"I'm just saying," Ziz huffed, folding her arms under her chest as we rode the enchanted platform downward into the dim, pulsating underground. "If the ruin has treasure that strengthens the bond between spirit beasts and their master, I should obviously be the one to test everything on him."
"No," Behemoth said immediately.
"I'd rather not be vaporized because you got too horny on a magic rune again," Bahamut added coolly.
"I didn't say I'd do it alone," Ziz snapped. "Master's part of this too!"
"I think it's romantic…" Leviathan mumbled, pressing her index fingers together. "A… magical ruin that responds to love…"
"A lewd ruin," Saphielle corrected, flicking her silver-lavender hair behind her shoulder as the platform ground to a halt. "I've heard of this place before. The Labyrinth of Leashes. It was sealed centuries ago for being too… interactive."
"Interactive?" Chimera's green eyes sparkled. "So like, fun?"
Saphielle sighed. "Fun until you trigger a sigil marked with a heart."
"What kind of sigil?" I asked.
"One that glows pink and has—"
SLAP.
Chimera had already slammed her palm onto a glowing heart-shaped tile on the wall.
"…that," Saphielle finished, pinching the bridge of her nose.
The floor trembled beneath us. A sudden pull sucked the entire party into the wall with a flash of blinding light.
We landed in a breathy, glowing chamber that seemed alive. The walls pulsed softly, the floor felt… springy. Warm. Almost like skin.
"Oh no," I muttered.
"I like this place," Ziz purred, stretching. "Look at those glowing glyphs. Bet they do something fun."
"The heart sigils control the labyrinth," Saphielle explained, tapping one with a glowing finger. "This chamber tests emotional connection. The door won't open unless someone gives or receives genuine affection."
Ziz turned toward me instantly. "Say no more."
Before I could react, she shoved me down, straddling my lap.
"I am affection incarnate," she declared, locking eyes with me. "Now, pucker up, Master. Tongue."
"Wait—!"
She grabbed my face and went in, lips smashing against mine in a heated, demanding kiss. Her fingers dug into my shoulders as she rocked her hips slightly, causing my whole body to freeze under her curvy weight.
"Ahem!" Behemoth's voice cut through the air like a sword. "Get off him."
"I should do it," Leviathan said quickly, cheeks flushed. "My love is purer—"
"You're both overthinking it," Bahamut said, brushing past them.
She grabbed my chin, tilted my face up, and gave me a full, deliberate kiss on the lips. It was warm, slow, and purposeful—just long enough to leave my head spinning. As she pulled away, the stone door behind us glowed and slid open.
"Efficient," she said, wiping her mouth with a smirk.
I lay sprawled on the floor, dazed.
"I can't keep up…" I muttered.
We ventured deeper into the labyrinth, through twisting halls of throbbing glyphs and glowing corridors that seemed to inhale and exhale around us.
The second chamber opened into a vast room tiled with glowing runes and pressure plates. At the far end, another sealed door with a heart sigil pulsed, awaiting the next… "test."
"There's no obvious path," Saphielle said, scanning the floor. "We'll need to navigate these carefully."
Naturally, Ziz stepped forward first—and immediately hit a glowing tile.
FWOOSH.
A phantom gust of wind swirled around her, stripping her of her top. Her bare chest jiggled freely, and she let out a shriek.
"WH-WHAT—?!"
"Whoa!" Chimera laughed, clapping. "Bonus round already?"
Leviathan took a cautious step—and a magic tile beneath her feet lit up blue.
A shimmering rainfall poured down onto her, soaking her transparent clothes. Her semi-sheer top clung tightly to her curves, her flushed cheeks now visible even through the veil of water.
"I-I can't move!" she whimpered.
"I'll help—!" I stepped forward—and triggered another trap.
Illusions burst forth around me: all five girls, dressed in scandalous variations of their outfits, giggling and purring as they surrounded me.
"Master~," the fake Bahamut whispered, tracing her finger down my neck.
"Don't you want to see what a real bond looks like?" fake Behemoth said, dragging me into her arms.
"Let's play, Master!" the fake Chimera squealed, clinging to my waist.
I tried to backpedal—but they tackled me, pinning me to the soft, springy ground, groping and grabbing. Real hands or illusion, it all felt too real.
"Enough!" Saphielle snapped.
She traced a glyph with her finger, lips glowing with runes, and stepped past the writhing magic tiles. She reached me, clicked her tongue, and leaned in.
Her lips pressed against my neck. Not a kiss—a lick. Slow. Sultry.
The illusions shattered around us as I gasped, frozen.
"Had to be the tongue," she said simply, stepping back.
"You enjoyed that," I mumbled, face red.
"You enjoyed it more," she shot back, smug.
Bahamut chuckled from behind us. "At this rate, you'll die of embarrassment before the final floor."
"Or pleasure," Ziz muttered, tugging her top back on.
"Or both," Chimera chirped, skipping down the path.
We finally reached the end of the room. The door creaked open on its own, having sensed enough "affection" to warrant our passage.
As I staggered through the threshold, my legs wobbly, my face burning, and my body covered in lingering kisses and sweat, I whispered, "Why does every dungeon we visit become a battlefield of thighs and lips?"
"Because you're our Master," Saphielle replied sweetly. "And we love you, remember?"
That was somehow more terrifying than any trap.