said, glancing at Emilia, “but we need to figure this out, so I’ll deal with whatever you want later.” He turned back to Chloé, “Okay, can you bring them back up?”

Chloé grimaced, focusing. Deep inside of her Oklahoma and the crew cried out in surprise as the fleshy walls around them roiled, pressing them upwards towards her throat. Oklahoma’s arms were pressed to her sides as she was forced up into the tube of Chloé’s throat again, but she only made it a few feet before sliding back down, landing on a pair of men with a grunt.

“Didn’t work Chloé!” she shouted.

“I-I’m sorry,” Chloé stammered, “I’ve done this before with fruit that wasn’t ripe, but I’ve never tried to bring a human back up!”

“You need to focus,” Mika said, “Your digestive system is a lot like a snake’s, you should be able to bring them back up!”

“I can’t!” Chloé whined nervously.

“E-Excuse me!” Emilia squeaked. The pair looked at her, and she withdrew her grimoire, flipping through the pages, “A Naga that has not completed the appropriate temple will not be able to retrieve a human from her stomach,” Emilia explained, “her predatory instincts are too strong, they override her ability to bring things back up.”

“So that’s it?” Mika asked, horrified, “they’re going to-“

“No,” Emilia said with a small smile, “the ancient Naga had this problem from time to time as well, you’ll simply need to retrieve them in a more traditional way.” She glanced along the beach, nodding as she saw a buoy washed up on shore, a long twisted rope nearly as long as Chloé coiled next to it. “Help me tie that to a rock, Chloé? You’ll need to swallow the line and then lay on your back, they should be able to grip it, then you slowly move backwards and the rope, and the humans holding it, will slip out of your throat.”

“How do you know all of this?” Mika asked, walking with her to the buoy.

Emilia chuckled, “We have a lot to discuss Mika, but for now let’s get your friends out of the Naga’s belly.”

Chloé grimaced, watching as the crew of the cargo ship emerged from her mouth, one by one. The long rope line was tied tightly around a large rock formation, providing an anchor point as the humans the enormous Naga had swallowed pulled themselves against her powerful throat. With a gasp, Oklahoma emerged last, leaping down out of Chloé’s open mouth into the sand.

“Ith that everyone?” Chloé mumbled around the rope.

“Yeah,” Oklahoma nodded, “you can pull it out.”

Chloé nodded, wincing in discomfort as she began to pull the line free. She coughed one last time as the frayed rope exited her mouth, and with a grimace she let it fall to the sand. 

“Begging your pardon miss, uh… Chloé,” the captain called, waving for her. 

“Hm?” Chloé asked, looking down at the captain as his crew gathered behind him.

“We’d like to express our thanks,” the captain said nervously, “We’d have certainly been food for a mermaid, or lost at sea if not for you…”

“You’re awesome!” one of the sailors shouted behind the captain, causing the old man to start in surprise. The others joined in, clapping and cheering as the towering naga blushed.

“T-Thanks,” Chloé stammered, “I don’t know what to say!” 

“You’ll always be a hero to us,” the captain nodded, “Now then, is everyone well enough to walk?”

“I’m fine, but my skin is itchy as hell,” Oklahoma said, scratching at her arm. The ship’s crew agreed, and several of them had red welts breaking out along their arms. 

“Hmm… likely the acid,” Emilia mused, “Excuse me, everyone!” she called, getting the cargo crew’s attention, “I’m a uh… Doctor, and you need to go rinse off in the ocean, otherwise the acids will continue to irritate your skin! After that please line up single file so I can examine you!”

The men mumbled in agreement, and Oklahoma nodded one final time before following them to the surf. Mika watched them go a moment, then turned back to Emilia.

“So,” he began, “would you care to tell me who you are? How you knew we’d be here?”

“As I said, my name is Emilia!” she said, extending a hand with a grin.

Mika returned the handshake uncertainly, “Are you with the people that have been after us?”

“Ouroboros, yes,” Emilia nodded. She saw Chloé’s dark expression, and gulped as the Naga loomed up over the pair, “B-But I’m not with them anymore!” she explained quickly.

Mika crossed his arms, glancing up at Chloé with a smile. It was nice to have the upper hand for a change, and he was going to press the advantage.

“I guess the big questions I have are why are they after us, and why did you leave them?”

“ If she did,” Chloé growled, “This could be a trick Mika!”

“There’s no trick!” Emilia said, raising her hands, “They…” she chewed her lip, debating just how much to tell them. “They want what’s in the center of the Temple of Eternity, they’re planning on forcing Chloé to open it for them.”

“I won’t,” Chloé said angrily, “what’s in there belongs to the Naga!” She frowned, “What is in there, exactly?”

“What form it takes, I don’t know,” Emilia sighed, “only one living being does, and she is not on our side. What I do know, is that it’s the source of many of the Naga’s unearthly abilities, I don’t like to use the word ‘magic,’ but it’s close enough…”

“And Ouroboros thinks they’re going to use it to make money somehow?” Mika sighed, “typical corporation…”

Much worse than that, Emilia thought, but she kept it to herself. She wasn’t ready to reveal her true heritage to them just yet, better to let them believe she was simply a turncoat human employee.

“I need to go treat the men,” Emilia said quickly, scurrying along the beach. If she hadn’t been wearing a thick wool hat, they’d have seen her feline ears twitch nervously.

“Hey, you’re the person who’s been sending me money,” Oklahoma muttered, wiping her wet hair out of her eyes as Emilia approached. The woman frowned, trying to remember who exactly Emilia was. “Something’s off about you,” Oklahoma realized, her eyes widening, “You’ve been messing with my head somehow!”

For a brief moment Emilia thought about applying a fresh layer of mental conditioning to the pilot, but decided against it. She’d need their trust going forward, and mind controlling a member of the group now would make an already difficult job harder.

“Yes,” Emilia said, “I hypnotized you.”

Oklahoma gulped, “Like those shows in Vegas!?”

“Something like that,” Emilia said quietly, “I needed to be able to work with you without you knowing, or anyone else knowing for that matter.”

“And I’m guessing you found us because of this?” Oklahoma reached into her pocket and pulled out the satellite phone.

“I understand you might feel a little used, ” Emilia said in a low voice, “but I didn’t have a choice, and it’s only because of my help that you three have made it this far! Would your enemy send you money and hide your location?”

“I’d like to talk this over with Mika and snake-girl,” Oklahoma said, crossing her arms.

“Please, not yet,” Emilia begged, “I promise, I’ll tell you everything I know, but it’s going to be very difficult if they figure out my true nature right now!”

“You mean the fact that you’ve got ears and a tail?” Oklahoma said, causing Emilia to flinch. “Yeah, that’s right catgirl, it’s all coming back to me now.”

“You really do have an impressive willpower,” Emilia grumbled, “most people wouldn’t have remembered that for years.”

“My impressive willpower got me kicked out of my state’s National Guard,” Oklahoma smirked, “now do you have any reason I shouldn’t run over there and tell Mika and Chloé about you?”

“Money?” Emilia said weakly.

Oklahoma rubbed her chin, “A few weeks ago that might have done it, but I’ve grown something of a soft spot for those two, so you’ll need something more.”

Emilia sighed, looking the pilot in the eye, “I’m trying to help you, all three of you, I know I haven’t earned it, but I’m begging you to trust me here.”

Oklahoma’s face was stone, and her hand slowly moved down. Emilia’s heart raced as she wondered if the human was about to draw her gun, but she simply adjusted her jacket, then kicked the sand.

“You seem pretty sincere,” Oklahoma said finally, “and what’s one more leap of faith on a monster?”

“I’m not a-“

“Catgirls, Snakegirls, you’re all monsters to me,” Oklahoma shrugged. “Go tend to the captain and his crew, I have a feeling I know what you’re going to do.”

Emilia sighed, then nodded, walking over to the men. The ship’s crew had lined up in the sand as she’d requested, shuffling their feet nervously. They were scared, tired, their minds would be weak and easy to manipulate.

“Hello captain,” she sighed, taking the grizzled man’s hand, “I’m just going to do a quick check for a concussion, would you please repeat my words back to me?”

“All right,” the captain said uncomfortably.

“A storm sank my ship,” Emilia began, willing the man’s memory to change, “my men and I washed ashore, and then we went to go look for help.”

“A storm sank my ship,” the captain droned, a look of confusion, and then acceptance coming over his features. “My men and I washed ashore, and then we went to go look for help.”

“Good,” Emilia nodded, walking down to the next man, “take my hand please…”

…

Chloé and Mika watched as Emilia talked to the ship’s crew, one by one. When she was done, the men convened together, then followed their captain as he marched inland, their footprints in the sand ending as they reached the marshy shores of the Scottish highlands.

Emilia turned back to them, walking towards the pair with Oklahoma in tow, “Where are they going?” Mika called.

“They’re going to look for a town,” Emilia called.

Mika’s eyes went wide, “What if they tell someone about us!?”

“They won’t,” Oklahoma said grimly. Emilia shot a panicked look at her, but the pilot just shrugged, “Don’t worry, that group won’t sell us out.”

“If you’re sure,” Mika said, shifting uneasily. Something about Oklahoma’s suddenly serious demeanor was putting him off.

“Is there anything else you want to tell us?” Chloé asked, her eyes narrowing as she leaned over, her enormous face filling Emilia’s vision as she glared at her.

“N-No,” Emilia stammered, “I’m just here to help! Honest! We need to stop Ouroboros together!”

Chloé stared at her a minute, then relented, leaning back and crossing her arms, “Her heartbeat seems steady.”

“You can hear our heartbeats?” Oklahoma asked skeptically.

“Ker thump ker thump,” Chloé grinned, echoing the beat of Oklahoma’s own heart, “Oh, yours is picking up a little now.”

“Yeah, because that’s freaky as hell,” the pilot muttered.

“Chloé is a predator,” Mika said neutrally, “Emilia, I really hope you’re telling the truth about everything, but if you’re not…” Chloé grinned behind him, licking her lips for emphasis.

Calm yourself down! Emilia told herself, fighting the urge to reach for the grimoire in her satchel. In her long life the archivist had rarely, if ever, put herself in real peril, instead leaving the danger to warriors like Yukia. She breathed out slowly, forcing herself to look up into Chloé’s eyes, the eyes of her natural predator, her ancient and hated enemy.

“I’m telling the truth,” she said calmly. “I can tell you where the location of the temple is, if you’d like. It’s very close.”

Mika frowned, pulling his father’s journal from his own bag, “I could use a hand,” he admitted. “All we know is that it’s in Scotland, near where the oldest oaks grow.”

Emilia smiled, “I don’t know about the oaks, I calculated the position by the growth of Lemurian trees, if you map out every place they’ve ever grown it forms a line between the temples.”

“How’d that happen?” Chloé asked curiously, “I thought the Lemurian trees only grew where I’m from?”

“Normally,” Emilia chuckled, “but the seeds often uh… pass through, when Naga eat the fruit, they then sprout across the world in more or less straight lines between the temple locations. While years haven’t been kind to these Lemurian saplings, I mapped them when they existed, allowing me to easily pinpoint the temples.” She started a moment, “That is to say, I consulted records on where they used to be.”

“So you know where the temples are?” Mika asked, raising an eyebrow. She slipped up there, he thought to himself, told me something she didn’t mean to, but what?

“I can give you the remaining locations easily,” Emilia said with a nod, “along with plenty of funds to make it there!”

“Tell you what,” Mika said, crossing his arms, “Why don’t you start by giving us the location of the temple here, then, if everything goes well, we can talk about you going with us to the next one.”

“That’s fair enough,” Emilia said with a smile. She turned inland, “You’ll want to go thirty miles inland, keeping due east from this shore, you’ll see a large peak, taller than the others, overlooking a small lake. You won’t be able to miss it.”

“And you aren’t coming?” Mika asked with a frown.

“We’re going to town to figure out how we’re getting to our next destination,” Oklahoma nodded, “We already had a little chat… I guess we’re going to Egypt next?”

“That’s correct,” Emilia nodded.

“Egypt…” Mika sighed, “I guess if you’re looking for lost temples, you’ve got to go there eventually.” He looked up at Chloé, “Ready to go?”

The massive naga’s hand came down behind him, and he stepped onto it, his balance shaking slightly as she lifted him into the air, her fingers curling around his body as she began slithering inland. She spared one last glance at Emilia and Oklahoma, her gaze lingering on the disguised Neko for a moment, before continuing on her way.

Emilia breathed out slowly, “I thought for sure-“

“She knows something’s up with you,” Oklahoma said, cutting her off.

Emilia blinked, “Do you think so?”

Oklahoma shrugged, “Chloé doesn’t know a lot about the world, but she’s not stupid. Anyone talking to you back there would know you’re hiding something , those two have just decided that you might be worth the risk.”

“Right,” Emilia sighed, “I suppose we’d best get moving.” She shivered, feeling the wind blow across the moor, “at least Egypt will be warmer than here…”

…

Chloé grimaced, feeling her skin prickle at the chilly weather. A light snow had started, the flakes sticking to her hair and melting, slowly plastering it to her skin. She forced herself onwards, sliding her massive scaled tail over the rocks and crevices, forcing herself to slow lest she hurt herself on the rough terrain.

“T-This is a lot different from the jungle back home,” She said, her teeth chattering.

“Yeah,” Mika agreed, suddenly very grateful for the warmth of her fingers around his body. He frowned as he looked up at her, “Are you going to be okay?” Chloé wasn’t cold blooded, her body heat was proof enough of that, and she was doing far better than he would if he were naked in this weather, but her discomfort was easily visible.

“Yeah,” Chloé said, steeling herself. She looked down at him with a smirk, “What about you?”

The wind bit his cheeks, causing them to go red as the snow picked up, “I-I think I’m okay in your hand,” he shivered. It wasn’t really true, his clothing from the ship was a simple pair of summer shorts a shorts sleeved polo, completely unfit for a trek across the Scottish highlands in late autumn. Another gust of wind caused him to wince, trying to force himself lower into the Chloé’s warm grip.

“I don’t know,” Chloé said, grinning slightly, “I think I need to carry you someplace warmer. ”

Mika looked up at her curiously, “What are you-“

She lifted him up over her, opening her mouth and letting her tongue loll out with a giggle. Her fingers released him, letting him flail through the frigid air before landing on the soft palette of her tongue. Hot, humid, and under the circumstances pleasant, air billowed over him as the tongue withdrew, pulling him past her lips and into her mouth. Her lips sealed, leaving him inside, and a low rumbling giggle voiced her amusement. Still, as the soft wall of her tongue batted him playfully back and forth, he had to admit it was warmer in here.

…

Yukia growled angrily, her tail swishing back and forth as she stared across the desert. The Four Corners monument in the United States was solely to commemorate the political barriers between four of the country’s states, and despite having it explained to her several times Yukia couldn’t understand the importance, or why it merited the large bronze plaque beneath her feet.

The small parking lot and the various souvenir stands had been cleared out, and were now occupied by masked soldiers, shifting uneasily as they readied their weapons for an attack that Yukia was increasingly sure wasn’t coming. The locals had been a mix of merchants from the local Native reservations and a few tourists, all had been easily sent on their way with a few official looking documents, or in a few cases large stacks of the American paper currency. Still, there was no sign of the Naga, or Mika for that matter.

Her phone rang, and she scowled, answering it, “This is Yukia.”

“This is Higgins,” the man’s voice rasped.

Yukia rolled her eyes, reaching for her grimoire, “Ah yes, Higgins, my trusty…” her finger traced along the pages of the large book, finding the entry she’d made for the man, “Mercenary,” she finished, “what news do you have?”

“Emilia knocked the pilot and I out, I think she’s abandoned the organization,” Higgins said.

Yukia’s eyes went wide, “She’s double crossing us!? I always knew she was soft, but…” She swore angrily under her breath, “Go to the nearest base and check in, Natasha will want to speak with you immediately.” She hung up the phone, her ears flat against her head as she fought the urge to hiss.

“E-Excuse me,” a woman’s voice stammered.

Yukia turned to see a young woman with a nose ring, a tablet, and a tape recorder, “What? Who are you?”

“I’m with the uh, staff,” the woman lied, “What are you catgirls doing at the four corners monument? Is this related to the giant snake woman in the South American jungle?”

Yukia glared at her, “Did you not read your briefing!?” She rubbed her temples in frustration, “Yes, we’re trying to get to her before she can reach all the temples!”

The woman nodded eagerly, “And what about-“

“I don’t have time for this!” Yukia snarled, “out of my way unless you want to be dinner!”

The woman squeaked, but scurried off. Mentally she was already composing her story for the Weekly World News, Catgirls Miss Snake-Woman at Four Corners: Hunt Continues…

…

Natasha’s billowing black hair trailed behind her as she stormed angrily into the large antebellum mansion. Located deep in the Louisiana Bayou, it was one of the Princesse’s original holdings from the days of French settlement in the area, and while it had been updated through the years with modern amenities and security, it still retained the classical charm of the palace in Versailles.

Yukia and Higgins were already waiting for her in the foyer, the mercenary looking pale after the hours of questioning he’d endured. To his credit he managed a stoic expression as she glanced over him, gesturing with a single finger for the pair of them to follow her into her sitting room.

“It’s true then,” Natasha snarled, “She’s joined the snake?”

“We don’t know that,” Yukia said hesitantly. “We just know she abandoned her escort, and her accounts have been emptied…”

“There’s no reason she would wait until now to desert unless she was going over to them,” Natasha sighed, collapsing into a large easy chair. She looked at Yukia and Higgins, then snapped her fingers, “Sit!” The pair obeyed, seating themselves at a couch across from her as she reached for a bottle of imported Rosé the mansion’s staff had left for her. She poured herself a glass, downing it quickly as her ears twitched in frustration.

“Ma’am, with all due respect,” Higgins began, “if this woman is a problem for your organization, a team can be assembled to-“

“We can’t just kill Emilia,” Natasha sighed, placing her wine glass on the end table, “She holds too many ancient secrets… if we simply gun her down, we might need answers to something a century or two down the line and not even know where to start looking! At the very least we need her grimoire, if I had that in my hands I could stomach the thought of her… gone.”

The sound of footsteps on the elegant tiled floor interrupted them, and the trio turned to see a man walking down the hall to join them in the sitting room. His sharp white suit contrasted sharply with his dark skin, and the salt and pepper colored mustache he had curled in a smile as he saw Natasha, and he raised the hooked prosthetic to greet her.

“Mon cheri,” he greeted with the hint of an accent, “It has been too long since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting one of your villas!”

“Ah, Charboneau,” Natasha smiled, “I’m so glad you could make it! I was so worried you’d be dead, or too old to help…””

“To have one such as you remember my name is the highest compliment,” the man said, taking a seat in an empty easy chair. “I am old though, Princesse.”

Natasha looked at him curiously, cocking her head, “ Are you too old to help? I’m sorry, my grasp of human years isn’t what it could be.“

“I have the bellboy carry my bags now,” the man replied, reaching for the wine bottle with his good hand as Natasha offered it, “but I can still pull a trigger. Might I ask why I’ve been called out of my blissful retirement?” he glanced at Higgins with a smirk, “it seems there’s plenty of young blood around for your needs.” He poured himself a glass, swirling it and smiling as he saw the liquid stick to the edges slightly.

“It’s a very personal matter,” Natasha said quietly, “and it’s related to one of your old jobs, I want it finished right. ”

“I’m listening,” Charboneau said with a toothy grin.

“The boy from the Lemurian Jungle, as you recall his parents were studying the ruins there?”

The man chuckled, eyeing his hooked hand, tilting it and watching it glint in the light, “Yes, a memorable affair… The mother and father died quite bravely; the archivist refused to allow me to finish the family off.”

“The boy is back,” Natasha spat, “and he’s with a Naga.”

Charboneau’s eyes went wide, “Mon Dieu!” He sipped his Rosé a moment, “Surely you don’t expect me to kill such a creature on my own?”

Natasha laughed, and after a moment Charboneau joined her, “Of course not, mon ami!” She composed herself, “I simply wish for you to lead a group of men to capture the boy for me, with him at my side, the Naga will do as I say… And I want Emilia as well.”

“Alive?” Charboneau asked with a frown, “I am not the dog-catcher Natasha, or cat-catcher rather…”

“I want you to kill Emilia,” Natasha said quietly, “but I need her grimoire, and I’d like to talk to her one last time first…”

“Not to forgive I hope?” the man growled.

“No,” Natasha chuckled, “that ship has sailed…” She stood up, looking over the three of them, “You will have whatever resources you need to make this happen, we do know the location of one of the Naga’s temples, it’s in our own homeland of Kemet.” She smiled, raising her glass in a mock toast, “Prepare an ambush for them, it only makes sense that our final triumph over the snakes should occur in the land of our birth!”

…

Mika’s head was poking out through the pillowy portal of Chloé’s lips as he scanned the horizon, “Over there!” he shouted, grunting as he forced his finger through her pressed lips to point at a nearby mountain. “That’s got to be the one Emilia was talking about!”

Chloé nodded, slithering down the ridge towards the large lake. The edges were beginning to freeze as the snow fell, and a long troughlike trail was left in Chloé’s wake as she slithered along the edge of the water. Oak trees, tall and ancient, dotted the landscape around them.

Chloé’s ears piqued as she heard the rushing water underground, “MM!” she mumbled, unable to speak with Mika in her mouth.

“What!?” he called, “Are we close!?”

“Pfft!” she spat him into her palm, fighting a laugh at the way he tumbled against the wall of her raised fingers. “I hear the fountains!” she said excitedly.

“Great,” Mika said, fighting a shiver, “I hope your ancestors had central heating…” He glanced around, spotting a long line of white stone, crumbled, yet unmistakably straight in a way that nature would never allow, something only a human mind would plan. “Try over there!” he said, pointing to it.

Chloé moved towards the line of bleached stone, and a moment later the world began to shake. She stopped, watching hesitantly as a large pillar of stone emerged from the hillside at an angle. She frowned as she saw the shape, it was unmistakably phallic, and she fought a giggle as she realized just how much the massive stone monument emerging resembled Mika’s own manhood.

“Wow,” he muttered, seeing it, “I uh…” he cleared his throat, “so, we had to kiss the last pillar to enter the temple, what do we do with this one?”

“I think it’s kind of obvious,” Chloé giggled, slithering up to it and running a finger along its length. As if in response a series of runes lit up along the sides, and at the very top a human shaped silhouette formed.

“Yes, obvious,” Mika chuckled.

“Okay, well… hold on?” Chloé said with a hesitant shrug, placing him on the top of the massive stone pillar. 

“It’s warm,” he muttered, placing his palm on the smooth surface. 

Chloé ran a finger up the side, giggling at the way the stone’s heat contrasted with the sharp cold of the air. 

“T-This is probably a way to check to see if we completed the previous temple’s challenge,” Mika reasoned, “Since it required me to go in your deepest-“

“Or it could just be for fun?” Chloé guessed, grinning as she reared her body up over him. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he nodded, gulping as he saw the puffy lips of her womanhood rising up over him.

Chloé bit her lip, grunting as she impaled herself on the long smooth length of the stone shaft. Mika disappeared instantly, driven deep inside of her, the warmth of her vaginal canal hitting him like a surprise wave on a calm sea as she slid herself against the gigantic phallic statue.

“Ohh…” Chloé muttered, clenching her hands against the grassy hillside. “This feels great! ”

Mika was slammed against the solid rock behind him, pinned in place by the motion of Chloé’s rocking hips. As always her insides were slightly luminescent, the light from outside somehow passing through and giving him a clear view of the slick and puffy walls of flesh all around him .  The slick wetness of Chloé’s arousal became a flood as he was pressed to the very depths of her womanhood, and he grunted as he felt the tight ring of her cervix against his body.

“Almost there,” Chloé muttered.

Mika tried to move, but with Chloé’s rising and falling motions against the monolithic pillar, it was like trying to swim during a storm at sea. He soon found himself forced, bit by bit, through the portal to her womb once again, the world around him vibrating with a shuddering orgasm as Chloé sighed happily outside, resting against the hillside as if it were the arms of a lover.

The light Mika had seen seemed to burst, and a moment later a new rumbling could be felt, even here in the depths of the Naga’s most intimate place. Chloé turned her head dreamily, smiling as she watched the cavernous tunnel in the side of the mountain rise out of the hillside, the rock tumbling away to reveal the pathway to the ancient temple.

“I think I liked that one better than the last one,” Chloé giggled. She lay there for a moment, waiting for Mika to slowly force his way out of her, and when he neared her entrance she lowered hand, catching him as he slid out. “Ready?” She asked him, raising him up to her face with a grin.

“Always,” he nodded, wiping some of her cum out of his eyes.

With her lover in hand, Chloé descended into the mountain’s depths, journeying to the next of her people’s hidden temples.

…

Higgins stared impassively at Yukia as the catgirl held a squirming tiny human over her face, letting the man drop into her open mouth with a scream. Her delicate pink lips closed over him, and a moment later there was a loud *gulp* as the tiny bulge trailed down her neck, silencing the cries for mercy.

“Ah,” Yukia grumbled, “Nothing like a live breakfast.” She was lounging by the large pool in the back of Natasha’s manor, having called Higgins to attend to her the day after their meeting with the others.

“Is there something I can help you with, Miss Yukia?” he asked, as politely as he could.

“Yeah,” the neko mumbled, her tail flicking with interest as she regarded him, “I was thinking, that Charboneau guy, what do you make of him?”

“He seems to have earned the Princesse’s trust,” Higgins remarked, “Although I don’t know if it’s… appropriate, to have such a zeal for the line of work we are in.” He frowned, remembering the other man’s grin as he’d heard he’d be tracking down an old mark that had escaped. A person who kills for hire can be a machine or a monster, he thought somewhat bitterly,  it’s better to believe in nothing than to love evil…

“Yeah, I don’t like how she treats him,” Yukia scowled, “Like, sure, we all have humans we like, take you Hoppins.”

“Higgins,” he corrected.

“That’s what I said!” Yukia waved dismissively, “Anyways, we all have humans that are different from the rest, sometimes you set them up with a nice life, some you just want to keep as your tiny pet for a while, but humans are humans, you can’t be getting that close to them…” She glanced at Higgins a moment, “Out of curiosity, did you ever have a hamster, Hawkins? Did you keep it in a cage with bars, or solid glass?”

“Never had a hamster,” Higgins said mildly, “Is there anything else, Miss Yukia?”

“No,” Yukia waved, “Go and prepare my soldiers, you’ll be serving me personally from now on.”

“As you wish,” he bowed slightly. Walking back towards the mansion. He entered the massive doors, noticing the way one of the other guards flinched as he entered. He stopped, regarding the man a moment, “Is there something on your mind, soldier?” he asked in a low voice.

The man fidgeted a moment, glancing out at Yukia, who was still sunbathing casually, “Seeing them do what they do…” he gulped, trying to collect himself, “I was prepared for a lot when I was recruited, but not for this.”

Higgins nodded, “You and I should play cards after your shift, if there’s anyone else you know who feels the same way, maybe we could all help each other with those feelings.”

The man’s eyes widened, and he nodded, “Y-Yes sir.”

Why did I do that? He wondered, walking down the hall with his arms behind his back. He’d never sought to gather comrades in any other organization he’d been in, always seeking to complete the job and move on. This time I’m after something bigger, he reminded himself. He frowned; he couldn’t remember what that bigger thing was though…

…

Chloé held Mika in her palm as they descended into the massive cavern. The rock soon gave way to immense and intricate carvings, swirling celtic knots formed into curved and dancing shapes, horses, moons, ankhs, and eventually serpents.

“Interesting,” Mika noted, pointing to the walls, “These are very different from what we saw in the temples in Central and South America, this indicates the Naga didn’t just rule over one culture, but several… these designs look Celtic, with maybe a slight Norse influence?” He shook his head, “neither are my area of expertise, regrettably.”

“I like it,” Chloé said eagerly, pausing to admire a massive pair of statues, bearded axemen nearly as tall as she was. “So you think my people ruled over these guys?”

“I think your ancestors were revered as gods,” Mika said, looking up at her with a smile.

“Maybe,” Chloé muttered, “I don’t know if that’s really how I’d want it…” She chewed her lip, trying to find the words, “I really liked the way it felt to save the ship’s crew,” she said finally, “and I like spending time with you and Oklahoma. I don’t know if Goddesses get to have friends.”

The pair blinked together, shielding their eyes as they came to a chamber with a massive glowing crystal at the roof, shining nearly as brightly as the sun itself. Below it grew several of the Lemurian fruit trees, not the small struggling saplings as they’d seen in Mexico, but full stout things that towered over Chloé, brushing slightly against the top of the cavern’s roof.

“Wow,” Chloé breathed, “look!” she pointed up at the dangling orbs of the Lemurian fruit, swollen, moist, and ripe.

“Put me down,” Mika ordered, looking up at the cavern walls. They were lined with carvings, and while they were in a style that was distinctively native to the area, the meaning was just as evident as the ones in the new world temples. Chloé obliged, setting him down as he walked forward, studying the runes.

“Can I eat a few of these?” Chloé asked, plucking one of the ripe fruit, “I’m famished!” She paused, her eyes going wide as a new fruit seemed to blossom and balloon from the branch in seconds, filling out and hanging, ready to be picked once again in seconds.

“Eat as many as you want,” Mika chuckled, “I have a feeling we’ll have as many as we need.” He looked up at the tree, the technology, or magic, in these temples is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. He regarded the fruit, then the carvings, “obviously they’re part of this temple’s test somehow.”

Chloé snacked on the fruit behind him, chewing on it, and swallowing the fruit down. A red light filled the room, startling the pair.

“ Welcome it in unharmed, send it to your depths unharmed.”

It was the same voice as the previous temple, once again it spoke to them not in English, but to their minds directly.

“Uh, I don’t understand,” Chloé muttered, looking around, “What did I do wrong?”

“You need to swallow it whole,” he said, pointing to the wall. He grimaced as he looked to the next part, showing a human following the fruit down a cutaway of the snake goddess’s throat. “Then…” He gulped, deciding not to say the next part, “it needs to get into your stomach intact,” he finished.

“Okay,” Chloé sighed, gripping one of the fruit, “Here goes…” She slowly peeled it, tilted her head back as Mika watched, dropping one of the fruit down into her mouth. Her lips snapped shut, and she gulped loudly, swallowing the fruit down. She coughed suddenly, feeling the uncomfortable mass sliding along her trachea.

“Relax,” Mika said, “Come on, you’ve swallowed a whole crew of sailors already!”

“H-Humans are smaller, and you’re soft,” Chloé replied, coughing as she tried to work the lump down her throat. She grimaced as she felt it lodge against the entrance to her stomach. She concentrated, feeling the fruit stick in place, “Come on…” she muttered.

“Just let it in,” Mika said impatiently.

“It’s hard!” she rasped.

“Let me see if there’s any hints over here,” Mika said, looking back at the walls. He scanned down, frowning as he saw the runic inscriptions change shape suddenly, taking on a more jagged and Nordic appearance. One group of hieroglyphs showed a group of men in horned helmets raising axes against what looked like a trio of humans with feline features, cat ears and tails…

“Mika!” Chloé coughed, “I think I need some help!”

“What can I…” he looked down her body, his gaze lingering on her womanhood for a moment. These tests seem to involve going within Chloé’s body… am I supposed to help her with this? “Lay on your back,” he said suddenly.

Chloé beamed excitedly, laying down along the stone temple floor. Her mouth gaped open, a glistening cavern with a dark and inviting interior. Her tongue lolled out, a red carpet welcoming him in.

Part of him was oddly excited about this. He’d been fearing and fantasizing about the thought of going down Chloé’s throat for weeks now, and as he felt her warm breath was over him he felt pins and needles racing up and down his spine. Her tongue squished beneath his hands and knees as he climbed in, hefting himself up into her mouth in full.

“Okay,” he said, breathing out slowly as he climbed in, “Just… go slow, okay?”

His world shifted, and then he was seized by the massive walls of flesh, forcing him downward just a as a vacuum force gripped him, sending him down. He grunted as he was buffeted against the sides of her throat, sliding forward as though on a water slide. With Chloé laying on her back he was able to stretch his hands out, stopping himself after a few feet with a wet shlicking sound.

Mika looked back for a moment, seeing the roof of the temple distantly beyond the gate of Chloé’s mouth. It was like the last light of freedom at the end of a long tunnel, taunting him beyond the flopped over uvula laying against the roof of her mouth. He forced himself to turn away from it, looking down the dark cavern of her throat. 

“Okay,” he shouted, “I’m moving down!”

Chloé tried to respond, but between the fruit and the tiny human lodged in her throat, she couldn’t. She grimaced, fighting the urge to swallow as he slowly crept along the length of her esophagus. Every instinct was telling her to fill her mouth with saliva, sending both Mika and the fruit down into her stomach.

Mika could feel the undulating muscle around him, and he felt his hair stand on end as he realized he was seconds away from being sent to Chloé’s stomach at any second, being devoured like the prey he surely was. Saliva dripped around him, flowing slowly and coating him in a sticky wetness that plastered his hair to his scalp. 

Focus, he thought, licking his lips. The fruit was just ahead, plugging the entrance to Chloé’s stomach like a massive boulder blocking a mountain pass. Just give it a push, then you can…

He stopped, what did he want to do? Climb back out Chloé’s throat? Or follow the fruit deeper into her…

He pushed the thought aside, pushing at against the smooth surface of the fruit with both hands. He felt something yield, and he grunted as he shoved his elbow against it. Chloé yelped, a loud sound that was followed by her heartbeat picking up as the fruit was lodged in the sphincter between her esophagus and stomach.

“I’m going to give it another push!” he shouted. The wet tunnel around him shook, anticipating the morsel dropping downward. He looked around nervously, suddenly wondering if he’d be able to get out.

Be careful! Chloé thought, struggling to keep her throat relaxed.

Mika shoved the fruit again, and the surface of the peel began to split under the pressure. The tunnel shook, pressing in around him, as if preparing to send him, and the fruit, to their final resting place within Chloé’s belly.

“Chloé, control yourself!” he shouted.

She whined, every last fiber of her being was screaming at her to swallow, to swallow hard. The prey in her throat was helpless, delicious… She suddenly caught the slightest aftertaste of Mika on her tongue, as if inviting her to enjoy him in full.

She’s going to do it, Mika realized, watching the fruit gush and split as her throat collapsed. He spun around, crawling as fast as he could along the collapsing tunnel. There was a squelching sound behind him, and he leapt, reaching her mouth again just before her esophagus closed behind him, sending the fruit down into her belly with a splash.

Chloé’s eyes went wide as she realized she’d almost swallowed him, and she quickly spat him into her hands, “Mika!” she cried, “I’m sorry! I tried to keep it open, but I just couldn’t!”

“It’s fine,” he panted, wiping some of her spit out of his eyes, “We just need to… rest, I think.” He forced himself up against her fingers, resting a moment, “we’re both tired from the trip, maybe this is something that needs to be done when we’re both rested?”

“Yeah,” Chloé said uncertainly, “M-Maybe.”

The truth was she knew her failure had little to do with fatigue, she’d wanted him, she’d wanted to devour everything he was then and there. She slithered back towards the tree, gripping another piece of the fruit, “Are you sure you don’t want to try again?”

“I think I’m going to pass out Chloé,” he replied, “can I sleep on your belly button?” Mika asked, “It’s a little cold, even down here… the warmth would be nice.”

“Yeah,” Chloé smiled, laying him down in the small crevice.

He sighed, leaning back against the warm ring of soft skin. He heard the gurgling beneath him as her stomach began to churn the fruit she’d swallowed, and he realized that part of him was aroused at the idea that it had almost been him.

Chloé watched him, feeling his heartbeat slow with his breathing as he drifted to sleep. A moment later she sighed softly, leaning her head back against the stone and hoping the morning would bring an answer to the temple’s challenge. She regarded the piece of fruit she’d plucked from the tree, and with a shrug placed it in her mouth, tucking it against her cheek. With her human lover curled against her belly, she drifted off too.

…

Chloé slithered through the Lemurian jungle, following behind the green-scaled snake goddess. The pair stopped, watching as a group of humans crossed the cobblestone rode before them, hefting everything from butchered and prepared meats, to chests filled with gold and jewels.

“Is that all for us?” Chloé asked softly.

“No my dear,” the goddess laughed, “what would we do with it?” She held up her hand, letting Chloé see her ornate gold bracelet, “they offer us more of the shining rocks than we could ever use as it is.” She waved for Chloé to follow her as the humans passed, waving and smiling at the pair of Naga.

“You struggle with the Temple of Serenity?” the other Naga asked, startling Chloé.

“Yes!” she said eagerly, “is there a trick? Maybe a spell or something?”

The green naga sighed in frustration, “there is no one left to explain it to you, I suppose this cannot be helped .” She held up her hand, and with a flash a human appeared in it. He was adorned in an elaborate headdress and colored robe, and he looked up at the Naga with a warm smile.

“You called?” he asked.

“I would like to use you to explain something,” the goddess said, holding the human up.

“As you wish,” he said, nodding.

“This is the man that I went through these challenges with, many eons ago,” the green Naga explained. “He is my most precious resource!”

“You flatter me, Goddess,” the man said with a teasing chuckle.

The goddess sighed, “I do not, without the humans, the Naga are just beasts! Everything we take from them to sustain ourselves; we must give back; it is in truth we who serve them. Do you understand?”

“I… think so,” Chloé said uncertainly.

“What do you believe you need to do in the temple of Serenity?” The goddess asked.

“I have to swallow Mika?” She asked nervously. 

The human and the other naga shared a chuckle, “No my dear, you misunderstand. You are not swallowing him, he is entering you. Your test is to welcome him, to show deference and respect by allowing your human to come into what it is his.”

The goddess raised the human in her hand up to her mouth, and Chloé watched as the man almost casually stepped over her lips, stooping as he journeyed over her tongue. The Naga kept her mouth open, allowing Chloé to see as the man stopped at the back of her throat, then stepped out, as if over a cliff’s edge, falling and disappearing from view. "Chloé watched as the bulge of the human's body raced down her throat, and the Goddess sighed softly as he entered her stomach. Instead of the expected *gulp* of a swallow, the Naga closed her mouth, smiling at Chloé.

“My body, your body, belongs to them, do not devour your priest, welcome him in.”

“Wait,” Chloé called as the dream started to waver, “I have other questions-“

…

Chloé sat upright so quickly that Mika was sent sprawling out of her belly button, shouting with surprise as he tumbled down the side of her stomach. Luckily it slowed his fall enough that he wasn’t hurt, but he glanced up at her curiously.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Chloe suddenly felt the fruit inside her from the day before, bumping gently against the side of her belly. At least part of it was intact… maybe all of it. 

“No,” Chloé said dreamily. She slowly glanced down at him, then smiled, “Let’s try it again.” 

“I don’t know,” Mika said, “I just want to be sure we’re ready for this…”

“Come on Mika,” Chloé giggled, “you’ve been wanting to enter my belly for so long now.” She slithered up to her full height, looming over him and rubbing her belly playfully. “It’s awfully empty,” she said in a sultry tone.

Mika gulped, feeling that strange longing again. “How do you want to do it?” he asked finally.

“I’m not going to just take you,” Chloé said, leaning down and placing her elbows on the ground, propping her head up as she smiled at him. 

“You want me to offer myself up?” he asked with a wry grin, “a sacrifice for the beautiful goddess?”

“I love the thought of it,” Chloé growled, “but no, today we’re not going to play a game, today I’m welcoming you home.”

“Home?”

“Think about it Mika,” Chloé said, “you’ve wanted to be inside me since the moment we met, it’s where you belong. I want to welcome you in!”

This is crazy… She can’t control her stomach, I saw it firsthand! 

“Mika, trust me,” Chloé  said softly, “it’s going to be different this time.”

“Okay,” he said with a grin.

She slowly lay down in front of him, resting her chin on the ground and opening her mouth wide. Mika stared as he saw the cavern of her mouth line up with her throat, letting him see all the way down to the bottom, to that waiting doorway he’d been so close to the day before.

This is it, he realized, stepping forward, I’m going into Chloé’s belly… 

“I’ll be your guide,” she said with a wink, “remember, you’re coming home.”

“Right,” he said, breathing out slowly as he clambered over her lips, climbing awkwardly over her teeth like they were a garden fence. His feet squished into her pooled saliva as he gripped the slimy tastebuds on her tongue, causing her to moan in excitement from his flavor as he made his way through her mouth.

His heart was pounding, and while he felt a very primal fear, he felt the familiar arousal that struck whenever he ventured into Chloé’s mouth, and he couldn’t help but stop and look around curiously. A bit of the Lemurian fruit about the size of his arm was wedged in the back of two of her teeth, startling him.

She could tear me to pieces just as easily as she did that fruit, he thought, his heartbeat picking up. He froze, am I… there was no denying it, he was hard, the notion of being nothing more than Chloé’s snack had instantly brought him to full arousal. 

A warm blast of air ruffled his hair back, causing him to blink. Chloé’s breath was like a breeze on a summer day, and as she breathed in he felt goosebumps on the back of his neck from the sudden chill. He looked up as he neared teh back of her tongue, seeing her dangling uvula hanging overhead, slowly moving in time with her breath, and beyond that the twin orbs of her tonsils. 

“You’re getting closer,” Chloé rumbled, shaking his world and causing the opening of the tunnel before him to quiver with each word.

Saliva dripped around him like rain, pooling around his ankles as he paused one final time. Her throat was calling to him, and he realized there truly wasn’t any turning back now.

“C-Can you open it a little more?” he asked nervously.

Chloé breathed in deeply, and a moment later her throat did seem to loosen, “You taste amazing Mika,” she said, causing the hot fog of her breath to roil over him again, “but I’m ready for you to go deeper!” 

Her mouth closed a moment later, a slow deliberate motion that ended with the ominous *click* of her teeth, the final exit being closed off. He thought about asking her to open her mouth again, about giving up this whole thing, but he steeled himself and pressed ahead.

Mika knelt down, crawling on his hands and knees down the long tunnel. Chloé shuddered as he slipped down her esophagus, but while the walls quivered slightly, they didn’t press down on him, and there was no swallowing motion as he moved further in. Below his feet a slow river of saliva trickled over his hands and knees, a river guiding him towards his final destination.

Mika frowned as he saw a small flap swing closed in front of him , Her larynx, he thought distantly, continuing onward. It felt odd, squishier, less rigid than the rest of her throat as he ran his fingers over it. 

Chloé giggled as he moved past it, “Whatever you were just touching, it tickled, like the feeling right before a cough!” 

Crawling a few more feet, Mika could hear the sound of her heart beating loudly, like a steady drum, “Chloé,” he called, “Where am I?”

“Just behind my breasts,” Chloé said, smirking as she felt his tiny form pause, taking in the information. 

Mika winced, “Please speak a little softer when I’m in here, I’m right next to your vocal chords Chloé!”

“Sorry!” she whispered.

The steady rhythm of Chloé’s heart was soothing, but it started to fade as he crawled further down. A gurgling sound replaced it, the unmistakable sound of digestion.

She’s probably finishing up with the fruit she ate before going to sleep, he thought, trembling slightly. The walls of her esophagus were growing tighter as well, slippery and slimy against him almost like her womanhood. Everything here was meant to force him along this route, to overpower him and send him to Chloé’s stomach.

“Y-You’re very close now,” Chloé growled, clenching her fists as she fought the urge to simply seize him, letting her throat simply rocket him down against his will. 

Mika saw the walls quiver, and for a moment he was sure they would collapse on him, the soft yet unyielding pressure driving him forward into Chloé’s stomach like a flood, but it didn’t come. Slowly, he relaxed, continuing on his way.

“Y-Your’e down below my chest now,” Chloé whispered, “I can feel every step…”

The sphincter leading into her stomach was already spreading open slightly as Mika approached, and he paused at the threshold, remembering how the powerful muscle had split one of the Lemurian fruit in two. 

“Go in!” Chloé whispered, a demand, a plea, an invitation all in one.

Mika took a deep breath, then dove against it, feeling the tight ring of flesh pinch against his whole body, slowly forcing him through and letting him slide inside. He slid down the walls of her stomach, feeling the wetness beneath his fingers as he splashed down into the pool at the bottom. He winced, readying himself for the itching of Chloé’s stomach acid, but none came.

I won’t let it hurt him, Chloé thought to herself, willing her stomach to be still, it’s his to explore… I’ll keep it still for as long as he wants.

Mika stood up, looking around, feeling a sense of awe as he realized he’d been well and truly eaten . The walls undulated slightly as he walked through the open area, listening to the faint beating of Chloé’s heart somewhere behind him. Chloé’s stomach was much larger than a human’s would have been proportionally, and compared to the claustrophobic confines of her esophagus it was downright roomy. His feet splashed through the warm fluid around his ankles as he explored the humid chamber.

“How is it?” Chloé asked hesitantly.

Her voice was loud, coming from everywhere at once, yet still muffled. The omnipresent nature of it made the whole thing even more awe inspiring.

“It’s warm,” Mika said, “And… it feels nice here.” He leaned against one of the walls, letting himself slide down against it, “I wouldn’t mind riding back to town in a place like this.”

“You don’t feel scared?” Chloé asked, “Like the others?”

“No,” he said truthfully, “I don’t think you’re going to let anything bad happen to me.”

“I won’t,” she promised softly.

She shifted, rolling over to get more comfortable. Mika shouted in surprise, spriting along the walls of her stomach like a giant hamster wheel. Chloé giggled at the ticklish sensation as she realized what had happened.

“Sorry!” she said, “I guess if you’re going to be spending more time in there I’ll have to be careful…”

“It was fun,” Mika laughed, “Go on, do it again!”

Chloé raised an eyebrow, then giggled rolling to the side through the open floor of the temple. Inside her Mika’s feet raced along the ridged walls of her stomach, eventually loosing his footing and bouncing along the insides and down into the pooled juices at the bottom. He surfaced, laughing as Chloé joined him, shaking the insides of her belly as they shared the moment.

“Mika, here’s my belly button, this time you’re sleeping on the other side of it!” 

Mika looked up as the ceiling seemingly fell inward. The ridged top of her stomach pressed gently against the top of his head as Chloé pressed down on her belly button, then sprang back up as she released it. 

I always did love her belly button, Mika thought wildly. He’d often slept, listening to the faint gurgling as her food was digested, only this time it was him on the inside.

When they were done, Mika glanced down her belly, seeing the lower sphincter against the wall. He stood up, walking towards it. Coming this far into Chloé had awakened a desire to go… further. He traced his hand across it, feeling the rumbling of the second stomach beyond it, the more powerful of the two, the one that dissolved anything that Chloé sent to it almost instantly.

“Mika,” she warned, “B-Be careful messing around there! I don’t think I’m ready for that one yet!”

“Just open it!” he insisted, “I just want to see!”

Chloé took a deep breath, slowly forcing the portal to open. Mika leaned forward, then shouted in surprise as the ring of muscle snapped shut over his arm. He grunted, pulling at it.

“C-Chloé, open it back up!” he shouted.

The naga didn’t reply, feeling the rise of predatory instincts again. Her lower belly sent her every signal it could, telling her to pull him in, to consume, to devour. Mika shouted in surprise as his skin began to itch painfully, the second stomach readying itself to welcome him with what surely be a lethal reception.

No, Chloé thought angrily, forcing her inner voice down. With a deep breath she willed her stomach’s lower exit to open again, letting Mika slip free just before it snapped shut once more.

Mika scurried back, panting, “T-Thanks,” he shouted. “I guess we’re not ready for that one yet…”

“Well Done,” the goddess’s voice boomed.

Like before, the world flashed blue, and suddenly Mika and Chloé were gone.

…

Chloé and Mika stood hand in hand before the South American temple. Chloé was in human form, wearing a loose cotton dress with cartoonish looking snakes traced along the hem.

“We’re back here,” Mika said, “but why?”

“Look!” Chloé whispered. The pair saw a young boy crash through the brush, panting, tears streaking down his face. He cradled an egg in his hands, looking back over his shoulder frantically. Mika’s mother and father raced after him, Mika’s eyes widened as he saw blood trailing down his father’s side.

“Keep going,” he grunted.

“Why are they doing this!?” his mother cried, tears streaming down her face. “They paid us to document these ruins!”

“They don’t want to share I guess,” his father grunted, doubling over from the pain, “We need to get to the river, we can get downstream and-“

The brush ruffled, and the three of them looked up to see a man walk into the clearing. He had a wicked smile, a long mustache, and a hook hand prosthesis that glinted slightly in the low light beneath the jungle canopy.

“There’s no escape,” the man grinned, “my men are by the river, and all over the jungle. We only want your journal, and for you to answer a few questions,” he promised. He raised the gun, “although I if you would prefer, we can play my game instead? I’ll enjoy it much more than letting the cat pick your brains.”

“RUN MIKA!” his father shouted. He leapt at the man, reaching for the gun in his good hand, but the hooked prothesis came up, there was a flash, then Mika’s father doubled over in pain again.

“Always tuck an extra weapon wherever you can,” the stranger chuckled, flourishing his hooked hand and revealing a small smoking barrel tucked just beneath the steel appendage.

The boy fled into the trees, and Mika followed the vision of his younger self instinctively, dragging Chloé with him. He stopped dead as a pair of gunshots rang out from the clearing behind him.

“M-Mom?” both Mika’s said at once, “Dad?”

“Mika, I don’t know if we should stay here,” Chloé said, grabbing his arm.

He couldn’t move, just watching his younger self crying as he ran to the hollow of a nearby tree. He shoved the small egg shaped stone into it, covering it with dirt, doing his best to hide it in the minutes he had.

“They won’t get you too Chloé,” he promised through sobs. “Just remember me when you hatch, okay?”

The boy turned just as the man entered the clearing, a wicked grin on his face, “End of the line boy,” he laughed, raising his gun.

“Charboneau! Stop this at once!” a woman’s voice cried.

Chloé and Mika turned to see a blond woman emerge behind the killer, an horrified grimace on her face. The assassin just sighed angrily holstering his weapon. As she walked into view they could see she had a pair of catlike ears on her head, and a long furry tail trailing behind her.

“Chloé, is that-“

“The same Emilia we met today,” Chloé finished grimly.

The world blurred, and suddenly they were in a tent, where Emilia was sitting in a chair across from a crying Mika. Emilia had tears in her eyes too, and her catlike ears were flat against her head as she tried to console the boy.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “this shouldn’t have happened like this…”

“What’s she doing?” Mika whispered, watching Emilia extend a finger, touching his child counterpart’s forehead. He grunted as if struck as he suddenly remembered this, the flickering ears, the blond tail waving behind her as his vision had gone blank.

“Forget,” Emilia ordered simply.

…

Mika gasped, splashing in the pool of Chloé’s stomach, a wild mix of emotions fighting for dominance within him.

“Mika?” Chloé asked hesitantly, “Are you okay?”

“I uh…” he gulped, feeling numb, “Chloé, I need to stay in here for a while, okay?”

“Take all the time you need,” she said softly, “I’m here for you, okay?”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, slumping against her stomach wall.

The silence filled the temple, lingering in the air for minutes that felt like hours until finally Mika spoke again.

“I think we’ve solved the mystery of why neither of us remembered meeting.”

“That was Emilia,” Chloé nodded, “she did something to your memories… I could tell there was something strange about her, it was like she just walked different from you humans!”

“She’s a cat-thing,” Mika spat, “that’s why she was wearing all of those layers when she met us on the beach, she didn’t want us to know!” His fists balled in anger, “Let’s go find her, this time it’s going differently!”

“Mika,” Chloé said softly, “I know you’re angry, I’m angry too… but she did save your life, and she was telling the truth when she said she wanted to help us earlier.”

“Then why all the lies?” Mika demanded, “Why wouldn’t she tell us the truth?”

“Probably because I’d have thought about eating her,” Chloé remarked, “and you’d probably encourage it?”

“I…” Mika sighed, “Fair enough. What do we do then?”

“We’ll give her a chance to explain herself,” Chloé muttered, rubbing her belly and savoring the feeling of her favorite human resting within it, “if we like what we hear… then I suppose we’ve made another friend. If not?” she shrugged, “I think I can take her.”

Mika chuckled, imagining the blond catgirl struggling in Chloé’s grip before earning a trip down her gullet. In spite of his attempts to keep Chloé from eating humans, the thought brought him some comfort.

Emilia… you’ve got some explaining to do.

For now though he decided to relax. The sounds of Chloé’s stomach were varied, there was the occasional groaning churn, slowly swirling the water around him, and a gurgling as some of the liquid occasionally went lower through her digestion. Then there was her heartbeat, not nearly as loud here, but still a steady and ever present metronome that calmed him. 

What was it called in Dad’s journal? He thought, the temple of Serenity… it fits.

Even with everything else in the world weighing on his shoulders, Mika felt himself smile as he leaned back against the walls of Chloé’s stomach. 

Chloé stretched, yawning as she woke up. After completing the temple’s ritual, she and Mika had opted to spend the rest of the night within it, rather than face the cold outside. Mika in particular was still sleeping soundly within Chloé’s stomach, and she blushed happily as she felt a small flutter of movement just behind her navel as he began to stir.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice rumbling all around Mika as he blinked sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning,” he muttered, looking around the confines of her stomach. He brushed a hand across the “wall,” causing Chloé to giggle from the sensation as he stood up. “So, what now?” he asked.

“We’ve got to go meet Oklahoma… and Emilia,” Chloé said slowly.

“Right,” Mika muttered, “I guess the easiest thing to do is to head to that town Emilia mentioned, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.” He shivered, thinking about the cold outside, “Do you mind if I stay in here? At least until we’re closer?”

“I was just about to ask,” Chloé asked happily, patting her tummy and causing a few vibrations along the interior of her stomach.

Chloé slithered along the path back up to the surface, regarding the sharp angular carvings on the wall a final time as she went. She briefly considered searching for a treasure room like the previous temples had contained, but decided against it. Her understanding of money was still fuzzy, but she was certain that they had enough, or at least that Emilia seemed to have a lot of it.

Emilia, Chloé thought grimly, I really hope you’re a friend too… She glanced down at her belly, where Mika was likely relaxing and enjoying the warmth. The revelation of what had happened to his parents, and Emilia’s part in it, had left Chloé wishing she could have done more to comfort him.

She slithered to the top of the temple, observing the Scottish landscape as the sun barely peaked through thick gray clouds. The village they were to meet at was said to be twenty kilometers to the east, and given the sparse landscape it would be easy enough to cloak herself, no one would get close enough to see through the illusion anyway.

Chloé froze, hearing rocks tumbling nearby. She immediately camouflaged herself, her scales taking on the rocky black and grey color of the mountain behind her, along with the clouds overhead. She kept herself hidden, holding her breath as she looked around, trying to turn her head slowly to avoid causing her illusion to shimmer.

“I-I saw you already!” a woman shouted, stumbling out from behind a rock.

Chloé glanced down, seeing a woman in a thick coat waving at her nervously. She had a large camera hanging around her neck, along with an obnoxious nose ring.

Chloé gulped, then focused, concentrating on combining two of her abilities. It was stressful, almost painful, but she felt herself shrinking down to her human form, her tail splitting into legs as she descended, all while maintaining the camouflage.

Mika’s world rumbled, “Chloé, what’s going on!?” the stomach seemed to contort around him, closing in from the sides, but at the same time expanding beneath him. The shape seemed to change, and the consistency of the liquid he was sitting in grew thicker.

At the very last second before her transformation was complete, she let her skin become human, and with what would appear to an observer to be a quick flash, she was standing before the stunned woman, fully human… And naked.

“H-Hi,” Chloé said through chattering teeth, clutching her arms to herself to fight the cold.

“Holy shit!” the woman shrieked, jumping back, “Y-You’re the snake woman!”

“I am not!” Chloé stammered, “You probably just saw Nessie!”

“Nice try,” the woman beamed, “but I’ve seen Nessie loads of times, and you’re no Nessie, snake-woman! ”

“Who are you!?” Chloé asked, shivering as the wind bit her skin.

“Gloria Chesterfield, Weekly World News,” the young woman explained, “and I’ve been following you all over the world, bringing my readers the truth!”

Within Chloé’s now human stomach, Mika was looking around in confusion. Unlike in her snake form, there was no light in her now very human digestive system, and the pooled liquid around him wasn’t soothing and warm, in fact it was starting to itch his arms slightly.

“Chloé!? Did you turn into a human?” he shouted as loud as he could.

“Yeah, I was trying to avoid being seen,” She scowled, looking up at the journalist, “I didn’t manage it though.”

“Who are you talking to?” Gloria asked, looking around, “Are you working with one of the cat-people?”

Mika started to shift inside of her, and Chloé blanched. Unused to having him in her human belly, it was making Chloé nauseous. She fell to her knees, gagging. Within her Mika looked around in surprise for a moment, then shouted as he was vaulted upwards.

Chloé cupped her hands over her mouth just in time to catch the now tiny Mika as he flew past her lips. He looked up in stunned surprise, blinking the gunk from inside of her stomach out of his eyes as he tried to make sense of the situation.

“Whoa, is that a tiny man?” Gloria asked, leaning over Chloé excitedly. Her camera came up, and there was a flash as she took a picture of the stunned Mika.

“Chloé, why am I small!?” Mika asked, gripping her fingers as he looked up at the other woman.

“I guess this is what happens if you’re in my stomach when I change sizes?” Chloé offered sheepishly.

“Amazing,” Gloria said in a low voice, “so the snake woman eats guys, turns human, and then makes them small…” She reached into her pocket, withdrawing a small notepad and pencil, jotting it down.

“Who is this!?” Mika asked, gesturing up at Gloria.

“Gloria Chesterfield, star reporter,” she said with a smile, “I’ve been hot on the tail of one of the cat-women, a blond one, and she led me right to you!” She pulled a tape recorder from her other pocket, grinning excitedly, “Now I want to interview the snake-woman and her… Pet? Snack? What’s the relationship here? Inquiring minds want to know!”

“Uh, I really don’t want the whole world reading about this,” Mika groaned, looking down at his tiny form.

“We’re on the run from some pretty bad people,” Chloé said solemnly, “it wouldn’t be a good idea to give anything away.”

“Bad people!?” Gloria asked eagerly, “Tell me more!”

“Well they’re called-“ Chloé began, but a glare from Mika cut her off. She cleared her throat, looking down at Mika, then to Gloria. “What should we do about her?” Chloé asked quietly.

Gloria paled, “W-What do you mean by that?”

Mika slowly grinned, making eye contact with Chloé as her fingers curled around him, “She says she’s been following us for a while now, surely she knows how voracious your appetite is?”

Chloé blinked in surprise, then understood what Mika was getting at, grinning mischievously “Yeah, and I’m getting pretty hungry…” She licked her lips, looking at the now shaking journalist.

“I-I’m warning you,” Gloria said shakily, fishing in her coat’s pocket, “I’ve got pepper spray!”

“I love spicy food,” Chloé taunted, standing up with a smirk.

“I won’t tell anyone!” Gloria shouted, “Just please don’t eat me!”

“Just remember,” Chloé grinned, holding Mika up over her head, “this is you, if you break your word!”

With that she opened her hand, letting Mika fall, flailing through the air for a brief moment before catching him in her mouth. Mika didn’t have long to reflect on the differences between the human and the naga versions before a powerful suction drew him downward. Chloé’s spit pooled around him for a brief second as she tilted her head back, swallowing loudly for the journalist’s benefit.

Gloria watched, spellbound, as the small lump that was Mika quickly traveled down Chloé’s throat, disappearing into her belly. With a grin Chloé looked down at her again, and a moment later the air shimmered. Chloé’s legs closed and fused into a tail as she grew, stretching up into the sky until her shadow was falling over the now thoroughly terrified reporter.

“Ah,” Chloé sighed, rubbing her belly as she looked down at Gloria, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going…”

Mika sighed in relief as he lay back in Chloé’s Naga stomach. It was a much more hospitable place than its human counterpart, and he was certain he’d regrown too.

“Chloé,” he called, “get her camera!”

Chloé paused, reaching down to Gloria with a pair of pinching fingers. The journalist squeaked in surprise and fear as the giant fingertips closed around the camera, lifting it up over her neck. She squeezed, crushing the camera as easily as if it were a blueberry.

“Hey!” Gloria protested, looking on in despair as the pieces of plastic and glass fell to the ground.

“Remember!” Chloé called, causing the ground to rumble as she slithered away, “No pictures of me!”

Gloria waited until Chloé had gone a few hundred yards, then scowled. With a defiant glare she reached into her pocket, withdrawing her cell phone and opening up the camera. While it wasn’t as good as the professional grade one Chloé had destroyed, it was better than nothing, and she managed to get a few shots of the giant Naga’s back before Chloé’s scales shimmered and her camouflage kicked in.

“You can’t stop me from bringing the news to people!” Gloria muttered under her breath. With a grin she looked down at the massive tunnel she’d seen the Naga emerge from, “now, let’s see what secrets you have to-“

There was a rumbling sound, and rocks tumbled from the hill as the earth shook. Gloria watched in stunned silence as the tunnel’s floor seemed to lift, sealing the ancient ruins shut once again.

“Son of a bitch,” Gloria growled, stomping her foot angrily.

…

Oklahoma swirled the fine Scotch whisky in the glass for a moment, sipping it as she sat across from Emilia in the booth of the small tavern. There were few other patrons, the town they’d settled in was far from any of the main thoroughfares or tourist areas, and even so nobody else seemed particularly interested in the pair of foreigners. Satisfied that they weren’t being eyed up by anyone in the tavern, Oklahoma sipped the whiskey, savoring the rich smokey flavor before clapping her glass back down on the table.

“I really prefer bourbon,” she commented, “but when in Rome…” She glanced at the glass again, “you’re paying, right? This stuff is like thirty bucks a glass… wait, no pounds… shit, that’s like fifty bucks a glass.”

“I moved a few million dollars to secret accounts for our use,” Emilia replied, causing Oklahoma to nearly choke on her drink, “We should be able to travel in luxury, when our route permits it.”

“A few million…” Oklahoma chuckled, “I think I’ll have another, and I’m telling the barkeep to leave the bottle.”

The door opened, and Chloé and Mika walked in from the gloomy street outside. Chloé was dressed in one of Mika’s spare outfits, the clothes hanging slightly loose on her petite human frame.

“Did you complete the temple’s ritual?” Emilia asked quietly, fighting the urge to adjust the wig she was wearing to hide her ears.

“We did,” Mika said, looking down at her with an oddly serious expression on his face.

“Tell her,” Chloé said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Mika took a deep breath, “I remember everything,” he said slowly, “from when I was a kid, the temple, my parents, you. ”

“Hold on,” Oklahoma said, looking at Emilia, “you knew his parents?”

“She was there when they died,” Mika said, crossing his arms. “Weren’t you?”

Emilia’s face went pale, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she searched for the words. With a shaking hand she reached into the front pocket of her jacket, pulling out a handful of small green leaves. She rubbed them under her chin, purring slightly as she felt herself calming down.

“What is that?” Oklahoma asked curiously.

“Catnip,” Mika said.

“Yes,” Emilia said with a sigh, tucking the leaves back into her pocket, “Let’s go up to our room to discuss this, would that be okay?”

“If it’s a trap or something, I’m warning you-“

“Yes, Chloé will eat me,” Emilia said with a weak smile, “I expected that might be a possibility… but I promise you, my intentions are good.”

“Let’s go then,” Mika said, jerking his head towards the stairs.

Emilia got up, slowly following Chloé and Mika towards the rooms. Oklahoma shrugged, knocking back the rest of her whisky in one quick motion, then leaving the glass as she joined them.

The room was cozy, with a pair of twin beds covered in thick quilts and an old box-set television arrayed against one wall. Emilia sat on one of the mattresses, looking up at the trio and trying to find the best place to begin her story.

“I’m very sorry for what happened,” Emilia began, “I didn’t know they would kill your parents, that they would try to kill you…”

“I know you were sorry,” Mika said solemnly, “I saw you cry. What I want to know is why it all happened in the first place?”

“That is a long story,” Emilia said, slowly reaching up to her head. She pulled the wig free, revealing her twitching feline ears, and as she shifted on the mattress her tail popped free from the top of her pants, swishing back and forth behind her. “I guess I should start at the beginning of everything. It was just before what human historians call the Bronze Age. I was the Neko clan’s storykeeper then-“

“You were what in the what age?” Oklahoma interrupted, “I didn’t do so well in school, but wouldn’t that make you-“

“At least four thousand years old,” Mika remarked. Part of him knew he should be surprised, but with all of the other amazing things he’d seen and done, the immortal sitting across from him was no longer as worthy of excitement.

“Yes,” Emilia said with a nod, “I don’t know how long the humans and the Naga had been living together then, our people mostly kept to ourselves.” Her ears went flat, and she looked down at the floor, “Our people… we have certain abilities, things we used to protect ourselves and stay hidden.”

“Like that mind scrambling you did on me?” Oklahoma asked.

“Along with the size changing ability you witnessed,” Emilia nodded. She breathed out slowly, “It was my friend-“ she paused a moment, hesitating, “It was a Neko named Natasha who upset things, she came upon a human in the wilderness. As was our custom she shrank him, but instead of returning him to the boundary of our territory as we normally did, she simply swallowed him, as though he were a mouse.” Emilia paused, conflicting emotions passing over her face, “She gained immense power from it, for a time anyway, and the euphoria consumed her, she needed more.”

“So she started eating people,” Mika said slowly, “The Naga did too, didn’t they?” He looked back at Chloé, who shifted uncertainly.

Emilia chuckled sadly, “The Naga ate evildoers, occasionally they would take the sick or dying, Natasha would descend on caravans or villages of humans and take them all. ” She looked up blinking away a tear at the memory, “She wanted me to join her then, to devour the humans together… but I refused, I couldn’t stand it.”

“The others didn’t have the same reservations, did they?” Chloé asked, crossing her arms.

“No, almost everyone joined her, and by the time they’d descended on the first human city the curse had afflicted most of our clan,” Emilia continued. “Those of us who didn’t partake in the feast followed anyway, what else could we do?”

“You could’ve fucked off,” Oklahoma cut in.

Emilia scowled at her, “I beg your pardon?”

“If your family is doing something shitty, sometimes you’ve got to fuck off,” Oklahoma said with a shrug. She looked around at them, “What? That advice kept me out of jail lots of times.”

“We didn’t have that option,” Emilia insisted, “and they were always the same to us when they’d been sated, our closest family and friends, we couldn’t just abandon them, no matter how bad we felt about the humans.”

“I think I know what happened to you next,” Chloé growled, looking away.

“Yes, we encountered your people,” Emilia said bitterly, “or rather, we encountered the humans who followed you, who worshiped you.” She sighed, “the war was brutal, our males were always more aggressive, and we didn’t realize how many of them we’d lost until we were on the brink of collapse. The Naga and the humans suffered too, but we were destroyed, scattered to the four corners of the globe. It took centuries for us to start finding each other again… and we haven’t found a male to this day.”

“And so coming after Chloé and me is what, revenge?” Mika asked angrily, “it sounds like your people got what was coming to them.”

“Revenge yes, but not just against you, against everyone, ” Emilia said bitterly. “Natasha knows more about the secrets of the Naga than I do, she thinks that whatever is in the Temple of Eternity will allow her to win… forever.”

“So why didn’t you stick with her?” Oklahoma asked curiously, “I mean if you’ve come this far, why not ride it out?”

“I found another way,” Emilia said, swallowing nervously, “another way our species could survive, could thrive again… A male human who is compatible with us, who could give us children.” She forced herself to look up at Mika, and his mouth slowly gaped as he realized the implication.

“No,” Mika muttered, “That’s… Are you sure about this!?”

Chloé went to Mika’s side, squeezing his arm tight, “You can’t have him!”

“He’s the only one!” Emilia pleaded, “He’s our only hope for the future!”

Chloé growled angrily, and her skin flashed. She started growing towards the ceiling, causing the boards to creak as her head and back made contact. Her legs pressed together, and the first scales sprouted across her ankles.

“Chloé!” Mika snapped, “Stop!”

Chloé’s growth paused, and then, like a balloon deflating, she slowly shrank back down with a scowl, her legs becoming human once more as her feet planted themselves on the floor.

“Mika is already spoken for,” Chloé growled, giving Emilia a hateful glare that made the Neko’s ears go flat against her skull.

“So am I part cat?” Mika asked finally.

“A little,” Emilia said hesitantly, “somewhere very far back probably…”

“Look, Emilia,” Oklahoma began, “I don’t really know much about this cat and snake stuff, or ancient civilizations, or any of that, but can you tell us what we can do to beat this Natasha woman, Ouroboros as a whole? I’m guessing we can’t just call the cops on her.”

“I don’t have an easy answer,” Emilia replied solemnly, “She’s after the same thing you are, she wants to open the Temple of Eternity, to use what’s behind those doors.”

“Which is?” Mika asked.

“I don’t know,” Emilia admitted, “whatever it is, it’s something incredibly important to the Naga, something of immense power. If she gets it…” Emilia sighed, “I think that’s the end, for everyone.”

“So we just won’t open the doors,” Chloé said suddenly, “Natasha can’t ever get in then, right?”

“No,” Mika said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “even we if made new identities, hid ourselves for the rest of our lives… she’d still be out there, and she’s got all the time in the world to think up new ways to get her revenge on humanity.” He smiled and looked at Chloé, “Besides, I think your people, your goddess , set this up. Why else would another Naga be here, after all this time?” He turned to Emilia, “and apparently she’s come together with the only human compatible with you. That’s one hell of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“There’s another level to this,” Emilia nodded, “I don’t understand it, but the Naga had ways of… planning, that went beyond even the long term thinking that has carried the Neko clan so far.”

“Divine providence, or something like it,” Oklahoma muttered, “Okay then…” She slapped her knees, “What’s next?”

“The temple in Kemet,” Emilia said, “Egypt, I mean…” she shook her head, “it’s odd how the names change… We’ll go through Constant-“ she chuckled again, “Istanbul, I’ve already arranged a private traincar for us.” She glanced at Chloé, “I’ve also paid a local shepherd handsomely for his flock, they’re about two miles outside of town, if you need to feed that is.”

Chloé stared at Emilia for a moment, then started towards the door, “Thanks,” she muttered.

“I’ll come too,” Mika said, following Chloé towards the door. The pair left, leaving Oklahoma and Emilia alone once again.

“Do you think they hate me?” Emilia asked Oklahoma nervously.

The pilot raised an eyebrow, “You’re alive, aren’t you?” She chuckled at Emilia’s uncomfortable expression. “Look, even after all the mind scrambling you pulled on me, I do think you’re trying to help, and Chloé and Mika think so too, or else I think you’d be inside of a snake-girl’s belly right now.”

“I almost was anyway,” Emilia muttered with a shudder.

“That was because you tried to steal Chloé’s man,” Oklahoma laughed, “I wouldn’t try that again.”

“I’m not trying to steal Mika like some lovesick schoolgirl!” Emilia snapped, “He’s the last hope for my people!”

“Whatever,” Oklahoma chuckled, laying back on the bed, “I’d maybe follow up on that after saving the world.”

…

Chloé belched, tasting mutton on her breath as she sat next to Mika in the rented car. The feeding had left her feeling hungry still, but it was better than nothing, and while eating human food in her human form was satisfying in some ways, it didn’t provide the same energy as her Naga form did.

“We’ll continue south to London,” Emilia said, pointing to a road sign as Oklahoma steered, “I’ve got a friend there who will take care of everything for us!”

“LOOK OUT!” Mika shouted.

Oklahoma swore angrily as she steered the car out of the way of the oncoming vehicle at the last second, earning them an angry honk.

“Sorry,” Oklahoma called, “I forgot they drive on the left over here.”

“I’ve always hated automobiles,” Emilia shivered.

…

London Victoria Station bustled with activity as the four of them walked along the tiled floor, the century old stonework contrasting sharply with the modern light up displays and trendy cafes and shops lining the concourse. Mika’s brow furrowed as he read the sign on the boarding platform Emilia was leading them to.

“The Orient Express?” he asked, turning to Emilia.

“It’s the finest way to reach Istanbul,” Emilia said eagerly, “I’ve traveled on trains the world over, and this is one of my favorite routes.”

“What’s the Orient Express?” Chloé asked.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a book by Agatha Christie,” Oklahoma replied.

Emilia tutted in disapproval, “The book takes place on the train,” she said in exasperation.

“So, it’s like an Amtrak?” Oklahoma asked.

Emilia balked, “Are you seriously comparing the Orient Express to an Amtrak train!?”

“I haven’t ever been on either,” Mika said, “do we have tickets waiting? Or-“

“Emilia!” a woman called, bounding forward eagerly. Emilia waved, suddenly smiling as the petite auburn haired woman all but leapt into a hug. She was well dressed in a corporate fashion, a pantsuit complete with a name badge identifying her as an employee of the rail line.

“Cécilia!” Emilia giggled, “It’s so nice to see you again!”

“She’s one of them,” Chloé muttered under her breath, “She’s too light on her feet for a human.”

Cécilia turned to the rest of them, beaming, “you don’t have to worry, I’m no friend of Natasha’s, come on, this way!”

Cécilia led the group onto the train, taking them by a side boarding door away from where the rest of the passengers were waiting. Bringing them through the narrow corridor on the train, she opened the door to reveal a luxurious suite with gilded décor, the large windows looking out onto the train platform.

“Wow,” Oklahoma said, stunned, “I don’t think I’ve stayed in a hotel this nice…”

“Nothing but the finest for you four,” Cécilia said excitedly, “I’ve also prepared a few changes of clothes, they’re in suitcases in the storage closet there,” she pointed to the small door on the wall.

“Thank you Cécilia,” Emilia said, shaking the other disguised Neko’s hand, “I know you’re taking a big risk by helping us out like this.”

“I don’t care what Natasha does,” Cécilia said flippantly, “I’m never following her again!” She looked over the four of them one final time and nodded, “You get settled in to your rooms, I’ll have the kitchen send you a bottle of champagne.”

“So there are other Nekos that aren’t working for Natasha?” Mika asked when she’d left.

“Most of us followed her once we started coming back together again,” Emilia replied, “but there are still individuals and groups of us out there that don’t. Cécilia followed her for a long time, but she’s fallen away over the years… I guess she saw the writing on the wall before I did.”

The train pulled away from the station slowly, picking up steam as the London scenery passed by outside the window. Mika helped himself to one of the champagne flutes, playfully sharing a toast with Chloé and Oklahoma, both of whom had changed into a pair of formal looking dresses from the provided outfits.

“I’ve got to say, this is a lot better than traveling around in smuggler’s planes,” Mika chuckled, glancing out the window.

“Hey, I got you where you were supposed to go,” Oklahoma said defensively, “not many outlaws have access to a train!”

“Not anymore,” Emilia muttered, “That was always a problem I had with visiting America, every time I took the Union Pacific line some thug decided that was the day he wanted to rob a train.”

Oklahoma frowned, “So you were in the old west?”

Emilia shuddered, “I traveled through the west, I never much cared for the frontier.”

“Who robbed you, exactly?” Mika asked curiously.

Emilia rolled her eyes, but pulled her grimoire, the massive and ornate tome she carried with her everywhere, out of its bag. She flipped through the pages, finally finding what she was looking for.

“There was a degenerate named Jesse James the first time,” Emilia read, “he stuck a gun in my face and took a diamond necklace from me. Then the second time I traveled by train in the United States the train I was on was robbed by someone calling himself Sundance. He took all of my money, but let me keep my jewelry.”

Oklahoma’s mouth dropped open, “You were robbed by Jesse James and the Sundance Kid?”

“I didn’t care for any of them,” Emilia sniffed, “needless to say, I stayed off American trains for a decade or so after that.”

“I really need to ask you about your life in detail sometime,” Mika chuckled, “you’re a historian’s dream come true.”

…

The train continued south through the Channel Tunnel, eventually bringing them into France. While the suite was nice, the group quickly dispersed to explore the other cars, leaving Emilia to read through her grimoire in peace. Oklahoma headed to the bar car, eager to see how much of a tab Cécilia had included with their cabins. Mika and Chloé had gone to the dining car, sharing a meal together as they observed the countryside roll by outside the window, bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.

“This is a beautiful place,” Chloé said dreamily, looking out the window. She reached across the table, holding Mika’s hand, “When this is all over, could we go see more of the world?”

“I’d like that,” Mika agreed, enjoying the scenery with her. “Do you want to order dessert?”

“Is it chocolate!?” Chloé asked eagerly.

“I’m sure they’ll have something chocolate,” Mika laughed. “Hold on, let me run back to the cabin real quick and see if Emilia or Oklahoma want anything.” He stood up, walking to the end of the car.

…

Cécilia chewed her lip, watching Mika exit the car. She followed after him, his scent lingering in her nostrils. The next car was an empty lounge car, with sofas lining the walls and folded up card tables lining the wall. This late in the evening most of the guests had retired, and Mika turned around immediately when he heard the door click shut behind him.

“Oh,” he said, smiling, “Hi Cécilia, I was just heading back to the room for a minute…” he trailed off, something about the way the woman was approaching him was unnerving.

“You smell different from the other humans,” Cécilia growled, “It’s been a really long time since I’ve been… tempted. ” She took a deep breath, and another step forward. “I thought I had this beaten, I’ve been living among humans for so long now, and never once even thought about it.” She giggled a little madly, “Emilia was proud of me, I was proud of myself even.”

“Thought about what?” Mika asked, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

“I guess there’s just no getting away from this,” Ceclia whispered, slowly pulling her wig off, letting her feline ears flicker in the air as her body tensed.

With a yowl she pounced, tackling Mika to the floor of the train car. Mika gripped her arms, ready to throw her off, but her arms were suddenly stronger, bigger, no… He looked up in shock as she rose up over him, becoming a towering colossus as he shrank into the carpet.

“CECELIA STOP!” he shouted.

“I don’t think I can,” she said, cupping her palms under his tiny body. She stood up, stroking his back as though he were a pet mouse. “I don’t think I want to!”

Mika’s eyes went wide as she lifted him high, her mouth opening like a massive dark tunnel below him. He screamed, flailing as she released him. He fell downward, landing on her soft tongue as it extended out of her mouth, drawing him deep into the dim cavern of her mouth.

“MMM…” Cécilia groaned, savoring his taste.

Mika struggled against her massive tongue, unlike Chloé’s there was no playfulness in the way it slammed him against the roof of her mouth, and he winced in pain as it flipped him over, roughly kneading his entire body along her cheek. Saliva dripped around him, quickly soaking him and sticking to his body, making his movements even more difficult.

“HELP!” he shouted, trying to crawl out as her mouth opened for a split second. Cécilia noticed, then with a giggle closed her lips around him, slurping him back in like a noodle at the last minute.

The sound of a door opening in the car caused Cécilia to pause, and she saw Emilia entering the car with a smile.

“Hi Cécilia, do you know if Chloé and Mika are still in the dining car? I thought I might join them for a while.” Cécilia froze, not wanting to open her mouth as Emilia got closer. The sight of her friend seemed to shock some sense of shame back into her, and she shook her head slowly.

“I guess I’ll check for myself,” Emilia commented.

“Emilia?” Chloé frowned, entering the lounge car from the other side, “Have you seen Mika? He left a bit ago and isn’t back yet…”

“Chloé!” Mika shouted as loud as he could.

Beneath her wig Emilia’s feline ear flicked, picking up the muffled cry. She whirled around, making eye contact with Cécilia. The brown haired Neko tilted her head back, ready to swallow, but Emilia’s hand shot out, striking her in the throat.

With a cough Cécilia spat Mika out, and Emilia snatched his tiny body from the air with lightning reflexes.

“Hey!” Chloé shouted, sprinting forward, “Did she just try to-“

“I-I’m sorry!” Cécilia sobbed, “Emilia, I didn’t mean to, he just smelled so good! ”

“What the hell is going on in here?” Oklahoma asked, sliding the door open.

“She’s trying to eat Mika!” Chloé shouted, pointing at Cécilia.

“What!?” Oklahoma looked around frantically, grabbing an empty bottle of champagne floating in a nearby bucket of half melted ice. With a clatter she broke the bottle against the wall, holding the jagged point towards Cecelia, “Get away from him!”

“Don’t hurt her!” Emilia shouted, moving between Cécilia and Oklahoma, “it’s the curse! She’s not thinking clearly!” She placed Mika’s tiny form on the floor, and a split second later he was at his full size again, blinking in stunned surprise as Oklahoma pulled him to his feet.

“Cécilia, focus,” Emilia said slowly, “you’ve kept it under control for so long…”

Cecila nodded, swallowing as she forced her tears away, “I can’t, not while he’s here!” she pointed at Mika.

“Mika, if you and Chloé could please go back to our cabin?” Emilia asked quietly.

Chloé moved past the sobbing Neko, taking Mika’s arm in her own and leading him away. Emilia turned back to Cécilia, sighing with relief as she saw the tension leave the other Neko’s body.

“Are you under control now?” Emilia asked, extending a hand.

“Y-Yeah,” Cécilia breathed, taking her hand and standing back up. She looked at Oklahoma, “S-She’s not the same, I’m safe around her.”

“If it’s all the same, I’ll keep this for now,” Oklahoma said, nodding down at the broken bottle.

“I can’t believe I did that!” Ceclia muttered, tears welling in her eyes again, “I just… I would have…” She sniffed, wiping her nose, “Do you think he’s going to recover? I didn’t traumatize him, did I?”

“I’m sure Mika will be fine,” Emilia said, stroking Cécilia’s hair.

“Yeah, I think he gets off to getting eaten,” Oklahoma commented. Emilia shot her a dirty look, and she just shrugged, “What? I’m not judging him, I’m just saying…”

…

“I guess we know what that curse is about,” Mika said, sitting next to Chloé on their suite’s small sofa.

“I almost feel bad for her,” Chloé said, hugging Mika close.

“She was fighting it,” Mika said, remembering how she’d looked, “she really didn’t want to do it, but it was like she was addicted or something, she couldn’t stop herself.”

The two looked up as the door slid open, and Emilia and Oklahoma entered the room, “Cécilia would like to beg for your forgiveness,” Emilia said softly. “She really tried her best to resist, but the curse… it affects all of us who devour humans.”

“But not you?” Mika asked.

“I’ve never eaten one of you, so no,” Emilia replied solemnly.

“Tell her I forgive her,” Mika sighed, “I’m pretty sure she reacted that way because I’m…”

“Special,” Emilia smiled, “yes, your scent sticks out rather strongly in an enclosed place like this. Seeing the curse first hand, you can see why I’m so desperate to help my people, to show them another way…” She sighed, “I’d hoped that with a long enough absence the curse would dissipate, the urge disappears, but the memories and the longing are all still there…”

“Let’s get some sleep,” Mika decided, “we can talk about this more tomorrow.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Emilia nodded, “by tomorrow evening we’ll be in Istanbul, I’ve made arrangements to get us to Egypt via an overland route, we’ll want to be well rested.”

Emilia and Oklahoma retired to their shared room, and Mika and Chloé slipped beneath the covers of the bed. In each other's arms, they fell asleep to the rhythmic clacking of the train tracks below.

…

Charboneau smoked a thin cigarette, pinched in the claws of his prosthetic hand. He exhaled slowly, skimming Emilia’s reports through the years. The computer had been one of Emilia’s personal ones at one point, and while most Nekos preferred to keep records of their lives in their massive grimoires, ever at their side, Emilia had at least partially embraced the digital age.

“What are you looking for, exactly?” Yukia asked, bored as she leaned against the wall of Emilia’s old lab.

“A hunter has to know his quarry,” Charboneau replied, “Emilia travels by train whenever she can for example, it seems she has a somewhat romantic attraction to them.”

“Yeah,” Yukia chuckled, “I’ve really gotten attached to airplanes myself, you humans did a good job with that one.”

“I’ll be sure to pass the Wright brothers your regards,” Charboneau said, amused. His good hand clacked across the keys, and a moment later a list of contacts came up. “It seems that Emilia knows several of your people who are not followers of our dear Princesse.”

“Not everyone wanted to get back under Natasha’s leadership again,” Yukia shrugged, “there are a few rogue bands out there, part of the Archivist’s role was to keep track of our entire history, so she would usually be the one to go talk to them.”

“And this one is evidently very high up in a European rail company,” Charboneau said, smiling, “I think I know who she would go to for transportation if she is in Europe, and going by the latest issue of the Weekly World News…” he glanced at his copy of the tabloid, laying across the lab desk, “They were in Scotland recently.” He clicked the computer off, walking back to Yukia with a smile. “Let’s go, my things are already on the private plane.”

“Should we get Higgins?” Yukia asked curiously.

Charboneau paused, “No,” he decided, “That man… he is too cold, a man in this line of work should either enjoy it, or quit. There is no point in doing anything if it doesn’t bring you joy, after all.”

“And you liked doing these kinds of jobs?” Yukia asked with a grin.

“Oh yes,” Charboneau chuckled as they walked to the elevator, “Natasha and I had such fun in my youth, a fleeting thing for her I’m sure… Don’t tell me you’re a sentimental type? I don’t like to restrain myself when the time comes for violence.”

Mika thumbed through his father’s journal, frowning at some of the smudged ink on the pages. Considering what it had been through, the leather-bound tome had held up fairly well over the years. With Emilia in the group locating the temples using his father’s own musings was no longer necessary, but he’d still found himself glancing through it now and again during the long train ride.

He smirked as he found a small passage, hastily scrawled in pencil in a margin.

Talked about Egypt with Mika today, similarities and differences to what we’re seeing here. Need to remember to take him to see the Pyramids when this is over.

Mika chewed his lip, trying to recall the memory, but nothing came. Even with Emilia’s magic washed away, there were still some things too far distant in the past to recall. He closed the old book, sliding it into the disheveled backpack that had seen several continents at this point, and with a sigh he glanced at Emilia. The Neko’s hair twitched slightly, almost unnoticeable, unless you knew that there was a feline ear beneath the blond wig she wore.

Emilia noticed his look, smiling uncomfortably, and Chloé subtly shifted closer to Mika as the train clacked along the tracks.

“We should be at the station soon,” Emilia said quietly, glancing out at the passing Bulgarian countryside. The rolling green hills and forests had changed less over the last century than many of the places Emilia had been, and she recognized a few of the hamlets nestled in the valleys as they passed.

“I’ve got to say,” Oklahoma chuckled, sliding into the booth next to Emilia, “I’ve never been one for trains, but this was nice. I don’t suppose you’ve got a luxury cruise ship lined up to take us to our next stop?”

Emilia smirked, “Unfortunately not, but my private yacht is docked on the far side of the Bosporus strait. We can take it south, refuel in Cyprus, and then continue on to Egypt. It doesn’t carry a regular staff, so we’ll have to cook our own meals.”

“A private yacht too?” Oklahoma asked with a frown, “How rich are you?”

Emilia frowned, looking at the ceiling a moment, “I don’t exactly know,” she said finally, “I stopped keeping track of my finances a long time ago, and I can’t use any of my normal accounts while Natasha is looking for us anyway.

“I can’t wait to travel over the ocean again,” Chloé sighed, “I need to eat Mika, fish are a lot easier to get ahold of than livestock…” She looked forlornly out the window at a passing herd of cows, licking her lips idly.

Chloé’s ability to stay in her human form had grown considerably, but Mika could tell that the combination of the exertion and the lack of full sized feedings had started to wear on her over their train ride. They’d only had the opportunity to let her return to her true form once during the trip, during a remote stop at the base of the Swiss Alps. There Cécilia had arranged for “difficulties” in the train’s maintenance, giving Chloé several hours to rest, camouflaged from sight, before being forced to shrink back down to her human size to reboard the locomotive.

It had proved impossible to find her a suitable food source as well, and while eating as a human sated her somewhat, it didn’t truly nourish her. It was starting to become apparent, there were dark circles under Chloé’s eyes, as though she’d lacked sleep, and her skin seemed paler than usual, her hair slightly frayed at the ends. It pained Mika to see her in such a state, but all he could do was circle his arm around her shoulder and hug her close. She smiled, leaning into him appreciatively.

“Is there anything we can do for her?” Oklahoma asked quietly, nodding at Chloé, who had closed her eyes with a sigh.

“Nothing that I know of besides feeding her,” Emilia said with a frown. Chloé had slipped into a soft slumber, her breath slowing. Emilia chewed her lip a moment, then softly voiced a question that had been on her mind, “You said Chloé doesn’t eat humans?”

“I made her promise not to,” Mika retorted. He hugged Chloé closer almost defensively.

“That may be a hard promise for her to keep,” Emilia warned, “even in the old days they fed on humans, there’s a lot more to one of you than there is to anything else… My own people gain immense strength and speed following a feeding .” Emilia grimaced as she said the last part.

“Chloé isn’t like your people,” Mika replied, a little angrily.

“She is a giant snake-girl Mika,” Oklahoma said with a shrug, “granted the people she’s eaten so far were all trying to kill us, so it won’t exactly keep me up at night.”

Emilia looked out the window, “It’s a difficult thing to come to terms with…” She scowled suddenly, “my own people always relished it, they loved the sound humans made going down their throats so much that they even added it to their names.”

“What do you mean?” Mika asked with a frown.

“Ahhh,” Emilia mimicked a scream, “most of us added that sound to our names, regardless of the language we were using at the time.” She sighed, “Before the war with the humans I was called Emilie.”

“Emilie,” Mika mused, “do you… want us to call you that instead?”

Emilia, or rather Emilie, blinked, “I… I’ve been going by Emilia for a long time now, it would take some getting used to.”

“Well Emilie ,” Oklahoma chuckled, “I dropped the name everyone called me in my hometown around the time I turned twenty, it was a silly thing, but it did make me feel better.”

Emilie nodded, then smiled slowly, “We could try it, I suppose.”

“Good,” Oklahoma beamed, “now, before we get where we’re going, I have a few questions about Jesse James.”

Mika groaned, “Not this again…”

“What?” Emilie asked, confused.

“Oklahoma has a rather romantic view of old west outlaws, evidently,” Mika explained.

“I’m just saying, how does she know it was the real Jesse James?” Oklahoma retorted.

Emilie raised an eyebrow, “It certainly was the man, his wanted poster was everywhere at the time.”

Mika groaned, leaning back into his seat and cradling Chloé as the pilot began a lengthy interrogation of the immortal across from him.

…

Mika watched from a distance, holding a tired Chloé upright in his arms as   Cécilia bid farewell to Emilie and Oklahoma by the train’s car. Given what had happened last time he’d been close to her, he’d opted to remain farther away, and in Chloé’s state he didn’t want to stress her out anyways. Emilie and   Cécilia hugged, then waved goodbye to one another as they parted.

Emilie sighed softly as she walked up to Mika, “She says she’s sorry, she’s going to go into the wilderness for a while I think, avoid all humans for a few months at least.”

“The curse really be hell on those of you who still have a conscience,” Mika muttered, watching  Cécilia disappear into the crowd.

“That’s why I couldn’t just leave my people,” Emilie nodded, “I knew some of them would realize what they were doing was wrong, and I wanted to help them find their way back.”

“Is Chloé going to be okay?” Oklahoma asked with a grimace.

“I’m fine,” Chloé muttered, her eyes fluttering as she leaned on Mika for stability, “I just… need to get out of human form.”

“Let’s go,” Mika nodded, gently gripping Chloé’s hand as the four of them left the train station.

…

Yukia leaned over the railing of the small dock, looking at the harbor as Charboneau raised a cigarette, clenched in the iron tongs of his prosthetic, to his lips, taking a long drag and exhaling slowly. The team of mercenaries that had met them at the airport were scattered throughout the city, keeping in communication via earpieces as they searched train depots, cargo docks, and other places the hitman had suspected their quarry would visit before traveling on.

“Why don’t we just search all of the yachts?” Yukia asked, glancing at the boats in the harbor.

“I don’t know exactly which one is Emilia’s,” Charboneau said with a frown, “I’m sure if I had more time I could determine it, but she will be arriving in the next few hours. A lot of these yachts are owned by rich and powerful people, not as powerful as our own masters of course, but enough so that we would have to deal with police or private security. It’s easier to simply watch all of the docks, on both side of the strait.” He glanced at her, pulling the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, “Smoke?”

Yukia stuck her tongue out, “Blech, I’ll pass… our people don’t do that.” She reached into her own pocket, pulling out a small bag of cat treats, popping a few into her mouth.

Charboneau shrugged, “Natasha used to.”

Yukia almost choked, “Natasha smoked?”

“I think she was just humoring me,” Charboneau chuckled, “she certainly never picked up the habit in full…” He frowned, hearing chatter through the earpiece.

“What is it?” Yukia asked excitedly. Her own feline ears, tucked beneath a black wig, were too large to use the communication earpieces.

“They’ve been spotted,” he said, leaning down to pick up his guitar case. He grunted at the weight, remembering for the millionth time that he was not a young man anymore.

…

Mika grunted as Chloé leaned against his side, stumbling as they walked through the streets. He helped steady her while Oklahoma and Emilie looked on with concern, and even a few of the other departing passengers at the train depot glanced their way curiously.

“How far is it to your boat?” Mika asked quietly.

“It’s on the Asian side of the strait,” Emilie said uncertainly, “we could take a cab across the bridge, or a ferry, or-“

“Let’s get Chloé to the waterfront,” Oklahoma suggested, “that way she can get back to her full size. She can meet us somewhere else later.”

“That sounds good,” Mika sighed, “Come on Chloé.”

“Mmm?” Chloé’s eyes fluttered, and she nodded, but otherwise didn’t respond.

The group moved out of the train station and into the busy streets of Istanbul.

…

“They’ve deviated course,” Charboneau muttered, turning down a side street as Yukia hurried after him.

“Emilia’s with them?” Yukia asked eagerly.

“It’s the boy, Mika, Emilia, the Pilot, and another girl without any identification,” Charboneau said with a frown, “recon says she seems sick, injured maybe…” He swore under his breath, “that’s got to be the Naga… I’d hoped they’d separated from her somewhere.” He turned to Yukia, “what do you know about her shapeshifting abilities? Natasha never told me much, only that they could walk among humans for a short time.”

Yukia blinked, “I uh… well, you know as much as I do, I guess? I thought they were all dead, learning more about them didn’t really interest me much.”

Charboneau sighed, “it amazes me how some of you spend your long lives. Ready yourself for battle, we’ll want to grab Emilia and Mika and withdraw immediately.” He reached into his pockets, drawing out a long rubber glove. With a grunt he managed to use his prosthetic to slide it over his good hand. “If I’m going after one of you, I’ll need to avoid skin contact,” he explained, seeing Yukia’s curious look. “The rest of the team has their arms, forearms, and faces completely covered.”

“Right,” Yukia nodded, suddenly a little tense, “it seems like you’ve got a whole procedure in place for us…”

“Indeed, Natasha expected no less,” Charboneau chuckled, “and she had such preparations in place long before she decided she was done with Emilia.” He tapped his earpiece again, nodding. “We’re placing faked police calls throughout the city to draw emergency responders away from us, we should have a small window before police response.”

“Sounds good,” Yukia grinned, following after him.

…

“Just a little further Chloé,” Mika said softly, helping Chloé along the concrete waterfront. Oklahoma and Emilie were glancing around, watching the crowd as Mika got her closer to the water. He bit his lip, wondering if they could slide Chloé into the sea without being seen. The water was murky enough that she could dive lower and not be seen, but the number of boats made Mika nervous. At minimum she’s going to be causing some waves when she shifts size, he thought grimly.

“Look down there,” Oklahoma said quietly, pointing to a large orange barricade. The wording was in Turkish, but it was easy enough to tell the cordoned off area was closed for some kind of maintenance. Beyond the orange painted plywood, construction equipment was strewn about, and a few large divots were dug in the concrete for new bollards to be placed. Most importantly, there were no other pedestrians walking beyond it.

“It’s as good as we’re going to find,” Emilie nodded, going to Chloé’s other side and hefting her arm over her shoulder, “Come on, we’ll slide her into the water once we get a little further from the crowd.

…

“They’re moving into a part of the waterfront that’s under construction,” Charboneau grinned, hefting his guitar case as he picked up speed. “We might just get lucky and take them all without witnesses.”

“And the Naga?” Yukia asked, hurrying to keep up with him.

“She won’t be able to follow us deeper into the city,” Charboneau remarked, glancing at the buildings, “not without taking human form… and if she does?” he shrugged, “I am certain she’ll be more manageable at a smaller size.”

…

Oklahoma nonchalantly leaned against one of the construction site’s portable outhouses, glancing around as Emilie and Mika led Chloé down to the water. Nobody seemed to be paying them any mind, even after they’d crossed the barricade, but something was still setting her on edge. She felt her gaze lingering on an older man, carrying a guitar case at his side. She couldn’t quite say why, but it didn’t feel right.

That thing looks heavy, she thought, seeing the man grimace slightly, What kind of guitar is heavy enough to-

Her eyes went wide, “MIKA, GET DOWN!” with a shout she pulled her pistol, diving for the nearby pile of concrete bollards.

Mika’s head whipped around just as Charboneau unclasped the guitar case, pulling the large automatic weapon out with one smooth motion. Summoning all of his strength, Mika tackled Chloé and Emilie to the ground just the loud bark of automatic gunfire filled the air.

“Bonjour mon cheri!” Charboneau laughed, watching the mercenaries descend from the nearby alleyways, cutting off his prey’s hope of escape.

“Oh no,” Emilie muttered, her ears going flat beneath her wig as she realized just who Natasha had sent after them.

“Bonjourno to you too, fucker!” Oklahoma hollered back, squeezing off several shots with her pistol from behind the concrete. They went wide, but they were enough to cause Charobneau to scowl angrily, taking cover behind a large concrete potted plant.

“Mika?” Chloé asked dreamily, blinking.

“Sorry about this,” Mika muttered, gritting his teeth and shoving her over the edge of the concrete waterfront with all of his might. There was a splash below, and he sighed with relief.

It was short lived, and he groaned as he saw a trio of men in nondescript black suits and ties hurrying towards them, handguns drawn. He weakly raised his hands, showing they were empty.

“Get up, and keep your hands where we can see them!” the leader barked.

Emilie licked her lips, “I-I’m hurt, can one of you help me up?” she extended a hand hopefully.

“We know to avoid skin contact with you,” the man growled, gesturing with the pistol. Mika saw that each man was also wearing a long pair of rubber gloves that ran up their arms and under their sleeves.

“Hi Emilia,” Yukia laughed, practically skipping over to the men.

“I’m going by Emilie now,” she muttered, getting to her feet with Mika.

Yukia raised an eyebrow, “really going all in on the traitor thing, huh?”

“I’m trying to save us!” Emilie protested, “Mika is the only one who-“

“Yeah, he certainly does have a nice smell to him,” Yukia chuckled, causing Mika to tense as she sniffed playfully in his direction. “Maybe when Natasha’s done with whatever she’s got planned, she’ll let me have a little fun with your little chosen one here?”

Yukia winced, lowering her head as another burst of gunfire echoed out from Charboneau’s weapon, “Come on out girl,” he called to Oklahoma, “I’ve got your friends! You can all live!”

Oklahoma’s eyes edged over the pile of bollards she’d taken cover behind, scowling as she saw Mika and Emilie’s predicament. She ducked back down immediately, weighing her options as she looked around for a way out. The only way back up to the main streets, and the alleys within, were blocked by pairs of armed men, brandishing their weapons as they surrounded her. One of them was even carrying a large rocket launcher over his shoulder, no doubt meant for Chloé, but certainly good enough for her too.

…

Chloé felt the water splash over her, her human lungs burning as she sank into the seawater. Her first reaction was confusion, both at being submerged, and at not being able to breathe. Her hunger addled mind finally realized what the problem was, and a moment later she felt the familiar sensation of her legs fusing together into a tail, her scales sliding over her skin as her lower half became less human, more serpentine.

Above her the water began to roil as she increased in size, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her as she felt the tension of keeping her human form in place slip away . Her fatigue was receding, but her hunger was as strong as ever, a rumbling roar in her belly that was thankfully muted by the water around her as she got her bearings.

Mika, she thought, blinking as she looked up at the surface.

…

“I’ve got this,” Yukia chuckled, taking off towards Oklahoma’s barricade at a sprint.

The pilot peaked over the top, snarling as she squeezed off a shot at the approaching Neko. Yukia laughed, cartwheeling to the side, leaping expertly off a bulldozer, and then up into the air. Oklahoma looked up, squinting in the sunlight as Yukia came down on her, the Neko’s booted foot coming down on the pilot’s chest and sending her to the ground with a grunt. Her gun skittered out of her hand, and as she reached up to throw a punch at Yukia’s knee, the catgirl caught it with a smirk.

“Too slow,” she teased, watching as her prey shrank below her.

Oklahoma panicked, thrashing from side to side as the catgirl grew larger, and heavier. Soon Yukia was leaning down, pinching her arm between her fingers as she continued to reduce her victim in size, leaving her pinned beneath the massive rubber wall of the boot’s sole.

“Quit squirming,” Yukia chuckled, “even if you got out from under there, where would you go? You’d probably get caught in a mousetrap or something…” She gripped the now tiny, and naked, woman around the waist, lifting her boot up and regarding her with a grin. “Yummy,” she teased, licking her lips.

“W-What the hell,” Oklahoma stammered, “Let go of me you overgrown fleabag!”

“Be nice,” Yukia said with a grin, dangling the tiny woman in front of her face, “you’re cute, I could see myself keeping you if you’ll learn to be nice. Otherwise?” She chuckled, leaning back and dangling the tiny pilot over her open mouth. 

“D-Don’t!” Emilie begged.

“Don’t worry, I just ate,” Yukia remarked, gently stuffing Oklahoma into the pocket of her jacket, “I won’t eat your little friend until after we’ve gotten a chance to ask you all some things.”

“Get gloves on Emilia,” Charboneau shouted, hurrying up to them, “We need to go!”

Mika felt as though the world fell away as he saw the man approaching, the sun glinting slightly off the hooked prosthetic.

“You,” he whispered.

Charboneau paused, chuckling as he looked down at Mika, “Ah, you remember… I’m so glad I won’t have to explain everything.”

“You bastard,” Mika snarled through gritted teeth, “you killed-“

“Yes, your parents, and plenty of other people,” Charboneau said in a bored voice. He glanced beyond Mika, nodding as his men covered Emilie’s hands before cuffing them behind her back. “Emilia, I’m glad to see you again.” He gave her a toothy grin, “To tell the truth, this is an unexpected boon in my old age, you caused me so many headaches when we worked together.”

The men hoisted Emilie to her feet, ushering her and Mika away from the waterfront. Sirens were blaring in the distance, no doubt responding to the reports of gunfire on the waterfront. The crowds of pedestrians had largely disappeared for the same reason, and they were alone as Charbonneau led them back towards the alleyways of the old city.

There was a splashing sound behind them, and a moment later a large shadow fell over the group. Charboneau scowled as he turned to face Chloé as she rose out of the water, a furious look on her face. The men backed away nervously, looking to him and Yukia for instructions as Chloé loomed over them, all pretense of stealth or surprise forgotten.

“Give them back now, ” Chloé thundered, laying her hands on either side of the group, her palms the size of tanks as they flanked the mercenaries.

There was silence, and out in the water Mika could see people on ferries pointing, taking photos, and shouting in surprise as Chloé’s massive, and naked, form loomed out of the water.

There goes any chance of getting out of here without attracting attention, Mika thought miserably.

Charboneau dropped his rifle, grabbing the rocket launcher from the stunned man holding it. Using his good hand he lifted it over his own shoulder steadying it as Chloé turned, looking down at him angrily.

Good luck, Mika thought, a rocket will only make Chloé mad.

Charboneau wasn’t aiming for Chloé though, and the naga’s eyes went wide as her head turned, following the vapor trail of the rocket as it flew past her side. A second later screams echoed over the water as it collided with one of the harbor ferries, causing it to tilt on its side.

Charboneau didn’t waste any time, grabbing Mika’s shoulder and forcing him towards the streets. The men took his lead, grabbing Emilie and following as Chloé looked from them, to the sinking ship, and back again in a panic.

Chloé didn’t understand Turkish, or the half dozen other languages the tourists cried for help in, but she didn’t need to. She felt instinct take over as she dove into the water, her tail whipping back and forth behind her as she propelled her massive form through the water.

The ferry was lilting in the water, and the people on the deck were pushing against one another as gravity forced them to one side of the vessel. Bringing herself up underneath the hull, the channel was just shallow enough for her to brace her tail against, as her shoulder slammed into the bottom of the boat, she pushed upward with all of her might.

On the deck people stopped screaming, looking on in wonder as the ship began to right itself. Several pointed to the churning water, where Chloé’s shadowy form could just barely be seen.

“Out of the way!” Gloria Chesterfield shouted, elbowing her way to the boat’s railing, shoving her weekly world news press pass at a confused captain.

“It’s some kind of sea serpent!” someone shouted.

“That’s no sea serpent,” Gloria muttered, raising her new camera and snapping photos.

Chloé gritted her teeth, feeling every fiber in her muscular tail burning with exertion as her belly howled with hunger. With a final cry that sent bubbles roaring to the surface, Chloé shoved the ferry onto the shore, relishing the scraping of the rocks against the steel hull.

Mika! She thought, the panic chasing away whatever momentary relief she’d found at saving the ferry passengers.

Gloria cried out in triumph as she captured a perfect photo of the massive snake-woman leaping out of the water, diving back in as she sped to the far side of the strait.

Emergency exits were being deployed as she watched Chloé race away, and she sighed angrily as she followed the rest of the crowd. Beside the boat she noticed a small motorboat with a police logo on it pulling up next to them, the police clambering out onto the shore and waving to the passengers, directing them away from the wreck.

Gloria licked her lips, noticing how the pair of police had their attention full with the crowd, ignoring their now empty speedboat. With a giggle she broke away, practically skipping down the rocky shore towards it.

…

Charboneau chuckled to himself as he heard the sirens outside the empty warehouse. The entire team had met him back here, at the industrial parks at the outskirts of the old city .  A series of vans were waiting, fueled and ready to take them out of the country. Emilie and Mika were under guard in the center of the room, and Yukia was toying with the pilot in one corner, tossing the flailing woman into the air, mockingly opening her mouth below her, and catching her at the last minute.

“I thought you retired,” Emilie said bitterly.

Charboneau shrugged, “Beaches and casinos get boring, and I owe Natasha so much, how could I refuse this last favor?” He grinned, “And then there is you of course, how many souls did your mercy cost me over the years? This is settling accounts.”

“You’re a monster,” Emilie spat, “and you’re not Natasha’s friend, you’re barely even a pet to her!”

Charboneau laughed, “That’s better than most people get from the Princesse, so I’ll take that much as an honor.” He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a satellite phone. He slowly dialed Natasha’s personal number with his hooked prosthetic, and a moment later it began ringing.

“Yes?” The princesses’ voice asked, echoing through the quiet warehouse.

“I have Emilia here,” Charboneau said with a grin, “I believe you wanted to speak to her, one last time?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, then a sigh, “I’d hoped to do it face to face, but this will do I suppose. Hello Emilia.”

“It’s Emilie again,” she said softly.

Natasha went quiet again, “I see,” she said finally. “I always knew we’d come to this at some point, but I wanted to enjoy as much time with you as I could.”

“Is there any way you’d just forget the whole thing?” Emilie asked, “You can go back Natasha… I can help you.”

Natasha laughed softly, “Goodbye Emilie.”

There was a click on the other end of the line as Natasha hung up, and Charboneau grinned like a demon as he placed the phone back into his pocket. With his own low chuckle, he reached for the small switch on his prosthetic hand, arming the small pistol built into the base as he leveled it at Emilie and Mika.

Call to her , a voice in Mika’s head said.

He frowned, what?

CALL. TO. HER . The snake goddess all but roared.

With the end of his life potentially mere seconds away, Mika did the only thing he could think of, he took a deep breath, and shouted as loud as he could.

“Chloé!”

…

Chloé’s massive form slithered through the streets, crumpling cars and sending people screaming in all directions. She winced, ignoring the light tickle of police gunfire as she looked around madly for any sign of her friends. She grimaced as a building collapsed while her tail slammed into it, and it was only small consolation that she could tell from the lack of human vibrations inside that it was empty. The streets of Istanbul were too narrow for her, and she paused, hesitant to cause the trail of destruction that moving through the ancient city would almost assuredly bring. 

One particularly brave officer stepped into the road right in front of her, leveling a high powered rifle at her face. She blinked as the crack of the gun produced nothing more than a feeling like a grain of sand in her eye, vanishing as quickly as it came. Her stomach growled, and she loomed over the now stunned officer, opening her mouth as she reared up to strike.

No!

She forced herself to sweep the man out of her way, flinging him to the sidewalk where he landed bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

Eat them! Her instincts screamed, there’s food everywhere! FEAST!

Days of hunger and the fatigue of the lengthy stretches in her human form wore on her, and Chloé heard her heart pound as her own thoughts grew dimmer, her instincts louder, her hunger more powerful.

FOCUS!

Chloé wasn’t sure whether it was her own voice, or the goddess of the temples, but she closed her eyes, drowning out the din of the panicking city as she put her remaining willpower into her senses. The vibrations of the ground were hard to parse, there were so many humans and vehicles nearby that finding the familiar gait of Mika, Emilie, or Oklahoma was impossible.  

Then she heard it.

“Chloé!”

Mika’s voice.

Her eyes shot open, and with a roar she slithered away from the city , a renewed drive forcing her hunger down as she bore down on the source of her beloved’s cry.

…

“CHLOE!” Mika shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hey, shut the fuck up!” Yukia shouted, dangling Oklahoma in front of her face with a scowl.

“FUCK YOU CAT!” Oklahoma’s tiny voice squeaked, “You’ll choke on me!”

“Die like a man boy,” Charboneau scowled, “your father had the decency to do so without screaming like a-“

The wall of the warehouse caved inwards, and through the wall of dust and debris a scaled tail was visible in the midday sun. Chloé’s hand reached in, grabbing Mika and Emilie and pulling them out.

Yukia was blinking dust out of her eyes when she felt a sharp pain in her finger, “OW!” she yelped, dropping her shrunken prisoner as a small blossom of blood appeared from the bite. She hissed, raising her boot to crush the tiny woman, but Oklahoma had already disappeared into the swirling cloud of dust that was filling the warehouse as Chloé tore the walls away.

…

“Go to the water,” Chloé said, placing Emilie and Mika down, “I’ll meet you there. Where’s Oklahoma?”

“Hey!” a tiny voice squeaked down by Emilie’s shoe.

The stunned Neko looked down, almost leaping upwards in surprise as the tiny woman waved triumphantly up at her.

“Please tell me you can fix this?”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Emilie said, shocked. She reached down, scooping the tiny woman up in her palm. She quickly tucked the pilot into her front pocket for safekeeping, “I’ll return your size as soon as we get you some clothes!”

“Sounds good,” Oklahoma nodded.

“We’ve got to move!” Mika shouted, grimacing as he heard the sound of approaching sirens. Worse yet the distinctive whir of helicopter blades was in the air, and Mika wondered how much longer Chloé would be able to move about Istanbul without the military responding.

Gunfire from inside the warehouse interrupted his thoughts, and he gripped Emilie’s hand, pulling her out into the street as Oklahoma raced behind them.

Chloé felt their footsteps going, shielding them from the random gunfire with the scaled wall of her tail. The dust cleared, revealing several mercenaries, along with a man she recognized well, a man she’d watched kill her beloved’s mother and father.

“ You ,” she growled, looking down at Charboneau with a poisonous gaze.

The man froze, a rare look of fear on his face as Chloé reared up over him. It quickly turned to rage, and he raised his hooked hand, squeezing off a few shots from the hidden weapon he’d pointed at Mika and Emilie just moments ago.

Every instinct in Chloé’s head was roaring at once, and it was like a dream as she leapt down into the warehouse, her mouth open.

…

Mika rested against the waterfront, panting softly as Oklahoma and Emilie looked back at the chaos in the city. Finally, he looked himself, a worried frown coming over his face as he realized he didn’t see any sign of Chloé at all.

“Should we go back for her?” Oklahoma asked uncertainly. She was dressed in a pair of stolen jeans and a T-shirt she’d taken off a clothesline minutes after being regrown, from the way she kept scowling and looking down at her hip, Mika could tell she missed her handgun. 

“This city will be crawling with police and soldiers soon,” Emilie muttered, glancing across the water.

“If we don’t have Chloé, there’s no point in going any further,” Mika said, “We’ll wait here for her.”

“Looking for someone?”

They all turned to see Chloé walking out of an alleyway, back in her human form. She had a spring to her step, and her hair was shining and vibrant as she smiled, her skin practically glowing. She was wearing a scavenged tourist t-shirt featuring the Hagia Sophia that was at least two sizes too large, and it flapped in the wind as she leapt into Mika’s arms with a giggle.

“Are you okay?” Mika asked eagerly.

“Yeah,” Chloé smiled, “I’m feeling great actually… I guess I just needed a little time at full size again.”

Emilie frowned, glancing at Chloé’s renewed vigor, “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said hesitantly.

“Thanks,” Chloé said, her smile fading slightly s they made eye contact. In that moment Chloé knew that Emilie had already guessed what had really happened back at the warehouse as Chloé had covered their escape, but thankfully the Neko said nothing, simply turning away from her.

“We need to get to my boat,” Emilie sighed, “Chloé, can you carry us across the bay? It’s just over there.” Emilie pointed to a small private dock.

Chloé nodded, walking towards the water again, this time running and diving in with a gusto. A moment later Chloé’s house sized face rose out of the water, smiling eagerly.

“So, we’ll need to go under the water to avoid being seen,” she giggled, “You know what that means?”

“Chloé, I’ve spent the last half hour with a psychotic cat threatening to eat me,” Oklahoma scowled, “Can I please ride anywhere else?”

Chloé blushed, “Well uh, there’s always my-“

“Nevermind,” Oklahoma said, waving in annoyance as she walked towards the Naga, “your belly’s fine.”

There was a gurgling sound, the telltale sound of Chloé emptying her stomach’s contents lower, “Just clearing out some fish I snacked on earlier,” she said with a smile.

Emilie grimaced, thinking back to the war with the Naga, how they could consume whole armies of foes… She hadn’t thought of Chloé in the same way as she had about those ancient foes until now.

She was always a predator, Emilie reminded herself, even if she’s on your side now…

“Ah hell, here we go again,” Oklahoma muttered as Chloé’s lips closed behind her. Chloé giggled, tilting her head back and listening to the pilot’s scream of surprise as the swallowing motion sent her rocketing downwards.

Mika went next, relaxing in Chloé’s grip as she placed him onto her familiar tongue. He slid down of his own accord, relishing the feeling of security as her throat’s muscle squeezed around him after the dangerous day he’d endured.

Emilie was last, sighing as she looked up at Chloé, “I know what happened,” she said softly. She held up her hand before Chloé could reply, “I won’t tell the others,” she said, “but you might think about what you’ll say if and when they find out.”

“Uh, right,” Chloé nodded. “Do you still feel okay going inside my…”

“I don’t have any other options, do I?” Emilie shrugged, stepping forward onto Chloé’s waiting palm. “Just do it quickly.”

Chloé nodded, and a moment later she was gulping Emilie down too, sending her into her belly with her other friends.

With the three of them stowed safely, she slipped beneath the waves again, swimming undetected across the sea floor to the far side of the Bosporus strait.

…

It was nighttime when Chloé finally surfaced next to Emilie’s yacht, and while military helicopters still hummed in the distance, the Naga felt secure in surfacing next to the luxury yacht Emilie had described in detail. 

Within her belly her friends looked upward, waiting for their release. 

“So,” Oklahoma said loudly, startling the other two passengers, “All of this hardship has been making me wonder about this temple in Egypt… Does it have any decent loot? Also I’d like my gold to be curse-free thanks, no mummy stuff.”

Emilie rolled her eyes, “There is plenty of gold, silver, and other valuables in the Kemet temple. As far as the films regarding the so-called “mummies,” I have seen all of the Boris Karloff ones, and while they are very entertaining, they are not at all accurate to what awaits us! I tried to explain this to Abbott and Costello once, when they visited Europe on a tour, but I don’t think they cared to listen.”

“I was thinking of the movies with Brendan Frasier,” Oklahoma chuckled, “but no curses, that’s good to know!”

…

Natasha’s fists shook with rage as she read the front page of the Weekly World News, where Gloria Chesterfield’s latest article was printed with several impressive color photographs.

“Snake woman foils terrorists, saves ferry?” Natasha hissed, “Killer Captain Hook Taken Down?” She slammed the paper onto her desk, fighting the urge to flip it over.

Yukia’s ears went flat as she meekly backed herself into the corner, “I did everything I could to save Charboneau, Princesse,” she lied, “I stayed at his side until I couldn’t anymore.”

Natasha breathed out slightly, blinking away a single tear before turning to her subordinate, “It’s fine,” she muttered, “He… He wouldn’t have wanted to die of old age anyways.”

Yukia tilted her head curiously, but didn’t press the issue, “We know they’re going to Kemet next, with your permission I’d like to set up another ambush, but this time a big one! With some stuff to really hurt the Naga this time.”

“Do it,” Natasha muttered, “this time just kill Emilia… Emilie, if you get the chance, we’ve said everything we need to say to one another.”

“I’ll let the humans know she’s off the capture list and onto the kill one,” Yukia nodded. “Is there anything else?”

“No,” Natasha sighed, slumping into her chair, “but have the butler bring me a bottle of wine.” She glowered at the tabloid again as the other Neko left, “You’ve cost me much, and I’m going to make you pay for it,” she muttered, staring at a blurry photo of Chloé’s face, gracing the front page.

…

The warm sun of the Mediterranean bore down on the deck of Emilie’s yacht, a boat large enough for luxurious amenities, yet just small enough to avoid any undue attention from other passing boats. Mika was relaxing on the deck, sipping from a cool fruit flavored drink he’d taken from the cooler. Oklahoma was sunbathing in a bikini a little further down, and Emilie was reading from her expansive grimoire. Chloé had returned to her Naga form, and was swimming beneath the boat to feed on schools of fish.

“I didn’t think we’d make it out of there,” he said finally, turning to Emilie. “That man, Charboneau, you had a history with him, didn’t you?”

“He was Natasha’s personal catspaw for a few decades,” Emilie replied, “he was a violent sort who never turned down an opportunity to take a life… he didn’t like me because I’d keep him from doing so.”

Mika nodded, “I’m guessing you didn’t want him killing my parents then?”

“No,” Emilie muttered, “They wanted to go public with the things they’d found, but I wanted to convince them to stay with our organization, work with us more instead.” She looked off into the sea, “Charboneau didn’t feel like waiting for an answer, and Natasha was just happy that things were covered up.”

“If I see that bastard again, maybe I’ll get a chance to get even,” Mika muttered.

“If he made it out of there,” Emilie said hesitantly, “maybe he already got what was coming to him?”

“Maybe,” Mika sighed, leaning back into his folding chair again. He was quiet for a few minutes, before chuckling softly, “This has all been a lot to deal with…”

“Yes,” Emilie said, looking back to her grimoire, “It has.” She ran a hand over a page from near the beginning, detailing from when she and Natasha had first met in their village, ages ago. She slowly tore the page loose, crumpling it up and tossing it into the sea.

…

Higgins frowned as he looked at the pair of long gloves that the sales representative had laid in front of him. He pulled a knife free from his belt, running the sharp edge along the side of the gloves, nodding in approval as he saw that they remained intact.

“These are the finest gloves our company makes,” the sales rep said proudly, “breathable, flexible, and impervious to all acids, toxins, and nearly anything else a chemical worker might encounter in even the most dangerous jobs! I’d wear a pair of these to handle just about anything.”

“Good,” Higgins growled, “Do you have a full body suit? Ideally one that goes over the face?”

The sales representative frowned, “I suppose one could be made, but the expense would be-”

“I’ll only need a few dozen of them at most,” Higgins replied mildly, “Price isn’t an object, I just care very much about my employees safety.”

“It’s good to see someone so worried about his subordinates in this day and age,” the sales rep said, his eyes already gleaming at the potential profit. “How will you be paying? In installment? Or-”

“Euros, Dollars, or Rubles,” Higgins said, “cash, take your pick and I’ll have it ready when the suits are done.”

The sales representative gulped, “I uh… Our company doesn’t really deal in cash-”

“You do now,” Higgins said with an icy smile. He flipped his knife into the air, sheathing it again with a flourish. 

“Y-You’re not with a chemical company, are you?” the sales representative whispered.

Higgins shrugged, “It’s better not to ask about specifics in the industry I am with, you’re not committing any crimes by selling me these suits, so that’s good enough. Now which currency do you want?”

“Euros,” the man said quickly. 

“Smart man,” Higgins nodded, “I’ll see you real soon.”

I suppose we’ll soon find out if Charboneau’s doctrine on engaging rogue Nekos is worth anything, he thought to himself. His phone buzzed, and he frowned as he looked at the text message he’d received. It was one of the men he’d recruited, but it wasn’t regarding their mission, and he stopped, rereading it a few times.

Hitting the bars with the guys later, do you want to come? First round’s on me…

Higgins blinked, feeling a mix of emotions, revulsion, surprise, and… excitement? 

You never know who’s going to turn traitor, leave, or just flat out die in this line of work, he thought, it never pays to make a friend.

And yet…

Will be late, but will meet you there, he texted back, exhaling slowly as he typed the words. 

He stared at the wall a moment, Emilia, did you do anything else to me? He wondered. The thought vanished instantly, as the Neko’s mental commands kept his mind from focusing on her… for now. Still, he felt oddly happy about things, and couldn’t quite say why.

Mika scanned the shore with a pair of binoculars he’d taken from Emilie’s yacht, “I don’t see anything,” he muttered, “no docks, no buildings…” he lowered the eyepieces, glancing at Emilie, Chloé, and Oklahoma, who were waiting on the boat’s deck. “I think this is the best place to go ashore.”

“The temple is deep in the desert,” Emilie explained, “it shouldn’t be an issue to get there without encountering other humans.”

“You called this your people’s homeland,” Mika asked, his archeologist’s instincts getting the better of him. “How did the Naga come to have a temple here?”

Emilie shrugged, “you might say that we weren’t so territorial as humans are, it didn’t bother us that the Naga had a settlement here until we found ourselves as enemies.” She sighed, “we took it from them in the opening stages, Natasha wanted it kept intact, a trophy of her victory.” The neko breathed out, her ears flittering slightly as she looked over at Chloé, “it wasn’t often that our forces killed one of the Naga, but we did here, when we took this place.”

“And you lost that war,” Chloé said, glowering at her.d

“The Naga didn’t exactly win it either,” Emilie murmured, looking away. “We won’t be able to dock, Chloé, can you take us to shore?”

“Can we just run the ship aground?” Oklahoma asked in a tired voice, “you know, instead of letting Chloé eat us all again?”

“Are you mad!?” Emilie balked, “I’ve had this boat since…” She tapped her chin, scowling, “I don’t know exactly, but I purchased it from the Venetian arsenal, and they’re not making any more!”

Mika looked at the modern, and motorized, yacht they were all standing on, “You bought this from the Venetian arsenal?” he asked skeptically.

Emilie blushed, “I’ve made some changes to it,” she admitted, “and yes, as technology advanced I had parts hewn away and replaced entirely, so not much is left of the original design…”

“Huh,” Mika chuckled, “Theseus would be proud.”

Emilie rolled her eyes, “I’m not scuttling my boat!”

“Don’t worry,” Chloé beamed, patting Oklahoma’s back, “It’s just a quick swim to shore!” She giggled, “Besides, you taste nice!”

With that she began stripping her clothing off, tossing her shirt and pants into a pile on the deck. The three of them were still unsure whether to watch or look away awkwardly, while Chloé had certainly grasped the importance of clothing, she still cared little about nudity. Her auburn hair billowed in the Mediterranean sunlight as she leapt from the deck, diving into the water. The yacht bobbed slightly in the water as it churned, accommodating Chloé’s increasing mass in the seas below them.

The seawater rolled off her as she rose up out of the water over the yacht, grinning down at them, without warning she grabbed Oklahoma off the deck, lifting the woman high in the air and dangling her over her mouth.

“H-Hey, give a warning next time-“ she was cut off as Chloé dropped her in, sealing her lips over her friend. With a loud *gulp* Oklahoma was sent downward, into Chloé’s stomach. Emilie was next, leaping backward reflexively as Chloé’s hands curled around her bringing the catgirl up and sending her the same way Oklahoma had gone without hesitation.

Mika sighed, hands on his hips as he looked up at the grinning Naga, “Ready?” Chloé purred, leaning down to him.

“Always,” he said with a grin.

Relative to the other two, Chloé took her time, slowly gripping him in the warmth of her hand, lifting him slowly up to her opening maw. Mika could feel the humid breeze of her breath as she exhaled, and the slow dripping of saliva from the roof of her mouth caused it to glint in the sun as she gently pushed him past her lips. Her lips sealed shut behind him, darkening the world slightly as she waited for him to continue further. He slowly made his way over her tongue, his hands sliding over the bumpy taste buds, slick with her saliva as clambered towards the back of her throat.

Welcome home, he thought to himself, relaxing and letting himself slide towards her esophagus. He glanced upward, seeing her uvula dangling down, waving him goodbye just as he went over the edge into her throat. There was a familiar hug of muscle around him, and then, lubricated by Chloé’s sticky saliva, he was slowly brought downwards.

“Mmm…” Chloé purred to herself, slowing his descent and enjoying the way he felt.

Mika’s body was encased on all sides as her esophageal muscles pressed in, hugging him tight and stretching his slow journey out. Mika couldn’t help but shiver at the show of control, and he felt himself growing hard as the powerful muscles of her throat slipped his whole body ever downward.

Finally, he was plopped into her stomach, splashing into the small pool of water there and cushioned by the soft interior. He sat up, panting and looking upwards at the tight sphincter that made up the exit of her throat, still enthralled by the experience.

“She’s certainly gained a lot of control,” Emilie commented, leaning against the far wall of the stomach, Oklahoma at her side.

“Yeah, how come he always gets eaten all slow? She usually just swallows me right down,” Oklahoma asked jokingly.

The trio felt their world shift, and their ears popped as Chloé dove beneath the water. Emilie steadied herself, her tail flailing to keep her balance in the shifting belly.

“The Naga of old viewed swallowing their high priests as an intimate act,” Emilie muttered, “a mutual display of trust and… well,” she just gestured at Mika awkwardly, “attraction. I don’t think Chloé is interested in that with the two of us.”

Oklahoma chuckled at Mika’s embarrassed expression, “Fair enough, I usually prefer guys myself too… Plus I’m pretty sure if I told Chloé to eat me, she’d take it the wrong way.”

…

Chloé slid up on the shore, her senses coming alert as she searched for any signs of danger. She could feel through the sandy ground that there were humans nearby, at least one, a man, she was fairly sure, was sleeping in a small tent erected on the beachfront, and there was another at a small refreshment stand a few hundred yards away, calm judging by his heart rate. Her skin shimmered as her camouflage went into effect, and while her massive tail left a trough behind her in the beach, nobody saw the massive Naga before she slipped away into the vast Egyptian desert beyond it.

When she was sure she’d gotten far enough away, she summoned her willpower, slowly contracting her stomach and forcing her three passengers back up into her throat. They slid up easily this time, her mastery of the reflex on full display as she casually let Oklahoma drop from her mouth into her waiting hand.

Oklahoma blinked at the bright desert sun, scowling as she wiped a wet strand of hair out of her eye, “Thanks for the ride, but grab a towel for me from the beach next time.”

Emilie came next, breathing out a sigh of relief as she fell into Chloé’s palm. She glanced up at the Naga, making eye contact for a moment. Both of them knew exactly why she was so nervous about being swallowed by Chloé lately, but it was clear neither was ready to talk about it more, especially near their friends.

Mika sighed, preparing himself for the ascent. He playfully rubbed the wall of her stomach, where her bellybutton waited on the other side. There was a small gurgling sound behind him, and he smiled. A moment later he was vaulted upwards, squeezed quickly into the same tight tunnel he’d entered from.

As before her throat seemed to almost cradle him, each slow pulsating movement from the fleshy wall of muscles feeling like a tender hug as he was slowly brought higher. He felt himself stop about halfway, and the rumbling of Chloé’s belly below seemed to call to him.

I don’t want to let him go, Chloé thought, looking around, he’s safer with me…

“You’ve got to let me out Chloé,” he muttered, knowing she could hear.

Chloé groaned, thinking about how close she’d been to losing him in Istanbul, but finally relented. The slow massaging muscles continued, pushing Mika upwards until he found himself forced upwards onto her tongue again. The soft mat lifted slightly, letting him slide forward over her teeth, her lips, and finally joining his friends in her palm.

Mika gazed around, taking in the endless rolling dunes and the clear blue sky above. This was a desert out of the comics and cartoons of his youth made real, endless, empty, and at the same time full of a strange yearning, as though what he sought was just over that distant horizon.

“You know where the temple is?” Mika asked, glancing at Emilie.

“Yes,” she nodded, clearing her throat and withdrawing a satellite phone from her pocket. “I presume we’ll be riding outside of Chloé for the trip?”

“On my tail, if that works for you,” Chloé said, gesturing down to the scaled appendage.

“Wonderful,” Oklahoma said, sighing with relief as she lowered them down onto the scaled appendage. She slowly camouflaged herself, looking around and doing her best to sense any nearby humans. With her body hidden, her friends looked almost comically like they were floating in midair as she made her way through the sands.

Trying to keep Chloé’s existence a secret is pretty much over anyways, Mika thought with a sigh. Footage of the Naga’s rampage through Istanbul was all over the internet, and for the first time the “Giant Snake-Woman” was featured in news outlets other than the Weekly World News. Still, nobody knew what to think, and the event had been short enough that the world didn’t seem to have much more than mild curiosity about the snake-woman, with many already calling it a hoax regardless of government statements.

“The pyramid with the next temple in it,” Mika asked, turning to Emilie, “it’s not with the ones at Giza?”

“Thankfully not,” Emilie chuckled, “I can’t imagine trying to navigate through Cairo with Chloé right now.” She glanced at the desert, rolling past them, “The Naga usually built their temples in the style of local human populations, so there is going to be much of the same style of architecture you’d see at Giza.”

Mika frowned, “You mean to say the pyramids at Giza predate the Naga? Who built them?”

Emilie shrugged, “my memory is long Mika,” she tapped the grimoire at her side, “I’ve written down thousands of years of secrets, but I don’t know everything. ” She thought for a minute, “if it’s any consolation, I’ve never met an alien, so it probably wasn’t them.”

…

“There she is,” Higgins muttered, watching Chloé slither across the desert. The drone camera was small, no larger than a baseball, and with the quietest motor available even Chloé wouldn’t hear it, and most importantly it had thermal imaging, rendering the Naga’s camouflage useless.

“What should we do sir?” one of his men asked, hefting his rifle and glancing around. The outfit Higgins had brought was made up of about twenty men, all men he knew were loyal to him. Yukia had met them in Cairo, and he’d had designs on dealing with her somewhere deep in the desert, but the rest of her entourage had rendered that impossible.

In addition to another several dozen human mercenaries, Yukia led a group of four other Nekos, each one carrying edged weapons and small automatic firearms. Like Yukia they had forgotten their usual disguises, letting their ears and tails twitch in the wind as they led their human servants.

“We’ve spotted the Naga,” Higgins said, standing up as the five Nekos approached. “What’s our plan?”

He felt his stomach lurch as he saw the five Nekos withdraw humans from their front pockets, shrunken to bite-size by their uncanny powers. One by one the nekos lifted their human prey high, dropping them into their waiting mouths with a scream. Gulps and giggles rang out as the Nekos shivered in excitement, feeling the rush of power that only swallowing a human whole would provide.

“We will deal with the Naga,” Yukia said with a grin, glancing back at her four fellow catgirls. “Your squads will provide covering fire and move to apprehend the Naga’s human companions.”

“Understood,” Higgins nodded. He waved for his men to follow him over to one of several hovercraft that were waiting for them. The naga’s ability to sense ground vibrations meant that a normal approach with armored vehicles was out. The hovercraft had been procured from a former East-bloc nation, with a number of additional features such as padded housing in a mostly vain attempt to make their approach quieter. As it was they’d have more of an element of surprise than they would have with jeeps or helicopters, but not much.

Higgins felt the bulky craft rise, skimming across the sand and blowing up dust in their wake.

“So what’s our real plan?” one of the men, a young recruit named Richards, asked him quietly.

“I’m not sure yet,” Higgins admitted, “wait, and see what opportunities present themselves.”

…

“There!” Emilie called excitedly, pointing to a sloped object in the distance. Mika and Oklahoma glanced at the horizon, seeing the polished white stones of the faraway pyramid reflecting the light.

Chloé frowned suddenly, “Uh, guys, something sounds strange…”

“I hear it too,” Emilie said, her ears flicking back and forth.

Oklahoma’s eyes went wide as the first of the boxy black hovercraft roared over a nearby sand dune. With a shout she grabbed Mika and Emilie’s shirt collars, causing them to shriek in surprise as she rolled them all off Chloé’s tail. They bounced along the scaly surface, hitting the soft sands with a thud that knocked the wind out of all of them just as the first bullets clattered helplessly against Chloé’s tail.

Chloé rolled her eyes, coiling herself slightly around her friends as they danced up and down her body, a mere tickle at most. A man in combat fatigues tumbled out of the back of one of the three approaching craft, shouldering a rocket and leveling it at her. Chloé simply moved her head out of the way with an almost bored motion, letting it zoom past her ear.

Not that it would have done anything anyways, she thought, a little smug. At this point she’d been hit without enough human weaponry that didn’t fear it, at most it would sting. She reared herself up, letting her silhouette be seen against the morning sun as she decided the best way to disarm the humans and their strange hovering vehicles.

“If you give up now, I won’t hurt any of you!” her voice boomed over the landscape.

“Get her!” Yukia’s voice called.

Chloé blinked, feeling the five sets of boots hit the sand at once. There was a flash of steel as the five Nekos drew their weapons, swords, daggers, and even one with a spear. Their speed was nearly impossible for Chloé to track, and pulled her tail back into a coiled position, raising the point to strike at them.

“Oh no,” Emilie muttered, her ears going flat.

“What? Who the hell are those ninja girls?” Oklahoma asked, raising her pistol but not sure what to fire at.

“They’re other enforcers, like Yukia,” Emilie said in a panicked voice, “and they’ve fed on humans recently!” She looked at Mika, grabbing his hand, “We’ve got to go!”

Chloé’s massive form loomed over the three of them as they ran in the direction of the faraway temple, the massive Naga’s battle with the mercenaries raging behind them. They didn’t make it far before the third hovercraft drifted in front of them, its cargo of a dozen mercenaries racing out the back hatch.

Chloé snarled, reaching for the attacking Nekos as they leapt up her tail. They were agile, impossible to snatch up with her fists, and when her tail whipped around for them they leapt to the sides, slicing at her with their blades. She winced slightly as they drew thin ribbons of blood, proving themselves to be more than mere steel. The rain of bullets cascaded down on her, distracting her as she tried her best to focus on the charging cat-women, who were scaling her tail in leaps and bounds.

“Don’t kill her!” Yukia ordered, “Just hurt her! We just need her off balance so we can grab the humans!”

Chloé fought a cry of pain as one of the Nekos traced a blade over her more human upper half, piercing her skin. She closed her eyes, growling angrily and letting her instincts take over.

With a scream Chloé let her entire body shudder, a violent pulsing shake that threw the five Nekos from her. While they landed gracefully in the sand below her, her scales shimmered, engaging her camouflage and quickly rendering her nearly invisible. A moment later the hidden Naga flailed her tail through the powdery sand, throwing up a vast cloud of dust that further obscured the battlefield.

“Get thermals on her!” Yukia shouted, looking up in a panic.

The human mercenaries slowly advanced, several of them wearing thermal goggles and looking around. There were brief shimmers as Chloé descended down from the dust cloud, plucking them up so fast that only the slightest screams registered.

“Fall back!” the mercenary leader shouted, “Get to the hovercraft!”

A massive tail shimmered into being, slamming itself down on their craft and crumpling it like a tin can. The men fired instinctively, watching their bullets flash harmlessly against the side of Chloé’s tail.

For her part Chloé swept back, circling them all and letting her other senses see for her. The Nekos were still disoriented, regrouping as they searched for her. The mercenaries were fleeing towards the remaining hovercraft, already terrified into retreat in the face of a true apex predator. Two of them were still in her fist, struggling feebly after she’d tossed their weapons away. She raised them up, debating what to do with them.

No, she decided with a sigh, lowering them down, I can’t just start eating them at every opportunity, that’s exactly what Mika is worried about. She slowly released the pair, and, after a moment’s confusion, they fled in the same direction as the rest of their comrades.

A few hundred yards away Higgins adjusted his sunglasses, walking towards Oklahoma, Mika, and Emilie at the head of his group of mercenaries. Emilie sighed, taking a step forward.

“February 14, 1929,” she said firmly.

Higgins paused, smiling as he heard the trigger phrase, “Emilia,” he said slowly, holding up his hand for his men to stop. “Or is it Emilie now, as I’ve heard?”

“You heard correctly,” Emilie muttered. “Can you let us by?”

Higgins glanced back at his men, who shifted uneasily, though some nodded.

“We lost them in the sand,” he said casually, “Load up in the hovercraft, we need to go retrieve Yukia and our other masters before the Naga kills them.” The men fell back, obeying him as he sighed, “Emilie, before you put me back under,” he started slowly, “Did you do anything else to me?”

“No,” Emilie said curiously, “Why do you ask?”

“Nevermind,” he mumbled, “I’m going to move soon, after that… who knows what happens.”

Emilie nodded, reaching out to touch his forehead. With a long sigh Higgins turned, jogging slowly back to the other men.

“What the hell was that?” Oklahoma asked, lowering her pistol slowly.

“That was that Higgins guy,” Mika muttered, “From South America.”

“A backup plan of mine,” Emilie said with a frown, “A… friend, I guess.” She stared at the temple, waiting in front of them, “Come on!”

…

The tide had clearly turned by the time the dust started to settle once again, and the five Nekos had circled up, gazing warily around them as they tried to determine where Chloé had gone.

“Cowardly humans,” one spat, “Yukia, your forces fled!”

“They were just a distraction anyways,” Yukia growled. “She’s faster than she was the last time I saw her, tougher too… Eating some humans must have really fired her up.” Yukia grinned, looking around slowly, “It feels good, doesn’t it?” she called, “you’re not really all that different from us!”

Chloé screamed in anger, shimmering into being over them and striking down like a cobra.

“Lookout!” one of the Nekos shouted, leaping back.

For at least one of them it was too late, and the four of them watched in shock and horror as the giant snake-girl’s mouth snapped shut on the stunned Neko. The loud gulp that followed made clear where they had found themselves on the food chain.

The roar of a hovercraft interrupted the battle, and Yukia turned to see the final machine coming towards them, the back hatch open. She didn’t bother signaling to the others, running for it as she heard the sands shifting behind her. As the vehicle passed, she saw Higgins in the back, waving to her, that same impassive look on his face as she leapt for it, fighting to keep her relief off her face. The other three surviving Nekos joined her a moment later, and once they were onboard the craft picked up speed, hopefully carrying them away from Chloé.

Chloé disengaged her camouflage as she watched them go, her scales shimmering as they took on their normal colors. With a sigh she concentrated on where Mika, Emilie, and Oklahoma were, slithering in their direction. She paused, feeling the angered fluttering in her stomach. There was a short gurgle as she sent the swallowed Neko lower, into the second stomach.

Mika doesn’t need to know I ate one, she reasoned, or about those… others .

Feeling guilty all the same, she made her way back to her friends.

…

The mood in the hovercraft was tense, and Higgins felt himself falling back into a familiar impassive mindset that often came over him during the more difficult jobs.

“These humans failed us,” one of the Nekos scowled, turning to Yukia.

“I say we enjoy a few,” another grinned, “Just to show them the consequences of failure!”

Higgins hesitated, they won’t pick me, he reasoned, but… Several of the men glanced at him, panic in their eyes. Richards in particular gulped, making eye contact with him even through the mirrored sunglasses.

“Do not threaten my men,” he said sternly, standing up and catching all of Neko's attention. “The mission was a failure for many reasons,” he continued, “The Naga was more powerful than you anticipated, the human companions were more… adept. ”

The three Neko assassins glanced at each other, then at him, slow grins coming over their features.

“The commander should take responsibility,” one said.

“Indeed,” another giggled, stepping closer.

Higgins took a breath, I’m not ready for this, he thought, cursing himself for his sudden sentimentality for his underlings. Still, his hand drifted towards his pistol holster, they’re fast, but I’ll take at least one with me.

“Back off my human,” Yukia growled, moving between them, “Higgins doesn’t screw up,” she said with a smirk. She leaned in close, throwing an arm around him as his men and the Nekos stared in shock, the hum of the hovercraft engines filling the silence. With a wink Yukia placed a hand on his cheek, slowly shrinking him slowly, his clothes becoming loose and heavy on him as he descended to her own eye level.

“What are you-“

He was cut off as Yukia planted a kiss on his lips, his first in many years. He didn’t breathe, counting his heartbeats unconsciously until Yukia leaned away, a strange red tint to her face as her tail tickled up his back.

Yukia looked at the other Nekos, then at the humans, then finally to Higgins himself, “What?” she asked, demanded rather.

Murmurs filled the cabin, and the Nekos and humans were united in shared confusion and whispers.

“I won’t let them do anything to you,” Yukia giggled, parting from him with a wink.

“Thanks,” he rasped.

Higgins was not a man in touch with his emotions, he’d spent the better part of his adult years stomping them down… Whatever dam he’d built had fully burst, and as he sat down in his seat he wasn’t sure quite what he was feeling.

…

Mika stared up at the white stone pyramid, waiting for Chloé to approach. A few moments later the sounds of shifting sand behind them gave away her approach, and she shimmered out of camouflage with a smile.

“They’re gone,” Chloé said with a nod. “I don’t know for how long though, we should do this quickly, if we can.”

“Right,” Oklahoma nodded, “How do we crack this thing open?”

“There’s a door,” Emilie said, pointing to a small outcropping near the bottom of the pyramid, “it’s only for the two of you.”

“Right,” Mika nodded, gesturing for Chloé to follow him.

The door itself was a slab of solid black stone, but as soon as Chloé came up behind him, a series of white runes glowed into appearance on it.

“The goddess must walk as her followers, hand in hand,” Emilie murmured, startling him. “I’m not sure what it means.”

“Are you guys serious?” Oklahoma snorted. “This one’s easy.”

Emilie frowned, “These hints can be very complicated, with many meanings and-“

“Hey, Chloé!” Oklahoma shouted, “turn human real quick!”

Chloé nodded, shrinking down as her lower body shifted and morphed. A moment later she was crouching, naked, in the sands, before slowly standing up. She walked to join them, oblivious to her own nudity as always.

“Okay, what now?” she asked.

Oklahoma chuckled, “C’mere you.” She gripped Mika’s hand, then Chloé’s, pressing them together.

“Good job,” Mika said, a little stunned as the door began to glow white, shaking slightly as it sank into the ground.

Oklahoma shrugged, “I mean I didn’t do great in school but I’m not stupid guys.”

“Shall we?” Chloé asked, grinning at Mika as she pulled him towards the opening door.

“Once more unto the breach,” he nodded, following her down the black tunnel descending into the pyramid’s depths.

“Good luck,” Emilie said softly, waving as the pair disappeared.

Oklahoma glanced around at the empty desert, then reached into her pocket with a sigh, pulling out a deck of cards.

“Want to play Texas Hold’Em?”

“When it comes to cards I really only ever played Faro,” Emilie said hesitantly.

Oklahoma sighed in disapproval, “The woman meets Jesse James and Leonardo Da Vinci but she doesn’t know how to play Poker… Don’t worry, it’s easy.”

…

“Look,” Mika said, pointing ahead of them.

As in the other temples a vast main chamber was opening up before them, large enough to accommodate even a full-sized Chloé’s massive form. A strange pale lighting emanated from crystals on the ceiling. Illuminated in the glow a pair of the lemurian trees waited for them, the ripe fruit dangling and waiting to be picked. In the very center of the room was a pointed obelisk, the obsidian black stone lit up with the runed writing and pictograph characters.

The pair watched as the pictures once again came to life, showing the hieroglyphic Naga goddess holding the stick figure human in her hands, swallowing him eagerly. The human, the priest by his small scribbled headdress, descended to the Naga’s belly, then lower, into her tail.

Mika paled, “I think that it wants me to go deeper inside of you… your lower stomach.”

“N-Nothing comes out of that one,” Chloé said nervously.

The beast will devour that which enters as prey, the familiar voice of the goddess called, but enter another way, and it can be fooled, and eventually tamed.

“Another way,” Mika muttered, glancing at Chloé. He closed his eyes, sighing, “I think I get it. I can’t go straight into it from your first stomach, I’ve got to get into it another way.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Chloé muttered.

“Do you remember when we left the last temple?” he asked, “what happened when you changed forms with me in your mouth?”

It dawned on her, “But my human form doesn’t have a second stomach,” she said hesitantly, “just uh…”

“Intestines,” He said, grimacing. I’m betting normal human ones aren’t nearly as survivable as Naga insides are either… “You’ll need to go to your Naga form as soon as I’m out of your stomach.”

She nodded, stepping back from him as she started to grow upwards towards the ceiling, returning to her true form. The Naga loomed over him, gently reaching down and curling her fingers around his body as she brought him up to her face.

“So uh,” she asked, hesitantly, “I can put you in my mouth to make you small, do you want me to swallow you in this form?” She blushed, “Or my human one?”

She’s really asking which one I like more, he realized. He smirked, “This one of course.”

Chloé fought a giggle, nodding excitedly, “Okay!”

At least this first part will be easy, Mika thought, relaxing as she licked her lips. He was startled as Chloé gripped his pants with her fingertips, slowly sliding them down. The tip of the giant’s fingernail caught the fly of his underwear next, pushing them over his legs slowly and letting them flutter to the faraway ground below as Chloé looked on lustfully.

“My clothes?” he questioned, feeling himself rise in arousal under her gaze.

“I don’t want you to lose them,” she said sweetly, flicking his shirt away and leaving him naked at last.

She’s got something in mind for me, he thought, tensing in both anticipation and apprehension.

It started similar to how it always did, Chloé raising him over her mouth, slowly letting him slide in. His feet ran along her bumpy tongue, her spit dripping down over him as the warm humidity coated his body. Gravity pulled him downward as she tilted her head back slightly, bringing him down to the opening of her throat.

The soft walls gripped him like an old friend as soon as his legs were in reach, and seconds later he heard the wet gulp as he was shot down into her throat. Chloé’s esophagus tightened around him, the steady downward pressure of her muscles squeezing him down.

Mika gasped, feeling the soft, wet walls of her throat against his erection. Suddenly he realized just why Chloé had removed his clothing, and he moaned loudly as she slowed his motion, making each inch of his passage feel like an eternity.

Chloé closed her eyes, focusing on her throat, smiling to herself as Mika squirmed and writhed in pleasure. It teased both her predatory instincts, and her mating ones, and she gripped Mika with her esophagus again, forcing him back upward, then slowly letting him slide down again, drawing out the journey and refusing to let him simply drop to the bottom of her throat. He realized with a start that she didn’t intend to let him out of her throat until she was done playing with him.

Mika shivered, feeling the way her throat’s muscles cradled him. When he climaxed Chloé could feel it, tightening her muscles around him and sending him to the heights of pleasure as she finally let him drop into her stomach.

Mika saw stars, and spent a few minutes panting, catching his breath as he sat up, looking around the familiar chamber.

“Thanks,” he said, blinking as he stood up. She got me to cum using just her throat muscles…

Chloé’s rumbling giggle echoed down to him, “I just wanted to show off my control.”

“Yeah,” Mika said, sighing as he looked at the tight sphincter leading to Chloé’s second stomach. He thought back to his last encounter with it as he moved closer, it was almost like a beast, more feral, less controlled… eager to take in prey.  

“We’ll have to do this quickly,” he said, looking upwards, “Your human stomach isn’t as… hospitable.”

“I understand,” Chloé’s voice rumbled.

Mika tensed, waiting, and a moment later the world around him seemed to rumble and shake. Chloé grimaced, feeling herself shrinking down to her human form, her organs rearranged as her tail split into legs once again. There was a fluttering in the pit of her stomach as the organ shrank from the vast chamber it was in a Naga’s body, to the smaller human equivalent. Mika was shrinking with her of course, the magic coursing through her reducing him in size even as he sloshed around in her stomach’s contents, but things were becoming cramped.

Mika grunted in surprise, feeling the fleshy wall press from behind him as her insides reformed. The world grew dark, unlike her Naga form, Chloé’s human body didn’t have the strange interior luminescence, and he felt a claustrophobic twinge of terror.

Focus, I need to move lower, he thought, gulping as he fumbled around for an exit.

Chloé shivered as the butterfly flutter of his hands against the insides of her stomach tickled her. She shifted uneasily, waiting for some signal.

“Get ready!” Mika shouted, feeling his fingers trace over the small sphincter that led to her intestines. And not a moment too soon, he thought, grimacing at the slight itching against his skin. Unlike her Naga stomach, Chloé couldn’t will her human one not to produce acid.

Taking one final deep breath he dove under the frothing liquid, pressing himself against the tight ring of muscle at the bottom of the stomach. It yielded easily enough, and outside Chloé’s stomach gurgled as she felt him slip lower into her.

Every instinct of Mika’s told him to reverse, to surface, to breathe, but he forced his way through them. It was like diving down into a soft tunnel, forcing his way deeper into some subterranean cavern. A moment later the sides seemed to grip him, pulling him in and cutting off any chance of escape.

Now Chloé! He thought in a panic.

Chloé took a deep breath, returning to her Naga form as quickly as she could. The familiar tingling sensation of her skin stretching over her growing body gave her a shiver, and she tried to keep track of where Mika was as the magic warped her body.

Light flooded back into Mika’s vision as Chloé’s human organs widened into the lower stomach of the Naga, releasing him from the tight confinement. His hands ran along the ridged surface below him, a deep, rich red in contrast to the pinkish walls of the upper stomach. He felt hair on his neck stand on end as he breathed in the air, which had a sharp, nearly chemical smell to it. The lower stomach groaned around him, as if the organ was a circus animal that was just now sensing an intruder in its cage.

Chloé’s second stomach was bigger than the first, and it reminded him of an open cavern as he saw the ridged walls ripple and twist as she moved, where the first stomach rested in Chloé’s human upper half, this one began in her snakelike tail, and the change to a more alien anatomy was evident. The cavernous organ stretched like a tunnel down into Chloé’s tail, narrowing slightly at the end. Her heartbeat was still audible here, but softer, further away. He’d come to see her first stomach as an almost welcoming place, but this was a deeper part of the Naga, more primal, hungrier. As he took a step the walls seemed to shudder, like a lion waking from slumber.

This isn’t a safe place to linger, he thought, slowly looking around at the walls. They had a roughness to them, as though they were ready at any moment to leap in at him, filling the chamber with the acids that he knew would spell his end. He glanced down at the far end of the stomach, grimacing at the thought of traversing such dangerous ground. For now at least, he’d stay as close to her first stomach as he could. How many creatures and people have had this place as the last thing they’d ever see? He wondered, shivering slightly. I might be the only person to ever see it and live…

Or he would be, if he survived this.

Don’t get nervous now, he warned himself. As if sensing his doubt, the massive cavern roiled, and an almost angry gurgling sound rang out as he tried to steady himself. He felt his heartbeat pick up speed, and the walls seemed to shift in anticipation. He tensed, looking around for some clue as to what he needed to do.

You are the beast’s master, The Naga Goddess called, not its food! Rise in confidence, as a tamer does in his charge’s cage.

The master!? Mika thought wildly, looking around. If this thing so much as senses me in here, I’m a dead man…

“Mika?” Chloé’s voice rumbled from above. “I-I’m doing my best, but…” She almost whined, “The lower one is a lot harder to control!”

He took a deep breath, standing upright, “Okay,” he said aloud, with as much volume as he dared. His footsteps squished as if he were in a marsh, and he winced as his feet stung ever so slightly with each squelching footstep.

I’ve got to be here as the master, he thought, thinking on the goddess’s words. He forced himself to stay still, ignoring the tingling pain in his feet as he stood upright. Prey would scream, panic, thrash around, he reasoned, I can’t do any of that, or this stomach will press in on me and coat me in acid… then that’s it. He gulped, trying not to panic. What would the master of this “beast” do?

He heard a small gurgle, similar to what he’d heard when Chloé was swallowing him before. With a sigh and a smile he walked across the ridged terrain to the taut sphincter between Chloé’s upper and lower stomachs.

“Hey,” he said, running his hand over it, “Chloé, I’m doing okay,” he said in a calm tone.

“R-Really!?” Chloé exclaimed.

“Keep doing what you’re doing,” he said, “It’s working, I’m safe here so long as you want me to be.”

The tingling sting in his heels stopped, and the acid seeping up through the crimson ridged floor ceased. The room shuddered for a moment, then the same gurgle he’d heard from Chloé’s first stomach rang out, rumbling around him.

Chloé gasped in excitement as the massive obelisk in the center of the room lit up, bathing her in blue light. The runes glowed in an even brighter light, showing the snake goddess and her priestess embracing.

“I think we’ve passed!” Chloé said, slithering towards the fruit trees. She eagerly plucked one of the lemurian fruits, tossing it into her mouth and chewing as quickly as possible, swallowing it down. “Just wait!” she muttered between mouthfuls.

Mika sighed with relief, falling back on his haunches and letting himself relax.

Once the fruit hits me, we should get the next vision, he thought, staring up at the ridged red ceiling overhead.

Something glinted at the far end of the stomach, a small flash of light that gave him pause. He gazed warily down the long tunnel of flesh, shifting and moving as Chloé slithered across the floor of the temple. He saw the metallic glimmer again.

What is that? He wondered, “looking at the sphincter leading down to Chloé's intestines.. Is it worth the risk to investigate? He sighed, If I’m the master of this place, I should be able to go from one end to the other, that’s simple, right? Feeling like he was taking the first step over the edge of a cliff, Mika forced himself to begin the journey along the second stomach. He fought the urge to run, keeping himself calm while the walls rippled, groaning hungrily down at him. 

Finally, he reached the end, the tunnel narrowing slightly around yet another ring of muscle that no doubt led to Chloé’s intestines when opened. Kneeling down he began searching for the shining thing that had caught his eye, a moment later his hand made contact with something hard, metal, artificial. 

Mika froze, gripping the object, his heart pounding. Slowly, fearfully, he pulled it out of where it was lodged in one of the lower stomach’s rigid valleys. He held it up over his face, taking in the hooked prosthesis in an analytical horror as his subconscious raced ahead of his thoughts, already knowing what it meant long before he reached the conclusion.

The assassin, he thought numbly, the one who killed my parents, this was HIS! He blinked, how is that possible, how could it be here? Unless Chloé… She…

He gulped.

No, she wouldn’t.

She would.

She did.

His trembling hand let the object fall as emotions roiled in him, “Chloé!” he shouted.

She was startled, “What, is the vision starting?” she asked.

“You ate a human!” he shouted.

Chloé’s blood turned to ice, “I-I had no choice,” she said weakly, “he would have killed you all!”

“You promised!” Mika shouted, blinking away a tear.

“Mika…” Chloé muttered, “I uh… I…”

Mika sighed angrily, forcing himself to his feet, “Is that all humans are to you? Food? We’re people Chloé!”

“He killed your parents!” Chloé said, her own anger rising, “He killed so many other people Mika, him and his minions!”

“I…” Mika grimaced, sucking in breath as the mix of emotions dueled within him. “You can’t be this,” he shouted, “You can’t be a monster!”

“Why not!?” Chloé replied, her nostrils flaring, “ HE was the monster Mika, if Oklahoma had shot him, you’d have thanked her, if Emilie had crushed him under her boot, you’d have said he deserved it! Why does it matter what I did!?”

“Y-You’re…” he gulped, “I love you!” he shouted, causing the stomach around him to rumble as his passion reached a fever pitch. “I can’t love someone who’s evil!”

“Evil?” Chloé whispered.

She was familiar with the concept, it was one of the first ones she’d picked up once she’d started speaking, and reading. That primordial call to hurt others, and revel in it, disgusting across all worlds and places.

Evil.

Am I evil?

No, I ate humans, but only the EVIL ones… It can’t be evil to destroy evil, right?

“H-He killed your parents,” Chloé repeated.

He did, a part of Mika said angrily, and he deserved it.

“I…” Mika looked up at the walls of Chloé’s second stomach, seeing them undulate wildly. Panic welled within him, “Chloé, calm down!”

The naga gritted her teeth, willing her second stomach to be calm in spite of everything she was feeling. She felt a gurgle, and panic rose in her chest as she wondered how much control she really had.

Mika saw the acids dripping around him, the noxious fumes filling the air as his heart raced. He glanced around, then down to the prosthetic claw in his hands, the proof that Chloé had broken her promise…

This is it, he realized, his head going foggy from the fumes, I’m going to die here… Chloé!

A strange calm came over him, and he dreamily began to wonder what this all meant, if it was all really coming to an end here, like this. There was a certain finality to it, a final unification with Chloé that some part of him wasn’t entirely unhappy about. He was nearly smiling as his consciousness faded.

Chloé looked up at the obelisk, and the towering Lemurian fruit trees. Her heart racing, she slithered up to them, tearing the fruit free. 

This will protect Mika, she assured herself, practically shoving it into her mouth. She forced herself to eat more, ignoring the panic in her chest, hoping against hope that the protective juices would reach her human lover in time.

1. …

“Get up Mika,” the snake goddess sighed.

He groaned, rising to his feet. He glanced down at himself, seeing he was dressed in a strange set of ornamental robes with what he’d have called Mayan or Olmec Motifs. He was standing in the hand of the snake goddess, the familiar green haired, green scaled Naga that had guided him and Chloé so far.

“So is this your version of Heaven?” he asked finally, looking up into her face. She was much like Chloé, though with a sharper gaze, and the verdant hair of course…

“You’re not dead,” the goddess giggled.

“I failed, didn’t I?” he asked.

“No, you passed,” she muttered. “You went into Chloé’s lower stomach, and mastered it. Your panic was related to what we think of as outside circumstances.”

“And that’s enough to give me an extra try?” he asked with a wry grin.

“No, you passed, ” The Naga goddess repeated with a scowl, “I am expending centuries of stored energy to intervene at this point, my purpose is not to discuss the temples and their trials.”

“What then?” Mika asked.

“You and Chloé are not functioning as one unit,” the Goddess explained. “We are moving into the final stages of a plan thousands of years in the making, discord in your relationship is something we cannot afford at this juncture.”

“She lied to me,” Mika muttered, “she broke her promise.”

“Chloé has eaten humans,” the goddess said, “as she must. It wasn’t a promise she ever could have kept, not forever anyway.”

“Must?” Mika growled, “You said she couldn’t take what wasn’t freely given!”

“The Naga serve many purposes for humanity,” the goddess said coolly, “Murderers, rapists, daemon worshippers, all had complete agency, and we take them both for our sakes and your own.

“Executioners,” Mika said angrily, looking away from her.

“No,” The goddess snarled. Her open palm flipped, her fingers springing out and coiling him up like pythons as she raised him up to her face. “Humanity has grown,” she said slowly, “we’re all very proud of your progress, but in our time the world was a brutal place.” 

The world shimmered, and Mika watched as a tribe of horse mounted bandits descended upon a village. He heard the screams of the dying, of those taken. The smell reached his nostrils, the rich acrid smokey scent of woodsmoke, and he started as he found himself standing in the center of the village. All around him arrows with a white-red-white pattern on the feathers were embedded in the houses, a twisted claim on the devastation.

“Dear god,” he gasped, looking around at the devastation, at the dead. He was a historian, an archeologist. The realities of life in ancient eras were familiar to him, but seeing it was far different from reading it on a page. He looked down, seeing a small woven cloth doll at his feet. Slowly, hands shaking, he picked it up. It vanished a moment later, turning to smoke that slipped between his fingers even as he tried to grasp it.

“And we would bring these people to justice,” The goddess’s voice boomed.

Mika watched as the same men he’d seen looting the village were brought, bound and prostrated, before the Naga goddess. Embedded in her scaled hide were several arrows he recognized, the white-red-white pattern fluttering in the wind as the goddess plucked them from her scales with an angry scowl. When she was done, she turned to him, breaking the memory as she spoke.

“The Naga must feed,” she said quietly, “the Lemurian fruit provides much of our needs, but we need meat. We would eat animals as we could, but a single human carries more energy than entire herds of beasts… there is more to you, more to us, than the sum of our parts.” She looked almost sad for a moment, “We are predators Mika, this is the temple of Destiny, and that is ours, to feed on our prey to survive.”

“Chloé,” he said softly, “will she always be like that?” He gulped, “Will she always want to eat humans?”

The goddess looked to the sky, which went from midday blue to a black field punctuated by stars in an instant. The pair watched meteors dance for a moment, until the Goddess finally sighed, looking back to him.

“She will always need to feed on humans,” the Goddess said softly. “It is a hard thing to accept, but in a world so overrun with wickedness, she will never go hungry.”

Mika fell to his knees, his limbs dangling below him as he digested the truth that the goddess was explaining to him.

She can be sated with fish, sheep, cows, he thought, staring straight ahead, but she’ll ALWAYS need to eat people.

“Do you understand, she did not willingly break a promise to you? Trying to force that part of her into slumber was always doomed to failure.”

“Yeah,” Mika nodded, feeling hollow. 

“Now think carefully,” The goddess said, “Chloé has followed you for much of this quest, but in this she made her own decision… Do you think she made the wrong one?”

He thought on Charboneau, the man who had forever taken his parents from him, who had taken how many others from their loved ones. His fists clenched, but it wasn’t anger at the killer, it was his own struggle with the realization.

“No,” he said finally, “I think she did the right thing.”

“Now you understand why we have always emphasized taking only what is given,” The goddess said softly. “We always limited our numbers to yours, to make sure we would never grow beyond what you would be able to provide for us… or what those who chose wickedness would.”

“What happened at the end of the war?” Mika asked finally, looking up at the goddess. “When you defeated Emilie’s people, why did you disappear?”

The goddess gave him a sad smile, “They had reduced the human’s numbers far below what would sate us…” She looked up at the shooting stars again, “We had to go, we had to leave you to your own devices…” She sighed, and Chloé appeared before them, in human form, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. “We left a few seeds of our people, in case we were needed again, but otherwise? We left. You outgrew us.”

“Where did you go?” Mika demanded.

The goddess laughed, and as she did stars began to fall from the sky, “Mika, the archeologist, the historian,” she said, almost mocking. “Perhaps nobody will ever know everything? ” She coiled her tail beneath herself, glancing upwards and shivering, “As the Great Bard once said, there are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Mika.”

The world shook, and more stars fell from the sky. The falling streaks of light erupted into bright points of silver that consumed the landscape, and as they began to hit the goddess herself, she smiled at Mika.

“Wait,” he begged, “I have other questions!”

“Some things we’re meant to discover on our own.”

The silver light consumed Mika’s sight, the edges of his vision sparkling like stars.

…

Chloé cried beneath the blue light of the obelisk, “M-Mika,” she sobbed. The knowledge that her beloved had died, writhing in pain in her second stomach, was too much to bear. She sniffed and thought over what she could do.

I can’t bear to go up to the others, she thought, wiping snot away, Should I… She looked at the sharp point of the obelisk, wondering against her own will if it would pierce her scales. Have I failed? Is this the end?

“Chloé!”

She froze, “No,” she whispered, “Mika?”

“Yes,” he said, wading through the pools of her stomach acid, “I’m here.”

“Are you-“

Mika looked down at the steaming pool that had risen to his knees. It didn’t hurt, or even sting as it had, Chloé’s second stomach roiled and gave him its worst and he simply trekked through it. There was a slightly citrusy smell in the air, the mixture of the fruit’s juices with the acids lessening their effect. 

“I’m fine,” he said, splashing the pool with his hands, almost playfully. With a smirk he walked to the passageway between Chloé’s stomachs. “Open,” he commanded, rubbing his hand affectionately along the top of the tight sphincter.

Chloé winced as she felt her stomach briefly open up, “I-I didn’t do that,” she muttered.

“No, I did,” Mika said calmly. “This place is mine.” He looked down at the pooled acids, frowning. The juices from the fruit pulp would nullify it, for a time, but he decided it would be unnecessary. He simply willed it to recede, and the pooled chemicals began to sink back down into the ridged interior, soon leaving him free of the noxious odor. 

Chloé shivered as she felt him step into her upper stomach, “Yeah, I guess it is…” She gulped, “Do you remember what we were talking about, before you went quiet?”

“Yes,” he said, stepping through the portal. He glanced around her upper stomach, taking in the smooth pink walls, pulsing with her heartbeat. “I think I understand now,” he said finally. He glanced back, seeing the familiar prosthetic of the hitman on the floor, an artificial human thing surrounded by the pulsing flesh of the Naga’s stomach. He picked it up, hefting it in his hands. I’m not leaving this in here, he decided. He didn’t know why Chloé’s stomach, which had never left any trace of its prey, had so much difficulty with the prosthetic weapon, perhaps Charboneau had simply used only the best materials when making it, or maybe something of him remained, some last trace of all the pain he’d caused them all… Either way, he wouldn’t leave it in here.

“I did eat Charboneau,” she said softly, “and his men…”

“They made their own choices,” Mika muttered. “I think I’m starting to understand what my real role with you is…”

“What?” Chloé asked hesitantly.

“The person who makes decisions about who gets eaten,” he said bitterly, “I’ve been elevated to judge, jury, and executioner.”

“It’s not like that,” Chloé protested.

“It is,” Mika said, “you need to eat Chloé, and I love you… but I have to keep you on the straight and narrow…”

Chloé sniffed, “Okay.”

“Bring me up,” Mika said, looking at the passageway that would lead to her throat. “We need to get out of here, back to our friends…”

…

The campfire burned brightly against the black desert sky, the constellations shimmering overhead. Chloé clung to Mika in her human form, and he lay against a sand dune, looking more tired than he’d ever been.

Oklahoma and Emilie watched the pair, their own faces illuminated by the fire. He’d told them briefly what he’d seen below, and he’d even brought up a small pile of gold and jewels from the vault, but neither the Neko nor the human pilot were focusing on the treasure now.

“Mika,” Oklahoma muttered finally, “If Chloé’s got to…”

“Eat people,” Mika snapped, “Don’t dress it up.”

“She’s gotta eat people,” Oklahoma growled, matching his tone. “So what? They ain’t any more dead than if we shoot ‘em, stab ‘em, or hit ‘em with a truck.” Oklahoma’s particular American accent was becoming stronger as she spoke. “What was it the good book said? Blessed are the peacemakers? That was a gun you know, the peacemaker, I used to have a replica one.”

“I doubt that is the intent of that particular verse,” Emilie said softly.

“Whatever,” Oklahoma muttered, staring at the fire. When she spoke again her accent had softened again, “The world’s full of monsters, and I don’t mean like snake-women or cat-people, real monsters. ” Her fingers traced in the sand for a moment. “They don’t sleep, they think they’ll never die, always dancing…” She scowled and let her own hand drift up to her hip, where her pistol lay in its holster, “Someone’s gotta end the good times for bad people Mika, someone’s got to end the fucking dance. Once upon a time it was Wyatt Earp, today it’s you.”

Mika gulped, “It’s a lot of responsibility,” he said quietly.

“I’ve lived a long time,” Emilie said, cutting in, “Most humans I remember a few years, some I remember a few centuries, but the truly great ones, those who I know I’ll never forget… they found themselves where you are Mika.” She smiled, her ears flittering as she looked at him across the campfire, “You and Chloé are together for a reason, and the full understanding is beyond even someone like me.”

“I trust you,” Chloé said softly, startling him. She smiled and looked up at him, “I’m… I wish I wasn’t what I am, that we could just be two humans in love, but we aren’t.” She nuzzled her cheek against him, “If this is what we’re supposed to do, protect mankind… deal out final justice for people?” She sighed, “then I’m glad I’m doing it with you, and I won’t let anything get in our way.”

Mika nodded, “Thanks,” he muttered, hugging Chloé close. He sighed, not sure if he was ready, but the streaking stars overhead comforted him. 

The mood on Emilie’s yacht was muted as they made their way down the Suez Canal. The battle in the desert, and Chloé’s own actions, were still on all of their minds as the waves lapped against the hull. Chloé was below deck, sleeping in her cabin, and when they left the Red Sea they’d planned for her to swim alongside the ship, preserving her strength and allowing her to feed on sea life if need be.

But she can’t eat fish forever, Mika thought grimly, looking over the railing.

Behind him he heard someone coming up the wooden steps, and Oklahoma waved to him with a small smile as she joined him at the railing.

“We’re headed to Mumbai,” she announced.

“I thought the next temple was in Cambodia?” Mika asked with a frown.

“That’s what captain cat says,” Oklahoma said with a shrug, “but she wants to dock her yacht somewhere and take the rest of the journey by plane. We’ve got enough money that we should be able to get some kind of aircraft in a place like that, and I can fly anything short of a commercial aircraft, so long as you’re not hung up on licenses.”

“So, you can fly a private jet?” Mika asked, curious.

“Yeah, if Emilie wants to spend enough for us to have one,” Oklahoma replied, “I can even fly a helicopter, but I haven’t since being in the National Guard.”

“So why were you in Brazil in the first place?” Mika asked, “it seems like you could have stayed back in the States.”

Oklahoma shrugged, “home didn’t have much left for me, and after spending a couple of years working for Uncle Sam, I wanted a less rigid life. Brazil seemed interesting, it had people who paid cash and didn’t ask questions, and it wasn’t too hard to pick up Portuguese.” She chuckled as the yacht left the canal, entering the open sea, “plus, I want some excitement in my life…” She glanced at him, “now granted, this whole thing has turned out to be more excitement than I anticipated.

“I feel the same,” Mika said, smiling as the wind ripped through his hair. “I think I’ve seen more in the last few weeks than most archeologists will get to in their entire careers.” He thought a moment, “If I have to write a book on all of this, I don’t even know where I’d begin…”

“Chapter one,” Oklahoma said in a faux narrator’s voice, “A scrawny young lad asks for the services of the most beautiful, dashing, intelligent, and skilled pilot in all the world.”

In spite of himself, Mika burst into laughter.

…

“Hey, sir, Higgins, are you okay?” Richards asked, prodding Higgins’ shoulder.

“Hm?” he set his cocktail glass down, having held the whiskey for nearly a half hour without taking so much as a sip, simply contemplating the amber liquid and occasionally sloshing it back and forth. “Sorry, I’m just thinking about things.”

The small hotel in the Seychelles had been taken over by Yukia and her entourage, with the Nekos staying in the luxury suites on the second floor. Their orders had mostly been to secure the grounds and keep locals out, allowing the catgirls to roam them freely without disguises. The hotel’s staff had been paid generously to take two days off, leaving Higgins and his men the run of the place until their next orders came. He’d found himself joining Richards and a few of the other men he’d recruited at the hotel’s now vacant bar, and they’d quickly enjoyed the well stocked inventory meant for wealthy travelers.

Or the men had, Higgins hadn’t been in the mood.

Richards frowned a minute, glancing around, then whispered, “Is it something with Yukia? Is she in on things?”

Higgins considered what to say, he’d never been one for letting underlings have any more information than absolutely necessary, but this wasn’t a normal situation. Stranger still he wanted to talk to someone.

“No,” he growled slowly, “she’s not, I don’t know what her game is…”

“All of the cats are a little crazy,” Richards muttered under his breath, “It’s probably from living so long.”

Higgins nodded, “You’re probably right… I think I’m going to go lay down.”

Without waiting for another word, he stood up, leaving his glass on the bar as he headed out into the hotel’s main lobby. There were a few other guards present, and they nodded at him as he went past. His own men were nearly one third of the total present, and part of him knew that his conspiracy couldn’t possibly remain a secret for much longer… If Natasha was to die, he would need to move soon.

Got to make it there alive first, he thought, heading up the stairs to the second floor. He peered into the hallway where the suites were located, thankfully seeing none of the Nekos. He reached into his pocket, drawing out a simple pair of latex gloves that he never was without these days, and slowly slid them on. I need that supplier to hurry up and get me those tougher ones, he thought, annoyed. The blue medical gloves would do for now though, and he stopped outside of Yukia’s door, rapping it three times.

His body tensed as she opened the door, and her feline eyes went wide with surprise and delight as she saw him, “Higgins,” she cooed, waving him inside, “I was just thinking about you?”

He nervously went in, glancing around the room, half expecting some hidden booby trap. The suite was a wide open one, with a furnished sitting room separate from the bedroom, along with an airy balcony overlooking the sea. Yukia’s tail swished behind her as she strolled to the far side of the living room rug, then turned to face him, her ears twitching excitedly as she saw his blue gloves.

“Did you come to fight?” she asked almost eagerly.

“I came prepared,” he said, shifting his stance, “I just came to talk about what happened back in Egypt…”

Yukia giggled gleefully, “Okay, but we have to fight first!” She saw his look and rolled her eyes, “I haven’t fed on a human recently, I think you can keep up!” She purred under her breath, her ears flickering in excitement, “That’s part of why I’m enjoying you so much, it’s been a long time since I’ve met anyone, let alone a human, who can land a hit on me!”

Higgins ran forward, striking with his gloved fists and hitting only empty air as the catgirl gracefully flipped backwards, laughing madly. She steadied herself again, leaping effortlessly over the couch to flank him and spinning at him with a wide kick to his ribs.

Not today, His arm came down, catching her leg and swinging her around, releasing her and letting her stumble into an end table, knocking over a lamp. For a brief moment he almost reached for his pistol, but stopped himself halfway.

Yukia saw the motion too, and her grin broadened as she stood up straight again, “Good boy,” she purred, relaxing. Higgins tensed as she made her way towards him, but it didn’t seem like she was going to attack. “So,” she said, slowly walking her fingers up his sleeve, “I’ve been thinking… We should get a little closer.”

She surprised him by placing a hand on his cheek, and he cursed his stupidity as the world spun away, his clothes falling around him as he was reduced to the size of a mouse. He fought his way through the circus tent sized shirt, hoping to make a break for it, but a massive hand reached in through his now empty sleeve, effortlessly snatching him up and bringing him out into view of the now gigantic hotel room.

“Running away at that size is pretty pointless,” the giant catgirl grinned, lifting his body up to her billboard sized face, “I have very good reflexes, all of us Nekos can catch tiny things easily.”

This is it, Higgins thought, watching her mouth move, any minute now she’ll slip me past those lips, and then- He frowned, trying to make sense of what he was seeing as Yukia slowly undid the sash of the Japanese style robe she wore. It tumbled down to the floor, pooling at the Neko’s feet as she delicately walked towards the bedroom, her tail swaying behind her as he took in her tight undergarments.

“W-What’s happening?” Higgins managed.

Yukia paused, amused, “Isn’t this what you came here to do?”

Higgins had never had problems getting women for a night, it was the morning after when the fairer sex tended to sour on him, but being the size of a mouse and trapped in the grip of an amorous catgirl was beyond his experience or imagination. Still, one didn’t survive as long as he did without developing quick reflexes.

“Yes,” he said quickly, “I just didn’t think you’d make me…”

“I like humans small,” Yukia growled, licking her lips in a way that caused his heart to skip a beat… and that lit a fire in his loins at the same time.

She leapt onto her bed, rolling onto her back and letting him slip slightly, catching him only when he was dangling by one arm over her face. Her other hand snaked down into her black underwear, and she slowly began to rub herself as she looked up at the tiny human in her hand, her face going flush. Higgins tensed as the mouth stretched open wide, her tongue lolling out playfully.

“Yukia?” he gasped.

“I’m just playing,” she insisted, giggling.

Higgins heart pounded as she started lowering him closer to her open mouth, rubbing her wet womanhood all the while. Her hot breath billowed up to him, the humidity leaving his skin feeling almost damp as she exhaled slowly.

He shouted in surprise as her fingers released him, and a moment later he tumbled down onto her tongue as though it were a wet mattress, curling behind him and shoveling him inside. The light disappeared as she closed her mouth, and an earth shattering moan echoed out around him as she fingered herself to orgasm.

You had to trust her, you fucking idiot! Higgins cursed himself, closing his eyes and bracing for the inevitable *gulp* that would signal his end, as it had for so many others.

*pfft*

He hit the bed’s mattress with a grunt, looking up at the gigantic form of the catgirl in confusion. She had a goofy grin on her face, one that hinted that she was just as surprised as he was. She stared at him a moment, the silence between them growing until he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Uh, you didn’t-“

“Of course I didn’t!” she giggled, “I mean…” She chewed her lip, “there was a moment where I thought about it…” Her finger reached down to him, making contact with his stomach. A split second later he was at his full size, next to her in the bed, still naked.

It’s odd how small she looks now, he thought, at first glance nobody would expect that the petite black haired catgirl next to the muscular man was actually the more dangerous of the two.

“I was just having some fun,” she insisted.

Her tone is off… like she’s trying to convince herself as much as me? He scowled, trying to summon some of his usual cold indifference, “I didn’t like it.”

Yukia snorted, grinding herself against his throbbing erection and causing him to wince in pleasure, if not for the panties she was still wearing he’d have slid right into her, as it was he could feel their dampness, inviting him to the treasure inside.

“ Really? ” Yukia asked, flittering her feline ears, “I think some part of you might have liked it.” She extended on of her catlike claws from under her fingernail, slowly tracing it down his chest, not hard enough to draw blood, but firm enough to leave a thin white line on his skin. “Then again, I’ve been bad, maybe you need to punish me?” She looked up at him eagerly, and with a growl he gripped her, rolling her onto her back.

“You’d better not even think of shrinking me while we do this,” he growled.

“Oh, believe me, I wouldn’t dream of it!” Yukia grinned eagerly, “unless you leave me unsatisfied that is?”

In the end, Higgins didn’t have to worry about that at least.

…

Chloé looked up in awe at the skyscrapers of Mumbai’s harbor as the yacht drifted beneath the grand bridge spanning both sides. The towering steel spires were bigger than any in the cities she’d seen so far, and idly she imagined herself scaling them in her Naga form, with a start she realized that even in her true form those buildings would tower over her.

“We’re staying at a luxury hotel called The Palace tonight,” Emilie said, coming up on deck. “We’ll acquire an aircraft tomorrow, then continue on to Cambodia.”

Mika was following with her, and Chloé left the railing, instinctively moving to his side. She saddened for a moment as he seemed to hesitate, but with a small smile he took her hand. For the millionth time she wished she could be a human girl for him, that they could live a normal life in some faraway place and leave the danger and responsibility of the quest behind them.

But you’re not a human girl, she thought, glancing down at her legs, it’s just a disguise…

“You okay?” Mika asked, glancing at her.

“Yeah,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’m just excited to be back on land!”

…

The Palace hotel was an old establishment, dating back to British rule of the subcontinent. While much of the English taste in architecture and layout remained, the locals had taken the rest as their own, and time had done the rest, leaving Emilie looking around the lobby in confusion as families of tourists from the world over traipsed past her, most wearing shorts and t-shirts.

“I don’t understand,” Emilie muttered, “this is supposed to be the most exclusive and high class establishment in the city!” She nearly lost the wig covering her feline ears as she jumped out of the way of a pair of children, chasing each other towards the pool and laughing.

“When were you last here?” Oklahoma asked.

Emilie’s brow furrowed, “About a century or so? Give or take a decade or two.”

“I’d say they’re under new management,” Mika chuckled.

“Welcome to the palace,” the concierge smiled as they approached the counter, “Do you have a reservation?”

“What do you think?” Mika asked Emilie, “do you still want to stay here?”

“If you’re trying to decide on an establishment, we have three swimming pools, a grand ballroom with dancing every evening, and a world-renowned cocktail bar which doesn’t have last call until three AM!” the concierge beamed.

Oklahoma piqued up at the last item mentioned, “Hey Emilie, let’s give it a shot.”

“Very well,” Emilie sighed, defeated.

…

The sounds of partying tourists echoed up from the lower levels of the hotel as the sun began to set. The party had rented two rooms, one for Emilie and Oklahoma, and one for Mika and Chloé. Mika was sitting on his bed now, scowling as he watched the news reports playing clips of the battle in Istanbul, Chloé’s massive tail sliding through the streets as people screamed.

“Recently released footage of the Istanbul incident raises more questions than answers,” the news reporter said, “Our station has also obtained an exclusive interview with the journalist who claims to have photos of the creature pre-dating it’s sighting in Istanbul.”

Gloria Chesterfield’s beaming face filled the screen, her nose ring bobbing excitedly as she waved at the news team through the video link.

“Hi everyone!” she said, “Gloria Chesterfield, Weekly World News! Now as those of you who have been following my blog know, the Snake Woman is either working for or against the army of Catgirls that secretly controls vast swathes of the economy.”

“Miss Chesterfield,” the reporter cut in, “Perhaps we could focus on the Istanbul incident-“

“I’ll get to it,” Gloria said dismissively, “I was first tipped off to the existence of the Catgirls during my first interview with Bat-Boy several years ago, he’s doing great by the way.” She slowly panned the webcam to a massive poster on her wall, covered in newspaper clippings and with strings connecting the articles. The news reporter looked physically pained as Gloria began to elaborate on more of her theories, “Now, did the Snake Woman build Stonehenge? I think we need to start asking the real questions,” Gloria continued.

“I’ve seen enough,” Mika said, grabbing the television remote and clicking it off.

“Who’s Bat Boy?” Chloé asked with a frown.

“He’s fake,” Mika said.

“Fake like snake women and cat girls?” Chloé asked with a smirk.

Mika sighed, “No he’s definitely fake, seriously Chloé not everything is real!”

Chloé giggled, enjoying the way he got flustered, “What about Mickey Mouse? Is he real?” She sat on the bed next to him, stroking his arm a moment. He glared at her, then softened as he saw her face, then laughed with her.

“You had me going there for a moment,” he sighed.

“Do you want to go find Emilie and Oklahoma?” Chloé asked, “I think they were going to go have some fun, this might be the last chance we get for a while.”

“You go ahead,” Mika nodded, “I’ll catch up.” He reached for his backpack, sliding his father’s worn journal out of it. “I’m going to do a bit of reading,” he explained, “see if there’s anything I missed that might be useful.”

For a moment Chloé wanted to hug him tight and refuse to leave, but instead she forced herself to get up. She shot one last look back at him as he pored over the journal, then slipped out the door.

…

“At least this room is the same,” Emilie muttered, looking around the wood paneling and leather seating of the hotel’s bar and lounge.

“So this place was some kind of gathering place for the elite back in the day?” Oklahoma asked.

“Sultans, sugar barons, foreign dignitaries,” Emilie sighed, gesturing around with her glass of wine, “They all met here, I suppose the human world is always changing though.” She stared into her cup for a moment, “I can’t remember his name, but there was a pirate I met off the coast of West Africa once, he boarded the ship I was traveling on…”

“Don’t tell me you met Blackbeard too?” Oklahoma asked excitedly.

“No, never,” Emilie chuckled, “The pirate I met was… refined, a strange sort who served and drank tea with me while his men took the valuables from the ship, he even spoke Latin.”

“Well, I’ve never met any pirates, so you’ve got all my stories beat,” Oklahoma chuckled, “did he say arr?”

“No, he said he’d have a short life, but a merry one,” Emilie mused, “it’s very much the opposite of how my people have always approached things.”

“Hey,” Chloé said, sighing as she slid into their booth.

“What’s got you down kid?” Oklahoma asked, sipping her own drink, an expertly mixed Old Fashioned.

“It’s just… Mika seems a little standoffish since we completed the last temple,” Chloé explained. “I’m worried he’s thinking about me differently.”

Oklahoma and Emilie glanced at one another, “He loves you to death Chloé,” Oklahoma said finally.

“He might simply be getting used to your… role, as it were,” Emilie said. “I’m confident the awkwardness will fade.”

“Do you think he’d be happier if he was in love with someone normal?” Chloé asked, “A human?”

Oklahoma snorted, then burst into laughter, aided slightly by the drinks she’d consumed, “No Chloé, I don’t for a minute think that,” she sighed finally.

Chloé frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Mika seems… predisposed to liking your naga form,” Emilie said delicately.

“He likes that you’re this big powerful… goddess thing,” Oklahoma said, gesturing with her hand as she searched for the words. “If you’re really worried about it, go to him, hell grab a bottle of champaign from the barkeep and go pour your heart out, then rock his world!”

“Rock his world?” Chloé asked, frowning.

“You know,” Oklahoma chuckled. She made a lewd gesture, sliding her finger into her palm repeatedly.

“Oh!” Chloé said, smiling, “we haven’t done that in human form yet… does it all work mostly the same?”

Emilie blushed, “This conversation has taken a turn for the risqué.”

Oklahoma glanced around, making sure nobody was listening in on them, then she leaned close, “Yeah Chloé, it mostly works the same… I think, I mean you’ve got a hole, fill it, you know? Human girls have to be aggressive to get the males doing what we want though, so just go a little wild, okay?”

“Dim the lighting when you go in,” Emilie offered, “humans love that, it’s sensuous!”

“Now Chloé,” Oklahoma said, her voice going low, “let’s talk handcuffs, and safe words-“

“She won’t be needing any of that!” Emilie hissed.

“And how would you know?” Oklahoma laughed.

“I went to enough of the Marquis De Sade’s dinner parties to know!” Emilie snapped.

“I don’t know who Marky De Sade is,” Oklahoma said, “but there’s nothing wrong with a little-“

“I think I’ll just go talk to him,” Chloé said firmly. She smiled at the two of them, “thanks, I do feel better.”

The pair watched her go, then Emilie scowled at Oklahoma, “if she handcuffs Mika to the bed or some nonsense-“ She huffed, “what if she loses her concentration and reverts to her Naga form? Up there? In the hotel room?”

Oklahoma shrugged, “I’m sure she’ll be fine, she’s stayed human through more stressful stuff than a night with her boyfriend. And if not?” Oklahoma downed the rest of her drink with a grin, “A short life, but a merry one? That’s what your pirate said, right?”

…

Mika looked up as the door to the room opened, “Chloé?”

“Hi Mika,” she said softly, reaching out for the light switch to dim the overhead lamp as she walked in.

Mika frowned, setting the journal aside as she moved to sit on the bed next to him, “Is something wrong?”

“Do you ever wish I was just a normal human girl?” she burst out, fighting to keep her voice steady.

Mika blinked in surprise, “No,” he said without hesitation, “Never!”

“Everything I am is causing you so much trouble though,” she said, blinking a tear out of her eye, “and I’m… I’m always going to be a Naga, I’ll have to eat like a Naga.”

Mika swept her into a hug that silenced her, squeezing her hard, “Hey,” he said softly, “yes, you are a Naga, you’re unbelievably powerful, and me, Emilie, Oklahoma, all these other people, you could crush us like bugs… but you don’t, you protect people Chloé. You do everything you can to save lives. Yes, you are what you are, but the goddess is right. Someone needs to do the things you do,” he parted from her a moment, meeting her eyes, “I understand that now… If I’d known, I never would have tried to force you to be anything else.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she squeaked in surprise as he kissed her, embracing as they fell upon the bed together. Their hands fumbled at one another’s clothing, blindly pulling the garments off one by one, tossing them to the floor of the hotel room. Soon they were naked, and, using all of the strength she had, Chloé forced Mika onto his back, climbing on top of him with a grin.

“It’s so much different,” she mused, “with you being the bigger one.”

“Not by much,” he laughed, “or as much anyways.”

“Lay back,” she ordered, putting her palm on his chest and forcing him down, “I’m taking you!”

Taking me? he frowned, Chloé was usually the dominant force in their lovemaking by virtue of her sheer size, but he hadn’t expected her to be this aggressive.

She reached down between his legs, guiding him to her entrance, then slowly sliding down his length with a high gasp. Her hands came down onto his chest, her warm palms gripping his skin slightly as she began to rock her body against his.

She’s amazing, Mika thought, smiling and closing his eyes as she rode him, her soft moans filling his ears and drowning out the muted noise from the parties going on below.

For Chloé it was a novel experience, being able to see the way her lover’s face contorted with each downward thrust of her hips. Mika found himself staring at her face too, loving the way her face scrunched up, fighting shivers of pleasure as they embraced.

“I’m going faster,” Chloé warned, increasing her tempo.

Mika groaned, gripping her hips and using his own strength to help her along. Soon they both had a slight sheen of sweat as they fought their way closer to climax. They reached it together, their cries filling one another’s ears as they shared the blissful moment.

Chloé never wanted it to end, but as the fuzzy feeling wave of pleasure subsided, she sighed, falling back to his side on the bed. They lay there in each other’s arms, not saying anything.

…

Yukia walked her fingers along the sleeping Higgin’s side, debating whether she wanted to shrink the exhausted human to tiny size, then dispose of him in her favorite way. She frowned as she realized that, like before, she truly didn’t want to.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” she wondered, flicking her ear in annoyance.

Deciding that Higgins was safe for now, and annoyed with herself for it, she sighed angrily and slid out of the bed, grabbing her robe from the floor and tying it back on as she walked to the living room. She stared up at the night sky, trying to rationalize her own behavior.

I love shrinking and eating humans, the way they squirm on the way down… the rush of power that comes after! She glanced back at the bedroom, you though… you’re more fun like this, you’re good in bed, and you can even keep up with me. She crossed her arms with a smirk, fun, yes, that’s the only reason I’m keeping you! You’re more fun than most humans! She chuckled to herself, glad she’d solved the inner conflict.

With an evil grin on her face, she walked back to the bed, sliding into it to return to sleep. She frowned a moment, then pulled the blanket up over Higgins, making sure he was covered before turning over to doze off.

…

Chloé and Mika hadn’t been tired enough for sleep yet, and after a quick shared shower, the two were dressed and headed down to find their friends. The hotel’s ballroom was alive with activity, and the pair found both Oklahoma and Emilie clapping along with the rest of the crowd as the DJ played a fast paced pop song.

“Look at those two,” Oklahoma chuckled, nudging Emilie as the young lovers approached, “They’re practically glowing!”

“I hope she’s feeling better about things,” Emilie said softly.

“This looks like a good time!” Mika said, grinning as they made their way through the crowd of cheering tourists.

“You missed the macarena,” Oklahoma laughed.

“It was an interesting experience,” Emilie said, her brow furrowed, “I hadn’t learned any new dances since the Charleston.”

Chloé glanced down at her own legs, shifting uneasily, “I don’t know how to do any dances,” she said with a weak smile.

“Look, it’s easy,” Oklahoma said, “C’mere!”

Chloé squeaked as the pilot hooked her arm around Chloé’s, dragging her towards the front of the dance floor. Mika watched, amused, as Oklahoma drunkenly waved for the DJ, getting the man’s attention as the previous song ended.

We could almost be four normal friends on vacation, Mika thought.

“What is she doing?” Emilie asked, stunned.

“I think she’s requesting a song,” Mika frowned.

“Okay, a request from the United States,” the DJ’s voice boomed, “Everyone get ready for Cotton Eye Joe!”

“Oh god,” Mika groaned.

“Is this a popular song in your country?” Emilie asked curiously.

Chloé watched eagerly as Oklahoma showed her the footsteps, “And then you mimic using a lasso, like this!” she said, grinning as she spun her hand over her head. Chloé giggled, following along to the footsteps. She wasn’t the only one in the crowd watching Oklahoma, and before long the international mix of tourists were performing the line dance in time, cheering together as the song ended.

“I’ll be damned,” Mika chuckled, “I guess it is popular.”

The night went on, and as the crowd thinned the DJ switched up from fast paced pop and club music to slower songs.

Emilie piped up excitedly as a waltz began, causing the remaining dancers to couple up, “Oh, I haven’t heard this in ages!” she shouted, “Mika, waltz with me!”  

“I don’t really know how,” he said with an embarrassed smile.

Emilie huffed, then turned to Oklahoma, “Sorry,” the other woman shrugged, “the only other dance I know is the Boot Scoot Boogie.”

“I’ll do it!” Chloé said, holding her hand out.

Emilie grinned, pulling Chloé to her as they entered the dance floor. Emilie took the lead, and Chloé laughed as she was spun outward at the end of the song, leaning back as Emilie grunted with the effort of moving her around the ballroom.

“Whew,” the Neko chuckled when they were done, “sorry, I usually don’t lead!”

Soon the lights dimmed, and the dance floor was nearly empty save for the four of them and a handful of other couples. The music slowed, and the DJ announced the final song of the night.

Mika sighed, turning to Chloé, “Can I have this dance?” he asked, listening to the first few notes.

“Is this one hard?” she asked nervously.

“No,” he said, “but you’re supposed to do slow dances with someone special.”

She nodded, grinning as he took her hand and they slowly danced together to the slow piano notes and the crooning voice of a lounge singer neither of them recognized. Chloé looked to Oklahoma, to Emilie, then finally to Mika himself, feeling a sense of kinship with all of them that nearly brought tears to her eyes.

“Thanks,” she croaked finally, “thanks for dancing with me.”

Mika pulled her into a kiss as the song ended.

…

Yukia sighed, watching the men load the private jets for travel. Emilie’s yacht had been spotted in India, so that was where they would pick up the trail. She watched Higgins directing the men, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before she turned back to the hotel.

A new guest had taken up residence in it as they were moving out, and instead of human servants a pair of alert looking Neko guards, each carrying long elegant katana and small silver handguns, were posted at each door. They glanced at her as she approached, some smirking.

I guess the word got around about what I got up to last night, she thought, shooting a defiant grin back to them. There isn’t one of you that hasn’t had fun with a human before… If they’d hoped to intimidate her it wouldn’t work, she’d learned swordplay on the battlefields of Japan over several centuries, with a few excursions to mainland China to boot. I wish I was on the field with Takeda Shingen again, she thought wistfully. She stopped, frowning, Was I fighting for him, or against him? She couldn’t quite remember, and in the end, it didn’t matter.

She walked past the guards, her tail swishing behind her as she went to the hotel’s lounge. Natasha was there, sipping a blue colored tropical drink with a small umbrella in the cup. She set it down when she saw Yukia approach.

“You lost one of our people,” Natasha said coldly.

“The Naga had recently fed, we were under the impression she was avoiding human meals,” Yukia said defensively. “She was stronger and faster than we anticipated.”

“Mika and Emilie escaped too,” Natasha snapped, “this is completely unacceptable! We are not like the humans Yukia! Every one of us that is killed cannot be replaced!” She groaned angrily, rubbing her forehead, “First Charboneau, now this… Emilie, you exact a heavy toll from me!”

Yukia licked her lips, “Natasha, I was wondering, could I hear more about the final plan?”

Natasha looked up, her eyes narrowing, “It will assure our victory, why do you ask?”

Yukia suddenly felt nervous, unlike the guards she was not certain about her chances against Natasha in a fight. The Princesse had spent almost as much time on human battlefields as Yukia herself, having taken up hiding among a tribe of humans called the Franks, and their successors.

“All of the humans are going to be nothing more than one long meal for us,” Natasha continued, “and then that will be the end of it.”

“But we’ll keep a few, right?” Yukia asked, “the exceptional ones, like Charboneau?”

The dark cloud that passed over Natasha’s face told Yukia that her attempt to appeal to the Princesse’s emotions had failed.

“No,” Natasha said quietly, “with him gone… No, there are no more exceptions. We’re getting our revenge, in total.”

Yukia nodded, forcing a wicked grin she didn’t quite feel, “Understood, I’m looking forward to it! I love the way they squeal when they slide down my throat!”

“Good,” Natasha nodded, “it will be a feast!” She waved, “now go, and don’t fail me again!”

Mika stirred from his sleep, blinking himself awake as Chloé leaned across his chest. The second jolt of the small aircraft’s wheels on the runway shook her awake too, and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut in protest as the jet’s brakes roared, slowly bringing them to a stop.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Oklahoma’s voice said over the intercom in a droll voice, “welcome to lovely Cambodia, where it is humid as hell.”

Emilie looked up from her grimoire, lowering her pen, “It won’t be much farther,” she said softly.

“How long have you been keeping that journal?” Mika asked with a frown.

“It’s more than just a journal,” Emilie explained, “my people use these grimoires to catalog our lives. Our lives stretch longer than our memories in most cases, I’ve been writing in it for as long as I can remember…” She flipped through the pages, letting him see the pages inked in various colors and languages. She stared at it a moment, “Some of these pages… the older ones especially, I might be the only one left that’s still fluent in the languages they’re written in.” She sighed, “I usually write in the language I’m speaking most at the time, it’s been a lot of English lately…”

“At least it’ll have a lot of potential readers in the future then, right?” Mika said with a small smile.

Emilie shrugged as closed the book, clasping it shut, “Latin didn’t become a dead language in a day, neither will English.”

“Okay everyone,” Oklahoma said, planting her hands on her hips as she walked into the small jet’s passenger cabin, “the friendly people who own this little airstrip are going to fuel us up and let us park the jet here, and for a little extra money they’re not going to keep any records of us.”

“How’d you pull that off?” Mika asked curiously.

“I told them you guys were Hollywood types,” Oklahoma replied with a dismissive wave, “that you didn’t want to get mobbed by the press on your vacation, that kind of thing.”

“That’ll work,” Mika sighed, “it’s better than pretending to be drug dealers, I guess.”

The group made their way down the stairs of the small private jet, glancing around at the mostly abandoned airfield. Theirs was the only jet, with the rest of the craft parked in a nearby hanger being small agricultural work planes, along with a solitary helicopter with insignias indicating it belonged to the local government. One of the airport workers approached Oklahoma, and they talked in hushed tones for a moment before he nodded and turned away.

“Okay,” the pilot sighed, “I’ve told them you three are going hiking in the jungle, that you’re experienced campers, and that you won’t need any local guides… They’re skeptical, but they know we’ve got money, so they’re going along with it.”

“The temple isn’t far from here,” Emilie said, gazing into the thick jungle that ringed the airport, “this area is still mostly unpopulated, so I don’t think we’ll encounter any other humans between here and there.”

“I think they said it was a wilderness preserve,” Oklahoma said with a shrug, “so that would make sense.”

“Are you coming with us?” Chloé asked, cocking her head at Oklahoma curiously.

The woman chuckled, “Nah, I’m staying here with the plane. These guys seem mostly honest, but I’d rather stay here and make sure this jet is still waiting when you get back. I’m not much good with all the ancient temple stuff anyways.”

“Right,” Emilie sighed, “let’s go.”

With the disguised catgirl leading the way the three of them entered the dense foliage of the jungle, the heat and humidity seeming to swallow them up like a fog as the sun overhead was dimmed by the thick canopy of verdant leaves overhead. Birds called, and insects buzzed as they moved further away from the island of civilization provided by the airstrip.

Chloé sniffed the air suddenly, even in her human form, with senses so weak they were practically blind compared to her Naga body, she could smell something on the wind. Her eyes lit up, and her mouth watered involuntarily.

“There’s Lemurian fruit nearby,” she whispered excitedly.

“Oh good,” Emilie chuckled under her breath, “I was worried I was leading us in the wrong direction… Compared to most parts of the world, this jungle hasn’t changed much since I was last here, but it’s still been hundreds of years.” She pushed through a thick line of trees and beamed as she pointed them to a crisp clear river, flowing quickly through the jungle and no doubt down to the faraway sea. “Here!” she called, waving them over, “we just need to go upriver!”

“Got it!” Chloé said eagerly. She stepped up to the river’s edge, hopping on one foot as she pulled her shoes off, stripping the rest of her clothing and tossing them to Mika, who began shoving the garments into his backpack.

“What are you doing?” Emilie asked with a frown.

“If there’s a river, we don’t really need to walk, do we?” Mika said with a smirk.

There was a small splash as Chloé leapt into the flowing water, and a moment later the surface roiled as her body took on its true form just beneath the surface. Chloé’s billboard sized face rose out of the river, dripping wet and grinning as she looked down at the two of them. At her full size the river was a channel was still wide enough for her to swim in, and just deep enough to allow her to dive beneath the surface. Her massive hand opened, and Emilie squeaked in surprise as the massive fingers wrapped around her and Mika, squeezing them together briefly before lifting them into the air.

Emilie’s ear flickered nervously beneath her wig as Chloé’s mouth opened before her, the exhaled breath washing over her face, “W-We could always walk!” she said.

“No,” Mika said with a smirk as Chloé’s hand tipped, letting the pair tumble down onto her tongue. “This is going to be faster.”

Chloé’s mouth closed, sealing the pair in. Emilie sighed, resigning herself to another journey within the Naga as the world shifted with her movements. Mika settled against her cheek, glancing towards the back of her throat and wondering if Chloé intended to swallow them, or simply leave them here. He couldn’t help but chuckle as her tongue flipped up, gently pressing him against her soft and elastic cheek, the round bumps of her tastebuds rubbing against his own face as she tasted him.

It doesn’t look like it’s going to take long to get there, Chloé thought, slipping into the river, they can probably just stay in my mouth.

She dove beneath the water, engaging her camouflage just in case. With her scales mimicking the water and rocks around her, she was all but invisible to any potential observers as she moved upriver. Idly she played with the two passengers in her mouth, occasionally poking and prodding at Mika and enjoying the familiar flavor. She had to fight a giggle as she felt Emilie scurry away from the appendage whenever she raised it in the catgirl’s direction.

It wasn’t long before the river opened up into a small lake, overseen by a massive waterfall. Chloé surfaced, remaining hidden as she slowly moved towards the billowing mists of the falls. When she was certain there was no human presence anywhere near them, she allowed her camouflage to drop, and leaning forward, she gently spat Emilie and Mika into her palm.

“Where is it?” Mika asked, peering around. “I don’t see any structures.”

“There,” Emilie said, pointing to the falls. “I’ve never been any further, but… It’s behind there.”

“A secret door behind a waterfall,” Mika mused, “Okay then.”

“Could you please put me on the shore?” Emilie asked, “I’ll wait out here.” She shuddered, “be careful, this place. I can feel its power, it’s like it’s hostile to me… I don’t think I would be safe getting much closer.”

“What do you mean?” Chloé asked with a frown, “you’re with us, even if you don’t go inside-“

“There’s more protecting these places than the traps,” Emilie said, looking up at the falls, “things that kept mankind from truly noticing them for all of these years… The Naga were more knowledgeable about higher planes of existence than any of us, and whatever their plans for the two of you are, they’re coming to fruition soon. If they don’t include me here, then I shouldn’t be here.”

Chloé and Mika looked at one another, and Chloé nodded. Wordlessly, she swam to the edge of the lake, lowering Emilie down to the shore. With a sigh the neko removed her wig, letting her feline ears twitch in the humid air, a moment later her tail uncoiled from her hiking shorts, and she relaxed, seemingly free from whatever feeling of unease had emanated from the temple to her.

“We’ll see you soon!” Mika called as Chloé began swimming towards the falls.

Emilie just nodded, waving to them with a smile.

The droplets of water hung like a haze in the air as they approached the roaring wall of water, and Mika held his breath as they passed through it. The weight of the water fell on him like a curtain, immediately soaking any of his clothes that had still be dry after the journey in Chloé’s mouth, and the pair of them had their hair plastered against their skulls as they emerged on the other side.

The far side of the waterfall opened into a vast cavern, and a pair of blue crystals sprang to life, lighting the way for the pair of them as they took in the view before them. The water ended in a raised stone platform, large enough that Chloé was able to slither the entirety of her snakelike form up onto it, there they found a series of tall sloping cut stone pillars that reminded Mika of the Khmer temples he’d read about. Stone faces gazed, unblinking, at the two of them as they focused their attention on the centerpiece of the platform, a steel grate protecting  a tunnel leading up into the hidden interior of the mountain. At the bottom a small stream flowed through the grate, the clear waters tumbling peacefully over the edge of the platform in a small mimicry of the massive waterfall outside.

“That’s strange,” Mika said, “did someone seal it up?”

“No,” Chloé said, moving closer, “The Naga built this…” She reached her hand out, touching the steel, then winced, pulling back as if shocked. “OW!”

“Let me try,” Mika said, “these bars, they’re thin enough for a human to slip through, maybe I’m supposed to go?” As Chloé lifted her hand up to the grate, Mika leaned forward, as if to leap through it, but he gasped in pain as a splitting headache struck him, causing him to tumble back onto Chloé’s palm.

“Are you okay!?” she squeaked, clutching him close and pulling him away.

Mika grunted as Chloé’s fingers curled tightly around him, “I’m fine!” he wheezed, sighing with relief as her grip loosened. “There’s some kind of protection on it, I can’t go through either.”

Move through together

The hissing command of the Naga goddess echoed through both of their heads at once.

“How!?” Chloé scowled, “I’m too big to fit through, if I make myself smaller we can’t move through it together.”

“Yes we can,” Mika chuckled, “Remember the last temple?”

Chloé’s eyes went wide as she realized what he meant, then she grinned slowly, “ I’ve got to cross over as a human, with you inside of me?” He nodded, and she giggled, lifting him slowly over her mouth, “It’s been too long since I’ve had the chance to do this,” she whispered, slowly opening her lips and letting her tongue loll out.

Mika felt the air rush around him as her fingers released him, letting him drop down into her waiting maw. Her lips snapped shut behind him as he bounced along her soft tongue, and as her slick saliva coated him, he readied himself for the familiar pull downward into her throat.

… Which didn’t come. Instead, he found himself jostled around in Chloé’s mouth for a few moments as she repositioned herself. He frowned, confused, but before he could ask Chloé what was wrong he was launched through the air once again as she spat him into her waiting cupped palms.

“What are you-“ he paused, looking down and realizing that Chloé had transformed, she’d simply done it with him in her mouth, and while she was standing before him as a very normal looking human girl, legs and all, he was now reduced to a handful of centimeters in the palm of her hand.

“It’s different holding you at this size,” she mused, “you’re still so…” She licked her lips, “ appetizing…” She flipped her hand, effortlessly sliding her fingers up under his arms, letting his legs dangle as her other hand came up to pull at his shoes. They came off easily, the doll sized footwear falling to the stone floor and out of sight, a moment later she was pulling at his pant leg, stripping him like she was unwrapping a favorite piece of candy.

When he was naked, she brought his body close to her face, letting her warm breath wash over him as she exhaled slowly. Her tongue came out, licking up his body, causing him to shiver as her saliva cooled on his skin. She lowered him along her body, letting him take in the vast hills of her breasts, then the smooth expanse of her belly. Idly her other hand came down, toying with her belly button a moment.

“It’s different being human,” she said quietly, “the urge to swallow you down isn’t as strong, but it’s still there…” She smiled playfully, “What about you? Are you still excited? Knowing it’s coming?” Her stomach growled slightly, the low gurgling echoing through the cavern and causing Mika’s heart to skip a beat. “Hmm… it’s ready for you,” she teased.

“Yeah,” he rasped, “I’m still pretty excited about this part, no matter what you look like.”

Chloé giggled, blushing slightly as her finger traced along her lower belly, “I wonder how far you’ll end up having to go this time?”

Mika’s gaze drifted below her belly button, imagining himself being sucked and squeezed through her lower digestive system. He was brought even lower, and his face was pressed against her soft vulva as she teasingly dragged his body along her womanhood, hot and musky as he passed, with a glinting wetness that hinted at her own arousal. She groaned as she continued to rub him against herself, bending over slightly as she inverted his body, letting his hair hang down as he hung upside down in her grip. His eyes went wide as he caught the slightest glimpse of her puckered behind.  

His stomach lurched as she lifted him back up to her face, and the giant brown orbs of her eyes focused down between his legs, and she smirked triumphantly as she saw he was rock hard.

“See you soon,” she said with a wink, lifting him once again over her mouth.

Mika looked down into the black chasm of her throat, feeling every heart beat as she readied to devour him. The fall felt almost like it was in slow motion, and he hit her tongue like it was a waterslide, the coat of sticky saliva lubricating his journey to the back of her throat as her mouth closed overhead. He winced at the sudden darkness, he’d gotten used to the low light inside of the Naga’s form, and the darkness inside of Chloé’s human mouth was a shock.

Chloé slowly pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, sealing him in the back of her throat and letting the slowly dripping saliva accumulate around her tiny snack. Mika felt the viscous liquid rising around his legs, warming him and making the already humid air feel almost cloying. He felt his world shift as Chloé slowly tilted her head back, and he shut his eyes, readying himself for the next part.

*GULP*

Chloé felt the bulge slide down her throat, and Mika grunted in surprise as the powerful muscles of her esophagus grabbed him tightly from all sides, squeezing his arms and legs tightly together as their squeezing force drove him downward. He sucked a breath in instinctively, and coughed as the thick coat of saliva around him flooded into his mouth. Outside Chloé traced a finger down her throat, following his progress. Mika was nothing but a small struggling lump to her, but for a human he was still on the larger side of what could be comfortably swallowed, his descent slowed for a moment, and Chloé frowned. With a grunt of frustration she gathered as much saliva as she could, and swallowed again.

“Ah!” Mika cried out in surprise as he was dropped into the open space of Chloé’s stomach, splashing down into the watery contents. The inside was warm, almost hot, and the ridged sides undulated as if eager to greet him as his hands traced along the walls. “Okay!” he shouted as loud as he could, “I’m in!”

Chloé didn’t need to be told, she could feel the small fluttering and poking motions as he walked around inside her belly. With a smirk she patted her stomach, and within it Mika could hear the steady thump each time her hand made contact.

“Okay, I’m going through the grate,” she said, her voice muffled and faraway to her stomach’s passenger.

She took a deep breath, walking towards the steel covering, preparing herself in case the same painful shock was present. Reaching out, Chloé wrapped a hand around the bar, and grinned as she felt nothing but the cold steel.

“It’s working!” she said, walking through the gap in the grate.

“Great!” Mika shouted, his voice just barely audible to Chloé, “Can you change back now?”

Chloé frowned as the tunnel on the far side of the grate lit up, the same blue crystals illuminating the new chamber. A vast rock wall greeted her, an apparent dead end, save for a small human sized door at the bottom.

“I think you’re supposed to stay in there for a while,” she said, walking forward. She glanced at the floor, the small stream that had led out before continued onward into the new passageway, flowing along a small trough along the right wall. She frowned as she saw various sigils glowing along the smooth stone, “There’s writing, it’s lighting up… but I can’t read it.” She blinked, squinting her eyes as the crystalline lettering began to glimmer in and out, darkening and lighting the tunnel at a steady rhythm that left a strange buzzing sensation in her head. “I’m going to keep going,” she announced, almost as much to convince herself as to tell Mika.

Steeling herself Chloé continued through the tunnel, fighting the urge to shut her eyes as the blinking crystal sigils intermittently provided her light. The buzzing in the center of her forehead grew more intense, and soon it was almost like she was walking against the wind during a hailstorm as she forced one foot in front of the other.

Mika grimaced as his skin began to itch, “Chloé, I don’t want to rush you, but is there any sign that you could transform back anytime soon?”

“No!” she said, picking up her pace, “This is…” She gulped, swaying slightly as the crystals fluttered in and out, almost like a strobe light. With a final cry Chloé sprinted forward, squeezing her eyes shut in a vain attempt to drown out the flashing crystals.

She gasped as the buzzing reached a fever pitch, opening her eyes just as the tunnel opened up, becoming a vast cavern. She screamed in shock as she felt her body transforming against her will, her legs fusing into her tail as her body began expanding outward. The crystals stopped flashing, and it was all Chloé could do to drag herself forward, righting her body as it grew to its true size. She grunted in pain as her head bumped the ceiling, and she tried to shift herself, pulling her arms free. The tunnel was immense, for a human, but for a Naga, she could just barely fit within it.

“Chloé? Is everything okay?” Mika called. He looked around the interior of her Naga stomach, grateful to have the soft light within her compared to the darkness of her human form. The itching was gone too, the acids having subsided with the transformation.

“It’s really tight!” Chloé called back, grimacing as she inched herself forward, “I can’t change into my human form for some reason, and I can’t turn around…”

Mika frowned, “Hold on, I’m coming out!” He walked to the entrance of Chloé’s stomach, and at his approach she opened the sphincter leading up to her throat. Getting on his hands and knees he began the slow crawl through Chloé’s esophagus, blinking the dripping saliva out of his eyes as she relaxed herself, easing his journey.

Chloé felt his probing hands reaching up at the back of her throat, and a moment later she felt her human lover clambering his way up over her tongue. She opened her mouth, letting her tongue stick out almost like a royal carpet to allow his departure. Mika shivered as he stepped out of the warmth of Chloé’s insides, her saliva and stomach juices cooling on his skin as he looked around.

Finally, he turned back to her, “I think it’s pretty obvious, your ancestors meant for this to be a one-way trip… no turning back.”

She nodded, “Okay, but…” she shivered, “I’m not used to being in tight spaces like this, I don’t really like it.”

“Not a lot of people do,” he said reassuringly, “I’ll go ahead, that way if there are any more surprises, you’ll see them happen to me first. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with a smile, “Thanks.”

He glanced down the tunnel, lingering on the blue crystals for a moment, this temple was made by Chloé’s people, he thought hesitantly, they wouldn’t make it too dangerous, would they? Those crystals are interfering with Chloé’s abilities… but why? What’s next?

He led the way through the tunnel, walking a few dozen yards in front of Chloé as she squeezed her way through the passage behind him. She winced as her scales barely slid against the walls, and instead of the usual slithering motion of her body she was forced to drag herself using her arms.

Mika glanced at the small stream of water along the side of the chamber, letting his eyes follow the motion of it’s flow until it disappeared beneath Chloé’s cramped form.

We’ve got to be moving towards a source, he thought. Sure enough, within a few more minutes of traversing the tunnel the blue crystals lit up to illuminate a new chamber, vast and sparkling almost like the night sky. A faux sun sprang into being somewhere in the ethereal ceiling of the room, letting Mika see a vast underwater lake, feeding the stream of water that they’d been following all this time. The light also let him see a ring of the Lemurian fruit trees, arranged in a circle and towering towards the cavern ceiling. A small raised stone path through the water led to them, and from somewhere far away Mika could hear the sound of rushing water, no doubt the source of the lake itself.

“There are more Lemurian trees,” he called, waving her forward, “I’m pretty sure this is where we do the challenge.”

“Good,” Chloé grunted, dragging herself forward, “I’m tired of being cramped in- EEEP!”

Mika whirled around, his eyes going wide as a pair of immense stone doors slid closed around Chloé just as she entered the chamber. She didn’t have time to do anything but squeal in surprise as her head was caught in a circular gap as the stone plates slid together, pinning her in place. There was a sound of tumbling stone and sliding steel as the ancient lock mechanisms went into effect, holding Chloé in place with only her head sticking into the chamber. She grunted as she thrashed against it, her face flush with exertion as she tried to escape the stone collar holding her in place, but it didn’t budge.

“I-I can’t get out of it!” she shouted, panicking, “I can’t take my human form either!”

“Stay calm!” Mika said, running back to her. He looked up at her enormous face, the only part of her visible, and tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m going to figure out how to get this open, just try to relax, okay?”

“Okay,” Chloé whimpered.

Mika sighed, slowly walking along the stone bridge to the Lemurian trees. He glanced around, seeing the far side of the cavern, the waters, the glittering crystals covering the ceiling… None of it gave any clue about what to do next. He continued to explore the chamber, hoping to find some runes or signs, but nothing presented itself. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been searching, but eventually he saw Chloé looking dejected and bored, and he found himself making his way back to her.

“Sorry,” he murmured, “I can’t figure this one out yet…”

“I hate this,” Chloé scowled, “I hate not being able to move!” She struggled against the stone again, gritting her teeth and shaking her head from side to side as her tail thrashed behind her.

“Chloé,” he said slowly, “please stop.”

She did, panting from the exertion, “D-Do you think I’ll be stuck in here, if we can’t solve this?” Her voice had a pleading tone to it, as if asking Mika to come up with a solution.

“I… I don’t know,” he muttered.

In all temples before this one, the human has taken the risk, now it is you my child who will rely on his skill and wisdom.

“Risk!?” Mika said, “wait a minute-“

The voice of the goddess continued, either unaware or unheeding of Mika’s objection.

Trust each other, go beyond what you explored when you discovered your shared Destiny

The truth lies at the end of the tunnel

“A riddle,” Mika sighed, “trust each other… Most of these temples have been trust exercises, kind of, what do you think?”

“I’m not sure,” Chloé admitted, “truth lies at the end of the tunnel? We’re at the end of the tunnel, this room is all there is!”

Mika frowned, sitting at the edge of the pool and staring into the water, Truth lies at the end of the tunnel…

…

Hours had gone by, with no progress. Both Mika and Chloé were growing tired and frustrated, and as his own stomach growled, Mika couldn’t even begin to imagine how hungry the trapped Naga was.

“I should have brought something to eat,” he muttered, “even a granola bar would be amazing right now.”

“Uh, there is one thing we could eat,” Chloé said, gesturing with a nod at the Lemurian trees. Several of the fruit, ripe and ready, had dropped to the ground around the base of the trunks.

“Let me get you some,” Mika nodded, standing up.

 When he reached the trees, he gathered up as much of the fruit in his arms as he could, moving slowly to avoid dropping any of the large basketball sized spheres. One trip at a time he tossed them into Chloé’s waiting mouth, and she chewed excitedly, moaning in happiness as the fruit slipped down her throat. Finally he took the last of the available fruit, his arms growing sore from the effort as he carried Chloé’s final mouthful to her. This time, when she opened her lips, he simply leapt in himself, chuckling as his back bounced against her tongue.

“Uh, Mika,” she began slowly, bobbing his body up and down on her tongue as she spoke, “I can’t eat the fruit if you’re in there with-“

“Just chew carefully,” he chuckled, enjoying the warmth from the soft tongue against his back, “I’m tired, I don’t want to climb out.”

Chloé fought a giggle, but did as he asked. He glanced to his side, watching her massive molars crushing the ripe fruit to pulp. One of the juicy orbs burst, spraying his face with droplets of juice. He licked his lips, tasting the sweet flavor, and then with a shrug grabbed a large piece that had landed on her tongue near him. Even just a few bites were enough to help ease his fatigue, and as Chloé pressed him to the roof of her mouth, swallowing the fruit down, he swallowed his own morsel too.

“Well,” he said finally, looking at the roof of her mouth, “I’m sorry I took you out of the jungle into something so dangerous Chloé…”

“The goddess was right,” Chloé replied, “so far this has been a lot more dangerous for you than for me… and I’m sure you’re going to figure this out and get me free anyway.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, crossing his arms behind his head.

“I’m glad you took me out of the jungle anyways,” Chloé continued, “I’ve seen so much… I think I know why my ancestors wanted to protect humans now, your world is so wonderful! The cities, the people, all of the things you build and do!” She paused for a minute, “I want to fight for it, I’d rather die than let anything happen to it… or you.”

“Thanks,” Mika chuckled, “The feeling is mutual, I don’t know what I’d do if we’d never met Chloé, I can’t imagine going through life without you anymore.”

“When it’s all over, I can spend most of my time as a human,” Chloé said softly. “I realized back in India, we were having fun just like normal human friends, human lovers… I’ll still need to take my Naga form every few days, and when I need to eat, but I could be your human girlfriend who’s only sometimes a Naga. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Mika frowned, “No,” he said firmly, “I don’t think so.”

Chloé started, “W-What!?”

“I had fun with you in India,” Mika admitted, “and maybe sometimes we could be like that, just a pair of humans on vacation, but you’re a Naga Chloé, and I love that about you.”

If Mika had been standing before her instead of relaxing on her tongue, he would have seen Chloé blush.

“What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly, “Do you really like my true form?” she gulped, “even more than my human form?”

“Your human form is cute,” Mika said with a smile, “beautiful even, if you’d stopped to talk to me back in college I’d have been over the moon about it…” He paused, trying to choose his words, “Your Naga form though, it’s… it’s beyond anything I’d ever seen, you’re beautiful, powerful… You make me feel safe.”

Chloé giggled, “Do you like my tail?” she asked in a teasing tone.

He chuckled, “Yes, Chloé, I even like your tail.”

“You’re just being nice,” Chloé countered.

“No, it’s true,” Mika insisted, “everything about you is enthralling…” He sighed, thinking back over their time together. “Do you remember the first temple we went into together?” he asked suddenly.

“Yeah,” she replied, “The Temple of Desire.” She sighed happily, remembering Mika’s trip deep within her womanhood… She scowled, feeling herself becoming aroused, but with no way to pleasure herself.

“When I walked along your tail, it was like…” he chuckled, “I don’t know exactly, I just know I was very turned on by the whole thing, being that close to you, and imagining what was on the other side of those scales…”

“Oklahoma is right, you really do like getting eaten, huh?” Chloé laughed in a teasing tone.

“Guilty as charged,” Mika smirked, “The idea of being swallowed down by you, slipping through your body and finally ending up in that tail has been on my mind way too often lately.” He sighed, “I guess I’ve gone through most of your body at this point, the only-“ he stopped, having a sudden realization.

Chloé froze too, and she slowly spat him out, letting him slide down her tongue until he was on the stone floor looking up into her enormous eyes. From the look she was giving him he knew she’d reached the same conclusion he had, and he wiped a bit of her saliva off of himself before speaking.

“Truth lies at the end of the tunnel,” he said finally.

“Yeah,” Chloé whispered, “I think you’ve got to go all the way through this time.”

“Beyond the stomach that seals destiny”

Mika looked up into her eyes, seeing his own reflection looking back at him, “Are you ready for it?” he asked softly.

“Let’s finish it,” She said with a nod, “one way or another, we’re done with these temples…”

He grinned, “Yeah, let’s finish it…”

Mika walked forward, and Chloé opened her mouth as wide as she could, letting her tongue flop out like a red carpet, inviting him in. As confidently as he could Mika began climbing up into her mouth. It was a familiar journey by this point, and he got down on all fours to crawl to the back of her throat. Chloé’s mouth closed behind him, and from below her tongue rose up, pressing him against the soft flesh at the back of her mouth and letting her uvula drape over him for a moment. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warm embrace before the familiar * gulp* sent him rocketing into her throat.

Mika closed his eyes, letting the powerful grip of her esophagus tighten around him. As always he couldn’t help but shiver as the slick, soft muscle pressed itself against his hardening manhood, and he gasped as Chloé slowed his journey, exerting control over her muscles in a way that would be impossible for a human, but which was becoming second nature to her. Outside Chloé smirked, playfully sliding Mika’s trapped body back and forth, enjoying the way her prey spasmed from the pleasure that her motions were causing.

Mika felt helpless, but in a good way, and he groaned with a smile on his face as Chloé’s powerful throat muscles forced him to orgasm, all while holding his hands tightly pinned against his sides. When the Naga was sure he had finished, a low rumbling chuckle rang out, vibrating the tight tube as it slowly began to send him further along.

The post orgasm haze was still with him as he slipped into her upper stomach with a wet plop, slowly rising to his feet in an almost groggy way with a goofy grin on his face. After taking a minute to steady himself, he continued forward.

“So is that going to happen every time I pass through your throat now?” he called.

“I just wanted to help you relax!” Chloé said sweetly. A giggle rang out all around him, “And besides, you usually have clothes on when I swallow you, so I couldn’t let the opportunity of a naked Mika in my throat go to waste!”

He shook his head in disbelief as he made his way to the sphincter at the far side of her lower stomach, his feet sloshing through the pooled stomach contents as he went. The walls seemed to groan in appreciation of his presence, and it was almost calming as he reached the entrance that would lead him lower. Slowly he stroked the flesh around the coiled sphincter, listening for the familiar friendly gurgle of recognition.

That’s right, I’m not prey, he thought, pursing his lips as he repeated the motion. When the same low bubbling sound echoed again, he nodded.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he shouted.

Chloé concentrated, and a moment later the sphincter to her second stomach sprang open, revealing the much darker red of the lower organ. He tensed slightly as he stooped over, stepping inside and feeling the floor go from smooth to ridged as he crossed into the more dangerous of the two stomachs.

“It’s only me,” he muttered, as if the stomach could hear him. There was no reaction, and he nodded, pleased that the more animalistic organ seemed to remember him in some way.

“Are you doing okay?” Chloé asked in a worried tone.

“Yes,” he called out, “it’s a lot easier than the last time I was here, that’s for sure.”  

Mika stopped, looking up as points of light lined the walls. He realized with a start that they were the glowing crystals lining the tunnel outside of Chloé’s trapped body. They began to flash in sync, creating an illusion of light flowing in one direction, guiding him towards the exit to Chloé’s lower stomach.

It seems like I’m on the right course, he thought.

“Uh, Mika, can you stop for a minute?” Chloé’s echoing voice called.

He frowned, “Sure, why?”

“N-No reason!” Chloé shouted, a hint of embarrassment to her voice.

There was a rumbling sound on the far side of the lower stomach, then a quick sound like water rushing through a tight space. Mika cocked his head, walking towards the spincter leading lower into Chloé’s body.

“I-I said just wait where you are!” Chloé stammered.

Mika started as he realized just what she was doing, “Oh uh, sorry-“

“It’s uh… empty now,” Chloé said sheepishly, “Also I’m pretty sure I figured out why there’s a water channel leading out of here, very convenient…”

“Right, convenient,” Mika muttered.

“Uh, Mika, I have a request?” Chloé called.

“What do you need?” he shouted back.

“When you get to the end, can you please not look at it?”

He almost burst out laughing, “What do you mean not look at it?”

“It’s an embarrassing part!” she insisted.

“Chloé, if I understand everything right, I’m going through it,” he chuckled, “that’s a lot closer than looking at it.” He heard her groan in humiliation, and rolled his eyes, “Chloé, I’ve seen it on your human form, it’s not a big deal!”

A frustrated sigh echoed out, “Fine…”

Of all the things to be worried about now, he thought nervously chuckling as he took in her lower stomach one final time. The dark red walls dripped their deadly acid at the far end of the tunnel, and while it wasn’t targeted at him necessarily, he realized that the Lemurian fruit had passed through this chamber already, and the brief protective effect it carried would soon fade. He glanced up at the crystals, visible through Chloé’s scales, through her insides, guiding him forward. No turning back, he thought, stepping up to the exit.

“Okay Chloé,” he shouted, “relax.” He heard her rumbling breath, and the world tremored slightly as  she shivered in response to his fingers curling around the center of the tight ring of muscle. Slowly, but forcefully, he pulled it open, revealing the way down into Chloe’s intestines.

With a nervous gulp, Mika stepped inside, and as soon as he did the way back snapped shut. Before he could react, he was hefted up by what at first felt like a series of impossible strong pale pink tentacles. The thick cilia of her intestines ferried him along, their soft wet tips probing at his body as he squirmed at the sensation. This seemed to excite them, and soon his skin was alight with a tickling sensation as they probed this new morsel delivered to the lowest part of Chloé’s digestive tract.

The sound of cilia became louder as he was pulled further along, and as the hundreds of stalks brushed against each other it sounded almost like trees in the wind, a strange rushing or fluttering sound. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed it for a moment, soothed by the continuous drone of the tendrils.

Some part of him was aware that they were trying to extract nutrients from him, but they were soft, gentle, and the tingling as they brushed over his skin in unison wasn’t at all unpleasant. With a sigh he let himself go limp, feeling the hundreds of appendages squeeze tighter around him, slowly pressing him along the tunnel of her intestines. As he was passed through her tail, his stomach lurched as he was forced up, and then down again, his body traveling in a spiral motion as the tender cilia pressed him along.

Her intestines are coiled inside of her tail for extra length, he realized, it’s a much longer journey than it looks like from the outside…

Chloé shivered, feeling him drop deeper into her body. It was a strange sensation, most of what she ate was well dissolved by that point, but Mika’s solid body had an odd gliding sensation as it moved through her. Normally she wasn’t particularly aware of food going along her intestines at all, but she felt every slow squeeze of Mika’s wriggling form through the coils of her lower half.

“Oooh…” she groaned, feeling him take a particularly laborious turn. Something about him in there feels really good…

Mika blinked as the crystals began to blink again, catching his attention and adding to the strange sensory overload of the rushing sound and tingling touch of the cilia. He soon found himself fighting to remain lucid, starting in surprise every time he found himself slipping almost into a hypnotic state from the mixture of the twinkling light and way that her intestines cradled and soothed him. The distant sound of her heart beating softly was just barely audible beyond the other sounds, and he smiled as he heard the familiar rhythm.

“What’s it like?” Chloé’s voice called out, snapping him back to reality.

“It’s… different than I expected,” he replied. “I thought it would be another battle of wills or something, like with your lower stomach, but it’s just… nice, I guess.” The tendrils pushed him around another turn, cradling his body and slowly working him around the bend as he continued through the spiraled intestines.

“It feels pretty nice for me too,” she sighed, “I can feel every bit of that trip you’re taking! You’re not really filling, but it’s still satisfying to feel you there somehow, like you’re mine, and nobody can take you from me!”

“I like the sound of that,” Mika murmured, letting his gaze follow the flashing lights again. He yawned suddenly, surprising himself, “Chloé, I think I’m going to drift off here soon…”

“Go ahead,” Chloé said, feeling her own eyelids growing heavy, “I think you’ve got a long way to go still.”

Mika didn’t hear her, having already closed his eyes. The slow rushing wind sound of the cilia brushing together, and against him, quickly emptied his mind, and before he realized it he was asleep.

…

Mika watched as the Neko warrior practiced swordplay, her blade whipping through the air as she struck flying arrows away seconds before they hit her. She laughed wickedly as her human assailants appeared, clad in black.

Ninja? Mika thought. He squinted at the Neko as her ears flittered in anger, her tail flashing wildly from side to side. Wait, I know her, that’s one of the Neko that attacked us in the desert! But Chloé ate her…

The black clad ninjas screamed battle cries, leaping at her with their blades drawn. The last he saw of her was her blade meeting the first attacker’s, then everything went black.

Is this a dream? Mika wondered, or a vision? It felt too real, too raw, in some way for either of those.

Suddenly he was overlooking Paris, watching fireworks burst over the Eiffel tower from a lavishly furnished balcony. A black haired Neko woman lounged on a long cushioned chair as she watched the bursting lights, and a moment later she was joined by a familiar face.

“Charboneau,” Natasha greeted with a smile, sitting up. “Is it done?”

“The archeologists are dead,” the assassin nodded, using his good hand to pull a packet of cigarettes free from his pocket. He stuck the box in his teeth for a moment while he fished in the pocket for a lighter, but with a chuckle Natasha walked over to him, grabbing the box of cigarettes and reaching in for the lighter herself. The assassin raised an eyebrow as the Neko Princesse stuck one of the cigarettes in his mouth, and lit the tip with the lighter herself.

“Merci,” Charboneau sighed, inhaling the tobacco.

“Those shorten human lifespans,” Natasha warned, leaning on the balcony railing as she watched the fireworks.

“With the life I live Princesse, I don’t worry about lung cancer,” Charboneau replied, taking another long drag.

“And what do you think will kill you?” Natasha asked with a smug grin, leaning close to him.

Charboneau was suddenly on edge, and he raised his prosthetic hand, carefully aiming it at the Neko, “Another man, quicker on the draw? Or perhaps…”

“Say it,” Natasha laughed.

“I often think it will be you, Princesse,” Charboneau said, a strange grin coming over his features, “Am I staring death in the face now?”

Natasha didn’t answer, instead smiling at him and gripping his hand, leading the confused assassin into her apartment.

The world disappeared again, and Mika blinked in surprise, Charboneau? And Natasha? How am I seeing this?

Charboneau appeared again, but older this time, the way he’d been when Mika had last seen him. This time a grizzled man with a sour expression approached Charboneau at a café, and somehow Mika instinctively knew he was a mercenary.

“The cats told me to report to you?” the man growled, taking a seat.

“Indeed,” Charboneau smiled, “the rest of the team will arrive shortly, please order something.”

“The tea is great, ” Yukia chuckled, sitting across from them. She was disguised, with a thick black wig covering her ears and her tail nowhere in sight.

The scene disappeared again, and Mika was left trying to piece what he’d seen together.

What do these people have in common? He thought. A neko, Charboneau, a random mercenary? An ominous feeling came over him as he realized what it was, they’re all-

“People I ate,” Chloé said slowly, coming to his side. She was in her human form, and she laced her fingers through his as light filled his vision again. Charboneau, the Neko, and other people he didn’t recognize, they seemed to stand before the pair, unmoving like wax statues.

“So we can see their memories?” Mika asked.

“It’s like a library,” Chloé mused, walking by each of them, “and it’s not just their memories… It’s mine too.”

Suddenly they were back in the jungle, watching Chloé’s massive form rising over Mika for the first time. The scene kept tracing backwards, picking up speed as Mika watched days, months, years of Chloé’s life flash before his eyes. Her time in the jungle, her slow growth into her massive size, her duel with a frog the size of a dinner plate that constantly hunted for her, until she grew big enough to devour it in turn. Finally he saw the egg he’d hidden in his own forgotten memories, hatching slowly in the jungle and leaving the newborn Chloé alone to fend for herself.

“That’s amazing,” Mika breathed, “Is this… Is this because we passed the temple’s challenge?”

“It is part of our race’s power to store information,” the Naga goddess’s voice boomed.

There was a flash, and suddenly Mika found himself wedged between the massive globes of Chloé’s breasts as her Naga form was restored. The goddess herself, along with her own human priest resting on her shoulder, slithered into view. Below them the spinning blue orb of the earth rested peacefully, the blackness of space expanding all around them, punctuated by the stars.

“How is it done?” Mika asked eagerly, “and how far back does it go?”

“This one is eager to ask questions,” the priest chuckled, leaning against his own Naga’s neck.

“I’ve come to appreciate his curiosity,” The goddess chuckled, tapping the top of the priest’s head affectionately. She turned back to Chloé, “The information is stored genetically, shared across the entire Naga lineage, you should be able to access any memories any of your ancestors acquired.”

“A first-person account of all of human and Naga history?” Mika asked, awestruck.

“Why do you think we worked so closely with the Naga?” the priest asked with a smirk. “They were useful for protection of course, but when we bonded with them fully? Any knowledge our society needed; we had access to.”

“The relationship was mutually beneficial in many ways,” the goddess agreed, joining her human in smiling. It takes two, the naga and her human “The human seeks knowledge, and the Naga can use this connection to guide you to it.”

“Seek knowledge…” Mika muttered. “Well, we need to know more about the Neko clan, bring me to the last time they met with the Naga...”

The goddess waved as Chloé concentrated, clouding the planet and the stars away in a thick fog as she parsed the millennia of memories. He looked up, seeing Chloé grimace with effort.

“T-There’s a lot here,” she muttered, “friends, enemies, humans, Neko…”

They were suddenly in a vast outdoor amphitheater, a bowl shaped structure built into a hillside where dozens of Naga waited, coiled and looking down at a raised center stage. Each of the Naga had a human priest with them, and as Mika glanced over them, he saw people with features from all over the world, each dressed in what he guessed was their own culture’s priestly vestments.

Down on the stage a much smaller figure in a white robe nervously stepped up to address the gathered Naga. She had pale blond hair, and her catlike ears twitched nervously and then went flat against her head as she began to speak.

Emilie, Mika realized. She must have been the one to come and meet with them?

“What have you come to say to us Emilie?” one of the Naga boomed angrily.

“I’ve come to ask for mercy!” Emilie shouted, her tail twitching nervously from side to side. “My people suffer from a curse, the Naga have vast knowledge of medicine, science, and things beyond the ken of the Neko clan! You can help me find a cure! A solution!”

In the center the familiar green scaled Naga goddess that had guided them through their trials nodded, “Emilie, your people have already committed unspeakable atrocities, they have brought war against us, and against the humans that we protect.”

“This isn’t them!” Emilie shouted, “we’ve lived in peace with you for millennia, we could for millennia more! They just need help!”

The naga pursed her lips, “Emilie, we recognize you as a friend,” the goddess said finally, “So I will consider what to do…” she glanced at her tail a moment, then bent over, pressing her ear against her tail.

Her priest, Mika thought, he’s in there… like I was… or like I am right now I guess. He’s consulting all of their memories to try to find the right answer.

The goddess frowned as she listened to the voice within her tail, and her face paled. Mika felt a sinking feeling in his chest as the goddess reared herself up, visibly shaken. The other Naga looked at her, confused, and Emilie unconsciously took a step back.

“I don’t say this lightly,” the goddess began slowly, “but we have evaluated all of our knowledge, and we do not have a way to cure your people…” Murmurs rose through the crowd of Naga and their priests, and the goddess sighed. “Emilie, there is only one way to save the humans.”

“No!” Emilie begged, falling to her knees, “Please don’t!”

“We go to war,” the goddess declared, “until the last of the Neko are eradicated.” She gave Emilie a sad look, “You will be spared Emilie, but… only you. Please stay out of this.”

The world clouded, and Mika and Chloé soon found themselves across from the Naga goddess and her priest, hovering over the world once again.

“That day weighed heavily on me,” the goddess sighed. “Emilie still walks the earth, does she not?”

“She does,” Mika nodded, “she’s been a good friend and ally to us so far.”

The goddess gave a small smile, “I hope she found some kind of peace.”

“She’s still trying to save her people,” Chloé said slowly, “she hasn’t given up.”

That surprised the goddess, and she looked to her priest, “What do you make of our decision?” the goddess said slowly, turning back to them. “You two will be the ones that will have to finish this, Natasha is making her final moves even now.”

Chloé glanced down to Mika, and as their gazes met a silent understanding was formed between them. With a grim look Chloé slowly raised her head to meet the Naga goddess’s eyes again.

“I don’t agree,” she said softly.

“You don’t understand-“ the priest began.

“We do,” Mika cut him off, “they’re doing horrible things, but… If we can save them, we’re going to.”

“There is no way to remove the curse!” the goddess said, and edge coming into her voice, “Mika, Chloé, you two are the last scions of our power, seeds hidden away in preparation for this very moment! Emilie was my friend once too, but you cannot let your affection for her jeopardize the human race! The Neko have no future, they have only females remaining, even if they were saved somehow they will slowly disappear and in time be forgotten, save by us.”

“She doesn’t have to be the last one,” Mika said slowly.

“Mika,” Chloé warned, but it was too late.

“I’m capable of giving the Neko clan children,” he said, “they can have a future.”

For the first time in the visions and dreams she’d appeared to them in, the goddess of the Naga seemed caught off guard. The image of wisdom and divinity was shattered as she stammered a moment, looking to her priest for answers, and meeting a human gaze just as shocked and confused as her own.

“T-This isn’t how it is supposed to be!” she stammered finally. “The cycle is coming to its end!”

“Cycle?” Chloé asked with a frown.

The goddess sighed, “The elder races came to the earth from beyond the stars, the Naga, the Neko, the great trees, and many more… Thus began our cycle, the time which we would be present and active in the world. Of those of us who came from beyond, few remain, and soon we will all be gone, bringing our cycle to an end.”

“Are you saying that this ends with all of the Neko and Naga dead?” Mika asked softly. 

“Not dead, but you two will join us,” the goddess said with a small smile, “this doesn’t need to be done in any great hurry, you may live your lives to the fullest and then join us when they are over.”

“And the Nekos?” Mika asked slowly, “Emilie?”

“If all goes to plan, you two will defeat the Neko and their leader, Natasha,” the goddess explained. “Emilie is undying and unaging, but she is no true immortal… Even one such as her will pass from the world eventually, and with no male Neko to carry on the lineage she will be the last of them.” The goddess glanced down at the earth, “there are others of course, Dagon’s children, Mermaids you call them, they are fading too, all of the races that came when we did are.” She sighed, “ Humanity will remain, and the Naga, through your descendants, mankind’s guardians…

Mika looked down at the earth, spinning slowly below them. He didn’t understand a lot of what had been revealed, but he was certain he understood enough.

“Yes,” he said finally, “We’ve followed your plan so far, we’ve become the people you wanted us to be, right?”

“You are my fellow priest,” the man on the goddess’s shoulder nodded.

“And you are a Naga,” the goddess nodded to Chloé.

“So we’ve earned the right to our own decision,” Chloé said with a grin.

“And our decision is that we’re saving the Neko, I don’t know how, but that’s what we’re doing,” Mika said firmly.

“Very well,” the goddess said grimly, “If… If this is truly what our last scions have decided, then we have no choice but to support you in any way we can. The end of your rite will occur in the temple of Eternity, where you first met one another. There is power there, Natasha seeks to steal it from you, from us…” Her mouth quirked into a smile, “I could not use it to help Emilie, but… perhaps you will find a way.” She looked down to the earth, crossing her arms in thought, “If you do save the Neko, you will have diverted from our plan, it may begin a new age, a new cycle altogether… Not only would you see our peoples return to prominence in the world, but others may rise again as well, or perhaps it will be new arrivals entirely? There are many strange beings beyond the stars. I wish you luck.”

The stars around them began to glow bright, exploding into supernovas that filled their vision with a halcyon brightness that blocked out everything else. The Goddess disappeared, as did the swirling blue marble of earth. Chloe appeared before him in her human form, holding a hand out with a smile and beckoning him to join her. With a grin he took it, and the world shifted once again.

Mika and Chloé were alone again suddenly, standing across from one other in a ballroom far grander and more elaborate than the one they’d danced in in India. Mika smiled as he looked down at the pair of formal outfits that had appeared on the two of them , and the same long slow song they’d enjoyed before was playing from somewhere.

“We don’t have much time left,” Chloé said, taking his hand with a smile, “but since I can make anything for us when we’re connected like this, I thought we could dance again?”

“May I have this dance?” Mika asked, grinning as he extended a hand.

As the world faded, the pair slowly swayed in each other’s arms to the sound of the music.

…

Mika awoke with a start, a strange fruity smell filling his nose as the cilia deposited him in a smooth chamber. He struggled for a moment, trying to get his bearings, but soon felt himself being sucked by the smooth muscles around him towards a point somewhere below him. He shivered as his foot was forced out through a tight ring of muscle, the cold air of the temple shocking him after the long warm journey through Chloé, and a moment later the chill spread up to his knees as his legs were forced out.

“M-Mika, stop struggling!” Chloé grumbled, grimacing as she tried to force him out. Very little of what she expelled was so solid, and it was taking an embarrassing amount of effort to finish Mika’s journey.

Mika felt his lower body slide out as the muscles gripped him, slowly forcing him out of the tight  hug, which squeezed hard against his shoulders next. He looked down, finding the stone floor with his dangling feet, and with one final push he was free, stumbling for a moment as he blinked in the low blue light of the crystal-lit cavern.

“Whoa,” he muttered. He spun around, seeing Chloé’s anus for just a moment, before her scales quickly slid back into place over it.

“Y-You didn’t see it, did you?” Chloé asked.

“I did,” he laughed.

“Mika!” she groaned, “t-there’s nothing attractive about that part!”

“That’s for me to decide,” he teased, and while he couldn’t see it, he could imagine her blushing face as she growled in annoyance. “Right,” he sighed, “Now how do I get you out of…” his voice trailed off as he saw a human sized silhouette carved into the rock wall, a blue right of light springing into being around it like a halo.

After all of the riddles it’s nice to get at least one hint that’s obvious, he thought, walking over to it and stepping inside.

The stone plates ground together, and the sounds of sliding locks echoed through the temple as the collar around Chloé’s neck receded, the towering carved doors sliding away as the Naga was freed.

“Finally!” Chloé laughed gleefully. She slithered into the massive chamber, letting her body slide into the water with a splash as she stretched her stiff muscles. Mika joined her, smiling as he walked to the water’s edge. It was cool as he dipped a toe into it, but not at all unpleasant as he jumped in himself.

“I think there’s an underwater passage out of here,” Chloé said, glancing down into the lake, “I feel a current down there… I’ll bet it leads out to the front, I can just pop you in my mouth and we’ll be back to Emilie in no time!”

“I guess we’re forging our own path now,” Mika said, treading water as he looked up at her.

“Yeah,” Chloé said slowly. She chewed her lip, “So, if we’re going to save the Neko people… Does that mean you’ll have to be with Emilie at some point?”

Mika blushed, “I’m sure we can explore some other options, science can do a lot, but… I don’t know, maybe?”

“Do you find her attractive?” Chloé asked, a mischievous smirk coming over her.

“Sure,” Mika said quickly, too quickly, “I mean she’s beautiful, any man could see that, but I uh…” he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“It’s fine,” Chloé giggled, “if this has to happen, it might as well be with someone we like at least.” Chloé tapped her chin a moment, “I wonder if it’s possible for two women to share a man, like have sex with him at the same time?”

Mika blinked, “Uh… yeah, I mean, if everyone involved agreed, I’ve heard of that kind of thing.”

“I’ll look it up on the internet when we get out of here,” Chloé declared.

“No!” Mika coughed, “I mean uh… The internet might not be the best place to research that.”

Chloé nodded, “Yeah, I haven’t used it much, but the couple of times I have tried it gave me some really weird results.” Her eyes went wide with excitement, “You know who would know a lot about that? Oklahoma, I’ll just ask her about the best way to make that work, she seems to know a lot about sex and men and things like that.”

“Yeah, I got that idea too,” Mika muttered.

With a sigh he let himself float on his back a moment, gazing up at Chloé’s enormous face with a smile as he thought about what lay ahead for the two of them. 

Emilie sighed as she waited outside of the temple. Her stomach growled, she had been waiting for her friends to return from the temple’s interior through the night and now into the next morning, and while she’d brought a bottle of water and a bag of mixed nuts from the airplane, she quickly found herself hungry, tired, and thirsty.

They have to still be alive in there, she thought, fear starting to eat away at the edges of her mind. She gulped nervously, there’s no way they came all this way just to fail now? They can’t be… ” She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Slowly she moved to the edge of the water, considering taking a drink… it certainly looked clean enough. She frowned as she saw something come out from behind the waterfall, carried by the current, and with a start she realized it was a Naga’s leavings.

It was a mixed emotion, it certainly proved Chloé  was alive, but she no longer wanted to drink from the water.

…

Oklahoma watched the men refueling the plane, sipping from a glass bottle of Coca Cola. The hangar wasn’t air conditioned, but it didn’t bother her. She wished for the millionth time that she could speak whatever language the two men were using, being able to listen in on conversations in Spanish or Portuguese while feigning ignorance had saved her life in the past, but as it stood all she could do was keep an eye on the two as they worked and hope that the worst thing they’d do would be to overcharge her for the jet fuel.

That’s right boys, she thought grimly, glancing at a nearby clock radio, we’re just rich American tourists, squeeze us for a little extra cash, then send us on our way. She had no illusions that the two would keep any secrets for them, but by the time any of their pursuers tracked them to this little airstrip they’d be long gone anyways.

Her thoughts turned to what she might do when the “quest” was over, and with a frown she wondered if she’d have to stay in hiding or if she’d have a chance to enjoy the financial rewards Emilie had promised. There were places, even in the United States, where a person like her could go and not be found, but none of them had nice beaches.

She studied the clock again, wondering how long to wait before setting out into the jungle after her friends.

…

Mika felt his ears pop as Chloé  dived deep into the subterranean cavern. The world shifted and turned, causing him to grip her tongue as she swam through the twists and turns of the underwater river. It was slick with her saliva, and he grunted as he slid along its length, getting closer to the entrance to her throat. A rumbling giggling vibrated the soft world around him, and he cocked an eyebrow.

We’re almost out of here, she can’t really mean to-

The familiar slurping feeling of a vacuum sucking him backwards cut off his thought, and with a small shout of surprise he was swallowed down with a loud *gulp*. In the underwater cavern Chloé  paused a moment, smiling to herself and enjoying his aftertaste as he slowly slid down her throat. The familiar feeling of him plopping into her belly was a pleasing one after the ordeal they’d been through together, and she rubbed her stomach affectionately before continuing her swim through the murky cave.

Mika sighed, laying his back against her stomach as the contents sloshed slightly with her movements, It’s more comfortable down here anyway, he thought with a chuckle.

…

Emilie started in surprise, leaping into the air like a surprised cat as Chloé ’s massive form burst from the lake like a breaching whale, splashing Emilie and knocking her blonde wig off as the wall of water caused her to stumble. Any happiness she might have had at seeing the Naga alive was dampened by being soaked, and her feline ear twitched in annoyance as she crossed her arms.

“Well?” she shouted.

Chloé  turned to her, an excited grin on her face, “We did it!” she shouted, crossing the lake with one burst of movement. Emilie couldn’t help but gulp nervously as the girl’s massive upper half rose out of the water as she reached the shore, leaning over the catgirl and blocking out the sun.

She’s not your enemy, Emilie reminded herself, her heart pounding, “That’s good,” she said with a smile, “And Mika is…”

Chloé  patted her toned tummy with a smirk, “He could use some company.”

Emilie’s ears drooped, “Yes… I suppose that would be the fastest way back down the river.”

“You still don’t like being swallowed by me, do you?” Chloé  asked with a small smile, tucking a chin under her fist in thought as she regarded the tiny neko before her. Emilie shifted uncertainly, trying to come up with a polite explanation, but Chloé  cut her off, “We saw it all,” she explained, “the war, you begging for your people’s lives…”

Emilie blinked in surprise, “Wait, you saw it all? How-“

“Naga secrets,” Chloé  smirked, “We also made a decision about you .”

Emilie gulped as she saw the end of Chloé ’s tail slowly snake out of the water, curling around the Naga girl’s human form and behind Emilie like a scaled wall, “And what might that be?” she asked, struggling to remain calm.

“Mika and I want to help you save your people,” Chloé  explained almost casually, “and that means there’s going to be some sex, ” Emilie almost jumped, both from the statement and from the tip of Chloé ’s tail curling around her ankle.

“Y-Yes,” Emilie stammered, “I’m sorry, I know it upsets you- EEP!” she squealed in fright as the very tip of Chloé ’s tail curled tightly around her leg, pulling her into the air and dangling her upside down before Chloé ’s smug face.

“I said Mika and I want to help you,” Chloé  said, “so you’re going to be with me too, whenever it happens anyways…” Emilie blushed, suddenly feeling very warm in a way that had nothing to do with the humidity as the Naga dangled her closer to her enormous face.

“Oh,” Emilie whispered, “I um… Okay?”

“I’m not sure how it’s going to work either,” Chloé  giggled, “but I’m going to try getting more comfortable with you… It does help that you have a nice taste.” She slowly opened her mouth, letting Emilie gaze down the chasm of her throat as the pink welcome mat of her tongue extended, glistening with saliva as the edges of the Naga’s mouth opened in a smile.

The tail released Emilie, who landed on Chloé ’s tongue with a grunt, feeling a new mixture of emotions as it retracted, drawing her into the humid cavern of the Naga’s mouth. She was still in shock over what Chloé  had told her when the enormous girl tilted her head back, swallowing loudly and sending Emilie down her throat.

Within her stomach Mika looked up casually as Emilie slid into Chloé ’s stomach, “That’s the fourth temple,” he said with a grin, “Chloé  told you about what happened in there, didn’t she?”

“Yes…” she muttered, shakily getting to her feet and smiling weakly.

“Obviously it doesn’t need to happen right away,” Mika said, raising his hands, “but when this business with Natasha and Ouroboros is over…” He chuckled awkwardly, “Then we’ll all figure it out together.”

Emilie nodded, her tail swishing nervously as she thought it over. She’d had lovers during her long life of course, but never like this!

She was flirting with me before eating me, Emilie thought, shaking her head in wonder. The strangest part was that it had worked, her face was flushed, and she felt the telltale sign of arousal between her legs as her tail flicked back and forth excitedly.

…

Making their way down the river didn’t take long, and Chloé  returned to shore, regurgitating the pair onto the jungle soils before taking her human form a moment later and joining them. She stumbled slightly as she approached Mika, feeling slightly dizzy.

“Are you okay?” he asked, moving to steady her.

“Just hungry,” she muttered.

Mika frowned, “We’ll figure something out soon, if we have to we’ll head to the coastline and let you catch some fish.” Or maybe we’ll get lucky enough to have someone try to kill us again, he thought. Somehow he didn’t think the sentiment would sound good if he voiced it.

She nodded, standing upright with a smile, “Yeah, sounds good!”

Oklahoma waved to them from the edge of the airstrip, “About time!” she laughed, “I was about to come looking for you guys! Did you do what you needed to do?”

“Yeah,” Mika said grimly, “I can see the whole picture now…”

“Ominous,” Oklahoma remarked, clapping him on the back with a grin. “I’m not in any of these prophecies or anything, right?”

“No,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes, “I haven’t seen you yet anyway.”

“Good,” she smirked, “it’s too much responsibility for me!” She turned to Emilie, “Are we ready to head out of here?”

“Yes,” Emilie nodded, “Mika and Chloé  know where we need to go next.”

“Home,” Chloé  said softly, “back where we met I mean…”

“Back to Brazil then,” Oklahoma muttered, “okay, you guys go get comfy, I’ll check the plane’s range and see what our best route for a refuel is.”

…

Natasha’s feline ears flickered in the harsh wind of the private airstrip. Patagonia’s high winds howled angrily, reflecting her mood as she watched the black suited men loading the planes, automatic weapons slung across their backs. For the first time in decades she was armed herself, with a long knife tucked into a sheath on her thigh. She drew it, admiring the thin sharp blade of the miséricorde, meant for slipping through the gaps in armor back when humans used such things.

That was a fine war, thinking back with a smile to when the Dauphin had presented it to her. She didn’t remember much of what the war had been about, only that she had aided the French in fighting some foreigners or another. Not for any love of the humans themselves of course, she’d been masquerading as a wealthy lady and the interlopers had disrupted her plans with the local nobles, plans she’d long forgotten now as well. She frowned as another curious memory presented itself, there was a human woman on the battlefield with me once… Odd.

Yukia approached, drawing a coat around herself as the wind roared again, making her ears go flat. Higgins was behind her, dressed down to a suit and jacket, his face a stone mask in spite of the chill weather.

“The planes are being loaded,” Yukia said, fighting a shiver. “I think everyone is here that’s going to come.”

Natasha glanced down at the aircraft. Dozens of the Neko tribe’s survivors were gathered beside one of the jets, flourishing steel weapons as they waited to board. Swords, axes, bows… They’d mastered different weapons through the long period of exile among the humans, and Natasha had to smirk as she saw one of the cat-women had a flintlock musket strapped across her back, bayonet at the ready. Aside from her knife, a simple nine-millimeter handgun waited in a holster at her ankle, something she’d picked up recently in the last few decades. It was far from an enjoyable weapon, but she’d grown skilled with it as a practical matter, and Charboneau had taught her a few tricks with it.

“Did you expect more of your people?” Higgins asked quietly.

“Herding cats,” Natasha muttered, “It can be like herding cats. Many of them get distracted easily, doubtless some of our sisters meant to come, even set out, but simply found themselves distracted along the way.” She smiled sweetly as she turned around to face them, “It won’t matter where they are soon, right Yukia?”

“Right,” Yukia said with a grin.

Natasha chuckled, enjoying discussing the finalities of her plan in the presence of a human without him knowing what was to come. She nodded at Higgins dismissively as she walked towards the airstrip, going to join the rest of her clanswomen.

Yukia chewed her lip, shifting awkwardly, “We’ll be waiting for another hour or so for takeoff, right?” Higgins nodded, and Yukia grinned, sidling up to him and grabbing his hand. “Come with me,” she whispered, pulling his hand.

Higgins blinked in surprise behind his sunglasses, but followed her.

…

Higgins and Yukia crashed through the door to the small dormitories attached to the aircraft control tower, meant for the personnel of this remote hinterland outpost. Yukia had leapt on top of the man, wrapping her legs around him and holding tight as she forced her tongue into his throat.

“W-What brought this on?” he gasped, tumbling onto the room’s small cot.

I might not get a chance again! She frowned as she almost said it out loud, instead separating from him, “Wait just a minute!” she said eagerly, reaching into the small bag at her side and withdrawing her grimoire. Higgins watched curiously as she laid it on a table, opening it to the blank pages. She pulled a pen from her pocket next, a modern click-style one that looked out of place next to the black leather bound tome she normally carried.

“What are you writing in there?” he asked finally, sitting up.

“Craig Higgins was a human who managed to hit me when we sparred,” she said aloud as she wrote, “he was handsome, dangerous, and no matter what I did to him, he was never afraid. We had a wonderful time together.” She turned back to him with a smile, “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I remembered.”

The room was silent a moment, and Higgins nearly laughed when he realized that neither of them had the slightest idea what to say.

“Thanks,” he said finally, “nice to know someone might actually miss me.”

“Your men seem rather enamored with you,” Yukia chuckled, sauntering her hips from side to side as she walked back to him. She leapt gracefully onto the cot, crawling over him as her tail drifted back and forth, “No doubt because you put yourself between them and…” she licked her lips seductively, “ Us. ” She traced a finger down his chest, worming it between the buttons of his shirt and to the skin underneath.

Higgins grunted as the now familiar feeling of being shrunk in size rocked his body, leaving him looking up through the towering walls of his shirt collar as Yukia grinned down at him eagerly.

“You can feel it,” she whispered, “can’t you?” Like lightning her hand darted out, grabbing him before he could react and dangling him before her grinning face. “Every instinct is telling me to just pop you in my mouth…” She turned over, resting her back on the pillow. With a groan she reached down to unbutton her own shirt, exposing her toned stomach. Higgins tensed in surprise as she released him, letting him fall and bounce off it slightly as if it were a trampoline. “You just know you’re in the grip of your natural predator,” Yukia said teasingly, bringing her finger down on his back and gently, but firmly pressing him against her belly button, “that you could end up right here… ”

He felt his heart pound as he heard the soft gurgle of her belly beneath him, and he glanced up at her, wondering for the millionth time if his end would be as Yukia’s snack.

No, he realized, she’s a killer, and she’s half mad, but… she’s just toying with me.

“Do it then,” he grinned, “I promise not to squirm on the way down.”

Her eyes went wide, “The squirming is the best part!” she growled, swiping him up so fast that his world blurred. Higgins was brought towards Yukia’s mouth so fast that he didn’t realize what was happening until he was being forced through her lips, her tongue curling behind him and cradling his body to force him towards the back of her throat. For one terrifying moment he thought he’d fatally miscalculated, but his journey stopped, letting him look down the glistening cavern of the catgirl’s throat, and as the seconds slowly dragged by, he felt the tension leave him.

“Pfft,” Yukia spat him into her palm, sniffing disdainfully as she saw him soaked in her spit. “I probably will do it one of these days,” she said with a grin, “but there’s still a lot to do.”

“Of course,” he said, fighting a grin.

Yukia scowled, hating the fact that he’d won her mental game, “So long as you’re that size you might as well make yourself useful!” Her thumb hooked around her pants and underwear, pulling them away and revealing her wiry black pubic hair, just above a glistening womanhood. The smell of her arousal filled his senses as she forced his tiny body down, pressing his face into the soft folds of her labia. The enormous catgirl groaned, forcing his entire body up and down against herself, and a moment later her hand withdrew, leaving him alone.

“Finish me off,” she ordered, “then I’ll regrow you…” She sighed, leaning her head back against the pillow as the shrunken man’s hands began to explore her most intimate place, and she shivered as the slowly slid over her clitoris. Why can’t I just eat him? She thought, anger mixing with arousal as he toyed with her pussy, what’s holding me back!? Yukia’s eyes went wide as the tiny human’s efforts bore fruit, bucking her hips and cupping the crotch of her pants as her climax came seemingly from nowhere. As the pleasure subsided she fell back to the cot, panting and gritting her teeth in frustration.

I will do it when I’m ready, she vowed, then I won’t have to worry about these weird… thoughts.

Yukia felt her tiny lover make his way up her body, trying to crawl out of the prison of her panties, “No,” she muttered, reaching down and forcing him back in with a single finger, “You stay in there for a little longer…”

…

Chloé  looked out the window of the plane, watching the vast ocean go by below them. Oklahoma had explained they would be refueling at an island called “Madagascar,” a quick stopover before another jaunt to South America. Her stomach grumbled angrily, and while there was ample food in the plane’s pantry behind her, she knew that none of it would sate the kind of hunger she was feeling.

With a groan she got up, walking past Mika, who was sleeping, and Emilie, who was engrossed in her grimoire. She slid the cockpit door open, startling Oklahoma, who glanced back at her from the small jet’s controls.

“What’s up?” the pilot asked, pulling her headphones off.

“Hungry,” Chloé  groaned.

“And not for peanuts,” Oklahoma murmured, “I can’t help you, sorry.”

Chloé  walked in and flopped in the co-pilot’s chair, “Can we just talk for a little bit?”

The other woman grinned, “That I can do.”

“I was just wondering about how two women could do things together, like sex stuff,” Chloé  said neutrally.

From the pilot’s expression that hadn’t been what she’d expected, “I uh…” she cleared her throat, “Well Chloé … I’m flattered that you’d pick me to explore this, but you and Mika should really-“

“Mika knows,” Chloé  said with a smile, “we’ve already talked about it together!”

Oklahoma blinked, “ Really? ” Chloé  nodded, and the pilot just shook her head in disbelief, “Chloé  I’ll level with you, you’re cute enough to get me swinging that way, but I have a lot of bad experiences jumping into bed with friends, so I don’t know if you and me would make a good-“

“Oh!” Chloé  exclaimed, blushing, “I meant Emilie!”

Oklahoma sighed in relief, then burst out laughing, “Whew! Okay then… I don’t know a lot, but uh… listen up I guess.”

…

Emilie looked up from her grimoire, pausing her recollection of her own adventures in the third century to study Chloé  as she walked back from the cockpit. The auburn haired girl had a strange smile on her face, and Emilie suddenly felt alert, wondering what the Naga was up to.

“H-Hi Chloé ,” she stammered, grinning.

“Relax,” Chloé  chuckled, taking the empty seat next to the catgirl, “I’m in human form, I can’t eat you up!”

“I know you’re safe,” Emilie said, smiling, “It’s just… old instincts I guess.”

“Mika needed to get over it too,” Chloé  said with a shrug, “people being a little afraid of you is just part of being at the top of the food chain.” She glanced over at his sleeping form, “Mika likes the whole thing, he loves being toyed with, and he loves when I…” she giggled, tracing a finger along her neck playfully, “you know.”

“I was worried about that,” Emilie muttered, “If he likes his women like you, how am I supposed to make this work?”

Chloé  rolled her eyes, “you have the same powers as all the other cat-girls, right?”

“Yes,” Emilie said curiously, “Why?”

Chloé  put a finger over her mouth to silence her, giggling as she gripped the Neko’s hand and pulled her out of the seat. She slowly led Emilie over to Mika’s sleeping form, then leaned in to whisper into her ear. Emilie’s eyes went wide, and she blushed as Chloé  told her what to do.

…

Mika yawned, feeling himself jostled against the soft cushion of his seat, turbulence maybe? He thought. He slowly blinked sleep out of his eyes, taking in Chloé  and Emilie’s smiling faces. He frowned, realizing the two girls completely filled his field of vision. With a start he looked down, realizing he wasn’t in his seat, but was in a hand, Emilie’s hand, and he was naked.

“He’s awake!” Chloé  giggled.

“W-What’s this?” he stammered, instinctively covering himself.

“What do you think of Emilie at this size?” Chloé  asked with a smirk.

Emilie grinned sheepishly, and Mika gulped as he tried to pick his words carefully. The truth was she had always been beautiful, but held in her hand like this… At least some of the same strange appeal he felt with Chloé ’s Naga form was here, and as her slender fingers slowly curled around him, caressing his body, he blushed as he felt the natural reaction begin between his legs.

“Stunning,” he said simply.

“See?” Chloé  asked her.

“I don’t usually handle a lot of humans like this,” Emilie admitted, “it feels a little mean!”

“It’s not mean if he wants to be mouse sized for you,” Chloé  sighed, “Look!”

Mika grunted as Chloé  snatched him from her grip, dangling him by one arm above her grinning house-sized face. Her humid breath washed over him as she exhaled upward, extending her tongue and slowly running the warm and wet appendage up his body. The sensation of the bumpy tastebuds sliding over his body made him groan in pleasure. The spit cooled rapidly on him as Chloé  pulled away, making him shiver slightly as she passed him back to Emilie, who took his arm gingerly.

“Well? Have a taste!” Chloé  said eagerly.

Emilie gulped, then extended her tongue. Mika felt it made contact, and gasped as she dragged the soft pink tendril up his body. Her tastebuds were stiffer than Chloé ’s rougher, but not at all unpleasant. He twitched in pleasure, suspended by his arm as Emilie’s tongue lingered between his legs for a moment, the tip tracing up and down his erection.

She pulled him away, her face red and her catlike ears twitching with excitement, mussing her blonde hair slightly, “D-Did that feel good?” she asked eagerly.

“God yes,” Mika said with a grin.

“If you keep doing that, you can make him finish, ” Chloé  said with a grin.

Emilie looked to Chloé , then to Mika, “C-Can I?”

Chloé  grabbed the shrunken Mika, sliding her thumb and forefinger under his armpits as she brought him closer to Emilie’s face. She gently angled him so that his hips were up against Emilie’s mouth, and with just a split second of hesitation, her massive lips enveloped his member, causing him to spasm in pleasure as the gigantic Neko slowly sucked on him, sliding the pillowy lips up and down his length with the slightest of motions.

This close to her face, the catgirl’s blue eyes were massive saucers, looking down at him and sparkling with excitement. Her blonde hair billowed around her face like theater curtains, wafting a soft scent almost like vanilla over him as her work continued. Her tongue gently came forward, sliding up and down his erection again as her lips parted, tasting him and building his excitement.

“Oh… Emilie,” he moaned, throwing his head back.

“Keep going!” Chloé  said excitedly, leaning in close.

Emilie obliged, picking up her pace until a moment later Mika cried out in pleasure, squirming in the grip of Chloé ’s fingers as Emilie sucked down every last drop of the tiny human’s seed.

With a wet *pop* sound Emilie leaned her head back, swallowing audibly as the tiny amount of cum slid down her throat. She blinked a few times, giggling excitedly as she looked from Mika, then to Chloé , then back again.

“T-That was interesting,” she stammered finally, “let me restore Mika’s size…”

“No, he needs to sleep a little longer,” Chloé  said casually, walking forward. Emilie squeaked in surprise as Chloé  shoved the hand holding Mika down the front of the blonde Neko’s shirt. Mika’s world went dark as he was wedged between the twin hills of Emilie’s breasts, held up by a lacey blue bra. Chloé ’s hand withdrew, and she smirked at Emilie’s shocked expression.

“You just shoved him between my-“

“It’s a good place for him to sleep,” Chloé  chuckled, “it’s warm, it’s soft… the only better place is…” she gently rubbed her hand over her belly, patting it affectionately, “Well, he can’t go there right now. Just relax, read your book or something?”

Emilie nodded, slumping back into her seat and reaching for her grimoire. Mika felt himself sinking lower between the catgirl’s breasts, finally stopping dead in the center of them. He yawned as tiredness took him again, and the slow rise and fall of Emilie’s chest, combined with the warmth of her body, quickly lulled him to sleep.

Emilie just smiled, turning to the blank section of her grimoire and retrieving her pen.

Things with Mika and Chloé  moved much quicker than I expected, she scrawled, tapping the pen against her chin, very enjoyable, excited for more…

…

Higgins chewed his lip, thinking over the encounter with Yukia, she’s part of this, whatever their plan is… She’s going to be part of wiping out the human race, there’s nothing wrong with her being killed along with Natasha.

It was a cold and rational thought, of the sort that had dominated his life… And yet he found himself coming back to it, trying to look for some way he could justify quietly telling Yukia to leave the airstrip.

She’d just tell Natasha, then we’d all be cooked, he thought miserably, and why do I care so much?

He clenched his fist and decided it didn’t matter, too much was in motion. He looked up at his men, carefully curated from those disillusioned with the cat-women. It had taken some doing to get them all on the same plane, and without any of the Nekos themselves, but fortunately while their long term schemes were impressive, their grasp of day to day details was murky at best. Relative to some agencies he’d worked in and against, it was almost comically easy to get some special supplies snuck onto this particular aircraft.

“Okay,” he said in a gravelly voice, standing up, “This is the big one, Natasha’s there, and a bunch of the cats are too… We won’t get another shot at this.” He walked to one of the crates in the center of the cargo hold, unclasping the top and pulling out one of the cellophane wrapped hazard suits. “These are skintight,” he began, “and they’re durable, but don’t take any chances when one of these cats gets close to you with those weapons of theirs, keep your distance from them and shoot to kill.” He tossed the first of the suits to the waiting group of men, “We’ll hit them from behind as soon as the Naga shows up.”

He felt the buzz in the back of his mind as he thought over the targets, Mika, Chloé , Oklahoma… and Emilie, for some reason she mattered, but the thought was fleeting.

…

Oklahoma slowly brought the private jet down for a landing on the airfield. Nestled against a large nature preserve in Madagascar, it was ideal for their needs. Like before Oklahoma had been able to peddle a story to the air traffic controllers of a group of American celebrities, seeking exotic sights far from the prying eyes of paparazzi.

“Hey!” Oklahoma called, stepping down the folding steps, glancing around. She frowned, seeing none of the airstrips operators anywhere. “They must be over in the control hut or something,” she muttered. She put her hands on her hips, observing abandoned tarmac with a frown, “looks like a slow place, they promised me they had jet fuel on the radio though.”

“Let’s stretch our legs,” Emilie suggested, walking down the steps with Chloé  behind her.

“Okay,” Chloé  sighed, ignoring the empty feeling in her stomach.

“When you find the airstrip guys, maybe ask them if there’s any kind of herding around here,” Mika said softly, “sheep, cows, that sort of thing.”

“We’re American tourists looking for organic beef, got it,” Oklahoma nodded, starting towards the small tin control hut.

…

“Targets sighted,” the voice over the radio crackled, “all four are confirmed.”

Higgins felt the familiar icy tension of pre-combat adrenaline as he checked his weapon a final time. He and his men were secluded in the jungles beyond the airstrip, while the Nekos and the rest of the men were hiding closer, within the airstrip’s handful of buildings.

“Remember, we need Mika alive,” Natasha’s cool voice echoed over the radio, “if he is killed… It would be unfortunate for the person that did the deed. Chloé  is merely to be driven off.”

Driven off, Higgins thought disdainfully, easier said than done… If this was my operation, I’d have a sniper take her out while she still looks human. He’d very nearly tried the same thing with Natasha herself, but her human security was as tight as any world leader’s. Oddly enough she was most vulnerable now, leading a small army of her followers.

Here we go, he breathed out slowly.

…

Chloé  looked up at the striped creature in the tree, staring back at her, “Emilie?” she asked, “what’s this monkey?”

“Oh, a lemur!” Emilie said excitedly. She adjusted the wig covering her feline ears as she joined her friend, “I’ve never seen one in real life before, they’re adorable!”

Chloé  licked her lips, “Do they live in big colonies? Like if we followed this one, would there be a lot of them back where he lives?”

“They’re endangered Chloé !” Emilie said, “just wait a little longer, Oklahoma is going to find a cattle ranch or something!”

…

Oklahoma frowned as she and Mika got closer to the control hut, “Mika, something feels off,” she whispered.

He froze, “what do you mean?” he asked, glancing around.

“We’re the only plane here,” she said slowly, “I don’t even hear any others, and suddenly a bird full of rich people drops down, and nobody’s running out to try to upsell us on stuff? We’re a flying payday to people that aren’t doing a lot of business.”

“They might just not like Americans?” Mika offered, tensing up himself as his eyes scanned the trees for movement.

“Even people who hate Americans love dollars…” she growled, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Mika nodded, turning back towards the plane, but froze as he heard the sound of feet on the tin roof of the control shack. At least a dozen black haired neko women sprinted over the roof from the far side, grinning and holding steel weaponry, most wore tight black martial arts robes. Below them the door burst open, and a group of men in jungle fatigues fanned out, readying automatic weapons.

“Oh shit!” Oklahoma drew her pistol in one smooth motion, firing a few haphazard shots that caused the men to take cover as the cat-women leapt as one off the roof, sprinting after them. The two fled across the tarmac towards their plane, a small army of Nekos razing weapons and calling out taunts in a dozen languages behind them. 

…

“Chloé , I’m serious,” Emilie pleaded, “I’ll buy you an entire herd of goats, sheep, whatever you want! Just leave the Lemurs alone!”

“They are kind of cute,” Chloé  admitted grudgingly.

The sound of gunfire caused the animal in question to leap off into the jungle, and the two girls looked at each other in surprise. A moment later the quicker pop of automatic weapons rang out.

“They’re after us!” Emilie gasped.

“Someone picked a really bad time to fuck with me,” Chloé  growled. She hadn’t finished the sentence before her legs were sliding together, her cloths ripping at the seams as she expanded upward. Emilie stumbled back as the Naga’s body grew, her skin replaced with scales and her tail whipping out dramatically behind her. The ground shook as the now massive Naga slithered back towards the airstrip, a grim expression on her face that made Emilie’s heart skip a beat.

S-She’s on your side, Emilie reminded herself, sprinting after her.

…

Natasha chuckled as she walked with the slowly advancing men, following them across t he tarmac as more of her minions appeared from the airstrip’s handful of buildings. The rumble of vehicles down the road let her know that the rest of her forces were being brought to bear, and when the Naga revealed herself she’d have the claws to strike at the snake . The group of Nekos chasing after the two humans before her were calling taunts, slowly encircling the two as the pilot brandished her handgun angrily, putting herself in front of Mika. 

Oklahoma looked at the dozens of catgirls, whooping challenges and twirling blades, “Looks like y’all brought a knife to a gunfight!” The slide on her handgun clicked into place as she racked it again, “Mika, you’re the one they want!” She shouted, keeping her eyes on the crowd, “go! Find Chloé !”

He gritted his teeth and ran, hearing the steady pop of Oklahoma’s shots behind him.

“You’re about to learn a lesson about bringing knives to a gunfight!” Oklahoma growled, drawing a bead on the nearest Neko. She pulled the trigger, swearing as the cackling women leapt gracefully out of the way, their feline tails dancing gleefully at the game they played with her. Every time she stopped to reload they all got a little closer, and she felt herself start to sweat as they licked their lips, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized she was down to her last magazine. 

Time to see how well they count, she thought, firing off a few more shots, making sure to leave one final round in the chamber. “I’m out!” she called in fake panic.

“Time to die!” a laughing black haired Neko shouted, running right at her. 

The gunshot was the most satisfying sound of the day, and Oklahoma grinned as she saw the stunned Neko blink in surprise once, before slumping to the ground. 

Her excitement didn’t last long, howling with fury the crowd of Nekos was only driven back for a second or two, but while they preferred their own era’s weapons, they knew exactly what the extended slide on her handgun meant. 

“Shit!” Oklahoma tossed the empty weapon as a dozen hissing catgirls surged forward, no longer afraid. She started running, only glancing over her shoulder long enough to see Mika being swarmed by them as half of them broke off to continue their pursuit. Sorry kid, she thought, gritting her teeth as she looked for a place to hide.

They’re fast! Mika thought in a panic, feeling a stitch in his side as he tried to outrun them. It was no use, one of the catgirls leapt, tackling Mika to the ground. She laughed madly, her ears twitching in excitement as she touched his face , quickly reducing him to a few inches tall. She scowled as the neko in question eagerly rose Mika over her face, opening her mouth and preparing to swallow him whole.

“Don’t you dare!” Natasha roared.

The group of Nekos all turned to her, and even those who were pursuing Oklahoma stopped, their noses twitching as Mika’s smell started to spread amongst them. Natasha rolled her eyes in annoyance as she saw the pilot disappear into the jungle at the edge of the airfield. In truth the woman mattered little to her alive or dead, and she turned back to the group surrounding Mika.

The Neko holding him glanced up at the flailing human, then back to Natasha, the others around her licked their lips excitedly, ready to pounce at Mika themselves.With an angry sigh Natasha drew her knife from its sheathe, throwing it in a smooth motion. The Neko holding Mika jerked as the blade made contact, then crumpled to the ground.

She caught Mika’s scent as she approached herself, chuckling at the rich flavor almost calling to her, “None of you touch him,” she ordered, pulling the knife free from her victim and sheathing it again. She bent down, snatching the inches tall Mika before he could scurry away.

“Y-You must be Natasha,” Mika stammered, trying to give her a defiant glare.

She laughed, her tail swaying excitedly behind her, “Yes, Mika, that’s me…” She brought him up under her nose, taking a long sniff that caused his hair to sway as if in a breeze. “Mon dieu,” she chuckled, “Emilie was right, you certainly have the scent of a male of our race at least, combine that with a human’s size and scent and…” she chuckled, eyeing the mob of Neko who were still looking hungrily at Mika, “it ignites some very interesting instincts. If I were you I wouldn’t try to escape from me, I doubt you’ll get very far with this lot.”

Natasha slowly unzipped the front of her catsuit, revealing her ample breasts, held in place by a tight black sports bra that barely contained the twin orbs. Mika squirmed in her grip as she brought him to the edge of the fabric, sliding him inside and poking his body until he was forced up against her nipple, reduced to an indent in the synthetic fabric. He tried to squirm free, but the tight fabric of Natasha’s sports bra made it impossible, and a moment later the loud sound of a zipper going back up sealed his imprisonment.

“There we are,” Natasha chuckled, playfully squeezing her breast. She glanced back at the gathered Nekos, who looked at her with a mix of awe and jealousy. “Mika. Is. Not. For. Eating.” she said sternly. She giggled, “Yet…”

“We’ve got contact!” one of the human mercenaries shouted from the edge of the airfield. The sound of splintering timber and automatic gunfire echoed as the Naga met their first line of defenses, and even in his humid prison Mika could hear it, grinning as he realized what it meant.

Chloé .

…

“Let’s get her!” The Nekos flourished their weapons, running towards the massive Naga as she slithered onto the airstrip, the gunfire bouncing harmlessly off her scales. Chloé  kept coming, ignoring them until they were no more than a few dozen yards from her, then with a shimmer she seemingly disappeared.

“Camouflage,” Natasha growled, “Always made them difficult to pin down.” She waved to a group of mercenaries near her, who quickly pulled thermal goggles down over their faces. Further down the road a group of trucks pulled up, and groups of men began pulling out larger weapons. “They used to be so hard to kill with slings and arrows,” Natasha chuckled, watching as a group of mercenaries ran forward, placing a large crew served machine gun on the ground, “let’s see how the Naga like humanity’s new toys…”

“Over ther- AAAH!”

Natasha frowned as one of the mercenaries was lifted into the air by a seemingly invisible force, then disappeared with a loud *gulp.*

Chloé  fought the urge to groan in pleasure as she sent the latest morsel directly to her second stomach, sending a wave of energy through her body that felt like a warm bath after a day in the cold. Thanks to the goggles the mercenaries could see her, but she made short work of them, bowling her massive body into them as the gunfire sparked against her lower body. She bent low, leaping down on them and closing her lips over another victim, curling her tongue under him and swallowing him quickly.

She winced as a higher caliber weapon began barking somewhere behind her, stinging her slightly, with a flick of her tail the crew manned machine gun was tossed aside. 

The first few morsels had lit a fire in her, and she began to feel her more predatory instincts take over. It was like the world slowed as she moved among the mercenaries, her mouth watering as she chose her next victim. She slowed her movement, relying on her camouflage to hide her as she silently came up behind a man who was waving a rifle from side to side, looking for her. She didn’t bother grabbing him, instead opening her mouth and bringing it down on him in one smooth motion. 

The mercenary looked around in panic, it was like the world had suddenly been replaced by a dark, moist cavern, and he screamed as Chloé ’s tongue hooked underneath him, pulling him up. He squeezed the trigger of his rifle, peppering the inside of her mouth with bullets that sparked harmlessly against her just before a loud *gulp* rang out, sending him down her wet throat. 

Chloé  shivered in excitement as she felt him tumble into her stomach, and she giggled wickedly as the rest of the men panicked, breaking their formation and fleeing from her. She continued her stealth attacks until she had a dozen mercenaries squirming in her first stomach.

Chloé  could hear their screams, but she'd learned to take things into her own hands: they'd chosen their fate and it was up to her to seal it. She paused briefly, observing her surroundings and feeling her prey pressing against the lower sphincter of her first stomach. She opened the passageway and sent half the contents of her first stomach downwards. The relative serenity of the first stomach gave way to the implacable destiny of the second.

 Her gaze drifted to the group of Nekos, who flourished their weapons, glancing around for any sign of her. She slowly moved around them, letting her tail encircle the group, creating a wall. 

“Hi!” she said with a grin, shimmering into visibility and startling them all.

“There she is!” Yukia shouted, pointing up at her. 

Chloé  struck like a cobra, coming down on the crowd of Neko and catching two of them in her mouth at once before they had a chance to move. She reared up, giggling at the ticklish sensation of the cat-girls crawling over her tongue in a panic.

*gulp* 

She ignored the bullets bouncing off her skin, remaining visible and letting the Nekos watch the small lump that was their comrades slide down her throat. With a smirk she patted her belly, glancing down at them. Her stomach gurgled loudly as her first round of prey was forced lower, preparing room for more, and from the way the feline ears on their heads went flat she could tell her prey had received the message. 

“Yukia!” she said with a grin, “When did we last see each other? Egypt?”

Yukia paled, “K-Kill her!” she snapped, raising her own sword defensively. The Nekos around her darted out of the way, and Yukia deftly leapt out of the way as Chloé ’s hand came down for her, slicing back and grinning as she drew a thin cut across Chloé ’s thumb, causing her to hiss angrily as she pulled back.

“Where’s Mika?” she growled, rearing up again. The Nekos saw the muscles along her tail tense, and knew that even their reflexes wouldn’t save them when she struck again. 

Come for me and I’ll cut that pretty cheek! Yukia grinned, readying her sword, “I’ll never-”

“N-Natasha has him!” one of the Neko behind her shouted, pointing to their leader at the edge of the airfield, surrounded by a dozen mercenaries. 

Chloé  glanced in Natasha’s direction and smirked, “You should have told me Yukia!”

The world slowed, and Yukia flipped backwards, jumping over the Neko behind her and planting her feet on her back, kicking her and giving just enough momentum to clear Chloé ’s strike, while causing the other catgirl to stumble right into the spot she’d been as Chloé ’s mouth came down. 

Yukia’s heart raced as she looked up, watching the other Neko kick feebly in the air as Chloé ’s lips closed around her. There was a slurping sound, and then the other catgirl disappeared, and Yukia grimaced as a loud *gulp* sent her sister in arms to her fate. Anger crossed Chloé ’s face as she realized she’d missed her target, and the other Nekos slowly looked to Yukia, then leapt away from her as Chloé  reared up again. 

Yukia glanced around, grinning as she saw one of her sisters had abandoned a longbow and a quiver of arrows in the panic. She leapt, scooping them up and nocking an arrow in a smooth motion, aiming for Chloé ’s eye. The Naga saw, and the two shared a hateful millisecond of eye contact before she shimmered, camouflaging herself once again. 

Chloé  winced slightly as she felt the Nekos she’d swallowed striking the walls of her stomach with their weapons. It was a futile attempt, but they were a harder prey than humans, and would take longer to finish. 

“They all know where I’ve placed the traps, and they’re still mucking around over there,” Natasha growled. She sighed, looking to the men, “I really should have forced them to wear those wonderful thermal goggles… but they’re all so set in their ways. Hit the snake with something big, something to get her coming this way.”

One of the men with the goggles nodded, moving forward and shouldering a large rocket propelled grenade. The hiss of the rocket was music to Natasha’s ears, and she grinned as the exhaust ruffled her hair. 

Chloé  winced as the explosive hit her, bruising her arm and taking her out of her feeding frenzy. She looked across the airstrip, spotting Natasha and the man with the rocket, who was readying another. With a scowl she slithered in their direction, deftly dodging the second rocket as it whistled over her shoulder.

“Okay, she’s in position,” Natasha laughed. Next to her a man clicked a button on a small remote, activating a series of small disks no larger than dinner plates that had been painted and painstakingly camouflaged to match the tarmac’s surface the day before. 

Chloé  sensed something in the ground, and quickly shielded her face a split second before a series of small explosions at the level of the pavement rang out. She frowned as she realized she wasn’t hurt, but as she looked down the intention of the trap was clear. Large splotches of paint covered her, revealing her place even with her camouflage.

“All right, there she is!” Yukia called excitedly, twirling her katana as she led the other Nekos in a charge against the now visible Chloé .

“Ah!” Chloé  cried out in pain as the first of the Nekos leapt up on her tail, slicing at her with their steel weaponry. The human mercenaries were aiming at her now too, unleashing barrages of gunfire on her upper half that stung like hornets as the catgirls climbed over her lower half like ants. With an angry growl her hand came down, sweeping a row of the mercenaries away like they were flies, and with a whipping motion she threw most of the Nekos off her tail, but to her dismay they all landed gracefully, sprinting back towards her with mad grins.

“That’s right,” Natasha chuckled, “suffer…” The pain on Chloé ’s face as the attacks landed one after the other was a sheer delight.

“Miss Natasha,” one of the mercenaries bellowed, distracting her, “We’ve captured a prisoner!”

“If it’s the pilot just shoot her or something,” Natasha muttered, turning angrily, “Actually wait, I’m a little hungry and-“ she stopped, slowly grinning as she realized it wasn’t Oklahoma that the perimeter guards had brought her. “Emilia!” she drawled, clapping her hands together excitedly, “this is the day that continues to give!”

“It’s Emilie,” the blonde Neko muttered, “Where’s Mika?”

“He’s safe, for now,” Natasha smirked, patting her pocket. “Take her back to my helicopter.” The men nodded, hefting Emilie by each arm, careful to use gloved hands to do so as they led her away.

Chloé  gasped as she endured another sharp cut from one of the Nekos, and with a howl she whirled around, her hand flying. This time the Neko was so lucky, and Chloé  shoved the catgirl into her mouth with an angry grunt. She tilted her head back, swallowing angrily and making sure her attackers heard the scream as the Neko passed down into her belly.

The response wasn’t the fear she’d hoped, instead the Nekos leapt off her, laughing as the humans unloaded more of the weapons from a row of massive trucks idling at the far edge of the airstrip. A loud *boom* rang out, and Chloé  gasped, falling backwards as a cloud of fire burst on her chest. As the smoke cleared she sighed in relief as she saw she was only bruised, but her heart began pounding faster as she saw three more of the artillery pieces being wheeled next to Natasha.

“Let’s keep going until she breaks a few bones, then leave her,” Natasha ordered. The men nodded, loading more shells into the small cannons.

A burst of gunfire rang out, and the men at the artillery emplacements cried out in panic, several of them falling over. Natasha’s eyes went wide, and she whirled around to see her own rear guard charging at her, guns blazing. Reflexes took over, and she leapt backwards, cartwheeling into cover behind an old truck.

“TRAITORS!” she roared, “DO YOU THINK YOU’RE THE FIRST HUMANS TO TRY THIS!?” She waved at the Nekos, who were already sprinting back towards her, “Kill them all!” She forced herself to her feet, tapping the pocket to make sure Mika was still safely in place. Her ears went flat against her head as she heard someone behind her, and she had just enough time to leap to safety again before Higgins burst of gunfire cut her to ribbons. She pulled her own gun, squeezing off four shots as the human dove and rolled, responding to her with his own stream of bullets until a *click* rang out.

“Uh oh!” she grinned wickedly, holstering her pistol and leaping towards him. Her tail traced through the air behind her, but a gloved fist making contact with the side of her face, sending her sprawling with a cry of pain as she rubbed her jaw. She blinked numbly for a moment, stunned that a human had managed to land a blow on her, then hatred and bile filled her as she got to her feet, drawing her blade.

“As a great man once said,” Higgins growled as he advanced on her, “Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

“I’ll remember that while you’re digesting later!” she hissed, stabbing at him. He was fast for a human, but now that her guard was up none of his own blows got close to her. “Did someone pay you for this?” Natasha rasped as they circled one another, “tell me what you’re throwing your life away for!”

I remembered I was human, he thought, wincing as she slashed across his shirt, causing the fabric to fall away.

“Clever,” Natasha muttered, seeing the skintight outfit beneath it. She glanced around them, watching as Higgins men pinned one of the Nekos down with gunfire, finally ending another of the immortals. In spite of everything she smirked, regarding Higgins with an eyebrow raised, “I wish you’d have just come for me at one of our bases, I’d have gladly met you like this, if that’s what you wanted, your name would have been written in my grimoire forever!”

“It’s already in one,” Higgins said, readying himself for her next attack.

“NATASHA!” Chloé  roared, recovering and looming over the battlefield. Another burst from the artillery cannon caused her to go rigid and fall to the ground again, but this time she’d anticipated it, and was already getting up , her damaged tissues knitting themselves back together before she hit the ground as her regenerative abilities took full effect.

“This has to end I’m afraid,” the Neko leader muttered, turning to Higgins with an almost regretful smile , “she’s fed too much, she could withstand nearly anything now.”. She leapt away from Higgins, placing a hand on the neck of one of her own men. “Time to sacrifice for the cause!” she said with a grin, shrinking him into her waiting hand.

“No, wait!” the mercenary shouted, but he was already disappearing down Natasha’s throat, and she moaned in ecstasy as she felt the man kick and squirm on his way down. The fire lit within her, the familiar predatory euphoria that had started her on this path so many eons ago.

Natasha was a blur, nearly impossible to follow with the human eye as she leapt into the air, coming down in the center of Higgins’ men. Her dagger flashed, cutting their protective gear to ribbons as she moved through them like a whirlwind, dodging gunfire, knives, and fists. She skidded to a stop on the other side of them, simply closing her eyes and listening to the laughter of her sisters as they descended on the now unprotected humans. She turned back to Higgins, her eyes gleaming.

“RETREAT!” he called, shoving another magazine into his submachine gun and raising it at her. He fired off bursts of gunfire as he fell back, trying to pin down Natasha as she leapt gracefully around his shots, laughing maniacally. His heart raced as he reached for a grenade on his belt, but Natasha was already on him, grabbing it away and tossing it harmlessly into the jungle just as he pulled the pin. The explosion ruffled her hair as she licked her lips at him teasingly.

There was a hiss in the air, and Natasha suddenly cried out in pain as an arrow hit her in the shoulder. Higgins took the opportunity to run, looking back just long enough to see Yukia throwing a bow and quiver to the tarmac, sprinting away from them.

Natasha pulled the arrow free with a roar of pain, spinning around to see the archer, her rage building as she saw no one.

She… saved me? He pushed it from his mind, he and his men had a fallback point to meet up at, and he ran through the jungle towards it.

Natasha looked towards the fleeing Higgins and his men, then back to Chloé ’s monstrous and looming form, already advancing on them. Her heart was pounding, and thousands of years of hate coursed through her as she tried to focus, but finally she knew what she needed to do.

She pulled the radio from her hip, “Fire all cannons at the Naga, but fall back to the trucks and retreat immediately.” She sighed, clasping her wounded shoulder as she watched the mercenaries and surviving Nekos follow her orders.

Which one of you tried to shoot me in the back? She thought angrily, looking over them.

…

Chloé  held her hands crossed in front of her face, wincing with pain as another artillery shell hit her. She was aware of the humans falling back, but couldn’t focus on anything but protecting herself as the heavy guns covered their retreat. She slid forward, taking advantage of the reloading time to bring her tail down on the machine, smashing it to bits.

Distantly she felt the rumble of vehicles starting, and her eyes went wide, No! she slithered to the edge of the tarmac, tears in her eyes as she felt the vibration of the cars racing away down the dirt roads, faster than she could hope to catch them.

…

Oklahoma gripped the pocket knife so tightly her knuckles turned white, hearing the battle slowly fade as she hid in the outhouse at the edge of the airstrip. She slowly breathed out, forcing herself to push the wooden door open. Dimly she couldn’t help but compare it to one at her family’s lakeside cabin, only missing a half-moon cutout. 

Okay, she told herself, looking at the bodies scattered around the airstrip, this is… harder stuff than you’re used to. She forced down vomit, swearing at herself angrily, Cowgirl up you bitch! She told herself, Doc Holliday did this all goddamn day!

“Ung…” a groan startled her, and she slowly made her way to one of the black haired catgirls, laying on the ground and holding her hand over a mortal wound in her chest, a bowie knife and a flintlock pistol lay discarded a few feet from her. 

“H-Hey,” Oklahoma stammered, holding the knife in front of her, “Uh… surrender?”

Neko glanced at her, smirking, “You’ve seen death, you know it’s coming for me.”

Oklahoma sighed, “yeah… If you promise not to do that shrinking thing I’ll end it quick for you, one cut across the throat.”

The Neko chuckled, “you’re American… I love America, I’ve been trying to be American…”

Oklahoma paused, “Ah, well sorry that we’re on the opposite side then…”

“I was at the Alamo,” the Neko whispered, “With David, and Jim…”

“Ah hell,” Oklahoma muttered, chewing her lip, “you’re not fucking with me, are you?”

“No,” she sighed, her eyes starting to glaze over, “No more time for bullshit.” They laughed together for a moment, then the cat-girl continued, “Since you’re my countrywoman, I want you to know…” she winced in pain, “it’s impossible to beat Natasha, she’s bringing all she has.”

Oklahoma’s heart sank, “What do you mean?” she asked quietly.

“Thousands of men are going to the temple in Brazil,” the Neko muttered, closing her eyes. “She has things she shouldn’t have, helicopter gunships, tanks, a nuclear weapon… You can’t beat her.”

“Are you bullshiting me!?” Oklahoma shouted angrily.

“She’s ending it all,” the Neko whispered, her voice growing faint, “despair if you wish, or fight her… I don’t care now.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Oklahoma asked sadly.

“P-Promise me one thing,” the Neko rasped as her life left her, “Remember the Alamo…”

Oklahoma stared at the dead Neko, the dead Texan, for a moment, then wiped tears from her eyes. She slowly made her way down the tarmac towards Chloé ’s massive form. Idly she saw her empty handgun, forgotten in the chaos of the battle, and with a sigh she picked it up, noting how heavy it suddenly felt. 

“Chloé ?” she shouted.

“Where were you?” she sobbed, startling the human woman.

“C-Chloé ,” Oklahoma stammered, suddenly nervous in the presence of the enormous Naga, “Even someone like me only carries so many rounds…” She held up her pistol, showing the slide retracted and the chamber empty. “I had to run, I gave Mika all the time I could!”

Chloé  nodded, “Don’t be scared of me,” she muttered. A hand went to her stomach, where the mercenaries and Nekos she’d eaten were panicking. “We’re going to Brazil,” Chloé  said quietly.

Oklahoma sighed, “Chloé …”

“They’ll be going back to the temple,” she explained, “they’ll have Mika alive…”

“And they’ll have a bigger army than that one waiting for you,” Oklahoma groaned, “T hey’ve got things that will fuck even something like you up Chloé , Natasha’s got an A-Bomb at least. We’re beat, we’re not going to win by running right into a bear trap they’re setting up for us!”

“So what do you think we should do?” Chloé  asked angrily.

“I don’t get a lot of this,” Oklahoma sighed, looking away a moment, “all of this magic stuff, ancient goddesses… I joined this thing for a quick payday! I love all of you guys, but if Emilie is right… I think they’re causing the end of the world, Chloé .” She looked Chloé  in the eyes, blinking away a quick tear of her own, “I think I want to go home, back to the States, I have some accounts I’d like to settle if this is the end of everything.”

“I don’t believe you,” Chloé  growled, “after everything, you want to just go home and mope!?”

“You can come with me,” Oklahoma said quietly.

“No, I can’t,” Chloé  muttered, “goodbye.”

Oklahoma looked like she wanted to say something else, but just sighed, tossing her empty pistol into the dirt. With one last sad stare, she started walking down the road.

.…

Natasha purred happily as she stroked Mika’s head with a single finger, enjoying the way Emilie looked at her hatefully from across the helicopter.

“Did you send Higgins to try to kill me?” Natasha asked with a smirk, “that’s so cold blooded Emilie!” Emilie didn’t respond, just staring at the floor with her ears flat against her head. Natasha rolled her eyes, “Fine then, don’t talk, I have this little morsel to chat with!” she grinned down at Mika, “I’m sorry it won’t be you and the Naga opening that final chamber, but I’ll take you in, don’t you worry!”

“You’re insane if you think I’ll help you with anything in that temple!” Mika spat.

“Hmm… They say cats always land on their feet, but I wonder if Emilie over there can manage it from this height?” at her words one of the mercenaries slid the door of the helicopter open, causing wind to whirl through the cabin.

“Okay!” Mika shouted over the wind, “Just don’t do anything to her!”

The mercenary slid the door shut again, and Natasha grinned, “I can see you’ve already gotten close! What does the Naga think of Emilie’s little repopulation plan?” Natasha blinked as she saw Emilie blush and look away with a small smile. “You know, I really wish you could have had an experimental phase while we were on the same side,” Natasha muttered.

“What’s behind the door?” Emilie asked in a tired voice, “you owe me that much…”

“Curious until the end,” Natasha sighed, “the Naga had the World Tree Emilie.”

Emilie’s eyes went wide, “I-It was a myth!”

“No,” Natasha said with a sad smile, “We could have shared this knowledge as friends, once upon a time…” She sighed and continued, “it connects to all of the Lemurian trees that remain, and can command them all.” She flourished her hand playfully, “The Naga could use it to share their gifts with the world, with each other, and I intend to share our gift with the world. When I lay my hands on it, the pollen of thousands of Lemurian saplings will carry my power with it, and the wind shall carry that to the humans… They’ll shrink away on the breeze!” Her grin widened, “and then we will feast, it will take a long time to get them all, but with humanity reduced to their true status as vermin? I’m confident we will manage.” She laughed as she looked down to Mika, “and with this adorable morsel’s bloodline… it will be permanent!” She grinned as she saw Emilie’s face darken, “It’s such a far flung thing, to see a human with the male Neko bloodline… It’s providence!”

“You’d use the World Tree itself for something like this?” Emilie asked, horrified, “do you have any idea what could be done with it!? What knowledge could be gained?”

Natasha stared out the helicopter’s window, “I don’t want to cure diseases, find treasures, or talk with the stars Emilie, I want to finish my war… humans belong in the bellies of the Neko Clan!” Mika shook slightly in her grip, realizing the scope of her plans, “ All humans,” she said with a grin.

Chloé … you’ve got to find us, you’ve got to stop her!

…

“What now?” Richard asked Higgins as the group lounged around the clearing, “do we go into hiding?”

“I don’t think there will be much of a point to that soon,” Higgins replied grimly. He looked at the survivors of the attack, of the men he’d set out with he had twelve left. This isn’t like losing men you don’t know, he thought grimly, fighting a wave of emotion he was unprepared to deal with in front of them.

He took a deep breath, blinking a moment, “If anyone wants to go, I won’t hold it against you. I only have one idea left, and it’s not one any of you will like…”

…

Chloé  coiled herself angrily next to a jet plane that lacked fuel, and which she couldn't’ fly anyways. She felt the squirming prey in her upper stomach, and with a spiteful growl emptied them into her lower, enjoying the brief screams before they went silent, nourishing her. The Nekos had earned their fate, and she didn’t feel any remorse or regret for sending them to it. The aches and pains of the battle vanished as the power coursed through her, boosting her regenerative abilities. She glanced down at the blue paint along her body, then started rubbing at it, frowning as it wouldn’t come off. 

I need to get to Brazil, she thought angrily, but how?

She looked up as she felt footsteps at the edge of the airstrip, humans, at least a dozen of them. With a scowl she reared herself up, readying to confront them.

“I’m not here to fight you!” Higgins shouted, holding his hands up as he walked onto the tarmac. 

“You…,” Chloé growled, “I don’t care what deal you had with Emilie, you almost killed Mika!”

“And you’ve eaten plenty of my colleagues,” Higgins replied, “but we don’t need to like each other to work together… I think we should talk.”

Chloé  wanted nothing more than to leap down and swallow him down, but with a sigh she restrained herself, “Talk.”

“Gods above,” Emilie whispered, looking out the helicopter window as they zipped over what remained of the Lemurian jungle.

“I’ve been a busy girl,” Natasha chuckled, holding Mika up to let him see as well, “I had all of this started just as soon as you left.”

Mika’s heart sank as he saw the vastness of her preparations. The grand trees of the Lemurian jungle, which had hidden the Temple of Eternity and Chloé herself so well, had been hewn down, creating a  massive kill zone of mud and track trodden earth around the ruins. Guard towers had been erected, gravel roads hastily poured, and hundreds of soldiers and what were visibly Nekos patrolled the grounds of the sacred site. Beyond the grounds the great river had been bridged, allowing a line of trucks to move like ants, bringing supplies to and from the base. Further out he could see more bases and defenses, ringing the temple even beyond the river, and he felt his mouth go dry as he saw rumbling tanks, helicopter gunships, and even artillery placements.

“What do you think?” Natasha asked with a wicked grin. “Ouroboros alone didn’t have enough for what I needed, so I’ve called in some favors. Most of the soldiers in the outer defenses think they’re here for a multinational training exercise, but I don’t think they’ll have issues shooting the Naga if she decides to interfere.” She chuckled and shook her head, “They’re mostly South American, but I’ve got some from just about every nation you can think of… I tried so hard to hire the foreign legion for this, but alas they’re harder to get than they used to be.”

“Chloé will find a way to get to you,” Mika growled, “no matter how many soldiers you have.”

Natasha giggled, “It’s almost cute how you’re still thinking about her…” She brought Mika close to her face, her warm breath ruffling his hair, “You really do have an intoxicating smell,” she whispered. “I wonder, would just one taste hurt?”

Mika grimaced as her warm, wet tongue slid up the side of his body, coating him in a slimy layer of Natasha’s saliva. His pulse quickened as the black haired Neko shivered, her feline ears twitching in excitement. She opened her eyes, looking down at him hungrily for a moment, then giggled.

“I don’t know how you manage not to eat humans Emilie,” Natasha drawled, regaining her composure as the helicopter slowly began to descend. She tucked Mika back into her breasts, letting him rest in her cleavage.

“Empathy, decency,” Emilie muttered, “things that were never your strong suits, even before you were taken by the curse.”

“Morality is decided by gods,” Natasha said with a smirk, “and I’ll be one soon enough, or close to one anyway.” She pulled the helicopter door open, wincing in pain as the arrow wound in her shoulder nearly tore open.

Emilie noticed, smiling slightly, “Do gods bleed Natasha? That’s not a bullet wound, maybe I’m not the only Neko who opposes you?”

Natasha spun around, her eyes filled with rage that burned so hot that Mika half expected her to leap across the helicopter cabin at Emilie then and there. Again she controlled herself, her gaze cooling as she stepped out into the humid jungle air.

With a resigned sigh Emilie followed after her, then froze as she saw a massive rocket, sitting on a truckbed launcher in the middle of the cleared space before the temple. The Greek symbols for Alpha and Omega were scrawled across the side, and her hair stood on end.

“N-Natasha, what is that?” Emilie whispered.

“A surprise for the Naga if she manages to survive fighting several thousand soldiers,” Natasha chuckled, “I was able to sneak it away when the Force de Frappe wanted to decommission it, it’s not a very big bomb as atomic weapons go, but it should be more than enough to vaporize a Naga, while keeping the important people out of the blast range.”

…

The Temple of Eternity was a massive complex, at one time overgrown with vegetation. The massive stone walls once again served their original purpose as the vines and trees had been hacked away, leaving the ancient stone walls protecting the vast inner courtyard. The original entrance had long since crumbled to rubble, but was now protected by concrete anti-vehicle barriers, along with large pre-fabricated guard towers that allowed men with scoped rifles to survey the entire interior. 

Command tents had been quickly erected, along with first aid stations, outhouses, and all of the other necessities of moving this many men into such a remote place. Dozens upon dozens of vehicles were parked along the walls, and others slowly traversed the courtyard along pre-marked paths, gunners manning turrets and scanning their surroundings for any signs of trouble. Beyond the courtyard lay the temple itself, rising above the now flattened jungle like a stone monolith, overshadowing them all. 

Yukia stroked her hand down her tail, gripping it as she tried to hide how nervous she was. The Nekos were all stationed in the inner defenses, along with what remained of the organization’s own loyal troops.

Why did I do that!? She wondered, I almost killed Natasha… For Craig Higgins? Her ears were flat against her head as she considered the implications, I just did it without thinking, she reasoned, and if Natasha had seen me do it, I wouldn’t have made it this far… Unless she’s waiting to kill me in front of everyone?

“Natasha’s here!” one of the other Neko said excitedly. The other catgirls all leapt up eagerly, preparing for the arrival of their leader.  

Yukia did her best to appear calm, but hung her katana from her belt loosely, sliding it just half an inch out of the scabbard. The Neko leader was flanked by four human mercenaries, and dozens of the catgirls gathered around her, going silent as they awaited her orders. She looked over them all, and Yukia froze as Natasha’s gaze passed over her.

I could go for her now, take her by surprise, Yukia thought. Some part of her knew it was foolishness, even wounded, Natasha was too fast, too skilled with a blade for a quick kill, and she’d have seconds at best before the humans and other Nekos took her down. She relaxed slightly as Natasha’s gaze moved on, but kept her hand near her sword pommel.

“My sisters, the hour of our victory is at hand,” Natasha roared, “all that you need do is guard this temple while I steal the Naga’s power out from under them!” She paused, smiling at the cheers, then drew her blade, causing them all to go silent. “I will warn you all, we have a traitor in our midst,” she said, her voice going low. She walked up to the nearest Neko, holding the long narrow knife just inches from her throat, “Some coward who shot me in the back!” she moved to the next Neko, who tensed nervously, then relaxed as Natasha’s gaze drifted down the line. “Be on the lookout,” she finished, “and whichever one of you it is… I’ll personally find and devour every human that took part in your little rebellion, and then I’ll come for you.”

With that she turned, walking towards the central temple complex, behind her Emilie was pushed by a guard, glancing momentarily in Yukia’s direction. The black haired Neko gazed back impassively, lost in her own thoughts.

Is it worth killing Natasha over one human? He’ll be gone in what, eighty years at most? She giggled a little madly to herself, realizing that while she knew the answer she couldn’t admit it, even in her own thoughts. I’m not just killing her over Higgins, she lied to herself, she’s unhinged, once she’s done shrinking all the humans I’ll take over, we’ll farm them, and keep a few as pets maybe? Her ear flicked in annoyance, I’ll work the details out later, after the heads have rolled.

…

Chloé stared down at Higgins, who simply stared up at her, arms crossed. The two had come to an uneasy agreement, and as his men pulled up in a series of humvees, he looked up at her expectantly.

“Well?” he asked, gesturing to the vehicles.

“How do I know you won’t try to kill me as soon as I take human form?” she growled.

“How do we know you’re not going to eat us all as soon as we land in Brazil?” he retorted, “this goes both ways, we just have to trust each other.”

“You worked for Natasha,” Chloé muttered.

“And I got a lot closer to killing her than you did,” Higgins growled.

Chloé sighed, then slowly began the transformation, her tail splitting as she shrank down, finally standing before Higgins and his small group of mercenaries in the nude. The fear at being stared at by a towering Naga was replaced by the awkwardness of a dozen men standing before a naked young woman, although Chloé was oblivious to their discomfort as she walked by Higgins to the vehicle.

“S-Someone get her something to wear,” he shouted.

Chloé paused, chuckling in spite of the situation, “Oh right, I knew I forgot something…”

The provided tactical pants and compression shirt were loose on Chloé’s form as the Humvee rolled along the same dirt road that Natasha’s forces had used to withdraw earlier. Higgins was sitting in the backseat with her, fighting the urge to put his hand on his pistol. It was odd seeing her like this, and while he kept his face impassive Chloé smirked knowingly.

“I know you were afraid,” she remarked, “I could feel your heartbeat when I was bigger. My senses aren’t as good when I’m human, but I don’t think I need them to figure out how you and your people feel about me.” She shifted, turning to face him, “so why are you doing all of this? Did Emilie mind control you to be good now?”

He fought down a chuckle, but Chloé caught the smile anyway, “I keep asking her that, and she says she didn’t. I don’t know for sure, but stopping Natasha is a matter of human survival. I’ve worked for some of the worst people in the world, but no matter how bad they were, the rest of the world could continue on…” he gestured to the driver, then to the other vehicles, “these guys are mostly others who came to the same conclusion, or just people who got sick of working for a bunch of psychotic cat-people.”

They drove for about an hour before reaching a small town, and Chloé watched the people outside the window for a while as the convoy maneuvered through the now paved streets to the airfield on the edge of town. A large cargo plane was waiting for them, with several boxes of supplies being loaded by the rest of Higgins’ men. They snapped to attention, and looked uneasily at Chloé as she followed Higgins out of the vehicle.

“I-Is that her? ” one of the men said in a hushed voice.

“So, let’s just go over the plan real quick?” a woman’s voice called, causing Higgins to frown. He turned to see a young woman with a nose ring, dressed in the same combat uniform as his own men. She was carrying hefty backpack with stickers covering it advertising her belief in everything from aliens to bigfoot, and poking out of her collar was a poorly concealed microphone. The woman powered through his suspicious gaze, “is the snake woman going to fight the cat queen?”

“Gloria!?” Chloé scowled, “what the hell are you doing here?”

“How did you get past my men?” Higgins hissed angrily, resting his hand on his gun.

“Gloria Chesterfield,” Chloé sighed, “she’s kind of a reporter, but Mika says she’s not a very good one.”

“Excuse me!” Gloria exclaimed angrily, “I’ve been covering your adventures diligently since all of this started! It was really hard to track you guys all the way here!”

Higgins frowned, “Wait, this is the Gloria Chesterfield? The same one that always infiltrates Ouroboros operations?”

Gloria nodded eagerly, “That’s right! Do you read my articles?”

“I read the security reports,” Higgins muttered. He drew his gun, “You’re coming with us.”

Gloria paled, “W-What?” she squeaked.

“What do we need her for?” Chloé asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s always able to get past the cats and the people they hire,” Higgins explained, “I don’t know how she does it, but we need to sneak in close to Natasha, and she does that all the time.”

“I-I just bullshit my way through,” Gloria stammered, “I got onto your runway by saying I was friends with the snake woman!”

Higgins glanced angrily at one of the sentries, who just shrugged, “I-It sounded believable enough sir!”

“So you can probably just leave me here,” Gloria said with a weak smile, “I’ll just be on my-“

“No, Higgins is right,” Chloé said with a grin, “you’re just what we need!”

Gloria swallowed nervously, “I-I’ll help, on the condition that I get an exclusive interview with you at the end of this!”

Chloé rolled her eyes, “Fine.”

“Don’t put my name in the article,” Higgins growled, holstering his pistol and gesturing for her to get on the aircraft.

…

Oklahoma slapped the empty shot glass down on the bar, sliding it across to the bartender, a well dressed dark skinned man who poured her next drink reflexively.

“More,” she muttered in Portuguese. The bartender hesitated, but she shot him an angry look, then shrugged and poured her another.

“Oklahoma!?” a familiar voice called.

“About time!” she laughed, sitting up and seeing Cécilia nervously entering the bar.

The auburn haired Neko was disguised in a wig that covered her feline ears, and her tail was tightly tucked away in the maroon pantsuit she wore as her heels clacked across the bar’s tiled floor, taking a seat next to the pilot.

“I-I came as soon as I could,” she said nervously, “Luckily I was in Egypt on business, so it wasn’t that far of a flight… You said Emilie and Mika were taken?”

“Yep,” Oklahoma said, taking a sip of the whiskey with a grimace, “this bottom shelf stuff is foul, but it’s all he’ll pour for me on credit,” she chuckled. “Do you mind paying my tab?”

Cécilia frowned, but pulled a credit card from her fashionable handbag, sliding it across to the barkeep. He took it, eyes widening as he saw the high end traveler’s brand, and with a grin he reached to the top shelf, placing a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in front of Oklahoma.

“Enjoy,” he chuckled, moving away from them to the other patrons.

“I kept telling him I had rich friends, but he wouldn’t believe me,” Oklahoma smirked, pulling the cork free.

“So what can I do to help?” Cécilia whispered, “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Oklahoma snorted, “I figured you’d want to know what happened before Natasha does whatever she’s going to do… My plan is to drink this bottle of bourbon, then see if there’s time to go home and apologize to some people before we all end up in a catgirl’s stomach.”

Cécilia growled angrily, “What?” she hissed, “You’re joking, surely!?”

“Nope,” Oklahoma said, pouring herself another shot.

Cécilia swiped it away from her, tilting it back and taking it herself, scowling as the hot taste of the liquor burned her throat. With an angry glare she grabbed the bottle itself from Oklahoma, placing it in front of herself as she turned on the bar stool.

“Hey!” Oklahoma protested.

“I bought it, it’s my bottle,” Cécilia said. She nearly gagged as the aftertaste of the drink hit her throat, “liquor was a mistake,” she rasped, “was wine not good enough for you people!?” She sighed, collecting herself. “We’re going to go save Emilie,” Cécilia explained.

“Who’s we?” Oklahoma replied, “it’s hopeless, she’s got armies of people, one of her cats told me she’s got a goddamn nuke! What am I supposed to do against that? Hide in the fridge?”

“What’s the expression,” Cecilia scowled, thinking, “Cowboy up? Well, Cowgirl up!”

“What’s one more cowgirl going to do at this party?” Oklahoma asked wryly. 

Cécilia frowned, opening her handbag and drawing out her own grimoire. It was deceptively thin, bound in a fine soft leather that caught Oklahoma’s eye. The pages fluttered like leaves as she flipped through it, finally reaching a few pages near the end.

“The Alamo,” she said, “I was there.”

Oklahoma smirked, “Oh, another cat was in Texas back then?”

“I was with Santa Anna,” she read, “I had provided financial backing during his rise to power.”

“Wait a minute, you were with them!?” Oklahoma spat, “I should shoot you right here-“ she grasped at her empty gun holster, scowling.

Cécilia just sighed and continued reading, “I was both disheartened and inspired by the defiance there, and realized that the fall of the Spanish mission would not crush the resistance as I’d hoped.” She closed her grimoire. “Remember the Alamo?” she asked, looking Oklahoma in the eyes.

The pilot blinked away a tear, “F-Fuck you Cécilia.”

“I don’t know if we can make a difference,” Cécilia said quietly, “but I’m going to go try. I could use some help. If there’s anything of your people in you, you’ll come with me.”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma sighed, “Okay…” She gave a weak smile, “Save that bottle of Pappy for later, okay?”

“I’ll buy you a fresh one if we live,” Cécilia smirked.

…

Cécilia gulped as she followed Oklahoma into a dusty warehouse. Men were moving all around, carrying boxes, and shooting them dirty looks. Up in the rafters men with assault rifles regarded them with smug smirks. Oklahoma looked completely at ease as she walked up to an African man with a shaved head, sitting behind a desk and looking at a computer with a bored expression.

“Ah, welcome Miss Espinoza,” the man behind the desk said with a grin, “I was certain you were from the CIA, but my friends in South America assure me you’re on the wrong side of the law… Now what do you need?”

“Oklahoma, they’re moving behind us!” Cécilia said nervously as a pair of men with guns moved to stand in front of the exit doors.

“Relax,” Oklahoma chuckled. “They just want to make sure they get us if this is a sting.”

“Indeed,” the man said with a grin, “it’s a rough world, we cannot be too careful!”

“So, the uh… pheasants, I want to hunt are very agile,” Oklahoma began, “I’m thinking that my friend and I would like some submachine guns, some of those little revolvers that shoot shotgun shells, and if you’ve got one, I’d like a derringer for my jacket sleeve.”

“A derringer, in Africa?” the man laughed, “I admire your optimism! No, I don’t have that, but how does a pair of Uzis and a Taurus Judge sound?”

“Fucking peachy,” Oklahoma said with a grin.

“Uh, I don’t know much about firearms,” Cécilia said hesitantly, “when I had to fight, I usually used knives…”

The man behind the desk stood up, pulling a massive blade from a sheath on his leg, “Machete?” he offered.

“O-Okay,” Cécilia said weakly, taking the blade from the man. A moment later another grinning arms dealer walked to Cécilia, opening a case with a grin and presenting the small revolver with the long chamber. “Oh my,” Cécilia muttered, picking it up and hefting it in her hand, “A shotgun is like a little cannon, right?”

“Sorta,” Oklahoma grinned as the men presented her with an uzi. She racked it, smirking at the click, “Hey, freakin’ shot in the dark here, but what do you guys have chambered in Colt .45?”

…

Oklahoma twirled the massive revolver, “All right Cat-girls, make my day,” she chuckled, holstering it as she followed Cécilia onto the airstrip. Cécilia was grimacing under the weight of several weapons herself, the machete was strapped across her waist, and the shotgun chambered revolver hung across her chest, a few shells hanging on an ammo bandolier as she struggled to balance it all.

“So what do we do now?” Cécilia asked, walking up the stair ramp.

“I guess we get as close to the whole thing and see what we can do,” Oklahoma said with a shrug.

“Avanti Savoia!” Cécilia said with a grin, “I said that once… Is Savoy still around?”

“I don’t know,” Oklahoma laughed, “but to hell with it, Avanti Savoia!”

…

Higgins and his remaining men sat in the long rows of the cargo plane, looking at Chloé and Higgins himself as the pair walked down the center of the craft. Gloria was seated at the end, giggling excitedly as she looked around.

“This is so cool you guys, Bat-Boy is going to love this.”

“Mika says Bat-Boy isn’t real,” Chloé said.

“He says Snake-girls aren’t real,” Gloria retorted.

“It doesn’t matter,” Higgins snapped. “We need to discuss intelligence… you said that Natasha has a…” He sighed, rubbing his temples, “An a-bomb?”

“Oklahoma said Natasha had one,” Chloé said quietly. “What does that mean?”

“An A-bomb is…” Higgins looked to his men, but they were silent.

“It’s a really big bomb!” Gloria offered.

“I’ve been bombed before,” Chloé said dismissively.

“Not like this,” Higgins sighed, “I don’t want to be rude; you’ve shrugged off weapons that would have killed everyone else on this plane a thousand times over, but this is going to be different. Natasha will have satellite surveillance looking for you, and she’ll be using thermal imaging, she’ll see your body heat even if you conceal yourself. She’ll have guided missiles, heavy weaponry… And the nuclear bomb, it’s humanity’s most powerful weapon… entire cities can be flattened by one. If there’s anything humanity has made that can hurt a thing like you, this can. You won’t be able to regenerate from it, you’ll be vaporized instantly. You’re the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen, but please understand, if you’re not careful here, Natasha will kill you before you even see her.”

“Okay then,” Chloé said softly, “how do I counter it?”

“If Natasha has one, she won’t use it close to herself,” Higgins reasoned, “so the answer is to hit her at the center of her defenses, where she is.”

“The temple itself,” Chloé scowled, “She plans to take what’s supposed to be for Mika and me… she’ll be there.”

“She’s been routing resources to the Brazil temple for weeks,” Higgins scowled, “it’ll be a hard nut to crack… how are we supposed to sneak two dozen men and our gear in there?”

“My stomach can fit fifty or sixty prey… humans,” Chloé said mildly.

The men all suddenly went tense, and Higgins shivered, “What else can you do?” he asked quietly.

“You’ve seen my camouflage in action,” Chloé said. “When I’m recently fed my regeneration is pretty strong, my wounds heal almost instantly… I think I could probably swallow up to three hundred humans in one setting.”

“Good god,” Higgins muttered.

“Also, things that are in my body when I change size shrink too,” Chloé finished.

“It’s true, I’ve seen it firsthand!” Gloria said, “my website has photos, that Mika guy was tiny.”

“You can’t seriously expect us to let you…” Higgins gulped, “eat us?”

“I was eating Mika and my other friends all the time, they’re fine,” Chloé smirked. “I have very precise control over my digestion.”

“Our protective suits are supposed to be acid-proof sir,” one man offered.

Higgins stared into space a moment, “you’re sure it’s safe?” he asked finally.

“As long as we’re all on the same side, you’ll be safe,” Chloé replied. “I have two stomachs, the first one can store humans safely until I’m ready to digest them, my second stomach will dissolve anything almost instantly, but I have to consciously push you into it.”

“Okay,” he breathed out slowly, “Here’s what we’ll do, we’ll land a few klicks out from their defenses, and you’ll…” he sighed, “you’ll swallow us, and then turn human.” He turned to Gloria, “you take her past the main defenses, get us as close to the temple grounds as possible.”

“No problem!” Gloria said excitedly, “and I’ll stream the whole thing to my followers from my new drone!”

“Absolutely not!” Higgins growled.

“But-“

“Gloria,” Chloé cut in, “ no filming!”

The reporter crossed her arms, a pouty look on her face.

…

It’s so strange being back here again, Mika thought as Natasha carried him into the temple. He looked up at the murals on the walls, thinking back to when he’d first met Chloé what seemed like a lifetime ago. He grimaced as Natasha squeezed him tightly, smirking at his pained expression.

“It’s funny, this place used to be the center of the Naga’s power,” Natasha mused, “the shining center of their glorious civilization… These ruins? They’re all that’s left, meanwhile the Neko clan lives on.” She turned to the pair of guards that were flanking Emilie, “Leave us,” she instructed.

One of the men frowned, “Miss Natasha, are you sure?”

“Emilie is quite talented, but violence was never her strong suit,” Natasha chuckled. She skillfully drew her knife, balancing it on the tip of one finger, then flipping it in the air, artfully catching it, “I think I can keep her in line on my own.”

The two guards glanced at one another, then withdrew, walking out of the temple to join the rest of the defenders.

“Will you kill the ones loyal to you too?” Emilie asked bitterly.

“They’re going to be the first course,” Natasha chuckled. “I’ve been thinking about what to do about the other Nekos too, it’s clear from you and… others , that some culling is needed.” She grinned down at Mika, “with our little friend here, and you, I think we can shrink a few of our wayward sisters as well…” She playfully licked her lips at Emilie, who shivered.

“I won’t help you do that,” Mika said bitterly.

“I just need your blood to make Emilie's shrinking effect permanent on the other Nekos.” Natasha replied, leading them deeper into the temple.

They finally came to the massive stone door, covered in the hieroglyphics that had danced to life for Mika so long ago. Natasha studied it for a moment, then sheathed her knife, placing her palm on the stone surface.

“This isn’t meant to open for me,” Natasha muttered, “but we can make it work…” She lifted Mika up over her face, looking up at him with a grin “I’ll just have to hold you in my mouth, like she would have… and then we’ll start playing with the enchantments, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours. We’ll have to do it together.”

“I have no idea how to mess with enchantments,” Mika spat angrily, “and I wouldn’t if I did-“

“You’re her priest, it will come naturally,” Natasha explained, “and I believe we already went over this, if you won’t help me then…” She drew her knife again, there was a blur of motion, and Emilie cried out in pain, clutching her neck. Mika’s eyes went wide in horror, but as the blond Neko shakily moved her hands away, he saw only a trickle of blood from a long scratch. “The next cut won’t be so shallow,” Natasha warned.

“M-Mika, it’s okay,” Emilie said softly, “you can’t let her do this…” She gulped, “even if it means saying goodbye to me.”

Mika looked at Emilie, “I…” he sighed, “Natasha… let’s open the door.”

She chuckled, “You be a good girl and stay put for us Emilie, I’ll have Mika in my mouth for this, and it’s going to take a lot of willpower to keep myself from swallowing him. It would be best if you don’t distract me.”

Emilie glared at her, but slowly nodded.

Natasha opened her mouth, slowly lowering Mika down into it. He felt her warm breath around his body, and he was slowly laid down on the soft mattress of her tongue, and his heart skipped a beat as Natasha groaned almost orgasmically at his taste. Her saliva dripped around him as her lips pursed around his head, feeling almost like a pillory locking him in place as her tongue went along his body.

For a moment he was sure that she was about to swallow him, that he would meet his end in her belly then and there, but with a final frustrated sigh Natasha turned back to the wall. She placed both of her hands on the stone, and an electric feeling passed through both of them. Mika gasped as it seemed like a thousand glowing strands of light appeared around them.

These must be the enchantments that she was talking about, he realized. Slowly Natasha began to parse through them, as if she was unraveling a large knot in a ball of string. He felt himself instinctively starting to help her, willing the threads to float down into her hands as she tied them together, loosening some, and straightening others.

Emilie’s mouth was open wide as she watched the floating magical strands that made up the enchantment, “This is raw magic,” she whispered, “b-be careful, any mistakes could-“

“We won’t make any mistakes,” Mika said grimly, his head sticking out from Natasha’s lips as she continued picking the temple’s magical lock. This will take us hours… but after that? I don’t know what I can do to slow her down… Hurry Chloé!

…

Higgins pursed his lips as he looked out the cargo plane’s window, eyeing the massive fortifications that Natasha had constructed.

I knew she was getting ready for this, but it’s another thing seeing it firsthand.

With so many other supply craft in the air, their own plane didn’t attract any suspicion as it continued towards the landing site, a cleared strip of land several kilometers away from Natasha’s defenses, and what Higgins hoped was far enough away for Chloé to transform without being seen. The location had been used as a makeshift airfield when Higgins and his team had deployed, back when he’d believed the entire operation to be related to pharmaceuticals. It was abandoned now, with larger and completed airfields closer to the temple in use to supply Natasha’s forces.

Chloé and Gloria waited to the side as the men unloaded the craft, and Chloé frowned as she watched the men grunt under the weight of the crates.

“What’s in those?” she asked suddenly, “if you want me swallowing all of this stuff too I’d like to know what it is.”

“The cat-women mostly use swords, knives, that kind of thing,” Higgins explained, unclasping the large box’s lid. “You’d think that would make killing them easier, but they’re pretty damn terrifying up close… I’d like them to not have the chance.”

“Is that a flamethrower!?” Gloria asked excitedly.

“I purchased it from a forestry company,” Higgins said, “said I needed to clear out some invasive weeds.” He nodded at the other boxes, “I’ve got some belt fed weapons too, even if we lose this… they’ll know they’ve been in a fight. I’ve got a few Javelin missiles too, just in case they think they can roll a tank up on us… that cost me pretty much all of my retirement savings.”  He slammed the lid shut again, “Okay… let’s do this.”

Chloé nodded, and they gathered together as she walked a few dozen meters away from them, readying herself for the transformation. The men looked away uncomfortably as Chloé stripped her clothing off, kicking them away without a care for her nakedness. Modesty couldn’t keep them from watching as she transformed though, and as her legs sealed together and her size began to increase, everyone was watching her, open mouthed.

“Damnit, I should have filmed that!” Gloria scowled as Chloé finished transforming.

“No filming!” Chloé repeated, crossing her arms angrily. “Now who’s first?”

Higgins stepped forward with a grim look on his face, “Me.”

Chloé nodded, pinching her fingers around his body and lifting him up into the air. She gently slid him into her mouth, and giggled as he shuddered, sliding over the wet surface of her tongue. She closed her mouth, and the ominous *gulp* caused the men to shift uneasily. The naga playfully patted her belly, looking down to all of them with a grin.

“And… there he is,” she said, feeling him land in her stomach with a splash.

“I don’t think I can do this,” one man said, backing away.

“He’s fine,” Chloé said, rolling her eyes. She snatched the man up before he could run, causing the others to leap back in surprise. She lifted the mercenary up to her belly button, practically pressing his head into it. “Higgins, can you tell these guys it’s nice in there?

“I wouldn’t go that far,” his muffled shout came, “but I’m alive.”

“O-Okay,” the mercenary muttered, “I guess that-“

He was interrupted as Chloé’s mouth came down on him, her lips closing around his upper body as she slurped him in like he was a piece of spaghetti. Her tongue quickly forced him to the back of her mouth, and she swallowed again, sending him to join Higgins.

Chloé licked her lips teasingly, “delicious!”

Her tail curled around the remaining men, trapping them almost like a wall as she giggled mischieviously. Part of her felt slightly guilty about teasing her erstwhile enemies like this, but another part of her was reveling in her predatory instincts, and she felt a shiver of excitement as she kept teasing her prey.

“Eenie, meanie, miny… YOU!” her hand darted out, snatching a shocked man and shoving him into her open maw like a piece of popcorn. Her tongue curled backwards, sliding him down her throat as she tilted her head back, enjoying the sensation as he slid down to her stomach. To their credit, no one panicked, and soon Chloé was playfully licking her lips as the last of them slid down her esophagus, landing with a plop in her belly. “Ah, it feels so good having a belly full of delicious humans,” she giggled. 

In her belly Higgins frowned, not appreciating the teasing, “Just send our equipment down!” he shouted, trying to keep his voice level.

A moment later she picked up their equipment cases, swallowing them like pills, grimacing at the artificial taste.

“Blech,” she muttered, making a face as the last one went down. “Higgins, is that everything?”

Higgins sighed, looking around at his surroundings, the pink walls of Chloé’s stomach shifted slightly as she moved, and he did his best not to think about where the sphincter at the far end led. The soft light inside of her was a pleasant surprise at least, and he did a quick headcount as his men steadied the equipment crates. 

“Give us a minute to tie everything together, then we should be good,” he shouted. He gestured to his men, who began tying a thick climbing cable through loops on the boxes, and then lacing it through clips on each other’s belts. That should keep us stable, and help her get us all out of here at once, he thought. 

“Great, now hold tight because it’s going to get a lot more cramped, and dark, and dangerous,” Chloé muttered apologetically. “My human stomach isn’t nearly as nice as my Naga one, at least that’s what Mika says.”

“We’ve all got our full body chemical suits on under our gear,” Higgins shouted back, “these things are meant for industrial chemicals, I doubt a little stomach acid will do much.”

“Great,” Chloé nodded, “Okay, here goes…”

The men in her gut suddenly had their world plunged into darkness, and several of them cried out in surprise as they were pushed together as Chloé’s body transformed from the towering Naga form back into her human one. Within a few seconds she had finished shrinking down, her tail had once again split into a pair of legs, and she wobbled for a moment, unsteady.

“Woah,” she muttered, patting her belly.

“Everything all right?” Gloria asked nervously as Chloé started getting dressed.

“I’ve never had this much in my stomach in human form,” she explained, “I just feel a little bloated…” She grimaced as her stomach gurgled, “it’s so weird that you humans can’t just empty your stomachs whenever you want… What do you guys do if you eat too much?”

“Sleep,” Gloria said with a shrug, “maybe take an anti-acid? Don’t worry, we won’t be walking far,” she pointed to one of the humvees, “come on, I’ll drive!”

Inside of her stomach Higgins coughed at the acrid smell of the air, while it was breathable it was more pungent than her naga form had been, and with everyone pressed together in the dark it was a nerve wracking experience to feel the world shift as she walked. Feeling the tension among them all, Higgins forced his arm up over them, clicking on a small camping lamp, providing just enough light for them to see their surroundings, and each other. It was a small thing, but he could practically feel the relief from the others.

Higgins pondered humanity's fate as he saw the rippling, growling stomach around him: "this is what awaits us all if we fail, humanity summed up to food..."

Keep it together, he told himself, clenching his fists, we’re almost done.

…

Gloria drove straight up to the group of soldiers guarding the bridge, nonchalantly smiling as a tank’s turret turned almost casually towards the vehicle. She rolled the windows down as a group of soldiers with Brazilian flags on their uniforms approached her. The man who appeared to be the officer in charge stepped forward, saying something in Portuguese.

“It’s okay!” Gloria said, pulling a Weekly World News badge out of her pocket to show the man, “we’re press!”

“This area is restricted for a military exercise,” the officer replied in accented English.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re here to cover it for the American news!” Gloria said eagerly.

The officer’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Chloé, who just smiled and waved, “This sounds… irregular, there’s a unit of American marines involved, I’ll contact them and-“

“Aren’t you worried that will look unprofessional!?” Gloria balked.

The officer blinked, “I don’t understand-“

“I mean why do you have to call the Americans to ask what to do, they’re not in charge of this operation, are they?”

“It’s a multinational-“

“Yeah, and you guys clearly know what you’re doing!” Gloria said, gesturing up at the tank and the men, “I don’t want to have to tell the big important people at the base in the center that I got held up because the Brazilian army didn’t know how to handle one little journalist!”

The officer chewed his lip a moment, “Very well,” he said finally, “go!”

He waved them through the security checkpoint, and Chloé looked on in awe as Gloria started the car, driving them across the bridge.

“Wow,” Chloé murmured, “does this kind of thing always work for you?”

“Most of the time, yeah,” Gloria giggled.

…

“Hold on, it’s in here somewhere,” Cécilia muttered, flipping through her grimoire.

“If you don’t have the clearance phrase then I’m going to have to shoot your aircraft down,” the man on the other end of the radio said.

“Just a minute!” Oklahoma said, muting it and looking the Cécilia in a panic.

“We have a few catch phrases to identify each other,” Cécilia muttered, “I doubt Natasha has changed any of them since I left… and here we go!” She showed Oklahoma the flowing script on the page.

“Chat Botté!” Oklahoma almost shouted into the radio.

It was silent for a moment, and both Cécilia and Oklahoma tensed, half expecting a surface to air missile to come screaming through the small private jet cockpit. The radio crackled, and both of them stared at it, gulping nervously.

“You’re approved for landing.”

“Whew,” Oklahoma laughed, “close one!”

…

Yukia frowned as a humvee approached the concrete barriers at the edge of the temple complex. A woman stepped out, beaming at them and waving as she hefted a backpack. Yukia drew her sword as the other Nekos and human guards eyed the woman, and further up towards the temple a pair of men behind machine guns trained them on her.

“Hi, I was supposed to bring some stuff for Natasha?”

The woman seemed familiar, but Yukia couldn’t quite place her, “Stuff?” she asked suspiciously.

“Yeah, fancy wines I think?”

“That sounds like Natasha,” Yukia muttered, “She probably plans on toasting her victory.” Yukia’s eyes lingered on the nose ring, frowning as she struggled to remember something about that particular piece of jewelry, something important…

“Where is Natasha?” Gloria asked again, “I really don’t think she’s going to want miss out on what I’ve brought!”

“She’s in the temple,” Yukia said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, “and she isn’t to be bothered. Go park your car over with the other ones and check in with the guy running the human end of security.”

“Thanks so much!” Gloria said, walking back to the Humvee.

…

“She’s already inside,” Gloria said nervously, “So uh… do you want me to just let you out here?”

“No,” Chloé said coldly, looking at the army before them, “I want you to go find someplace to hide. Try not to get yourself killed Gloria.”

Gloria’s eyes went wide, and she nodded, “R-Right, good luck!”

Chloé patted her belly, “Just as a heads up to everyone in there, get ready, because you’re coming out really soon.”

“Finally,” Higgins muttered, deep within her stomach. Around him the men muttered in agreement. “Okay everyone, final weapons check, we’re going to be going in hot.”

She opened the Humvee door, leaping out of the vehicle and sprinting away from it. As she did so Yukia and several other Nekos turned back towards the vehicle curiously, catching sight of Gloria just as she dove behind a large concrete barrier.

“Hey!” Yukia shouted.

Chloé grinned, feeling her body begin to grow as she transformed. The steel frame of the car stung as it dug into her expanding flesh, but a moment later it tore apart like an aluminum can, crumpling beneath her weight as she shot up into the sky. The tiny pinpricks of gunfire danced along her body, tickling her slightly as she reached her full size. A missile slammed into her chest, causing her to wince slightly, but with all of the men and Nekos she’d eaten at the previous battle, her regenerative abilities were at their strongest.

“GET HER!” Yukia shouted, leading the Nekos in a charge towards the towering Naga.

Chloé smirked, then disappeared, camouflaging herself as she slithered around them.

“The temple base is under attack!” a man shouted into a radio, “send all forces here now!”

Alarms blared, and all around the temple grounds men looked up, “Alert, Alert,” a series of intercom speakers blared, “We are under attack, this is not a drill.” There was a pause, and the message began again, “Attencion, Attencion, estamos sob ataque…” The message continued to repeat in various languages, and with her advanced senses Chloé could feel the rumbling in the ground as hundreds of fighting vehicles in the outer defensive ring began heading in their direction. 

Better move fast, Chloé thought. She felt her stomach contract as she began regurgitating.

"Be prepared to cut your ties once you're out" Higgins said, feeling the world rumble, “GET READY! HERE WE-“

He felt himself vaulted upwards, and the other men shouted in surprise as they were launched through Chloé’s esophagus. Sunlight hit his skin as he tumbled along the stone entrance of the temple, and he fought the disorientation as he leapt to his feet, readying his assault rifle as the wave of Nekos paused, looking at the men in surprise.

“GO GO GO!” he shouted, squeezing the trigger and causing them to scatter with angry shouts and hisses, leaping gracefully out of the way of his shots. He glanced at the temple entrance, “Form up there!” he shouted. He looked up at one of the hastily erected guard towers, and with a scowl squeezed a burst of gunfire towards it, feeling a hint of satisfaction as the rifleman in it went limp and tumbled over the side.

“I’ve got the nuke” he shouted as he sprinted to the vehicle with the large launcher mounted missile on the back. A control box was at the side, and he looked at it for a moment, scowling as he realized the only French word he knew was “ merde”. With a resigned sigh he stepped back, drawing his handgun and squeezing off several rounds into the control box, causing it to spark as the display went out.

That won’t disarm the bomb, he thought, but nobody’s launching it today at least.

Chloé smirked as she saw Higgins and his men securing the temple entrance, and she cloaked herself again, slithering towards a group of a dozen Ouroboros soldiers sprinting in their direction. She could feel their panic as she came down on them, the tip of her tail wrapped around one man, making it seem as if he was floating in the air as she casually tossed his screaming form into her mouth.

…

A bead of sweat slowly rolled down Natasha’s forehead as she continued her work on the magical lock, the sound of gunfire outside gave her pause, but she just giggled, a sound that vibrated her lips as they pressed around Mika’s shrunken body.

Let’s see if Chloé likes the toys I brought for her to play with!

…

Oklahoma and Cécilia glanced outside of the jet windows, “That doesn’t look good,” Oklahoma muttered, pointing to a series of helicopter gunships that were slowly lifting off, flying in the direction of the temple.

“Can you fly one of those?” Cécilia asked suddenly.

“Those look Russian, so probably not,” Oklahoma muttered, “I flew a couple of helicopters in the guard, but unless they’ve got-“ her face lit up, “holy shit, look over there!”

“What?” Cécilia asked with a frown, “another helicopter?”

“That’s an RAH-66 Comanche,” Oklahoma whispered in awe, “it was this badass stealth helicopter the army wanted, but they only ever made a few of them for testing… I guess Natasha got one when they scrapped the program.”

“And you can use that one?” Cécilia asked nervously.

“I think so, I used to mess with them in flight sims, and how much different could it be from flying an Apache anyways?”

…

Chloé frowned as she heard the steady drumbeat of helicopter blades, and a second later there was a screech as the first missile slammed into her, the explosion causing her to cry out in pain as it knocked her onto her back. The ground shook as she landed, and winced as the large bullets from the gunships slammed into her body.

How do they see me!? she thought in a panic as the helicopters circled above like vultures. My Body heat! She realized , like Higgins said! She let her camouflage drop, focusing on the helicopters as she tried to think of a plan.

Chloé sprung up, ignoring the pain as her wounds knitted themselves shut. One of the helicopters swooped low, a machine gun chattering as the bullets pinpricked up her belly. She coiled her tail below her, shielding her face with her hand as the cocky pilot got closer, readying for another shot.

Gotcha! 

Like a spring Chloé rocketed through the air like a cobra, colliding with the helicopter and gripping it in her hands. The engine whined, flames bursting from ruptured fuel lines as she tackled the flying machine to the ground. There was a hiss as the pilot ejected, and Chloé’s eyes tracked the human upwards, grinning as she saw the seating fall away and his parachute expand. 

The terrified pilot looked down, then screamed in fear as he saw Chloé’s open mouth below him, and she couldn’t help but giggle as he slowly drifted down onto her waiting tongue. Her mouth snapped shut, her massive teeth severing the cords of his parachute and letting it fall to the ground like a discarded napkin. A loud gulp sent the pilot to his fate as the wrecked helicopter burned.

Her victory was short lived, she cried out in pain as another trio of missiles struck her back, nearly sending her into the dirt again and stressing her regenerative abilities to their limit as she swayed unsteadily, her skin smoking. 

I’ve got to keep moving, she thought, going low to the ground. Like a sidewinder she made her way among the command tents and parked vehicles, deftly dodging salvos of missiles and machine fire as the helicopters pursued her like angry wasps. With a hiss she raised her tail up, shielding her face as she gripped a parked humvee in hand. 

“CATCH!” she shouted, tossing it at the low flying craft. She grinned in satisfaction as she saw the humvee strike one of the choppers, sending it careening into the ground with a blossom of fire. She grabbed a second vehicle, readying it in her hand, but the loss had caused the rest to take a more cautious approach, falling back and flying higher as they pelted her with machine guns and missiles. 

Too… much… she thought, gasping from the pain. Her hand went limp, dropping the humvee as her skin caught fire again, and with a shout she fell, raising her scaled tail in a feeble attempt to protect herself. 

…

Higgins felt his mouth go dry as Chloé hit the dirt, but there was little he and his men could do. They were pinned down by gunfire from the advancing soldiers, and the Nekos were giggling, readying their blades as they playfully blew kisses at their human prey, licking their lips eagerly.

We need time to get our heavy weapons up, he thought angrily. He leaned around a large stone column, firing off a few shots, causing some of the advancing men to duck, spreading out.

“I’m hungry girls!” One of the nekos shouted, sprinting towards them, a long broadsword flashing in her hands as she leapt around the shots fired at her. One of his men screamed as she leapt up, bringing her sword down with a wicked laugh. Higgins gritted his teeth as he saw another missile slam into Chloé, and at least a dozen of the cat girls were approaching her too, flashing their weapons like they were preparing to carve a dinner ham.

We’re getting torn up… We need the Naga on the field or we’re mincemeat!

“Santo,” He shouted, calling to one of his men, “Smokes!” He pointed towards Chloé, and the man nodded, loading a grenade launcher strapped to his vest. There were a series of *plunk* sounds as the cylinders were launched across the courtyard, landing around Chloé as the smoke columns rose into the sky, obscuring her from the attacking helicopters.

That’ll give me maybe a minute, he thought, time to see if I packed the right gear for this trip…

He reached into the equipment case, hefting the flamethrower tank onto his back with an angry growl. With a roar Higgins stepped out from behind the column, sending a massive stream of flame out towards the charging Nekos. The mob’s eyes went wide, and they shrieked, fleeing before him. The soldiers fared no better, disappearing behind a wall of flame as he advanced.

“GET THE GUNS SET UP!” he shouted back to his men.

The weight of the flamethrower’s tank caused his legs to ache as he forced himself to run towards Chloé, covering his advance with streams of flame that broke the enemy’s attacks.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” he shouted at the Nekos, causing them to turn, then flee in screaming terror as he swept a wave of flame over them. He heard running footsteps behind him and whirled around, raising the nozzle of the flamethrower with a sneer on his face.

Yukia’s attack stopped, and their eyes met for a moment. Higgins looked at her, then down to the flamethrower in his hands, and the sword in hers. Yukia gulped.

“I-I think you’ve got me.”

Roast her now, just be done with this, he thought, but his finger wouldn’t pull the trigger.

“No, I missed you,” he growled, “get out of my way.

Behind them Chloé sat up with a groan, her injuries healing before their eyes as she steadied herself again. Yukia looked up at the Naga, then to Higgins. She giggled madly, a blush in her cheeks as she blew him a kiss before sprinting away.

That’s one can I’m kicking down the road for later, he decided.

The beating of helicopter blades caused his heart to race, and this time when the trio of gunships opened fire it was him they were aiming at. He threw his flamethrower down, sprinting for cover as the bullets kicked up bits of stone and dirt around him.

…

“That’s right, fuck off!” Oklahoma shouted, squeezing the trigger of her uzi and sending a burst of gunfire into the air as the maintenance workers fled before her. She climbed the stairs up to the stealth helicopter’s open cockpit, drawing the massive revolver from it’s holster as Cécilia scurried nervously behind her.

“Uh, the guards seem to have noticed us,” Cécilia said with a gulp, pointing to a jeep full of approaching soldiers.

“Don’t worry,” Oklahoma said, cocking the gun as she leveled it at a terrified pilot, “We’re not staying long.” She grinned down at the man, “You’re in my seat.”

…

Chloé hissed in pain as another pair of missiles struck her, setting her skin alight and causing her to roil in pain. The helicopters circled again, and she looked up at them with hate in her eyes as she cried out in agony. A fourth helicopter appeared, zooming over the temple grounds as Chloé grimaced, closing her eyes and waiting for the killing blow.

Instead she heard an explosion, and the whine of an engine failing. She opened her eyes to see one of her attackers spinning towards the ground, the tail in flames. The newcomer helicopter was different looking than the others, sleek and agile, darting out of the way of the return fire. As it banked low to the ground Chloé got one quick look at the cockpit, breaking into a grin as she saw a familiar face.

OKLAHOMA!?

…

“YEE HAW!” The pilot shouted, climbing high as the two remaining helicopters chased after her.

“I think I’m going to be sick!” Cécilia shouted, her face going green as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Flying free isn’t for everyone,” Oklahoma laughed, “just hold on and think happy thoughts!”

…

Chloé rolled in the dirt, extinguishing the flames that had scorched her skin. The wounds screamed in agony for a moment, and then the pain faded, her regenerative powers coming into play as the burns vanished. She shook her head once, taking a deep breath to get her bearings. Looking around the temple grounds, she saw that most of the enemy forces had fallen back. She slithered her way over to the temple entrance, where Higgins and his men were dug in now, with their larger weapons unfolded and loaded, ready to defend against the assault that was no doubt coming. Higgins himself had a slight limp as he walked behind them, nodding at her.

“We’ll hold them off here as long as we can,” he shouted, “Go get her.”

“Let me give you a hand,” Chloé growled. Her tail swung out, wrapping around the nearest of the office building sized stone pillars. With a grunt she pulled it down, causing the stone to tumble in front of the positions that Higgins and his men had taken, adding another barrier for their enemies to overcome.

In spite of everything the mercenary smiled, giving her a thumbs up, “Go finish it.”

Chloé nodded, and with a grim look of determination made her way towards the temple’s darkened entrance.

Emilie, Mika, I’m coming!

…

Natasha grinned as the final magical thread fell into place, and she spat Mika into her palms triumphantly as the enchantments faded. A moment later the entire temple shook, and the stone door slowly slid down, revealing a massive shimmering portal of pure light.

“T-The world tree, is it in there?” Emilie asked nervously.

“Yes,” Natasha sighed triumphantly. She grinned as she drew her knife again, gesturing to Emilie. “After you!”

Emilie gulped, approaching the portal and walking through it. The surface rippled like water for a moment, and Natasha approached it curiously, tapping it with the edge of her blade and watching it shimmer.

“It would appear there are no more traps,” she said with a grin, “Come Mika, let’s go finish this!”

With him in hand, she stepped through the portal.