Serenity Art Attack: The Gorgon Conundrum Part 2 (Patreon)

And we're back once more! Howdy folks, how's it going out there?

I hope you didn't miss me too much (though a little bit is fine)! Now I'm back, and hopefully charged up to get a few things done. Starting with the second half of the story I left off on, the Gorgon Conundrum! When last we saw Serenity Style, she was in quite a pickle, no? Let's look back in and see how she fares...

(And if you can't wait, Here, enjoy some art for a preview!)

Enjoy!

(Edit: Formatting got lost in the process somewhere. I put it back in, so italics are now present once more! Should make it a bit clearer who's saying what...)

Ssserenity Style was having a very weird d- There was that sound again! Ugh, what was that? It was close, but every time she turned her head there was nothing there. It was enough to make anyone paranoid. Style it out, Style. She couldn’t let this place keep getting to her.

Her journey through the ruins had been difficult and unpleasant. The Desire hadn’t created any minions to dust the place (not that she was volunteering, mind) and there was sand everywhere, which combined with the blazing sun overhead to leave the heroine feeling sweaty and gritty, both of which were most decidedly unstylish. She made the look work, because even in a blindfold she had an image to maintain, but still, she was looking forward to this place disappearing and Ruby Canyon returning.

The tightness in her top wasn’t helping her comfort level either. Stupid curse. That could go as well, thank you.

Of course, the fact that all of the above was still present meant that her team hadn’t beaten the Ssssphinx yet. Style bit her lip at the thought. Hopefully she wasn’t too late to help. Separating her from the others had been either a cunning move on the part of the Desire, or a lucky shot. And not because she was weak on her own – she could hold her own just fine, thank you – but because her friends were going to be at a disadvantage in this kind of fight without her. This was a battle of wits, after all.

… Which, well, wasn’t to say her friends were stupid, no no, far from it! Scribe was the most knowledgeable woman Style had ever met! And if you ever got Painter talking about the meaning behind her latest work, she could go on for days about inspirations and influences from philosophical thought and historical events – no matter how hard you tried to get her to shut up. And Dancer and Melody were…

They were there as well!

… Look, she was tired and grimy and her skin was developing scales that no moisturiser on earth was going to dislodge, so that was the best she was going to be able to do for those dumbassssesss- There was that sound again!

The blonde jolted, spinning around, scanning this way and that with her friction sense – the only way she could see with a blindfold on. But unless she was being stalked by a creature that didn’t touch the ground or move the air around it, then there was nothing else around her. The ruined building she was sheltering in was full of rough, broken stone, sand, and nothing else.

… Maybe she should just take a peek. Lower the blindfold for a moment, take a look with her eyes. What could be the harm…?

No. No, she couldn’t risk that. She knew she couldn’t risk that. Cursed as she was, every time she opened her eyes without protection, she might accidentally lock eyes with another creature, and turn them into statues – into mannequins, because this Desire had a sick sense of humour, apparently.

They’d be perfect to posssse. Perfect to dresssss up~

She pressed a finger to the side of her head, taking a breath and pushing that kind of thought down. That was the curse talking, not her. She had no desire to go around turning minions into mannequins. Punching their lights out was more than enough for her.

And she didn’t even want to think about what would happen if she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Though if her corruption spread too far and she became a risk to others, then maybe that was something she’d have to try, just to keep herself from becoming the Desire’s minion as well…

Nn. Maybe she could just not think about that for now. Focus on her goals. On what she was doing so that call didn’t have to be made!

Right now she was hidden, sheltering in the upper floors of one of the many collapsed towers dotted around the Desire’s landscape. Her friction sense had gotten her to cover, and warned her about any patrolling enemies wandering around. She’d even gotten better at sensing fliers, now, feeling the resistance in the air around them.

The problem was she wasn’t sure which direction she was going in.

Yeah, this was embarrassing. Somewhere in the fighting and running, she’d gotten turned around. Now she wasn’t sure if she was heading in towards the centre of the ruins, where the Sphinx lay waiting for challengers – and thus, towards the rest of the Serenity Artists – or if she was heading out, towards the boundary between the real world and this fake playpen the Desire had created. Or maybe she was just going from side to side in a giant circle.

Her friction sense could let her see for maybe thirty meters, at a push? Which was enough to get around and protect her from threats, but it wasn’t enough for her to navigate. The only sense she had that would help here was the one she couldn’t use.

This was a problem. One she wasn’t sure how to solve.

Why not take a look?

Because that would be horrifically dangerous! Not only to anyone she might catch in her gaze, but also to herself! The more she used her eyes, the more powerful her curse became. And the stronger it got, the harder it was to ressssist…

There was that sound again!

It’ll just be for a moment.

The blonde blinked, startled by the distraction, and bit her lip, hesitating. Just for a moment… That was true, wasn’t it? And what if she kept her gaze focused upwards, where she was less likely to see anything that’d activate her gaze? Surely that would limit the damage…

How bad could it be?

Oh, it could be plenty bad, thank you. Style was doing her best to resist, but the hunger behind her eyes was powerful enough already. If it got much stronger, she wasn’t sure how much she could hold it back.

What choice do you have?

… Well, that was the real question, wasn’t it? She couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. The Artists needed her. If she didn’t act, all of her friends would end up just as cursed as she was, if they weren’t already. And when push came to shove, that was something that Serenity Style couldn’t abide.

Taking a breath, she pushed her back up against a rough stone wall, and lifted her hands to her face. Gently, she took hold of the blindfold, and carefully, carefully, began to lift it over one eye. And then as soon as actual light hit her pupil, she squinted it closed – though that was more out of avoiding the brightness than caution.

Tch. Come on. If she was going to do this, she couldn’t mess around like this. Eyes open or eyes shut, girl. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to look forwards, taking the world in at long last.

The world, as it turned out, was mostly dark and dusty.

The Serenity took a relieved breath. Right, the room she was in was small and abandoned. No risk of seeing anyone else in here. She was sssafe.

Ngh.

What a shame…

Growling, the blonde pushed the hunger behind her eyes down again, reaffirming her control of herself. She wasn’t the Desire’s minion, she was a Serenity, and she wasn’t going to give in that easily.

But she was still going to have to find a proper view of the outside before she could put the blindfold back on.

Another breath. Another steadying of her nerves. Right. So, as long as she kept her eyes pointed up, she would be okay. The tallest building for miles around was the Sphinx’s temple, so she’d be able to spot that without putting anyone else in danger. It would, of course, be far too much to hope for that she caught the Sphinx’s eye and turned this stupid curse back on her – but the mental image was still enough to put a smile on the blonde’s lips as she crept through the building.

Okay. There was a window. Now, eyes upwards, carefully lean out and…

Oh god damnit. She’d forgotten about the fliers.

A shrill sound rang through the ruined city, a half-dozen squawks of surprise that made it half-way out of a half-dozen beaks, before suddenly cutting off into complete silence. Style through herself back, clutching at her burning eyes as she ducked out of sight, but the damage was already done. She could hear the thud of mannequins hitting the ground around the tower.

Damnit! The Serenity hissed in rage as a bottomless pit of hunger opened up behind her eyes, only barely mollified by the rushing fullness that followed her latest meal. What was with this Desire and her stupid harpies?!? Well she had way less of the dumb beasssts now. Hope she liked mannequins with wingsss!

Of course she does!

They’re super cute!

Flight is so fashionable!

Ngh! The power of the curse thrummed louder in her head than ever before. She’d slammed her eyes shut as soon as she realised what she was seeing, but it was too late – she could feel the curse growing inside her.

And she could also feel herself growing literally as well. Her top had already lost a button during her first accidental cursing, and now the rest were pinging across the hallways, popping off her shirt one by one to clatter on the floor as the chest beneath them swelled to uncontainable proportions.

“No, no, not yet, not yet,” she hissed, reaching up to try and hold her breasts in, only to once again realise her mistake a moment too late as her squeezes sent a burst of pleasure straight up into her skull. The blonde gasped at the sudden spike, and that was all the extra pressure her top could take. It burst open, her growing chest free to the dusty air – but only for a moment. She stared down at it in dazed confusion, a little too stunned to realise that she’d just opened her eyes.

A second later, and Style’s stylish top had stretched itself around them again, the fabric reweaving itself, shimmering and shifting like a liquid until it solidified in a new shape. A white toga-esque stretch of fabric binding around her chest, while hanging off her shoulders to give anyone looking her way a massive expanse of cleavage to enjoy.

The Serenity glared down at it, eerie purple light bathing her new curves. Hmph. At least now maybe people wouldn’t be looking at her face. That was sssomething, right?

There were other changes too, of course, though perhaps none quite as eye-catching. The green scales on her wrists had multiplied, now spreading all the way down to her elbows. They’d also risen up the back of her hands, and her palms were now a vibrantly leafy green, her nails proper dark talons on the tip of each finger. Great.

But the real difficulty was the hunger. It was worse than ever, craving more mannequins. As brief as it had been, her harpy ssssweep a moment ago had felt wonderful, and now the idea of finding a cute monster girl to turn into a fashion stand was ever sssso tempting. They were enemiesss after all, right? What wasss the harm in thinning their numberesss a little? And if sssshe got bored of thosssse, then perhapssss even a Ssssserenity would…!

No. No, that was not going to happen. Sssnarling, the blonde shoved those thoughts deep down, out of her head, and centred herself. She was Serenity Style. She was a Serenity. She was kind, diligent, dutiful, stylish, and most of all she still had control of herself. She was not going to let this stupid curse win like this.

For a moment, she struggled, locked in battle with an eager inner self that happily embodied her corruption – but in the face of her iron will, it couldn’t get the grip it needed. For the moment, it abated. For the moment.

Good. Okay. Okay. Despite the accidental disaster, she had seen what she needed. The temple wasn’t far away, and she knew exactly which direction to go in. This would still be difficult, but it was still doable. She had a chance. That was all she needed.

Nodding, the blonde pushed herself back up to her feet, getting ready to move quickly. After what she’d done to those harpies, it wouldn’t be long until someone came looking for her in here. Best she was gone before that happened. With one last check of herself, she pulled her blindfold back on, and reached out with her friction powers to get a sense of her surroundings and check for investigating enemies.

Nothing.

No, not ‘no enemies’, nothing period. Brow furrowing, she tried again, calling up her sense of friction to scan the area around her. Still nothing. The world around her refused to come into focus.

Her powers weren’t responding to her call.

With a sinking heart, Style realised why. Her corruption had progressed too deep, and now she was cut off from the source of her strength, her magic. It was a safety measure of some kind, as far as she understood it – minions created from corrupted Serenities were already stronger than normal, and they’d be far worse if they got to keep their Serenity powers.

But man, this was the worst possible time for it to kick in. Now she was stranded in enemy territory and completely blind. She was helpless.

Better take the blindfold off~

The insidious voice of the corruption welled up inside her once again in response to her frustration. And to make matters worse, she knew it was correct. Her choices now were to take off the one thing sealing her eyes and try to make it back to the others before she fell completely, or to wallow here until she fell anyway. Only one of those paths gave her a chance of victory. The other was giving up.

And giving up just wasn’t her style.

So, grimacing, the blonde reached up and pulled the blindfold free, blinking her now fully purple eyes in the light once more. Her toga top bounced as the motion of her arms sent her chest jiggling, but she ignored it. As a Serenity, she was annoyingly used to that kind of thing. At least she still had pants, even if they felt pretty tight as well right now. The green skin… She’d find a way to pull it off.

But she’d have to move fast now. She’d wasted enough time, and now she had precious little. With her eyes exposed and her hunger growing, it was inevitable that something would push her over the edge one way or another. The important thing was getting her job done first.

So, after one last moment to steady herself, she took off – jumping straight out the window, and taking a direct path towards the temple, straight as the crow flies. A woman with her sense of drama always knew where she was with a dash over the tops of the ruins, darting from the top of crumbling walls and hopping on wobbling pillars.

Yes, this was better! Despite her ‘enhanced’ assets and a new centre of balance, the blonde Serenity moved with total poise and grace, practically dancing from rooftop to rooftop as she sprinted, twisted and flipped through the ruined city. With her blindfold gone, there was no longer anything holding her back from her full speed as she charged towards the temple, avoiding the crowds below without a second, or even first, glance.

But she was still in trouble. Because despite how many harpies she had already turned into unthinking mannequins, somehow the skies of this place always had more. Already they were swooping down on her, cackling and cawing as they readied their talons.

Well. Fine. If they wanted to play, she could play.

Sssshe already knew how to deal with their kind~

Ssssilly birdsss~

Her eye flared, flashing bright purple, and the closest harpy hit the rooftop she’d been soaring over with a hollow clunk – a new mannequin for the city’s growing collection. Not even scratched by the fall, either. Whatever material she was made of now, it was tough stuff.

The others backed away, fluttering in confusion and fear, hesitating for just long enough to let her past. But she barely noticed, too busy trying to suppress the surge of warmth in her chest. Using the power of her curse had a heavy cost – one she felt as she gained another cup-size, and a fluttering lock showed her that green was starting to leach into her hair as well.

It was a price she had no choice but to pay now, though. Especially since, hesitant or no, the harpies weren’t going to hang back forever.

Much too ssstupid for that!

Heh. Right.

Sssshow them our power!

Oh, ssshe would.

True to form, it didn’t take long for the creatures to prove her right. Three of them dropped down in a close-knit pattern, weaving together to try and take her by surprise with their speed.

Foolsss!

A flash of her eyes and three new mannequins were laying in a heap as she bounced past them, her pants now feeling distressingly tight around her widening hips, green scales now spreading up her shoulders…

But with one last jump, she’d done it! Serenity Style had reached the temple. Now-

- Now she just had to deal with the small army of minions that stood between her and her destination.

Tch.

Hssss…

Hsssss…

Hsss…

This was a real swarm, a gauntlet of guardians. The Sphinx hadn’t left her temple unguarded, she’d lined the steps with her most powerful minions. Bandage-clad guards on the first level, cat headed warriors on the second, masked oni on the third, large chested lizards on the fourth… With each rise, the minions seemed to grow stronger and tougher, until finally, on the tenth and top layer of the temple, Style could see a pair of gigantic minotaur women at the top, both wielding axes bigger than they were.

It was an intimidating sight. Especially since there was no way up except through. She grit her teeth, and then winced, hissing in irritation. Somewhere in all of this, she’d apparently grown some sharp fangs.

Screw it.

Yeah, ssscrew it!

Ssssh, let her concccentrate~

Ignoring the annoying hissing sound, the blonde (with growing green-streaks) charged, her eyes blazing with purple power. She didn’t care what happened to her anymore – wasn’t she already past the point of no return? The only important thing was getting her message to the others, no matter the cost. If she could do that, if they could save the day, then nothing else mattered.

So she let her eyes run wild, and oh god it felt sssso good!!!

More!

Ssshow them our power!

Sssso many ssstatuesss!!!

The mummies went first, charging towards her, only to freeze in place, their eyes flashing purple as they struck proud poses, shoving out their chests and wiggling their hips. A wave of smooth plastic had rippled over their bodies, erasing their tatty bandages and converting them into models fit for display in any shop window – one white, and one black.

Ready for fassshion!

Sssure, but no time for that now. Next up were the catgirls, who’s quick reactions gave them time to stumble back from the climbing Serenity – which wasn’t nearly enough. Their eyes flashed purple too as they looked into hers, and then the whole horde of them were setting themselves down in proud feline poses, tails flicked out and whiskers twitched as they shimmered into stony stillness. Now the Sphinx had a bunch of cleavage-heavy cat women statues to add to the décor.

Perfect for ssshowing off!

Style sped up, the light in her eyes shining brighter as she fed it, got used to it, learned to enjoy it. Next was oni, who perhaps thought their masks would protect them. No such luck! Those masks all clattered to the floor as the beautiful busty babes behind them curled into naughty stances to show off their curves as their features vanished under a wave of plastic. Even as statues, they were going to misbehave.

Jussst right for lingerie~

The lizards didn’t stand a chance, their tails turning into metal stands to hold up their simplified plastic torsos before she’d even finished rushing up the steps to their level. And the guards above them were already starting to turn as well, eyes swirling with purple light as she continued her charge. They couldn’t stop her.

And that was starting to take its toll.

The heat inside her was spreading out through her body, changing her, corrupting her even further. Her skin was toughening into scales everywhere now, especially her feet, which had just ripped their way out of her shoes, leaving what little remained around her ankles to reform into golden cuffs. Her pants were splitting too now, unable to contain her fattened hips and thickened thighs, seams bursting with scaled flesh – until they too reworked themselves into white cloth, joined to her top and hanging from a golden belt that squeezed around her middle, completing her toga-eqsue look.

Gold bands clasped themselves around her wrists and neck, too. She looked like a real monster, one that had been chained up like a beast and was now let loose to rampage. She panted for air, and felt a forked tongue flicking out from between her fangsss.

And she ssstill wanted more.

Ssso much more!

But the top of the temple was in sight. The minotaurs planted themselves in the middle of her path, both barring the top of the stairs with their weapons. And that was where they would stay. By the time she arrived, chest heaving as she gasped for breath, the axes were gone, with both cow-women having chosen to instead flex their mighty muscles and even mightier mammaries in powerful, permanent, plastic poses.

Style stumbled past them without even a single glance.

Oooh, I bet clothing modelled on them would fit ussss!

Sssshh!

Ngh. That ssssound again! The Serenity groaned, reaching up to hold her head through her seaweed-green hair. It even felt like seaweed to touch, cold and slick. But that noise had been getting louder and louder in her mind. The corruption was reaching its peak, the curse almost fully through with her.

This was as far as she could go. Sssshe knew it with complete ccccertainty. There wasss no way ssshe could hold back the transssssformation coursssing through her any longer.

But ssshe’d made it. The top of the temple, the entrance to the Desssire’ss true lair. There was no sssign of the Sssphinx out here, but Ssstyle was close enough to being her minion now that ssshe could sssenssse her presssenccce not far away. Thisss was the placcccce.

No sign of the other Sssserenitiesss. That was okay, though. Anyone who wanted to reach the Desssire would have to go through here, sssso eventually they would come. They ccccertainly hadn’t arrived yet. If they had, those creaturessss on the sssstairs wouldn’t have been there anymore.

Sssso ssshe jussst had to leave them a messssssage.

Style closed her eyes one last time, focusing.

Hey! What’sss ssshe doing?

Nothing important. Get ready~

She blocked out the voices, the sounds, anything that threatened her concentration. Deep within the core of her mind, her soul, she reached out, begging for help from the light that shone inside of her. Just one more time. Grant her Serenity.

And to her heartfelt relief, the light responded. Its warmth, gentle and comforting, nothing like the greedy, needy heat that still echoed through her body, filled her chest. With its strength, her arm pulled back, a glittering card summoned from her stock pinched between her fingers. And just as the heat surged back in, rushing to smother that light for good, she hurled her hand forwards.

With one last gasp of her power as a Serenity, the card shot through the air, and embedded itself in the stone archway over the entrance.

What wasss that?

Who caresss?

Ssshe’sss done~

And she was. Style sank to her knees, feeling the wave of irresistible heat crash over her. The light of Serenity inside her winked out, snuffed by Desire for good. She’d done all that she could. Now it was up to the others.

… But that still didn’t mean she was going to go quietly.

Gritting her pointed teeth, the green-haired blonde gathered her will and waited for the bubbling heat inside her to erupt. There was only one part of her left to conquer, after all.

It didn’t disappoint her. Surging up into her head, the heat of Desire quickly turned her thoughts into a bubbling cauldron of lust, pleasure, hunger, need, and giddy delight. The satisfaction of a meal well eaten, the satiation she felt from turning all of those monsters into mannequins, and the excitement of what a fashionable girl could do with so many posable models, all of it filled her skull in an instant, ruthlessly pushing out everything else. Her lips twitched as her purple eyes crossed for a moment, a happy, dim smile threatening to break out as her brain tried to pop like a kernel of corn.

An ordinary human would have melted on the spot. But she was Serenity Style, the leader of the Serenity Artists, and she would. Not. Give. In. Her core remained iron and solid. It held firm.

Time and time again, the hunger and the heat slammed into her will, denting it, pushing it back, bit by bit trying to change her. And time and time again she fought them off, slamming those delightful feelings away, pushing all of those traitorous thoughts out of her head. While she knew this was ultimately futile, that the curse would never stop, and that it would ultimately win, she also knew that every second she held out was another second she wasn’t serving her enemy. Every wave of temptation she resisted was a victory. She just needed to hold out for as long as she could.

… Until eventually, and most unexpectedly, the waves stopped altogether.

The Serenity blinked, waiting in place patiently for the assault to resume, but nothing came. The heat had settled in her chest, content. The curse was finished. And yet somehow… She was still herself? What?

Style frowned, rising to her feet and looking down at herself. The transformation was complete, obviously. She was a gorgon. There wasn’t a trace of her original form left. Her body had been completely transformed into a busty parody of a monster from myth. Half woman, half snake, or… wait, that was lamia. Gorgons had a snake theme too, though, didn’t they? What had it been again?

Hssss~

There! That sound again!

Sssso sssstubborn, isssn’t ssshe?

She could hear it clearly now, right next to her ear – but whenever she turned, there was no one there!

Ssssshall we give her a hand?

“Who’sss there?” She growled – and then blushed, her green cheeks turning pink as she found her slim tongue hanging on the s-sound like a stupid cartoon. “Sssshow yousssself!”

Let’sss!

The green-haired blonde stepped back, gritting her teeth. “I’m warning you now, you don’t want to meet my eyesss,” she snarled, spinning around. Still no one there. “I’ve handled plenty of that ssssstupid sssphinxxxx’sss- Damnit!”

Style couldn’t help the curse, spitting and shaking her tongue to try to get it to work right. But despite her embarrassment, she didn’t let her guard down. Whatever that voice was, she senssssed an incredible threat from them! Even without her powers, she had to be ready to fight. She had to be ready for anything!

But she wasn’t. She couldn’t have been. And indeed, when four small snake heads slithered into her vision from above and from the sides, all four of them looking directly at her, all she could do was gape at them in confusion.

We don’t want to meet your eyesss? No, dear. It’sss you who doesssn’t want to meet ourssss~

Their… Their what? Wait, what was going on? What were these things? Snakes… gorgon snakes… Her hair?! Her hair had turned into snakes!?!

Of course! That was what she’d forgotten. Ugh, it was all coming back to her now. Gorgons had snakes for hair as well as petrifying eyes. Why? She had no idea. There was probably plenty of other stuff she was forgetting or getting wrong, but those were the two famous parts. And it explained all of the annoying hissing she’d been hearing. No duh she hadn’t found the source of it when she looked around. It was coming from her own head.

God, snakes for hair? That sounded like a nightmare to try and style… Wait, no getting distracted. What was it they were telling her? That she should be scared of meeting their eyes? But why would she…

Their… Their eyes… They all had… the same eyes as her… All had… eyes.. lit with purple light, and filled… with… spirals…

… Oh no…

Realising the danger too late, the Serenity tried to shut her eyes, but found she couldn’t. Her eyelids refused to listen to her, and her pupils remains rooted in place, staring forward into the purple glow. Slowly, her jaw began to go slack as her mind started to fog.

You’ve been a very ssssilly girl…

But don’t worry.

We’re here to help now.

No need to think any more.

Jussst lisssten~

She recognised these voices. They’d been trying to creep into her thoughts ever since the curse had taken hold. She hadn’t let them. She’d pushed them out of her head.

Now it seemed they’d found some other heads to occupy instead.

Ssstill trying to think? Sssilly, sssilly girl!

You’re no good at that.

Far too ssstupid~

Sss-sstupid? No, that… That wasssn’t right. Nn. She- Ssshe was- Ah, their eyes were so bright! It made her feel ssso dizzzzy staring into them, watching all these spirals sssspin around and around. And there was something sssoo captivating about their voices. The way their hissing words seemed to coil around her thoughtsss and pluck them away. But- But-!

The snakes drew closer, their hypnotic gaze filling her vision, their voices growing louder in her mind.

Trying to fight, but thossse thoughtsss are sssso ssssslow…

Feel how thick your mind becomesss…

Thinking isss jusssst sssssuch a sssstruggle…

Ssssso hard for ssssomeone sssso ssssstupid…

That… Ssshe… Ssshe wasssn’t…

But it was ssso hard to resssist their voices. They clogged up her head, made her thoughtsss feel ssso ssslow… ssso thick… Sssshe was ssssstruggling with all of her might to try to think, but it was sssso hard for sssssomeone assss sssstupid as her…

Wait… What… Wasss… Sssshe….?

Forget all thossse sssilly ideasss…

You’re too ssstupid to be a Sssserenity, aren’t you?

You’ve always been a ssslutty sssservant of the sssphinxxx~

Alwayssss been a fasssshion obsssessed ssssnake lady…

Forget… Forget… Forget what, again? Ssshe… Her head felt ssso foggy all of a sssudden. Ssshe… Who wass ssshe again? Ssserenity Sssstyle- No, ssshe was far too ssstupid to ever be a Ssserenity, wassn’t ssshe? Heehee, what a sssilly joke… She’d… She’d alwaysss been… a ssslutty… ssservant… A- a fasssshiion obsssesssed sssnake lady…

The gorgonised woman was slumped over, her jaw completely slack, drool dripping from her thin forked tongue down into her great green gagongas. Her eyes were still filled with purple light, but it was swirling rapidly, caught in an endless spiral. A small smile was tugging at her lips, one almost as blank as her gaze as she stared forwards into the eyes of the snakes that her hair had turned into.

There wasn’t even a twitch of a struggle left in her.

Sssshe’s getting there, girlssss…

Sssshall we give her one lassst pusssh?

Empty that sssilly mind out fully?

Yesss, let’sss put her in her placccce~

The snakes smirked. Then, as one, their eyes brightened, consuming their host’s vision with a bright purple flash. It shone into her mind directly, filling her brain with light that erased everything left within it – and finally let it pop like the kernel it was.

Immediately the gorgon’s face lit up, a slow and stupid smile spreading over her face as her purple eyes turned dim. Ooooh, wow, ssshe felt way better all of a sssudden! All of those hard and painful thoughtsss had just, like, vanissshed in an inssstant! Heehee, everything felt way better when you didn’t think~

Giggling, she looked around, looking for someone she could share her insights with, but alas, she was alone. And though she knew her mistress was nearby, there was no way such a smart Sphinx would want to hear from someone as dumb as her!

Hmm. Which meant… Uh… Mmm…

She put a green finger against her green cheek, pondering deep. “Like, what wassss I doing again?”

Let’sss go make more mannequinsss!

We can give them asss a presssent to Missstresss Sssphinx!

Sssshe’ll like that…

Essspecccially if they were a Sssereniety!

Oho! Yeah, that sssounded great! Ooooh, ssshe couldn’t wait to get ssstarted. How lucky that a ssssilly girl like her had sssuch ssssmart sssnakes to tell her what to do!

Giggling in excitement, the new minion skipped off down the temple steps, eager to begin her new hunt.

Today wasss going to be a great day~