“What is it?” Sarah asked, stopping right behind him, her body so close that he could smell her sweat. She looked up too, trying to figure out what he had seen. Mike casually tossed the stone to his right. It landed squarely in a loop of Mandragora vines. They were everywhere now, like a giant cobweb, wrapped around every tree and plant. Immediately, they flexed, little creeper vines grabbing at the stone, the jungle shifting around them.
Sarah, seeing the vines move, pointed her wand and fired, a greenish blast of energy that blew the foliage apart. Her dagger was on the far side of her body. Mike stepped away from the blast, and then around her. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her off her feet and into the larger Mandragora vines behind them.
“What are you doing?” She was inhumanly strong, and easily ripped his hands off of her. However, the Mandragora had sensed them both. Dozens of vines looped around their bodies.
Sarah shouted in an arcane language the jungle floor caught on fire. Mike grabbed on to her legs when the vines tried to drag him away. Sarah’s blade easily cut through the vines, but there were too many of them. She and Mike were tied up completely by the thick green tendrils then dragged away across the jungle floor.
“You piece of shit,” she screamed, kicking at his head. Mike could no longer let go even if he wanted to-the vines had secured his arms to her body. Her foot struck, but with very little force. “You cocksucking, motherfucking, shit-stinking mortal!”
Mike ignored her and turned his head to see where they were going. Sarah struggled against her bonds, which in turn tightened his. He no longer cared what happened to him, as long as he could protect the others. As they were dragged across the jungle floor, he felt relieved that he had managed to lure her away.
“Where are you taking me?” Sarah shrieked, kicking her feet some more.
Mike chuckled. “I’m not taking you anywhere.”
New vines wrapped around them as the old ones let go. Mike and Sarah were split apart, and they accelerated across the ground, splashing through puddles and devastating bushes in their passing. As they traversing the curves of trees, Mike was flung from side to side, smashing into other plants and even rocks, his whole body becoming a giant bruise. The Mandragora was tenderizing its meat.
He wondered what the end would look like. A cavernous maw, perhaps, with man-sized teeth? A bottomless pit? A huge Venus flytrap ready to impress him with show tunes prior to devouring him?
Behind him, Sarah was muttering curses. Her hair was snagging on bushes, undoing her braids. Mike ignored her ramblings and concentrated on the new problem at hand. He had given them over to the Mandragora. Now what?
The bushes disappeared, and suddenly they were in a large clearing. At its center was the Mandragora plant itself. Nearly twelve feet tall, it was a giant, green bulb with an immature bloom on top of it. Huge leaves surrounded the base, interspersed with giant pitcher plant traps that looked like huge, green sleeping bags. The vines pulled them ever closer, dragging them through the dirt. Up above, hanging like giant cocoons, were pods that swayed gently in the breeze.
“What is this that thing?” Sarah asked, her voice unnaturally calm.
“It’s a Mandragora.” Mike looked back at her. “I was going to feed it today; poor thing is starving. If you had showed up later this afternoon, my plan probably wouldn’t have worked.”
“I fucking hate you,” Sarah said, her cheeks bright red. Her face was scraped up, blood and dirt across her face. “I hate you, I hate this plant, I hate your whole fucking family, and your fucking monster collection. You don’t have the grimoire after all, do you?”
“Nope. Never even seen one.”
Sarah snarled and ground her teeth. “Once this thing lets me go, I’m going to set this whole goddamn jungle on fire.”
“About that,” Mike said, watching in amusement as several vines yanked the wand from Sarah’s hand and snapped it in half. “The Mandragora speaks English.”
“Fuck.” The plant took away her dagger too, then tossed it casually to the side where it landed point-down in a stone, sinking to the hilt. “What does it want with us?”
“I’m guessing lunch.” Mike looked at the plant, which wasn’t moving. He wondered how big its teeth were going to be. “I hope it eats you first. I bet you taste like shit.”
“I’m still going to kill you. With my bare hands.” Sarah’s whole face was red, her nostrils flaring. “I’m going to rip off your face and piss all over-“
The pods up above rustled, and a cloud of pink and yellow glitter settled on Mike, Sarah, and the ground around them. They coughed violently — it was like inhaling black pepper.
“What is this?” Mike asked.
“Fuck,” Sarah whispered.
The vines around them were loosening. Circulation slowly returned to Mike’s limbs. The first thing he was aware of was how much his new scrapes and bruises hurt. The second thing he noticed was how hard his cock suddenly was. “I...I don’t get it.” Sitting up, he saw that Sarah was on her hands and knees, taking deep breaths, her breasts heaving beneath her robes.
“I won’t do it, I won’t do it,” she kept muttering to herself. Her shapely ass was beginning to sway, and she started rocking and squeezing her legs together.
“What’s happening?” Shifting, Mike’s cock shifted slightly in his pants. The sensation was magnified tenfold, and an instant thrill shot up his spine to his brain. He tried to adjust himself, but the feeling of cloth on the head of his dick was already making him leak precum, a small stain forming on the outside of his filthy pants. “Oh God.”
“I’ll tell you what’s happening.” Sarah’s voice had a
