Vortex Quest

== VORTEX QUEST 4-9 ==

== WHERE PATHS DIVERGE ==

Xane had subtly fallen back on their walk, until he remembered there was no need for subtlety. He stayed a few steps behind to openly gawk at the four asses up ahead. After basically forgetting he had a dick, turning gay had been what reminded him.

His mage-tongue flicked over – and into - each hole in turn, provoking various reactions but no protests.

He was the only demigod still wearing a white jockstrap, having fixed it up before leaving the spire. He also `wore' an illusory see-through rainbow cape, fluttering around him. And he had stopped fighting his limp wrists. If he was going to spend a few days gay, he might as well lean into it.

Assuming Diego was right with it lasting `a few days'.

Emotionally, the toll was tougher. Was it possible to be in love with four guys at once, even Diego? Or maybe it was just abyss-strength lust. Either way it made him go insane with desire.

Diego had his old belt and loincloth flung over his shoulder since it was way too big on a human frame. "I still have your nectar buds, by the way," the ex-devil said. "I kind of stole those from you, to... well, I wanted to control you, keep you loyal."

"Gimmi," Marcus said. "Celebratory brain fucking, please."

"Have you noticed," Goro said, "that we're craving nectar a lot less? Normally we'd be on our way to the nearest champion for a drink by this point."

"True," Chay said. "I was afraid we'd need more and more until we'd be recklessly hunting demon dick to drain but seems like our addiction deteriorated."

"It comes and goes," Diego said, plucking the bud bag from his belt. "Every few Ring Cycles I get the cravings again and work for my buddies in the world tree to get nectar but right now I'm fine."

"Should we refrain?" Goro asked.

"You can," Marcus said. "Even if it's just a nice to have now it's a very nice to have."

The four pantheon members quickly accepted a golden sphere up the ass and walked with gold leaking holes for a pleasant assault on the mind, flexing and rolling their bodies with moans as they continued down the cave.

Xane found the visions less brutally intrusive, now that he had dick on the mind at all points anyway. As long as he didn't think about a return to earth, it was a shame his flip would wear off.

"Oh," Diego made. "Something else I was going to use to control you... The supercharge orbs. Maybe you should have those. I used one to kill the vortex, actually. Four left."

The fifth demigod transferred the angelic pouch band to Chay.

With the logistics out of the way and the nectar brain fuck wearing off, they arrived in the black jungle where the rootpath had spit them out.

While Diego chanted, Xane let his tongue jump between his friends' asses again.

A green stem rose from the undergrowth, a walnut-looking thing where the flower's bud should have been. Under Diego's magic words, the nut grew exponentially, crushing its own stem.

What remained was a nutshell as big as a king sized bed, the upper half parting in folds to reveal an empty interior.

"Is this going to be another wild ride?" Goro asked.

Marcus gave him a slap on the ass. "Feeling queasy all of the sudden, big guy?"

The mania-warrior held his long hair in a tail. "Just going to look for some vine to tie it back. Can't stand it slipping into my mouth."

Marcus let his chakram shrink to coin size. "Bend down and I'll take care of that."

While Goro got a haircut, Xane made his mage-hand snap in front of Chay's eyes. "Earth to Major Chay. I mean, Abyss to Maj- Nevermind. What's eating you?"

Chay sighed. "On that topic, can you keep eating my ass, it's keeping the nectar-feeling going whe-" – Xane's invisible tone and lips complied – "Oh yeah, like that thanks."

Xane felt like cuddling the leader but held himself back. "No problem. Bend over and you get the real thing."

"Hehe, would love to later. I remember a Xane who was reluctant to use his magic like that."

The thaum-mage spread his muscle-bulging arms. "Well, for now I'm upgraded. Enjoy it while it lasts. So, what has you staring off into space like that?"

"Just thinking about the future. We should touch base. But at an actual base, not in the middle of..." He glanced at the dark foliage. Something far behind them was making tree tops rustle. "Time to hop in everybody."

Goro was bald again, healing from a dozen tiny cuts.

"Hey Chay," Marcus said. "You've been way too consistent with that style. Even this curmudgeon here is experimenting. Try something new?"

Chay rubbed his black buzz cut. "Not now."

"Not ever?" Marcus said with a teasing brow-raise and chakram twirl.

Chay only hummed. "Just get into the nutshell."

With a devil it would have been quite a squeeze, but five humans, no matter how buff, had enough space to sit comfortably, skin on skin, in the massive walnut.

Xane let his motes collect on his jockstrap like a decorative belt. "So it this thing going to take off or- Whoa."

Under strong vibrations, the shell buried into the ground, sinking slowly, then faster until it practically plummeted through soft dirt. Xane put a gently shining orb in the middle.

The nutshell-drill broke through a rock layer and hit water. An underground river. The rollercoaster started.

Xane had been wild water rafting once and had felt pretty good about it – adventurous, badass, manly. Now he noticed how much he had still felt in control despite having been at the mercy of the currents. The nutshell rotated, swooshed side to side and even jumped in the darkness.

Marcus and Diego were holding onto each other, screaming for joy, while Goro's, Chay's and Xane's legs all naturally entwined to keep them more firmly in the `boat'.

"Either the rootpath," Chay shouted, "makes the shell avoid all obstacles, or this river is incredibly wide!"

"Why," Xane shouted back, "did you have to remind me there are obstacles!?"

At last a ceiling came into view. The space was narrowing. At the same time, the river picked up speed. As the ceiling drew too close for comfort, the rootpath magic made it retract.

Blinding light hit Xane's eyes and he converted his shining orb into shades right atop his nose.

The walnut was shooting from Mockery's wall, rapidly approaching a steep drop, half a mile above the ground. Rationally, Xane knew their magic let them fly. Still, he grabbed onto the shell and Goro's pecs.

They went over, fell, fell some more, and hit a thick vine. Their vehicle spun as it raced along the flexible track, rushing from vine to vine over the sparse jungle groves of a landscape littered with the crumbling ruins of a facsimile of an oriental human town.

The ride was still at high speed, but steadier now.

"Feels weird," Chay said over whooshing winds, "not to puke after this. I'll gladly walk a dozen crawlways if we can leave this behind."

"Speak for yourself," Marcus shouted between moans. He was in Diego's lap, riding the erection, while they rubbed each other's pecs. "I could fuck on a rollercoaster any day."

Chay groaned.

Xane rubbed the leader's abs, finding more enjoyment in the sensation than straight-Xane had known possible. "Actually sick?"

"No, I'm fine. Magically enhanced stomach, filled with nothing but piss, water and cum. Just need to relax."

The wizard made good on his promise, pushed the leader over, forced his thick thighs apart and ate ass, which soon turned into fingerbanging. Goro's hand found Xane's hole in turn. With the Laughing City Valley already in sight, they had time for just about a dozen mindshattering mega-gasms.

===***===

They spent a Ring Span – roughly a day – at Diego's old lair, helping him make a few devil-sized things easier to handle by a human. After the pantheon had had a heart-to-heart about their feelings and expectations, they enjoyed a feast of slave cum and fell asleep in a cuddle pile – this time welcoming Diego among them.

Regardless, the ex-devil wasn't going to join the holy quadrumvirate.

"Is there nothing?" Marcus asked, as soon as they were all awake again.

"I'm not leaving behind all my worldly," Diego paused, "uh, otherworld possessions for an adventure that's already near completion only to watch you all leave. Maybe, if your job is done and you decide to stick around..."

"We'll visit," Chay assured. "Actually, this might be the first place we come back to. Dangerous in its own way but a lot fewer scheming here. Less champion this', lord that'."

Xane felt less gay by now, for lack of a better description. Though he was still fairly in love, or lust, with every male form he laid eyes on. "Are you going to be okay without demon strength?"

Diego waved him off. "I was always relying more on my wards. Probably have to impress the Kobolds to keep them allied but, as Chay said, a lot fewer overlords here, vying for underlings."

"I..." Xane started. "I guess this is goodbye. Do we get a final fuck?"

"Absolutely," Diego said and started jerking himself hard. A slave crawled up to him and sucked his semi to full erection.

"Not disappointed," Marcus said, "that your dick is regular-sized now?"

"Oh no," Diego said, mouth-fucking the slave, "it's going to make anal so much easier. The only disappointment I have is that I won't be there when... ah well, I won't be there for the rest of your trip."

"No no," Chay interjected. "You were going to say something else. You were avoiding looking at me. Why?"

"No reason," Diego said and shoved the slave away. Xane had to keep himself from falling in love with each one of Diego's hunky companions. He stared at his friends' ripped backs instead.

"And now," Chay slowly said, "you avoid looking at..."

The leader reached up to his hair, fingertips sensing the missing spots. He rushed to the nearest mirroring surface that wasn't overgrown, dirt crusted, rusty, or blind – a hanging silver shield.

"I think it's pretty," Diego said. "Audacious. A bit like Goro's tattoo. You'd make a cute couple."

Chay, now knowing about the pattern the other demigods had shaved into his hair during the night, glared at Xane. "You fucking assholes."

"Hey," Xane said, raising his arms. "We all did it. Plus, it would take ten seconds to make it grow back. Come on, it's funny."

"I should have Pie eat your eyeballs. Would only take five minutes to grow those back, right?"

"Wow," Marcus said. "Someone's in a morbid mood. Let me guess. Bad hair day?"

Chay gestured at his head. "This is your idea of a prank? Just fucking with my hair, drawing some random bald lines?"

Goro crossed his arms, which currently carried his mark. "I was actually the inspiration. The idea was for us to match." He smirked. "We do make a cute couple, you know?"

Chay slumped. "Fine. Fuck it. I'm trying something new. It's... actually well done. Good job, Xee. Never do it again."

"Scout's honor."

Diego pushed his crotch forward and gestured down. "It's not gonna ride itself, boys. Get in line."

===***===

The flight to the crucible entrance was a somber one. Diego's ward bowl offered a lot more space now that he no longer took up a demon-sized area but still the pantheon sat close and cuddly. Xane wished they could just have exchanged numbers and stayed in contact.

Their parting words nearly ended in another orgy but they eventually slipped into the rift Pie had found for them and turned their backs on Mockery.

The crucible was a facsimile of an old train station – kind of. There were arching brick walls and wrought iron benches. Signs on pillars and booths were gibberish glyphs. Light trickled in from an impressively high, swooping ceiling of frosted – or dirt crusted? – glass.

But the `tracks' were not constrained to where they should be, going every which way in layers and spirals.

Marcus huffed. "Feels like King Jnessos heard us talking about roller-coasters and built us one real quick."

Xane was helping Chay collect the nectar buds with a quick gathering spell. The bag had ripped during the space-bending traversal. At least the angelic pouches and spire goodies were fine. "It's less amusement ride, more MC Escher," he said. "Anyone else hearing the train horns?"

Goro leapt onto a lamppost that was totally `overgrown' with a flurry of no-smoking-signs. His head twitched side to side. "At least five trains," he said downward. "Some coming closer."

"I have a feeling we won't like whoever gets off here," Chay said, fanning foggy tendrils around the space, in the direction Diego's incomplete knowledge had indicated.

Xane was ready. Five whole butterflies had survived the transfer to the crucible. He vigilantly glanced from tunnel to tunnel for any sign of-

The train rammed through the bricks behind them. It was an old engine, a bulky, black cylinder with cranks turning the wheels. Three headlights shone with burning brightness.

The cow catcher plowed bricks aside with enough force to turn them into projectiles.

Goro whisked Chay away. Xane evaded the oncoming engine, vaguely seeing Marcus spin overhead.

The train raced by. No smoke came from the smoke stack. There was only one cabin, filled to the brim with `passengers'. The black, shapeless figures cluttered every window, only their red eyes distinguishable.

The train screeched as it slid on the ground and jumped onto the nearest tracks.

"Xee!" someone yelled - Goro! Chay was down, bleeding from a head wound.

The thaum-mage sent a mote at the fellow demigod's face and pumped the injured brain full of generic healing power.

A new train appeared overhead on one of the many Escher-ian spiral-tracks. It jumped from the rails and dropped right onto them.

Marcus flipped overhead, grabbed Xane by the shoulders and tossed him away. The train landed where the wizard had stood and crashed without taking damage. Again only one wagon, chock full of ghosts.

The new train veered sideways into a bendy track. Meanwhile, the first train returned after a loop, jumped from its rail and headed for them.

"Run," Marcus yelled unnecessarily.

Xane sent a mote at the vehicle, turning the front into chaotic void. The engine seemed to explode with intense creaking, then snapped together, the missing chunk repairing itself with material from nowhere. It slid off course, sparking on the concrete.

The two demigod hopped over a few tracks and were hit by new headlights in a tunnel fifty yards away.

Goro landed next to them. The smoke-leaking Chay was slung over his shoulder, eyes open but barely conscious.

Marcus stopped and charged up a burning kick. He rammed a rail off its track, breaking the metal. "They can't stay off it for long," he said, nodding at the first train which was rolling back onto a track that lead sharply into the air.

A new train appeared twenty yards overhead, dropping out of a track-twist onto a lower line.

Goro dropped Chay in Xane's arms, jumped up and tore planks away before the train made it to them. Xane himself spared one mote to delete a random nearby track while pumping his free magic into a different one to bend the metal out of shape.

He wasn't even sure Marcus was right. Without Chay they had no idea what the trains' weaknesses were.

The demigods raced away, Chay stumbling between Xane's and Goro's arms. The leader adamantly gestured in a direction but his words were too slurred to make out.

There were now five attacking trains, all rushing their way, hopping from rails where necessary. Several tons of metal all aimed at them. Xane readied himself to jump out of the collision-area and drag Chay along. Should he give himself wings? Some other spell?

They tripped into a kaleidoscope of color swirls and biology-defying contortions and-

Sand. Darkness. Dry heat. Everything tinted in the gentle blue of a bright, stormy ocean overhead.

They were back in Hakkri during night.

Marcus fell to his knees. "Man, I'd kiss the ground if it was solid."

Chay stood on his own but held his head. Xane examined him.

"Headache," the umbralist said, Pie on his shoulder gently nuzzling his face.

"No wonder," Marcus said. "It was our most off the rails adventure."

"Give it a minute," Xane said. "Not even an external scar left by now. You're lucky those Mockery-trains didn't mess up your beautiful new style or I'd have redone it with an even more experimental vibe. Ah, there's the glare. Seems like you're about to make a full recovery."

"You mean," Marcus yelled, "he's on track for a fu-"

Goro pushed the animus-fighter into the dune.

Chay groaned, looking at his feet where golden ovals were sitting in the sand. "The bag's a gonner. Might as well shove some more buds up the backdoor to lighten the load."

"Yeah," Xane said and gathered the buds with magic. "That's definitely pragmatism speaking and not the addiction."

Chay smirked. "You can skip your dose of you feel like it."

Marcus shot up from the ground and gave Xane's nipples a flick that sent pure craving into his body. "Isn't looking at me like a nectar vision for you anyway, homo?"

"Wow," Xane said and crossed out Marcus face with an illusory red line. "We're not tolerating homophobia in this group. Also, I think I'm 70% straight again. Hard to say without pussy and tits around. And I'm definitely having my share."

"Can't help but notice," Goro said in an unusually – forced - casual tone, "you didn't answer the question." He flexed his overwhelmingly hot body in a one-armed Abs-and-Thigh pose. "Is looking at us like getting demon dick fucked?"

Xane pushed a nectar bud into his guts and his mind was forced into a vision of him getting pinned to a tile wall under a shower and brutally fucked with a massive cock – by Goro of all people – with sensations real enough to give true erotic relief from the abyssal horniness for a moment.

Yeah, he wasn't going to mention that.

Crossing his arms even harder, Xane looked at the many moons in the ocean sky. "Can't believe I'm being homophobically teased by my own best friends."

Chay wiggled his hand. "Eh, second best for me."

Marcus perked up. "Where am I on the ranking? Am I your bestie? Chay?"

The leader started walking.

"Hey, where do I rank?" Marcus said. "Boss? Hey. Hey!"

Goro gave Xane a slap on the ass. The wizard paid him back with a mage-tongue flick across the nipples.

They marched on in the desert night, to the next realm-transition which was supposed to be close-by if, again, Diego had gotten good intel.

===***===

Deep in an imp-infested cave was the next tear in reality.

Leaving Rhibinelg sent the demigods into a more aggressive twixtway. Xane's jockstrap turned into fine dust as the outside of his leg got ripped up. The same leg another crucible had eaten before.

They were on a floating island, spacious enough to house a small, sparking volcano. Classic dark abyss rock with the occasional stone skull and red vine.

The thaum-mage hit the ground with a muffled cry and dropped, clutching his hip-to-foot wound. He reached for his motes but only three had survived the travel. He didn't have it in him to do more than fix his leg with free thaum and hope the others could handle whatever was happening.

No one else had received more than the usual cuts and bruises. Goro grunted as the spire goodies clattered to the ground. His bag had disintegrated.

A house-sized creature rose before them. A bull, with six legs, a ridge of horns along the spine, and three red eyes. It scraped the ground with two left hooves and blew smoke from the nostrils.

Xane looked at Chay for guidance while his leg stopped bleeding.

"It's a stretch," the umbralist said, "but I can make that bull my puppet."

"Man," Marcus said. "We've come a long way since that scorpion, huh?"

"I'm making it turn away," Chay said. "Not taking any chances."

"More like, not taking any bullsh-"

"Incoming!" Goro said firmly.

Marcus' shoulders slumped. "You could've let me finish," he mumbled.

Xane was kneading his skin back together, still on the ground. "What is it? I can't see."

"Kobo-" Chay started. "No, Kobold-like things, but moving on four legs, no armor or equipment. I think those are feral Kobolds? Hm, as you'd expect of a crucible."

The feral enemies rushed them and the bull turned to stomp on them. Xane held his motes ready but the smoke-leaking leader had the horde's number.

With a chakram encircling the demigods for safety, the horde never got close. Goro collected the spire goodies while Xane finished his healing.

Pie was dashing in cloud bursts between Chay's traveling fog fragments.

There wasn't more to do for Xane than make a new mote. The pantheon had an easy time fighting dozens of enemies, including a giant beast. He finally got up and brushed himself off, starting yet another mote.

It was sad the jockstrap had not survived the transition. His last connection to Diego was gone just when he'd started to like the guy, or maybe just lust after his cageless dick.

"Found the exit," Chay said. "Get moving."

With the arrhythmic trampling of the giant bull beside them, the demigods wandered through the now respectful horde of feral lizardmen. Each one had to carry some angelic devices.

"Marky boy?" Xane asked. "Cut me a length of leather, would you?"

"Anything, my dear," the animus-fighter said and let his weapons slice a Kobold corpse's back.

The wizard handed his spire items to Goro. "Can we take a break for a minute? Gotta focus."

Chay glanced around. "Might have to release the bull. I'm controlling half its body alternately to save on concentration and- okay, it's complicated but I'd rather keep moving."

"Hop on," Goro said, and slightly bowed.

With a grin, Xane flung himself onto his friend's shoulders and rode the berserker. He was basically un-flipped by this point, as straight as the day he'd entered the abyss, but the sensation of his perfectly smooth legs and ass on Goro's perfectly smooth pecs and shoulders still sent shivers into his hole. He leaked a tiny bit of precum onto the bald man's neck. Surely it would only feel like another drop of sweat.

He cleaned remaining viscera off the Kobold hide and skin-shaped a new bag for Goro to carry. He just hoped the next realm-jump was a gentler one.

=== END OF BOOK FOUR ===