Queen of Worms Ch. 18

Athre, Corpsemire Village.

On the road to Traitor's Karst.

"What... who're you?!" The other woman angrily demanded.

Orinya quickly answered with one thing she knew immediately. "I'm NOT here to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about. That nightmare you were having, what did you see?"

The stranger glared back. But then her eyes seemed to focus slightly more distantly, as if focusing inward. Seeing this, Orinya assumed Ulsa was speaking to the other woman inside her mind, so she waited for her Queen.

"Who's this... Ulsa?" The other woman asked. "How is she... wha...' wha' iz she...?"

Orinya smiled patiently. "Surely you saw her in your dream? But she was NOT a part of the nightmare, she rescued you from it. Even now while you're awake, you hear her in your mind, don't you? She will explain for herself, what she is. If you're striving to be a good woman, we will help you, if you need it. Will you come back with me? Ulsa also has a body there to personally talk with you, if you'd prefer that."

"Yer... yer not wi' tha' 'Light'd Ones' Cult 're ya?'"

"No," Orinya replied honestly "that's the first I've heard of the name. Though I think I can guess at who you're talking about. Come, I have a friend with me at the tavern's inn, and Ulsa is there too. Do you need food? For a village so small that the General Goods store has to double as the tavern, which doesn't even have a name, do you have a place and some time to rest? Are you fleeing the cult? My friend and I weren't sent to fight this cult, but Ulsa will help fight it. She's capable of a lot, and can answer all your questions if you trust us."

"I... I..." the stranger concentrated. "Ulsa's... what IZ she?"

Orinya sighed, but patiently repeated herself. "She's probably trying to answer that very question, with the voice inside your mind. Listen, my name's Orinya. A knight escort of one of my Queen Ulsa's servants, a messenger named Vuthniri. What's your name? You know we want to help you, right? Ulsa sees that cult as a threat. Not just to her interests, but as a threat to everyone."

The other woman blinked for a moment, then answered. "Uh... name's... Galera. Yeh... I ge'ss ya' cu'd say I'm fleein' tha' cult. Tho' s'ppose ya' cu'd say I'm takin' tha' cult wi' me?"

"'With you?'" Orinya repeated back. "What do you mean?"

Galera rubbed affectionately at her swollen and pregnant belly. "Tho't the lead'r wuz som'thin' spec'al, enu'f tha' I gave 'im my body. Then I hear he want'd ta' use tha' baby fer a... a sacra'fice..."

Orinya was horrified and shuddered. "That's awful!! Come, let's get you inside and safe. This swamp is dangerous too, though it sounds like that 'Lighted Ones' cult is even more deadly than any predator. At least you know what a wild beast wants, in eating your body. My friends and I will answer everything, okay?"

"Yeh..." Galera resigned herself as she pushed herself up, with a little assistance from Orinya. "I thin' I shud trus' yer Ulsa wi' tha' much. Go on lea' me ta' her."

-

Galera was understandably frightened when she saw Ulsa's "rooted" body and tentacles feeding Vuthniri. But Ulsa spoke with a second head specifically grown for this, as the clone's first head was occupied with feeding her host. Though startling to Galera, it was also to reassure her, since the clone's voice was the same as the one in the dream.

"Yes, Galera." The Worm Queen said warmly with a sincere smile. "We ARE the woman you saw in your nightmare, though it was all an illusion of your own fears, you saw the cultists chasing after you with an unstoppable fury. We are the woman you saw summoning behind us, that surging wave of worms to cover over the cultists, and urged you to wake up."

Ulsa's description of how she interrupted the nightmare was so accurate, this mitigated a considerable amount of Galera's shock on an unconscious level. She was after all, seeing a woman whose "body" seemed made of worms. Galera stayed as she stared, and without panicking. So after pausing for the other woman to take her appearance in, Ulsa continued.

"Yes, we are the voice that was speaking in your mind as Orinya introduced herself and us. We were explaining what we are, but we also wanted you to focus on being able to see around you, before showing you the full extant of what we looked like. We also wanted you to get safely inside, and for that, you needed to see where you were walking. This swamp is dangerous enough, even if you can see. Though currently, half of our body sort of looks like a bizarre, tentacled, plant monster, we are NOT a monster. We are the Queen of Worms. Are you willing to listen for an explanation, or are you too frightened for us? If the sight of us causes you trauma, we can eliminate that pain for you, but it means we must make you forget seeing us. Regardless of your choice, and are strangers to each other, we want you to enjoy what's best for you. Even if you feel too terrified to stay with us. What is your choice? Do you want time to think about it?"

Galera simply stared some more, until she finally spoke again. Her voice was shaky, but not obviously not filled with terror and trauma.

"Yer not... well... yer not hurtin' me, tho' it's obvi'us ya' c'ud, iffn ya' want'd to, I s'ppose. Def'nit'ly not ah e'nemy. Yer body is made o' these wurms?"

"Yes." Ulsa confirmed. "It's a long story for repeating, but for anyone to accept us, each must hear an explanation in a way that they feel comfortable with. Even if they ultimately don't accept us in the end. We would rather save you from more pain or trauma. In the nature of monsters, those sorts of creatures don't care at all for your trauma, or even worse, they PROVOKE it because they enjoy it. So it continues, even if this may hurt or destroy you, to get what they want. Does it help settle your fear, that we say this?"

Galera's shoulders relaxed unconsciously as she considered the words, and then finally nodded.

"It does, ah' s'ppose. But ya' were speakin' inna ma' mind? How? How do ah' kno' ah' ken trus' that?"

"Ah, yes." Ulsa said with a grimace. "Because in order to settle your nightmare, we had to enter your body with some of our worms, and these are still inside you. We WILL leave you, if that's what you want. Even with that, we will prevent you from any more nightmares of the cultists. Do you want us to leave your body, or do you want a full explanation of what we are? Also, of what our other hosts are?"

Galera thought for a long moment. "I see yer lev'lin' wi' me, so... yeh, I wan' the full 'xpl'nay-shun."

"You want the 'full explanation?' Sorry, we wanted Orinya and Vuthniri to understand too. Your accent is very thick."

"Uh... yeh, Ulsa. I wan' tha.' The 'xplanation. I nee' ta' kno wha' ya are, if yer gunna help meh wi' 'en-neethin.' I kno. Yeh, mah' accen' iz diff'cult fer otha's to lis'en ta."

"Good." Ulsa said. "We will explain everything of what we are as the Queen of Worms then, and more about how we can speak inside your mind. You'll understand it all, even though it will only take a minute or two."

A minute or two later, Galera was staring in amazement at Ulsa, not because of her body remaining a "rooted" figure made of a group of worms that organized themselves with tentacles. Galera was staring, because of everything ELSE that Ulsa had revealed via the telepathed knowledge. About herself, and about the natures of her hosts.

"Does that satisfy you, Galera?"

Galera was speechless, but Ulsa could sense inside, the other woman's reaction. It was important that Galera know for herself, what her reaction was, because some people didn't know what their own decisions or reactions were, until taking some time to let it all process. Meanwhile, Orinya brought all the deathfern she had gathered for Ulsa, who promptly stretched out tentacles made of her worms, and began absorbing the fresh, but lethal foliage. Then Orinya went out to forage some more for her Queen. Even as she "ate" the plants, Ulsa already knew what Galera's internalized emotions were going with, so the Worm Queen sent over the second head she had been using to talk. Sent it all the way over to Galera's face, on a stretching, sinuously serpentine, tentacle neck.

"You know now, all of what we are. We already know we have soothed your fears, and that your calm is your own reaction. Not imposed by force of our will, but by you. We already know what you have decided, but you need to acknowledge it to yourself. What are you going to do, Galera?"

Galera stared at Ulsa's head bobbing slightly in front of her. Then she smiled, and opened her mouth.

"I g'ess it's obvi'us ta' you, iffn yer 'n mah mind. Yeh, Ulsa. I 'ccept you. I still wan' ta' pursu' mah own life, so ah don' thin' ah ken be as d'vot'd a sur-vent or follow'r, as Orinya, or Vuthniri there. But I ken be happy ya' wan' ta' help meh."

Ulsa nodded her head on the tentacle neck. "That's perfectly alright, Galera. We will never force our will against others, unless it's obvious that doing nothing will cause, or allow more harm. Negligence is an evil too, if someone ends up starving. But we won't cause harm in forcing something. Thank you for accepting us Galera. You don't want to fully consider us as your Queen, but you are willing to be a host then? We also have another important question. How far along are you in the pregnancy?"

"Yeh, Ulsa. Ah also thin' I'll help s'pport yer clones as dey 'nfil-trate tha' dis-gustin' 'Light'd Ones' cult. Tho' I'll hav' ta s'pport from tha' outside. I can' go back ther,' dey'd kno' me, an' I'm... I'm too scar'd ta' go back. Um... preg'nent? Thin' Imma six months now."

"You won't have to go back to the cult, Galera. Not even to fight them, and we sense that you WANT to destroy them. Our clones will go in, and we can change their appearance as we see fit. The swamp will still be dangerous of course, but you'll help us make the whole area safer by supporting our clones as we stop the cult."

"Yes, Ulsa. I'm... I'm ready... fer yur wurms."

Ulsa smiled contentedly. As the two began to kiss their mouths, Ulsa was slithering more of her worms into the other woman, who swallowed them as if thirstily drinking milk from a jug.

-

In Galera's mind, she and Ulsa both found themselves standing in front of a large ruin. As Galera realized what she was seeing now, she began to panic.

"How're we back here?! I thought-"

"Settle yourself, Galera." Ulsa insisted. "We haven't gone anywhere. We're both still in that rented room where we're feeding Vuthniri with our rooted tentacles. This is the cultists' temple, we assume? We can't control what you think, or how you react, nor should we. But we can select from your memories, what we wish to look at. We don't need you to guide us through it, but we feel that confronting your memories of the cultists this way, will help you overcome the trauma and pain that was inflicted against you. With our help, you can learn to control your fear, Galera."

"How are..." Galera stopped as she seemed to focus on her voice. "My accent? What's happened to my voice?"

Ulsa rubbed affectionately at Galera's shoulder. "This is YOUR mind, Galera. The meaning of your thoughts are being expressed directly as words, and because we are Ulsa, we can communicate directly in the same way. Before we fused together, Ulsa had her own mind, so as she learned from the worms, the worms also learned from her. We have the same meaning of these as we learned from our other hosts of course, but mingled most together through Ulsa. So you're hearing the language most of all, from what you've heard from others, even though you're hearing the words from your own voice. We are mingling ourselves in your mind to help you confront your fears, but even so, you still retain dominant control of it. Ultimately, you can also still control your mind completely, even your own fears. You simply need to learn to control your fears, because they need specific ways of being controlled. Do you want us to confront them together? We can also learn what we need to fight the cult, without you confronting your fear. But confronting, fighting your fear, is the first step to control it."

"You... you can do this..." Galera's hand stretched out, "you can do this, with me?"

"Yes." Ulsa gently hugged her. "It's because we are the Queen of Worms, because we can directly mingle ourselves, using our worms as we connect inside your brain and body. Now, do you want to start?"

Galera's grin broke out in a grim satisfaction. "YES. We NEED to stop this cult of killers. I'll do anything to stop them, and I'll be happy to get your help against the fear."

With that, the doors of the "ruined temple" within her mind, flew open, revealing a dim and spooky light from within. There was a rhythmic chanting of strange words that were unknown even to the many thousands of years' worth within the worms' hive-mind memory.

"That chanting," Ulsa asked "it's a true recall of the cult, exactly as you remember it? This, Galera... this is how you will help us learn to stop the cult. We will learn from your memories, as we also help you confront them. You still remember how their temple is laid out, in finding the way through it. You still remember their customs and other important things for our clones to infiltrate. It is especially curious to us, because despite our hundreds of thousands of years as a hive-mind, we have not encountered these 'Lighted Ones' before. So, your memory is especially important, Galera. They may have recently invaded from somewhere else in Athre, but we suspect more likely that someone has discovered a particularly enigmatic, or enthralling magic. But whatever it will be, we are immune to it, as our bodies aren't human, physically speaking, our biology is based on the worms. What affects your senses, will not affect ours. Let's go inside the temple. Even here in Corpsemire, you've surely seen King Deralath's soldiers, right? Remember what you've seen already, and focus on them. Imagine yourself armed with their weapons, and armored as well. Focus hard on this. We are in YOUR mind, so you can do it, if you concentrate enough."

Galera stared at Ulsa, then at herself.

"So... I only look like I'm 'pregnant' here, but this 'body' in my mind..."

"Yes, Galera. Your real body will retain the baby you're carrying, but in your mind, your only limit is what you believe or don't. This is the power of your emotions, and of what you fear. Focus your faith, and it will aid you. Doubt, and you will fall."

"Focus my faith..."

Suddenly her body changed into a new slim, muscularly toned, strong figure, wearing a form-fitting, full suit of armor made all of black crystal, linked together by woven wire. Clearly not a typical soldier's armor, but functional and powerfully enduring. At least, it looked that way. Even though it didn't show any of Galera's skin, it also seemed to amplify the size of her swollen breasts, and accentuated the sweeping curves of her hips. Of her legs, of her graceful arms, and her dextrous hands. In her grip, a double-edged sword that appeared to glow with red hot fire, complimented in the other hand, by a snaking whip black as ink.

"Interesting." Ulsa commented. "We didn't figure you would have skill with a whip or a sword. Thought you would prefer a bow, or maybe a mace. Weapons built for smashing opponents, are clumsier, though don't need as much skill as a sword. You also seemed very specific about this set?"

"Didn't you sense it in my mind?"

"We don't peek at every little detail, that would be far beyond what is needed for helping, even for this. We are here, as support, but not to be intrusive."

Galera stared at her, but smiled nonetheless. "Wow. You... you may be the nicest person I have ever met. No wonder these women call you their Queen."

"Yes, well both as what we have adopted for our behavior over the millennia, in mixing our hive mind with Queens like Ulsa, we find polite respect is always the best policy. As for our own armor and weapons..."

Ulsa's body was suddenly covered in undulating, moving, ribbon-shaped worms, as if her "armor" was made of animated plates of bone that constantly moved in and under each other. But all as worms. Her weapons were the multiple tentacles that Ulsa's arms transformed into, and even these were armored. Tipped, with deadly looking hardened spear points that looked ready to pierce anything. Armored though she was, and knowing Ulsa was on her side, Galera still stared in shock.

"THAT'S... why are you...?"

"We know what you ask, and why. Galera, this is what we express ourselves as, because it is what we are, as a blending of our worms, and Ulsa. We need Ulsa's body for walking among humans who we don't want to frighten, and because we ARE Ulsa. Even in the human sense. But this," Ulsa waved her lethally-tipped tentacles, "is also who and what we are now, too. As a warrior of worms, seeking to defend peace and justice for our hosts. Seeking to respect free will, so long as it doesn't destroy others. This cult is seeking to subvert, rather than let others choose. That, is the first reason why they have earned our wrath. But also, as we heard through Orinya's when you told her, these 'Lighted Ones' are engaging in the sacrifice of babies yet to be born! Just for that, they deserve far worse than being stopped! With our clones, we will find out which deserve death, or which were merely brainwashed. For now though, you need your own mind settled, Galera. Let's move forward now."

-

As the pair moved through the dark temple, lit by fiery torches and candles, Ulsa was aghast at the disgusting appearance inside. Symbols, runes, and other markings, related to mind control. All painted in blood, and viscera. Even some of the brain tissue of their victims, but in a way that was extremely subtle, so that initiates or others the cult was trying to deceive, wouldn't realize it at first. Being gradually influenced by this, to accept the increasingly darker aspects of the cult, under the "beauty" of the cult's "light." Although it wasn't real, this was as recalled by Galera's memories when she used to be a cultist, and follower of their leader. He was a "Magister Lefgaath." Although Galera was at one time, a barmaid in Traitor's Karst, and married to an impoverished tanning laborer, it was a happier life than the reality of the cult. Magister Lefgaath never said anything about why her husband disappeared, or about what happened to him, but Galera now suspected Ophur was killed by the Magister. So that she would induced to give her devotion to the cult and Lefgaath's sexual lusts. When she found herself pregnant, Galera delighted herself in the idea that she was carrying the child of her "beloved Magister." Up until she heard he was delighted to think of using the birth as a "blood sacrifice." Then Galera became terrified, but pretended her part until she could escape from the cult.

In sensing all of this from Galera's mind, Ulsa encouraged the other woman to help her first explore the layout of the cult's temple, rather than summoning the memory of the cultists themselves. If Galera had, they both would have had to fight these manifestations, even as expressions of her mind. So, they walked about, even as they still heard the disembodied creepy chanting of the cultists.

"You're SURE we won't have to fight them?"

"Yes, Galera." Ulsa said to assure her new friend. "Remember, this 'temple,' even the chanting, its all from your mind. The chanting is probably recalled by you, more as a part of the temple itself, than as the cultists themselves. In asking you to explore, it's also recalling the detail of the chanting from when you navigated the real temple. As the Queen of Worms, if we weren't here with you, the cultists would appear too, but because you would have expected them. We're suppressing the recall of them, so if they were made to appear, you would need to intentionally focus on 'calling' for the cultists. With us helping you, the cultists will only appear when you're ready to fight against them."

"Well," the former cultist nodded "that makes me feel better then."

They walked through each room, the speaking hall, the dining area, the barracks, the kitchen, and other areas. Ulsa was especially intrigued by a mysterious room which seemed to be a storage room for all these lanterns the "Lighted Ones" carried. Except that each lantern was resting on its one pedestal, and what looked like a nameplate. As if they all had some special and unique, importance. Ulsa recalled the description of the lanterns, and how they were apparently involved with the cult's method of mind control. When they looked at them, aside from the names, each looked exactly like the others. At a distance, they must have looked like any other ordinary lantern. Up close though, Ulsa saw that there were no wicks, no candles, no oil reservoirs, nothing that hinted of the mysterious light Tulnik described.

"What did they use for producing the light?"

"I don't know." Galera replied. "When they dimmed, Lefgaath had the other cultists bring them to his room, and then he took the lanterns into another private room connected with his. But as far as I know, he never let any of us in there. Certainly never let me in there, and I was one of his sexual 'confidants!' I admit, up until he said our child's entrails needed to be used for the cult's ritual magic, I never really thought about it. But I was pretty much his mind-puppet until the horror of his demand for sacrifice shocked me out of it. If there's a secret of his control in the cult, it's probably in that room."

"Good," Ulsa said "please show us the way to it. We know that if you haven't been allowed inside, you have no memory of that to show beyond what you've already seen. But we will find our way to it, when we have our clones inside. Please pardon us for asking, we sense you don't wish to join us as we rebuild our secret city in Morthpit. What will you want to do, after helping settle your fears?"

"I want to find out specifically, what happened to my husband, Ophur. I'm quite ashamed to admit it, but that bastard magister, in seducing me to his damned cult, I think he had Ophur murdered. I'm determined to find out, and to find his body if I can. I think I'll have to search Traitor's Karst, but I don't know yet."

"Yes," Ulsa agreed "we sense in your mind, a strong desire for this search. Even though we must focus on the cult's temple, you're subconsciously trying to generate mental projections of Traitor's Karst. You MUST focus on the temple. Searching for your lost husband is understandably one of the most important goals in your life, but all you could do right, is search an illusionary version of the place in your memory. That won't really have your man Ophur. At best, all you'd find a false simulacrum in your memory, but not real life. Come, focus on the temple, Galera. What was the significance of these lanterns' individual names?"

"Well... they were supposed to entrance people by drawing a little bit of their spirit into them. The part involving loyalty and emotions, I think. This is unique to each person, but after staring at the light, we all felt a strong loyalty to it, and to who was responsible for it. To the 'great' Magister. Because of how each lantern was connected to enslaving each new initiate, then each had that person's name. Eventually, Magister Lefgaath would declare the initiate to be a true member of our cult's 'family,' which involved taking their lantern and then having sex with the cult member. I don't know what he did to make each lantern ready for the next victim."

Ulsa nodded. "And the reason for the bloody 'decorations' on the walls?"

Galera looked disgusted, but also sad. As if she hated herself for being once involved with that, but feeling like she was helpless to do anything.

"I never quite understood that about it, but I'm trying to remember the premise of what Magister Lefgaath said. Something about how the remaining spirit essence in the victims'... uh..." Galera looked especially disgusted and angry with herself as she focused on this detail, "the victims' blood and bones. After being... smeared or fastened on the walls, it would pull at the spirits of others who saw the... remains. It would slowly drain away at the warning of the shock they would feel... or something like that."

"Hmm..." Ulsa said "we're peering in on that already. You were brainwashed quite thoroughly, and your mind has suppressed a lot of the trauma. We're... we're looking now at what your self-appointed 'Magister' said. Ah... we understand. All a lot of nonsense about desensitization, and using that to slowly make the darker aspects become more acceptable. It's probably for the best that you keep this suppressed from your waking mind. This among other... even more... gory details, has been in violent conflict with your conscience, and so you attack yourself in your sleep for your own part in all of this. We're going to need to keep a few of our worms inside your brain, to find the relevant neural connections and control these. But that means controlling specific parts of your brain involved with storing these memories. If you fear us controlling your brain, this conflict between our worms, and your mind's defenses will cause you to go insane. Eventually, when we've settled the memories causing your nightmares, we will gradually relinquish the control of those parts of your brain. But you must trust us absolutely, to help you."

-

After going through all of the areas Galera remembered, she announced that she felt ready to fight the cultists.

"Good!" Ulsa replied. "Now, your subconscious may conjure up more than your thinking mind can handle. How many cultists do you feel like you're willing to confront right now? One? Or ten? Or twenty?"

"Two, I guess? If you're here with me, anyway."

"Yes, Galera. We are. Focus on your memories of them, what they looked like, sounded like, and how they behaved. Also, before you do that, there is a type of dreaming, called 'Lucent Dreams.' In these, once you realize you're actually dreaming, you also realize you can control everything you experience in the dream. So you need to do or see something, that would only appear in your mind. Since we are here as the Queen of Worms, we can show you an example."

Suddenly, Ulsa was holding a toy ball. Dropping it in front of her, the ball bounced, and then kept bouncing. Without rolling or moving away, it seemed to continue bouncing, as if nothing was slowing down its rate.

"You know that in reality, this ball would have started slowing down by now. But it isn't, because we control it. If you have something that you can try when you're awake, but it behaved differently here...?"

Galera nodded, and flipped a coin into the air. When it finally came to a rest, it was sitting directly on its edge, not heads up or heads down.

"Very creative!" Ulsa said with approval. "Now, it's vital to you, that you know with absolute certainty, that the coin will ONLY behave like this in your imagination. So if you toss the coin, you will know it's within your own mind that you're doing this, and that you have the ultimate control of everything you sense in it. Including when you see this in a nightmare, Galera. So ALWAYS keep something you can test while you're awake. Now, remember your weapons?"

She nodded, her armor suit reappearing on her body. Ulsa's armor of "plated worms" never really disappeared, but she assumed a fighting stance alongside her friend.

"In preparation for your conscious reaction, focus on the memory of the cultists, and summoning that to us, as we count down from five."

Galera closed her eyes and recalled. Ulsa used her worms to strengthen her neural connections throughout Galera's brain, and she didn't know it, Galera's subconscious would have done far worse than two to start with. There was an army of countless insane cultists were raging against Ulsa's suppression of them. It would have seemed as though Ulsa wasn't doing anything, but that was because the Worm Queen had the combination of her strength as a worm hive-mind, and because she could control her appearance as perfectly graceful composure.

"Five... four... three... two... one. Now, Galera!"

"Galera!" A woman screeched. "Come back to us! The Great Magister wants his child!! And your own absence is like a cloven wound in our family!!"

"Come Galera..." a man's voice growled in hungry tones, "Magister needs your spirit for the power of our family, and... we are... HUNGRY..."

In front Ulsa and Galera, a pair of cultists were standing in their hooded robes. A cloth colored as if dyed with blood. Each brandished in one hand, a weapon, and in an equally threatening posture, a lantern. The woman held a net filled with sharp-looking little blades, most pointing inward, as if made from a fishing net that also had a hundred or more arrowheads sewn or tied into it. Galera never knew if these nets had a slowing poison painted to the arrowheads, but she suspected. The man had a large cleaver stained dark with the apparent blood of MANY victims, some of whom Galera knew personally, yet this slavering, ravenous, psychotic... this was the cult's "chef." Known for his favorite dishes involving human meat and other things, cut out of still living bodies. Every week, he served the cult with a stew of... well, things that Galera wished she could forget.

"No!" The former cultist screamed, and threw back a contemptuous retort. "Your DISGUSTING 'Lighted Ones,' was an organized effort of using horrific behavior to keep us cooperative and fearfully docile! Using your lanterns, your drugs, to keep us in the DARK, and ignorant of your evil!"

The woman threw up her net to try ensnaring, but Galera slashed with her sword, cutting it apart. Then throwing back with her whip, she wrapped it around the cultist's legs and pulled them down, knocking the cultist on her back. The cultist Chef roared and hacked down at Galera's shoulder. But before he could get more closer than a couple feet away, Ulsa had grabbed him, wrapping her tentacles around the cannibalistic lunatic's arms and over his cleaver. With her fiery sword, Galera pressed the flat of its hot, glowing reddish-orange blade directly into the Chef's face, making him scream in agonized pain, and fear.

"You. CAN'T. Hurt. Me... ANYMORE!!"

Galera's voice was full of righteously indignant fury, and even as she yelled her defiance, the former cultist flicked her whip again. It gave a sort "ta-tchick!" noise, and suddenly a line of blades snicked out all along the whip's line. Ulsa's familiarity with her experiences of Earth, instantly made her think of the resemblance to "razor-wire," if it had been made into a whip. Jerking her hand back, this now-bladed whip shredded at the cultist woman's legs, making them run red with blood. With her other hand, Galera slammed the Mad Chef back, reveling in a strength only capable within her mind. As the Chef fell backwards, Galera kicked him in a way that sent him sliding towards the other cultist's bloody shredded legs. Now with the taste of blood in his frenzied mouth again, the Chef apparently forgot the pain of his now burned face, and dove his teeth at his companion on the floor. Biting, gnashing, chewing as hard as he could, at the wounded woman, who was screaming in terror, and pleading for mercy.

Galera nodded as if this was all a confirmation.

"It's their nature. The evil will ALWAYS end up feeding off of each other, when they can't feed on the ignorant or the strong."

"Well said." Ulsa agreed. "These cultists don't seem to be part of the daggerteeth parasites we're preparing to fight, but they do invoke the same spirit. We have seen similar behavior from the daggerteeth hosts, so we want to study these cultists when we infiltrate as our clones. Remember, are only projections in your mind, Galera. But it is not right or healthy for you to dwell on imagining their suffering, now that you have gained control. End them, Galera."

She turned around to look at Ulsa.

"How?"

"Simple, once you recognize how they were brought to face you. Since this is your subconscious, it is your own mind bringing them, as you try focusing on a method to figure out how to fight them in real life. The problem is that you're forgetting you have a real reason to fear them in real life. But that's for real life. They can't physically do anything to you here, because they're brought here BY you, from your memory. You can't truly forget them, the only way you can, if we destroyed some parts of your brain. Obviously, we shouldn't do that. So, when you're awake, how do you turn your mind away from an upsetting memory?"

Abruptly, the scene changed as a wall burst open, and a mounted horseman jumped in. The stallion he was riding, was a strong, muscular white horse, the man was strong, but of average build. Though he wore simplistic, homespun clothing, his hair was a brightly shining buttered brown color, and though the eyes were dark, they seemed to almost glow with a warmly joyous inner light. Also seemingly as if conjuring it in his hand, the man suddenly had a mace and leaned down to smash it into the body of the Mad Chef. As suddenly as that, the cultist disappeared! Then the horseman "conjured" another object, a large sheet, and threw it over the body of the dead cultist woman. The form underneath morphed, transforming under the sheet, into a bed with the sheet over it. Then some pillows appeared on it, and headboards grew out from either end.

"Yes!" Ulsa encouraged. "Distract yourself! Summon up the happier memories to help defend you, and you will learn more self-control. More about how to calm yourself. What do you want to do next?"

The man who was obviously supposed to be Galera's mental projection of her vanished husband, Ophur, dismounted from his horse. Following after the traditions of introductions, Galera took Ophur's hand and pointed him to Ulsa.

"Dear, this is Ulsa, she's helping me to learn how to control my fears, and having you with me here, is part of it."

"Yes," Ophur agreed "I suppose that makes sense. Though I don't know how I got here."

Ulsa pushed lightly at Galera. "You know how, don't you? You brought him here. Even the memory of his strong, defensive hand, can fight your fear, and give you a different feeling to focus on. To replace your fear with your love. Even if he's not 'really' here."

"I don't understand." Ophur said. "Of course I'm really here. I couldn't be able to speak with you, or do anything, if I weren't. Right?"

Galera sighed. "Don't worry about it. The point is... we can enjoy being together again."

"Yes," Ulsa agreed "it's important that your projection of Ophur behaves and speaks as you would expect here. Because the real Ophur will always behave or speak slightly differently than this one. This will help remind you which is the REAL man, and which one isn't. But since this is YOUR mind, can you imagine a second Ophur being here? Since you created a bed, maybe you could enjoy making love to two Ophurs?"

"Yes." Another man said as he stepped out from the darkness of the wall's hole, and looking identical to the first. "I am also Ophur. My sweet Galera, I see you already have the bed. Shall we get onto it right away, or shall I start covering your skin in kisses?"

"I'm sure," the first "Ophur" said to his twin, " that we can do both, together. Or maybe..."

He abruptly picked Galera up, and tossed her. It appeared to be as easy for him, as throwing one of the pillows. When she landed bouncingly on the bed, the woman giggled in amusement.

"You do remember I like it rough, don't you?"

"I remember. Your pleasure also pleases me."

The first Ophur crawled under to start easing his cock into Galera's now naked ass, while the second crawled on top to enter her pussy. As she walked over to lower her own pussy over Galera's eager mouth, Ulsa added another comment.

"They're actually behaving not just according to what you expect the real Ophur would say or do, but they're also doing all of this according to your whims, Galera. Whether you consciously know it or don't. We remind you of this to help you master the skill of Lucent Dreaming. When you have mastered it, you will be able to control EVERYTHING within your dreams."

"Yes, Ulsa." Galera replied. "You truly are a... ahhh... a great friend, and are... ahhh... doing me a good favor. I... ahhh... suppose I was suspicious..., ahhh... but I trust you now. Ahhh... still..." she sucked at Ulsa's pussy for a moment, then continued, "still... I want my indepen... ahhh... my independence. So I... ahhh... BOTH holes getting... ahhh... getting fucked... I love it... ahhh... I want my... independence, so... ahhh... I can't serve you as... ahhh... devotedly as these other... ahhhh... servants of yours."

As Galera went back to sucking at the Worm Queen's tentacle-filled pussy, Ulsa nodded her concession.

"That's... ahhh... that's perfectly fine... Galera... ahhh... you don't even need... ahhh... don't need us to stay... ahhh... inside your body. But, if you... ahhh... choose to continue living... in... ahhh... in our realm... around our city of Morthpit... ahhh... then you must accept our... ahhh... our authority as Queen... ahhh... but you can have... your... ahhh... yes... Galera... ohh... your tongue... ahhh... is dancing inside us. Ahhh... yes... you can enjoy your... ahhh... freedom... we don't need... ahhh... your personal devotion... as a servant... ahhh... need only your respect of us... as your Queen. Ahhh... as a citizen of our monarchy, we have... ahhh... have a responsibility to... ahhh... to stop threats... and provide you a peaceful land. Ahhh... more of your tongue, please... ahhh... that feels so... GOOD... we will patrol the countryside... stop criminals... ahhh... and defend you against invasion. We will... ahhh... improve the roads... make travel safer... ahhh... and hopefully more travelers will mean... ahhh... more honest work for you. Is that fair for you...? Ahhh... please tell us aloud..."

Ulsa could sense the other woman thinking, and already knew what she was going to respond with. But for her to truly be satisfied, Galera needed to acknowledge it to herself, and to declare aloud, the decision. Even as she kept rocking her hips against the double-penetration from the twin mental projections of her missing husband, Galera paused her tongue and pulled her mouth from Ulsa's pussy.

"I... ahhh... I accept you as... ahhh... as my Queen, Ulsa... ahhh... if you provide as... ahhh... as you promise. It... it... ahhh... sounds... like you would... ahhh... would be a good Queen... ahhh... I would even accept... becoming... ahhh... a host... if you help me find... ahhh... help... find my Ophur..."

Then Galera went back to sucking at the Worm Queen's pussy, so Ulsa replied.

"Yes... Galera... ahhh... we WILL help you... ahhh... to find him... we would... ahhh... even help you regardless... ahhh... even if you chose... NOT... to... ahhh... become a host... we sense... ahhh... a deep and intense... ahhh... an intense love for Ophur. Ahhh... a SINCERE love. There... ahhh... IS a good woman inside you..., ahhh... former cultist though... you are. Ahhh... you deserve to know... whatever... ahhh... deserve to know what... ahhh... happened to him... you need... ahhh... to have Ophur back... if... ahhh... if he's still alive... and... ahhh... closure... if he's not..."

Ulsa continued gyrating her pussy against her new subject's licking tongue and sucking mouth, but was also delighting herself with sensing Galera's horny gratitude. Then she continued.

"Galera... ahhh... would you like an... ahhh... administrative position? The com... ahhh... communities of... Traitor's Karst..., ahhh... and Corpsemire... they will... ahhh... will become part of... ahhh... our Queendom... we will... ahhh... need to appoint special... ahhh... special hosts as governors. Ahhh... people who are not... ahhh... not our clones... the... ahhh... the other people... ahhh... our citizens... will relate... ahhh... will relate more... to real people... ahhh... than to our clones. Ahhh... your tongue... do you... ahhh... do you want to be... ahhh... 'Governor Galera...?'"

As Ulsa focused on the response, the Worm Queen was overjoyed to sense an affirmative, from Galera. Now that she had permission for it in the tavern's rented room, Ulsa was slithering her worms throughout Galera's body to integrate her as a true host. At the same time, the Queen of Worms was updating the situation to her other two followers, Orinya and Vuthniri. Both telepathed their own joy to welcome Galera as a new sister host, and as a future governor for their Queen's rulership in the region. Meanwhile in Galera's mind, the pleasure that both the new host, and the Queen together felt, was enough to make them climax in unison. Both in the mental simulation, and with their bodies outside of it. With Galera, it was the typical type of feminine climax, though augmented as the worms slithered through it. But the Worm Queen's "body" was still a humanoid torso, "rooted" like a plant or fungus, to the floor, and currently grinding herself against Vuthniri as the post rider ground herself with the Queen. Thrusting her own pussy tentacles in and out of Ulsa. Penetrating several "extra" pussies the Queen had specifically formed for this purpose. So that Ulsa was climaxing three times as much as Galera or Vuthniri, and allowing the horsewoman to drink that much more with her own pussy's tentacles.

Inside Galera's mind, she kept repeating this, fighting alongside her new Queen, increasingly larger numbers of "conjured" instances of the cultists, and then both of them having sex with her projections of Ophur. Now, if she met her husband again, although still romantically loyal to her feelings of him, Galera was also now especially aroused by the idea of Ophur having sex with Ulsa, and other hosts. She did feel a new sense of devotion to her Queen, but didn't want this to conflict with her desire to reunite with Ophur. She was a woman on a personal quest to find his fate, and would not give this up until she knew what happened. So they continued, confronting the cultists to desensitize herself to the fear they inspired, and then enjoying intense sex after each fight, as a reward.

With the sort of focus that only the Hive Mind was capable of, Ulsa was monitoring Galera for the increasing sense of calm against the typical "fight or flight" response. By the time that Galera was remaining completely calm after hundreds of fights, Ulsa deemed that her new host was completely in control of her fears now. At least the fears of the cultists. The stimulation of fear was still there, but now she faced them without reacting to the fear. While controlling her fight response, so that Galera wasn't in a berserker rage or panicky overkill of exhaustion. Though it was her mind's dream-world, Galera wanted to experience the fight a little harder than she knew would have to in reality. Ulsa argued this would condition her for nearly anything the enemy would try attacking her with, even in the extreme. It still felt like sadomasochism, but Galera conceded to the Worm Queen's logic, and fighting these amped-up cultists here was ideal because they were controllable here.

By the time that Ulsa told Galera had completely mastered her nightmares, the former cultist was as battle-hardened as the most ferocious veteran soldier. But she didn't know how much.

"Really?" Galera asked. "I don't feel any different."

Ulsa nodded. "That's part of it. It's so deep and subtly hidden in your psyche, that you won't consciously notice. But you are ready now, to return to your consciousness outside of this mental simulation. Our hosts are eager to welcome you as one of us, Galera."

-

As they emerged out of Galera's mental simulation of the cult's temple, she was aware again, of Ulsa's tentacles in her body. But now, the Worm Queen was withdrawing them, both from Galera's mouth, and from her pussy. In her mind, Galera experienced the fight training as if she had spent days at it, or even several months. But it seemed clear that only mere minutes had passed since accepting Ulsa into her mind for confronting the fears. Unsettled as she was in starting that, now Galera was fully comfortable with the nature of Ulsa's worms, and of the other host women. While still having sex with her "rooted" Queen, Vuthniri was also sucking from Ulsa's breasts. Orinya had returned from foraging, and was eager to help teach Galera about the nature of becoming one of Ulsa's hosts. Of course, Galera was just as eager to have sex, which Orinya also would be quite happy with, if they were more horny than inquisitive.

"Welcome back to us, Galera!" Orinya enthused as she affectionately rubbed at the other woman's bare breast. "You have left a false family, and embraced adoption into a far better one. At least in an extended way. Although we could enjoy each other via our Queen's gift of telepathy, there's more fun to be had in person, than at a distance. So we'll be happy to entertain you when you're ready to visit Morthpit. But it's right and good, that you find Ophur first. I haven't seen your memories of him, but Ulsa telepathed me that you miss him more than if you lost a limb!"

"Yes..." Galera cried softly as she started hugging Orinya's alabaster paleness. "I do miss him. I never really knew how much... until I didn't have him, and..."

Galera started sobbing into Orinya's shoulder, so the lady paladin wrapped her arms over the other woman, their breasts mashing together as Galera let out her feelings.

"I didn't know how much he loved me... until I was threatened by that which I gave him up for!" Her voice was intermittent against her streaming tears.

"Yes, Galera." Orinya was rubbing slowly over the other woman's nipples as she comforted her. "Don't hold onto your agony. But take comfort in knowing that our Queen will help you find him. In the meantime, do you want some time for all of this, or do you want... our affections? This is not to pressure you."

Galera raised her head as they both hugged, and gave a sad smile as she looked at Ulsa's Lady Paladin. Then for response, Galera leaned in, and both women began kissing slowly. Just as slowly, they both started fondling each other's curves, tracing their hands over the dips and rises of each other's bodies. Then Galera pulled back for another moment.

"I think I need to practice this 'telepathy' with you and the others. I want to communicate what comfort I want from you, and especially from our Queen. But I don't want that to interrupt as we play with our comfort."

Orinya warmly squeezed Galera. "Of course. I was hoping you'd ask me to teach you about our sexualized natures as hosts. Though technically, I'm not a host, because of how Queen Ulsa formed my body. But most of that is the same as Vuthniri's body, or of what your body will become for our Queen. Relax your mind to her, allow her to focus your thinking towards sending your thoughts. Or also, of receiving others' thoughts. Our Queen will do all the hard work."

"Yes..." Galera's tone was growing lustful as she relaxed. "I'm enjoying this... please Ulsa... enter my mind and establish yourself. Help me to learn about telepathy, and what you want from me as your host..."

Ulsa was already stretching out a pulsating tentacle to Galera's open and receptive mouth. Being guided as she was by the worms already inside her brain, Galera quickly moved her lips over the tentacle, and excitedly deep-throated it.

'That's it Galera.' Ulsa telepathed. 'Though we were going to be temporary about it, if you didn't want us, we've already made you a host to help you conquer your nightmares. Ready as we still are, to leave if that is your will, we are glad you want to make this permanent. You truly want to become one of our hosts, Galera?'

She nodded with a strong motion. Hive-mind though she was now, Ulsa sincerely wanted each of her hosts to seriously decide and accept (if that was the respective host's decision), each of his or own free will. Even the potential host's decision was to reject Ulsa, she honestly wanted that, rather than forcing her desires. Though it wasn't the same sort of activity, the hive-mind's embrace of human instincts had already recognized with Qyra, its first host and Queen of Worms from ancient millennia ago, that forcing its own will was evil. As evil, and for the same reasons, as rape or murder. If not as the same thing as these, it was because things like that forced an unpleasantness against others, and took away their choices. So the hive-mind could only feel comfortable with fusing to a human who truly accepted the worms as a partnership. This also meant that there could be only one Queen at a time, because the worms learned what happened when two women had become Queens together. The inevitable disagreements or arguments between them, had influenced the other hosts who loved the leadership of their Queens, to have terrible fights, and rather than allow a brewing civil war, the Queens had separated. If they had allowed the fighting to continue, in a way this would force the fighting against the others, and in an unhealthy way.

Even now with Galera, hundreds of thousands of years after bonding with their first host as Qyra, and many countless more hosts since then, the worms wanted to respect EVERY person's choice of them. As she deep-throated her suction of the tentacle, Galera felt an increasing arousal as more of the worms slithered inside, and now from a second worm-filled tentacle buried inside her pussy. At the same time, Vuthniri had started breastfeeding from the former cultist, and was fondling at her new "sister" host. As Orinya's body was composed of worms donated by Ulsa to provide a new flesh for her mind, the knightly woman didn't have any worms to share herself. But when Ulsa had grown Orinya's body for her, the Worm Queen had made the body hermaphroditic in function, and with fully compatible parts. Even to the point that Orinya could gestate her own fully human (host from birth) infant, and entirely from her own eggs and sperm alone. Although such an infant would essentially be born as a "clone" of Orinya, she (even a "he" was possible) would develop inside her womb at the molecular level, to have human DNA as its foundation. The imprint of Orinya's soul in controlling her original body was still there in her mind, and it was through this, that Ulsa extracted Orinya's original DNA pattern. Then she imprinted this DNA to be within the donated worms and to be available after they coalesced into Orinya's grown body. Technically, still worms in their microscopic foundation, but functioning as the human cells of Orinya's original body would have, and utilizing that DNA. With certain "modifications," of course. The hive-mind knew more about human DNA, than its own worms' DNA. This was far easier to understand than humans, because it involved looking at another organism, in a deeply biological nature. For the most part, the worms couldn't dissect themselves in that way, so for something like this, a substantial amount of human DNA was necessary.

But for now, Orinya was able to enjoy herself, and add to Galera's pleasure, by pushing her cock in the new host's ass.

"Mmmm!" Galera moaned around Ulsa's worm tentacle even as it delivered them into her mouth. "Mmmm... mmmm... mmmm... mmmm..."

'Yes, Galera.' Ulsa telepathed. 'We are happy that we share only this one trait with the cult. We too, are an extended "family" for you, but that cult had corrupted what this feeling was supposed to mean for you, and took advantage of it. Your husband, if he's still alive, is your close family, so we must help you with finding him. Orinya's analogy of focusing your thoughts to "send" or "receive" them, is very apt. Over hundreds of thousands of years, we have perfected our application of telepathy, we know exactly where in our hosts' brains this is utilized, and how the telepathy is done. But it wasn't until our clone's travel to a place called "Earth," that we learned how to describe it better. Think of what your brain is doing, when it is performing higher-level thinking and complex rationalization. Earthlings call this in the brain, "Gamma Waves." This, is why we MUST always get each host's willing acceptance of us, because if these Gamma Waves are altered, or their rhythms are interfered with, it causes madness. These are also what you use, with telepathy. Focus your mind, Galera. Think of higher-level concentration, and how this works for telepathing. Can you sense Vuthniri? She's testing your receptivity right now. Simply think in the language of your mind, to reply, our delightful host.'

'I...' Galera concentrated, and began again. 'I feel... something, like someone's looking at me, but it doesn't feel creepy or anything. It... it actually feels pleasant, as though I know someone cares about me.'

'Yes, Galera.' Ulsa telepathed. 'That's actually Vuthniri trying to telepath with you. Focus on receiving her thoughts, and your brain will adapt. We provide this ability to both of you, with our worms' connections inside your brains, and how all of our worms are of the same mind. While still respecting your own relative minds' differences. We do all we can, for our hosts, while preserving the uniqueness of each host's mind, and enhancing each host's body. We'll telepath all the knowledge about that as we go, but focus on Vuthniri, and she will be able to telepath with you.'

Galera concentrated again, and suddenly "heard" Vuthniri "speaking" in her mind.

'Welcome Galera! Please, let me know if this is working?'

Galera rubbed Vuthniri's head against her breast, and looked down to her. Nodding, Galera concentrated on sending her thoughts.

'Yes, Vuthniri... I... I hear you. It's like you're actually speaking in my mind instead!'

'No,' Vuthniri answered 'this is all with our minds here. Conveniently, it also means we aren't hindered by your accent. Our Queen needs a blacksmith in Morthpit, so she has sent Orinya and I to Traitor's Karst for seducing one. We expected there wouldn't have been any here in Corpsemire. But you and your husband are also from Traitor's Karst? Also, you're going to accept a position of governor for Queen Ulsa's rule in this region? I think Orinya and I should give you a ride on one of our horses. Maybe we can help you look for your husband, at least as much as we can, and help secure your position. You definitely need a place to stay for your baby growing inside, and for you to give birth later. If we don't find your husband soon, we should help you seduce a person into helping you, and to becoming your assistant later as a governor for Queen Ulsa.'

'Yes! Please! I... I'm overwhelmed that you and our Queen would be such good friends to me, even though I must see to my personal goal first. Thank you!'

'It's going to be no problem at all,' Ulsa telepathed with her own response 'either for them, or us. Vuthniri's offer is the least we should do, and as your Queen, we will do more than that, too. Also,' Ulsa addressed her courier host, 'you do us great respect Vuthniri, in speaking for our interests. We sense your shy, embarrassed but grateful feelings for us, and we know your loving devotion. Thank you, and feel bold to speak for us ANY time.'

'THANK YOU, my QUEEN!' Vuthniri enthused. 'I feel I am not worthy, but you do me GREAT honor, in those words! Even as I serve you, I am honored by you. I love you, my Queen!'

-

Over the next few days, the four stayed in the room, enjoying a LOT of intense sessions. Though she had to be "creative" about explaining the presence of the other two. Ulsa's clone was a "traveler," who Vuthniri and her armored escort had befriended on the road. According to the story, this Ulsa woman was supposedly a wool merchant who got a little lost when one of their pack horses got ambushed and killed by a swamp predator. Although the group managed to kill the predator, the attack had also spooked the other horses into all running off, and so they tried finding them. The only reason they hadn't lost their gold too, was because the horse carrying that, had gotten its legs cut badly by a thicket of the lethally sharp knifeweed. Well known as the name suggested, for having dangerous, sharp blade-like leaves, with hardened, stiff edges. Despite the name, they were not strong enough to be improvised as knives, but stiff enough to seem like hundreds of knives against the bodies of any poor animal hapless enough to stumble in. Like the horse with all the group's money, apparently. In all the efforts fruitlessly spent trying to recover the beasts, Ulsa had gotten separated and lost from her group. Thankfully, she managed to find her way back onto the road, and then walked the rest of the way to Corpsemire's village. The whole story sounded dubious, but plausible enough that Tulnik wasn't arguing about it. Especially if the rest of Ulsa's group was bringing more money.

As for Galera, she told Tulnik about how she was trying to get back to Traitor's Karst, to look for her missing husband. The reason she was in the swamp instead, was that Galera had wanted to add what could to the animal hides they had, as Ophur's tannery had been getting threatened by one of the local crimelords. They needed as much money as they could get, but the day before she left for the swamp, he disappeared. When Galera found a letter demanding ransom money, she assumed an obvious reason for its explanation. Even though she was pregnant, she was also desperate, hunting for enough animal hides to combine with the savings she and Ophur still had. After hearing the sad story, Orinya had offered to take the woman in, then she, Vuthniri, and Galera would all go to Traitor's Karst. They would track down Ophur, and Orinya would use her skills as a mercenary knight, to fight against the crimelord. Taking whatever loot she wanted, from said crimelord, as payment of course, but also serving on the side as an armed escort for Vuthniri's post route. Which was also entirely plausible, especially for the location of Traitor's Karst. Ulsa was also moved by Galera's description of the events, and offered to pay the extra bill for Galera.

Occasionally, one of the women went out for food, but for the most part they all stayed inside, and had asked Tulnik not to visit the room. Though also running the tavern's inn rooms, he was simply too young to join them, and Ulsa couldn't risk him seeing her wormy nature. He was also proving to be more respectable than Vuthniri's opinion of Corpsemire was in the beginning, she still felt the need to pay an extra eighth of the day rate for the privacy. Which the teenager accepted without asking questions. But unlike Tulnik, the girl who tended the stable was a grown woman.

Danya was her name, and had explained a little more of why such a youth was running the tavern almost by himself. His mother was lost to the cult, but lost to becoming a cultist, or lost to her death, no one knew, not even Galera. Whenever Tulnik tried recalling his mother's name, he broke down into tears, so they quickly stopped asking. Ulsa wanted to spread herself into Danya's body, but worried about the exposure, so she had her hosts using their pheromones to keep arousing her just a little more each time they stopped to chat with her. By the second day, Danya was using somewhat meaningless excuses to visit and linger. So although Ulsa's party of disguised worm-clone "travelers" was walking on the road, she had them taking some time to linger before arriving. But she was going to use them towards seducing the mistress of the stables, carefulness was the surest after all, as long as some kind of planned action was taken.

The morning that Ulsa expected her "travelers" to arrive, Danya was visiting with Orinya. Curious about what sort of diet the feminine knight could maintain for such a strong stallion as her charger.

"Such ah' fine stud of ah' horse, how do ya' keep him so strong?"

"My Gunnar?" Orinya said as she scrubbed the horse's hide with a brush, and gestured to the stalls behind them. "Well whenever I can, if I can't stable him like this, I make sure to tie his reins to a tree where there's lots of grass. Then he doesn't go hungry while I go about the various tasks I need to focus on. But I also look for special herbs and other plants to feed him. Sometimes, there are also mineral salts he can lick, if I make sure he has water. Wild horses look for these too, so his instincts are helpful, but he doesn't need to rely on that alone, I can help Gunnar with what I know in my intellect too. A good horse rider treats their animal as a true friend and partner. It also does him a lot of good to get help for him from others, when I can."

"Help from oth'rs like me?"

As she asked this, Danya had moved her hand from rubbing at Gunnar's hide, to rubbing Orinya's hide now. The bone-pale, muscular woman looked at the 20-something's hands and then at her blushing cheeks.

"I take it" Orinya rubbed back at Danya's hands "that, this is also a question?"

"I s'ppose... its whatev'r ya wan' it ta be. If... ya wan' it?"

Orinya smiled, and leaned forward. "If there's something bold you want from another person, it seems the only way to be sure of the permission, is for you to be bold with the first move."

"Ah... ah feel like ah can't help myself... ah wan'... can ah... can I... kiss ya?"

Orinya chuckled lightly, and leaned closer yet. As their lips met, Orinya sensed from within her mind, deep approval from her Queen.

'We are approaching Corpsemire now, Orinya. A party of ten clones, and each made to look like a different person. But our bodies are walking on foot, so we don't need the stables. Please enjoy distracting Danya, and we want her to enjoy it too, of course. If she does see us and worry about an interruption, then reassure her. She must be allowed to make her own choice, but focus on continuing the seduction. We WANT her, as we spread into Corpsemire.'

'Yes, my Queen. Ten clones? Sounds like you really want to have a lot of fun with this! It also seems like you have already started with guard patrols using them?'

'Yes. We have around six other similar groups of clones walking the countryside now, though all disguised as "travelers." We need that blacksmith for properly arming our guard patrols. When you and Danya start grinding your hips together, we will send several of our clones to you.'

'I look forward to it, my Queen! Since Danya started with stroking my body first, I think this is a good sign that she would want you inside her too.'

'Yes.' Ulsa sent a telepathic smile, 'We agree. Have fun, Orinya. We will go see Tulnik about our clones' room, and Vuthniri is already speaking with him about breakfast.'

-

Since Tulnik hadn't opened the Tavern yet for serving as the General Goods store, he was cooking breakfast for himself and extra for guests. A meal of chicken eggs, more "kippered lizard," and boiled rice harvested from the swamp. Admittedly, Tulnik was the sort of punk Vuthniri had described, but without explaining more, both Orinya and Vuthniri had promised an effort to fight the cult. It also helped that the pair were paying not only the high rates Tulnik had asked for, but were paying a little more than that. Not only that, but Orinya's "tip" about being the first with politeness, did make sense. Tulnik thought about how it would encourage others to be polite with him, if they found him polite too, as if good manners were an exchange between those who appreciated it. Not only that, but if the morality was applied in the reverse, then if he took advantage of others' mistakes, or stole from them, etc, then this would probably encourage others to do the same to him. Doing something good for others, went against what he was used to, and he wasn't sure how he felt about this.

Vuthniri was chatting with her mysterious friend Ulsa, and sitting in the dining area. Apparently making small talk. Tulnik still didn't quite believe the story Vuthiniri described about her. But she also claimed her own entourage was arriving soon, and she would pay for more nights. For as many as ten people too, so he would welcome the business, as rare as it was in the Corpsemire Swamps.

"Selling wool is fairly easy" Ulsa was saying, "the sheep take care of their own food in the summer, and constantly grow new wool all year round. The only difficult parts, are for retrieving the more willful sheep, making sure they're fed, sheltered, during the winter, and treating the wool so it's ready for the market. We need to specialize in weaving techniques, dyeing colors, and other things. Do you know that if it's done right, there's actually a way to weave wool that's totally waterproof?"

"Really?"

"Yes." Ulsa confirmed. "The famous 'eelskin' of the Black Sands Archipelago, it's-"

"Hello?" Another woman called out, then looked at Ulsa. "Ah Ulsa! We have caught up! We see that you are safe, good!"

"Yes, we found this pair of other travelers." Ulsa said pleasantly. "As you can see, one is a stoutly armored warrior, though also an athletic woman. Since the pack horse had our money, we had to expect to pay the boy there, and that you would have the payment for our group. In addition to the days and nights we've already stayed for, we must have more time here."

"Yes, our Mistress! What is his name?"

The youth spoke up for himself. "My name's Tulnik. Wat's yurs?"

The new woman turned to greet him and answer. "Thank you Tulnik. The name is Qyra, if you please. The others will probably want to just get to bed, we're all quite eager for some rest now. How much does it cost for us to rent a room for the week?"

"For the..." Ulsa's enhanced senses showed her that Tulnik wasn't sure he could believe his ears. "Fer the... WEEK?"

"Yes." Qyra answered with jovial amusement. "We'll pay for longer too, if we have to. Ulsa knew this excursion had the potential for a bountiful reward. If we are successful, it will thoroughly exceed ANY expense for it, so we prepared equally as thoroughly. If a promise is fulfilled, then money is the tool of politeness, is it not? Thievery is what happens when our temptations corrupt desire into envy, so we are ready to pay politeness with politeness. Also... we obviously need to pay with our gold. How much, Tulnik?"

He stood staring, wondering what to make of it all. Somehow, this talk of politeness made it feel related to what Orinya had said to him about that, but there was no way the armored could have said anything. At least not from the day when Orinya arrived with her companion. Though now he was wondering what this strange new group would need for an extended stay in Corpsemire. Though if they were really able to pay for it all, Tulnik realized he needed to cooperate, not to ask questions.

"Uh... fer ah week, at least?"

The hive-mind clone going by "Qyra" nodded her head.

"Um... 'kay..." Tulnik rushed back over to the ledger he kept for this, and considered it. "That wud be fer a group o' ten-"

"Eleven," Ulsa added, pointing to herself "we are all... 'together.' Understand?"

He stared for another moment, but then nodded.

"Uh... yes. Fer a group o' 'lev'n ta stay tha week... that's um... five... five n' a haf... gold W'eels?"

Ulsa chuckled. "Been a long while since you've seen anything larger than a four-Stam? Yes, Tulnik. Our party definitely brought enough to pay, even for all eleven of us through the whole week, and prepared for more too. If we really need to, naturally."

Then Ulsa looked Qyra as if she were a subordinate. Though technically in Qyra, the worms' hive-mind was simply recalling the stored personality of its first host, and incarnating her with a cloned body. Both Ulsa and Qyra were equal to each other in this regard.

"Pay him, Qyra. Surely he knows that 'highway robbery' from a roadside business is an incentive against more paying travelers visiting later in the future."

Then Tulnik looked a little uncomfortable and shamefaced. "Uh... yer're all furst-time vis'tors, rite? So... how 'bout a quarter-off dis'cownt?"

"Yes, Tulnik." Ulsa said with a broad smile. "That's better. We'll make an honest boy out of you, yet! Not that we're suggesting you've been DIS-honest with anyone... or such. How much, with the 'quarter-off' discount?"

"Uh..." Tulnik concentrated on the ledger. "Fore gold W'eels, ah gold K'vartil, n' one silv'r Stam."

"Slightly off, Tulnik." Ulsa replied. "But we assume this is merely a mistake in the counting. We owe you four Wheels, the Kvartil, and two silver Stams."

Tulnik stared back at the ledger. He realized that though he focused on being honest this time, his math was indeed, still off, and so Ulsa showed she was willing to be honest herself. Even though it would cost her a little extra. Tulnik stared at her in amazement briefly, then pulled out a couple of keys for the rooms with the double beds.

"Uh... yes Ma'am. These keys ar' fer two rooms join'd ta'geth'r, so yur group can share 'em, if ya wan.' Is tha' gud?"

"Yes." Ulsa nodded. "It is what you have, that we can pay for. It is VERY good, because it is honest. Show us to the rooms, please."

As he got up to show her the way, Orinya and Danya both got to the door. Though her skin was pale as ever, bone-white, Danya's cheeks were flushed with a rosy red, and both women seemed to be breathing heavily. As if they had just finished a sprinting race around ten minutes ago. Which, in a certainly specific way, they had. Though both women "won" it. Danya seemed to look at Ulsa and her group knowingly, but said nothing.

"Oh," Orinya commented "I see your other friends must have found you, Ulsa. Good! If they are here, I assume they're clearing up that issue of the tab? After that predator attack, you did need to stay with us, though it cost extra."

"Yes." Ulsa confirmed. "The group will stay for our private interests in the swamp, but we should be safe with using the village as a place to stay at for that. We've already talked with Tulnik about the price, and paid it. After the week's time, he may ask for payment again. By then, we'll have decided about staying here longer. You need not worry for us now. Please go ahead and help Galera find her husband. Was there anything else?"

"Um..." Danya said pensively. "Yes, Ma'am. Ah was helpin' yer friend Orinya, with scrubbin' her horse's hide, n' want'd ta spin some time 'xchangin' more tips on carin' fore the horses. She also told me 'bout ya, and what yur doin' 'n Gulrest. Ah wan' ta heer mor' news 'bout tha' area. Orinya men-shun'd there's a barmaid whoze fam'ly owns a horse ranch? Mayb' they wud be a gud source fore stablin' s'pplies? Can I... speak wit' ya and yer friends 'bout it? Ta'geth'r?"

"Oh that would be a... great pleasure," Ulsa said with a hint of lewd suggestion, "but you haven't said your name?"

"Ah yeah!" She blushed. "I'm... Danya. Ah run tha' stables fer Tulnik's moth'r but she's missin' an' well..."

Danya glanced uncomfortably at Tulnik, who glared back at her.

"Well, that's uncomf'rtable ta' speak 'bout. But I'm sure ah cud do wit' any he'pfull advice fer tha' stabl's."

-

Back in the rented room, Danya was grinding her bared hips against the pussy of a hive-mind clone. Technically speaking, the clones were all the "same" person, but expressed as various differently incarnated Worm Queens drawn from the Hive-mind's millennia upon millennia of existence. When in the presence of others like Tulnik, who didn't know, and especially to hide itself, the Hive-mind passed itself off as a group. The clones all posed as various different women, and a few even appeared as men. With bodies literally made of worms, it was easy enough to reshape these into any physical form needed, and then to use the stored memories of the various Queens, or even other honored hosts. But also technically, Ulsa was the "leader," because she had the most current, and therefore the most relevant, experience. Though none of these ancient Queens, or hosts was "active" now, they all still existed within the memory of the worms' hive-mind. Since she was the only one who was still "alive" in the traditional sense (though not the biologically human one), then in another technical way, the clones were ALL "Ulsa."

"Ahhhh... ahhhh..." Danya moaned as her new Queen's worms slithered inside. "Thank ya... ma... ahhhh... my Qween Ulsa... ya... ahhhh... ya knew jus' how ta... ahhhh... how ta seduce... meh... ahhhh... ya saw thru...' yer... ahhhh... yer serv'nts' eyes..., ahhhh... how ah... how I care... ahhhh... fer tha horses... so ya... ahhhh... you... sent Orinya... wit...' ahhhh... with her body... 'xudin...' ahhhh... oozin' her scent...' made... ahhhh... made her... smell... so... ahhhh... made her... sexy... so VERY... sexy... ahhhh..."

"Yes... Danya..." Ulsa moaned as she ground her own pussy and slithered her way into the stabler. "Our pheromones... grabbed... ahhhh... they grabbed... your... ahhhh... your attention. But, we see... ahhhh... see, and hear every... ahhhh... everything through... ahhhh... them. Soon... through... ahhhh... through you, too. Your... ahhhh... your body... their bodies... ahhhh... as our hosts, your... ahhhh... bodies are still yours... ahhhh... but we watch... through them... ahhhh... inside them. It is... enough... ahhhh... enough that we can... ahhhh... telepath to you... and... ahhhh... and to do what... we can... ahhhh... with our clones. Ahhhh... we can also... physically... ahhhh... transform your... body... ahhhh... but this is... still... unpredi... ahhhh... unpredictable... for us... ahhhh... we must... understand... ahhhh... more about how... our... ahhhh... how our worms... ahhhh... how we do... what we do... ahhhh... within... your bodies. We must... ahhhh... understand more about... ahhhh... ourselves... and something... ahhhh... something called... DNA..."

Danya moaned her excited reply. Yesss... mah Qween... I'd... ahhhh... happ'ly serve ya... ahhhh... if only ta 'njoy... ahhhh... more sex..., but ya... ahhhh... ya told meh 'bout... ahhhh... yer wry'thin' wurms... ahhhh... ah feel 'em sqwirmin' 'n... inta meh... ahhhh... ya told meh... yer takin... ahhhh... takin' on the cult... ahhhh... tha sex... is ple'zure... ahhhh... on tha' side... but fightin...' ahhhh... tha' cult... ah mus...' ahhhh... ah mus' serve... fer this too... ahhhh..."

As she thrust her cock in the other woman's ass, Orinya panted in Danya's ear. "I wish we... ahhhh... wish we could... ahhhh... stay for more... ahhh... of this with you... ahhhh... your ass is so... tight... ahhhh... wish we could... but you... ahhhh... you know we must... ahhhh... must go on..."

"That's... ahhhh... alright..." Ulsa moaned, "you'll have us... ahhhh... with you... those of our... ahhhh... bodies that will... wait... ahhhh... in support of our... ahhhh... clones that... sneak into... ahhhh... the cult's temple. Your... ahhhh... your role... Danya... will... ahhhh... will be... to assist us... ahhhh... with Tulnik, if he... gets... ahhhh... suspicious. As a young... ahhhh... teenager, he's too... ahhhh... too young to seduce... ahhhh... but he may... try asking... ahhhh... questions... can't afford... ahhhh... can't let him... see... things... ahhhhh... he shouldn't..."

Danya nodded. "Yes... mah Qween... ahhhh... he's ang'y 'bout it... ahhhh... but he misses... his moth'r... ahhhh... wants ta' go... an' kill cultis...' ahhhh... but ah thin' he's fee'rful... ahhhh... fee'rful uh' cultis' killin...' ahhhh... him 'nstead... an' ah thin... I think... ahhhh... he's ang'y wit' 'imself... ahhhh... but hides it... thinks he's... weak. Ahhhh... his moth'r is... 'opport'nun'stic...' ahhhh... like he is... but ah... I ree... ahhhh... rememb'r she really cared... ahhhh... she loves her son... ahhhh... 'ssumin' tha' cult hasn't... ahhhh... destr'yed her mind... ahhhh... or... kill'd her. Tulnik dosn't... ahhhh... like... havin' people... ahhhh... talk 'bout... his moth'r... ahhhh... mayb' he dosn't like... ahhhh... don't like worryin' fer her... ahhhh... but also can't help... ahhhh... can't help 'imself eith'r... ahhhh..."

"Yes..." Though Ulsa was moaning, the Worm Queen was in serious contemplation about the delicacy of communicating with Tulnik. "Danya... you're... ahhhh... more important than... ahhhh... more than you've realized... ahhhh... this... is a very... complex... situation... ahhhh... we'll need... to look... ahhhh... look through... your... ahhhh... memories. Ohhh... Danya... ahhhhh... we're getting... closer... ahhhhh... closer to... our... climax... ahhhhh... faster... Danya..."

Meanwhile, Vuthniri was suckling from Danya's breast now, while scissoring with Galera, who was sucking on the "Qyra" clone's pussy, and of course, none of the other clones were idle either. Now with all fifteen bodies including Vuthniri, Orinya, and the newer hosts, it was a full orgy. The worms were freely crawling on, or into each other's bodies, and this was welcomed. Even by their newest host, Danya. Everyone knew the Queen was among them, and her slithering worms were the hive-mind's way of affectionately "caressing" its hosts. As the worms crawled inside Galera, they intermingled not just with her body, but also with the infant growing inside her. Ulsa wanted to eliminate the possibility that this "Magister Lefgaath" had some kind of biological connection with the lanterns, and if he did, it would have shown in the genome of his unborn child. Also, by making the child a host before birth, Ulsa could completely sever all connection with that unhealthy cult.

It was always a strange, but beautiful experience to the hive-mind, as it mingled the worms within the body of an infant developing within a mother's womb. The worms would grow together with the infant host as the body matured, and the hive-mind always reveled in this. The development of the new life, of being an intimate part of it, and of helping the parents with raising their child. The parents who accepted being hosts, always considered the hive-mind in the same role as a godmother, as a sincere friend, as a watchful babysitter for their children. Never able or willing to control the children's behavior, but always ready to alert the parents, whether it was curiosity about a scalding stove, or if the child would accidentally walk in on their parents having sex. By this, the hive-mind would apply its protective discretion, the integrated worms would keep the child from becoming aware of the adult hosts' sexual natures, while the adults could still share amongst each other. As the children would grow to start understanding speech, the hive-mind would also help them to learn with telepathy, and consulting with the parents. Each Worm Queen had her own differing style about this, and adapted as new methods of learning were found. But each made sure the authority of the parents was respected, because without this cooperation, the worms would have no hosts at all.

When Galera learned about how her Queen would help her as a new mother, she adamantly insisted on the worms to mingle inside her womb. This was also how she learned more about her infant, since after escaping the cult, she couldn't consult a healer. Galera wasn't carrying one infant alone, she had two! Identical twin daughters. It made her extremely happy to think about something glorious coming out of this, in spite of the mistakes she blamed herself for. Ulsa had urged Galera not to berate herself, as she had been under the influence of the cult's mind control, with the insidious light of those lanterns. But she insisted she should remember this as a warning about consequences, and to think about these before making a choice. Galera worried a little, if her husband could accept the twins as his own daughters, since he hadn't fathered them. With the confidence of tens of thousands of years in the experiences of the hive-mind, Ulsa reassured her.

'We have seen Ophur in your memories, Galera. We have seen MANY hosts worry about these things, even some who were concerned about exactly the same things, and worried for the same reasons. We have also, through having seen the lives of countless hosts over the many millennia, become masters of understanding human behavior. Because we have seen him in your memories, we feel certain we know what he would say about your twins, even if we cannot look in his mind right now. Your husband would have his own choices to make, but we believe he WILL accept the daughters as lovingly as if he sired them himself inside you. We have seen his nuances in those memories, and for this, we believe we understand him better than you do. He deeply loves you, and for that reason, he will love the girls too. He will see them as a part of you, and that if he loves you, he must also love them. As much as true daughters of his own.'

Even as Ulsa's worms slithered inside her pussy and ass, Galera wept with tears of happiness. She began daydreaming about how much Ophur would enjoy an orgy with their Queen. She resolved especially to make sure he would know that she would want him to climax multiple times inside Ulsa's clones.