Enthralling Petra

“I’ll obey you,” Petra repeated blankly for the fifth time. She still wore her blue tunic that rode up on her chest, exposing her midriff. Her chest was toned from years of fighting and training. Her pants hugged her thick, muscular thighs like a second skin.

As satisfied and aroused as the words made Julian feel, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of the ordeal ahead of him.

The challenge wasn’t getting her to this state. The real difficulty lies in preserving her abrasive short-temperedness, at least as far as it concerns me. If Petra suddenly starts acting like my most loyal servant after spending the night with me and Izel, people might attribute it to the effectiveness of my punishment. Or they might start asking uncomfortable questions. I’m not nearly powerful enough to resist an inquiry from the city authorities or the Watch if someone suspects mind magic and the mere mention of such would greatly complicate things for my mother, especially now that I have a Tenlani consort. I can only imagine the mutterings that will cause among the nobility.

“Why the long face, Julian? You’ve finally got the little minx right in the palm of your hand,” Izel chirped. The voluptuous Tenlani woman still hugged his arm between the valley of her big, soft breasts. Her amber eyes flickered with amusement as he swallowed and stared down at her achingly beautiful body. There was an uncurrent of concern in her voice, however. “I’d have thought you’d be celebrating.”

He met Izel’s gaze. He felt the mental connection between himself and Petra loosen somewhat, like a rope becoming less taut.

Hm. What just happened? It was like whatever’s linking me to her with Hypnosis has just entered a dormant state.

Julian looked at Petra again. Her eyes were still blissfully blank as she stared at the coin Julian held. Abruptly, the connection snapped back into place.

How strange. I wonder what the feeling was. Could it be related to Petra’s ability to hear and respond to my words, somehow?

The more he thought about it, the more the notion made sense.

I’ve been talking with Izel constantly since I used Hypnosis on Petra. She can’t hear Izel, but she sure as Klaria’s staff can hear me. Yet, she hasn’t reacted at all to anything I’ve said to Izel. Maybe Hypnosis has a secondary function, one that prevents a subject from being influenced without the Psion’s-

“Julian?” Izel’s voice broke him from his reverie.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He felt his connection to Petra’s mind fade somewhat. “I think I just discovered something new about Hypnosis.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? Do tell.”

He explained to her his most recent realization. Izel nodded along without comment as he spoke. She was a lot more open-minded than he’d initially expected.

“That’s not surprising. Like you pointed out, she didn’t seem to react to anything we said to each other,” she said when he finished. She squeezed her breasts around his arm. “So, back to my earlier point. You didn’t seem too happy about getting Petra under your thrall. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He shook his head.

“It’s more of a worry. Petra wasn’t exactly subtle in her dislike for me on our way home. Who knows how many other people she’s made her feelings clear to?” he muttered. “I need to make it so she simultaneously hates me, but at the same time obey every command I give her without question or hesitation. And I mean every command.”

Understanding dawned in Izel’s beautiful eyes.

“I see.” She bit her lip, her gaze flicking over to Petra. Suddenly she smirked. “I have an idea. What if you created false personalities in her mind. One that hates you and will still act normally in front of other people. Another who believes you’re her lord and will do literally anything to please you.”

He blinked as he considered Izel’s idea.

Is that even possible? Can I really create an entirely different set of personalities in a person’s mind and have them not be aware of each other?

In the back of his mind, the presence watched with rapt interest. Its eyes glowed bright red.

Julian did his best to ignore it and focus on the idea Izel had presented.

The concept of Petra still being her usual self, of having all her resentment yet being able to be toggled into a more compliant state as easily as deactivating a mana torch was particularly enticing.

Julian shivered.

“That’s… actually ingenious,” he whispered. “I really like that idea.”

Izel laughed.

“Of course it is. I came up with it, after all,” she nudged him with her elbow. “Nethrus, you’d be totally lost without me.”

He sighed.

“Don’t get too big a head, Izel,” he said.

She laughed again, a melodious sound that he always found himself wanting to hear more of.

“Of the two of us, I think I’m the one who’s least in danger of that. I mean, look what you’re doing. Can you honestly say with a straight face that power like this won’t go to your head, if it hasn’t already?” she asked, inclining her head towards the still-hypnotized Petra.

He frowned.

Izel may actually have a point. Even the most disciplined people would probably find it difficult to keep themselves in check with the power to control the minds of others. But…

He felt his connection to Petra. Saw it hanging like a fog over her mind, keeping her conscious mind suppressed and asleep while allowing her more **** subconscious mind to come to the surface.

This is… what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s what my class is for. Then again, that won’t necessarily save me. History is rife with examples of Mind Mages going mad with power. Some even had legions of people worshiping them as gods. Unthinkable blasphemy in many respects.

“I’m not sure, Izel. Perhaps the power will corrupt me eventually. Perhaps not,” he said. “But what I do know is that I’m something that hasn’t existed in over a thousand years. Why now, of all times? And why me? There has to be a reason for it.”

Izel pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t doubt it. Something about you obviously drew Nethrus’ notice. He must have seen you as a worthy successor to Omreus. Or perhaps he has plans within Aemar that can only be achieved with a Psion among the Aemari nobility.”

I’m still not so sure it was Nethrus who chose me. But how do I tell her about ‘Nethrus’ being openly surprised by who and what I am? Do I tell her, even? What would that do besides confuse her? Would she even believe it?

She smirked and whispered in his ear, oblivious to his thoughts. “It’s not inconceivable that he would want you to spread your influence over Aemar’s ruling class.”

A chill ran down his spine at her closeness, his earlier thoughts of Nethrus all but forgotten. She kissed his earlobe.

“Just think of all those powerful, beautiful women. Like your mother and sisters. Like Reyna and Petra. Imagine them all kneeling before you naked, begging you to command them,” she whispered. His cock throbbed in his pants.

S-shit, does Izel have any idea what she’s doing to me?

He swallowed and tried to calm himself.

“Whatever corruptive influence my class has on me definitely pales in comparison to your voice in my ear,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Izel giggled and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Interesting words coming from the man who controls me,” she said. “Or have you forgotten that I’ll do pretty much anything you ask. And I mean, anything.”

“Gods, Izel,” he whispered breathlessly. “I want nothing more right now than to throw you on to my bed and take you mercilessly. Perhaps I’d even make use of that other hole of yours just to teach you a lesson.”

“Oh Julian, I’d have thought you’d know by now not to threaten me with a good time,” she purred. “My other hole, you said? Well, I’ll have you know that I’ve long-since trained myself in its use in bed. Though, I’ve never had a man back there before. You would be my first.”

Julian’s throat went dry.

“Your first?” he asked disbelievingly.

“My first.” She nodded her head in confirmation, still resting on his shoulder. “It’ll have to wait, though, since you insisted on ‘punishing’ your wayward retainer. Also, such a thing requires a certain level of… preparation.”

He gulped audibly, and she smirked at him.

She really is eager, isn’t she? Well, let’s show her that I can apply her idea to attain a level of control over Petra so complete that no one will suspect a thing. The benefit of Mind Mages and the like being outlawed all over the Empire is that there are scant few people who can read minds and discern what lies within.

Resolve firmed, Julian turned his attention to Petra once more. Again, he felt his connection to her snap back into place. It was much more noticeable now that he knew what to look for.

So, how do I begin the process of cultivating a separate personality within Petra's mind?

He decided to start by leveraging what he had already done to her.

“You’ll obey me, right, Petra?” he asked.

Petra nodded blankly. “I’ll obey you.”

“If I told you to act as if you were angry with me in public, would you do it?” he said.

She paused. “I… my lord…”

“Yes, I’m your lord.”

“You’re my lord,” she repeated easily. It almost made him smile.

“You’ll obey me.”

“I’ll obey you.”

“If I went up to you and commanded you to act as if you were angrily at me like you did before, would you?” he said.

Petra licked her plush lips. Julian couldn’t help but imagine them wrapped around his cock.

“I don’t know,” she answered.

“Why not? If you’ll obey me, doesn’t it stand to reason that if I tell you to act as if you are angry with me that you’ll obey my command?” he said.

“It would be… disrespectful,” she whispered quietly.

Understanding dawned on Julian.

“You want to retain your honor in front of everyone, not just me,” he said.

Petra nodded.

“And if you act the way you did earlier towards me, people will think you’re being disrespectful towards me, right?” he said.

She nodded once more.

_Izel’s suggestion will definitely be the way forward, then. Unless I want to change her Petra to the way she was before, and I’d rather not do that. She belongs to _me.

“Are you angry with me about your mother?” he asked without asking. He already knew the answer. He merely needed to hear her response.

“No,” was her reply.

“You were pretty angry with me before, though, weren’t you? Especially when you’d heard that I’d broken curfew to see my beautiful consort?” he asked.

Izel hummed appreciatively.

“Flatterer.” She kissed his cheek.

Petra nodded and replied, “Yes.”

“How angry were you, Petra?” he said.

“I wanted to beat you senseless,” she replied flatly, then bit her lip, almost in shame.

“Oh, I like this one. She’s got fire, even while you have her under your spell,” Izel muttered, chuckling.

Julian rolled his eyes and continued with Petra.

“Is it hard to reconcile your lack of anger now with the anger you felt towards me before?” he wondered aloud.

She shook her head.

“No.”

“Why not?” he said.

“You don’t control your mother. Your mother was the one who demoted my mother. My mother’s demotion wasn’t your fault,” Petra said.

My commands worked pretty well. Perhaps too well. I really did manage to alter how her mind perceives me.

“Are you angry at my mother?” he asked out of curiosity more than anything else.

Petra didn’t answer. She kept still, her eyes staring ahead unseeingly.

I wonder if she even thought about it. It’s probably much easier for her to blame me for her mother’s troubles than the acting head of House Imerdan. The former would just be a vassal having an issue with her lady’s son. The latter would be akin to treason. Far more dishonorable, though the lines between the two have certainly started to blue since Petra was assigned to my retinue, effectively making me her lord.

He stretched his arm. Petra’s eyes followed the coin.

“I want you to go back an hour or so and imagine yourself as you were before you realized that I wasn’t responsible for your mother’s demotion and feel all the anger and resentment you’d had for me course through you. Can you do that?” he asked.

Petra nodded after a few moments. “I can.”

He smiled.

“Are you angry with me now, Petra?” he asked.

The dusky-skinned blonde answered instantly, “Gods, I want to beat you senseless.”

He almost laughed.

Good. I wonder if it’d be possible to create… I don’t know, personality states in her mind. Or at least use what she knew an hour ago as a template for a personality that can be layered on top of the more subservient one that exists now. What sort of conditions can I create that would trigger the personality change? Flashing lights? A set of words? Words would be much easier, but I have to take care that they can’t be used by anyone except me, like the trigger I implanted in Rila’s mind. I wonder how much easier this would be if I’d picked the Implant Trigger Skill, though it doesn’t seem to be strictly necessary to achieve the effects under Hypnosis.

“From now on, whenever I say the phrase ‘Last Hour’s Petra,’ you’ll immediately enter the state of mind you were in before you realized I wasn’t responsible for your mother’s demotion. You’ll be just as angry with me as you were before. You won’t leave this state until I say the words ‘Dishonored Petra,’ after which you will return to the state you’re in now where you aren’t angry with me and you fully believe that I’m your lord and you’ll obey my every word in the hopes of reclaiming your honor. Do you understand?” he asked.

“I…” Petra trailed off and went silent.

This may call for a Suggestion. Status.

Julian Imerdan (lv. 7 Psion)

HP: 142/142

ST: 119/119

WP: 345/470

Skills...

Attributes…

Effects…

Nice. I could feasibly give Petra several more Suggestions and Hypnotize her a few more times before I run out of WP. And after I’m done with her, I’ll Meditate and get all my points back.

He concentrated, readying the Suggestion before letting it loose.

-Whenever Julian Imerdan says the words ‘Last Hour’s Petra,’ you’ll immediately become the person you were before you realized Julian wasn’t responsible for your mother’s demotion.-

The Suggestion penetrated her hypnotized mind easily. He felt and saw it pollute it, like waste runoff into crystal-clear water before fading, the waters appearing to be undisturbed. Yet he could sense what lay beneath.

Petra drew a shuddering breath, but her eyes remained focused on his coin.

-Whenever Julian Imerdan says the words ‘Dishonored Petra,’ you’ll become the person you are now, all of your anger towards Julian Imerdan will cease to exist.-

She shivered when the Suggestion made contact with her mind, brushing aside what little remained of her mental barriers under the effects of Hypnosis.

His head throbbed, though not painfully. Instead, he felt… satisfied. Like he had just climbed a high tree and made it back down, his muscles tingling with the strain, yet growing stronger. He felt accomplished. Like he had just done something he had set out to do a long time ago.

“What happens when I say the words, ‘Last Hour’s Petra?” he asked.

Petra’s reply was immediate. “I will be as I was before I rightfully realized you had nothing to do with my mother’s demotion.”

Julian grinned, a thrill coursing through him like lightning. Beside him, Izel hummed, impressed.

“And what happens when I say the words, ‘Dishonored Petra?” he asked, his body tingling with anticipation.

“I’ll become the person I am now,” Petra said.

“You won’t be angry at me and you’ll be completely obedient towards me, won’t you?” he said.

Petra nodded.

“I’ll obey you.” The words flowed easily from her tongue, like she hadn’t even had to think about them.

“And you’ll have no memory of switching between the two states, will you?” he said.

Petra didn’t answer, so Julian readied another Suggestion.

-When Julian Imerdan switches your personality state, you will never remember him doing so. It will be as if one state has completely subsumed the other.-

The Suggestion was a bit more unwieldy. It approached Petra’s mind slowly, almost clumsily. Such was the state of her mind that it somehow managed to find purchase, seeping into her **** brain like fat drops of rainwater finding cracks in a building’s roof.

Petra gasped. She leaned forward slightly, towards the coin, drawing Julian’s eyes to the tops of her perky breasts.

“When I say the words ‘Last Hour’s Petra,’ what happens?” he said.

“I’ll be in the state I was before I realized you weren’t responsible for my mother’s demotion,” Petra repeated herself blankly.

“Tell me more about how you’ll be in that state,” he said.

Petra obeyed. “I’ll be angry with you. I’ll still wrongly believe you were responsible for my mother being demoted from Captain of the guard. I won’t remember you putting me in that state.”

“Excellent,” he muttered. “And what happens when I say the words, ‘Dishonored Petra?’”

“I’ll return to the mindset I’m in now,” she said easily.

“Tell me more about the mindset you’re in now,” he commanded.

Petra took a breath before replying.

“I’m no longer angry with you. I know you weren’t responsible for my mother’s demotion. I want to regain my honor and redeem myself,” she said.

He grinned.

“And how do you plan on regaining your honor?” he asked.

Petra licked her lips.

“By obeying you, my lord,” she said.

“Without hesitation,” he said.

“Without hesitation,” she repeated to him.

“Without question.”

“Without question,” she intoned firmly.

“The more you obey me, the closer you get to regaining your honor. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Petra nodded. “Obeying you will help me reclaim my honor.”

Satisfied, Julian closed his hand over the coin and placed it in his pocket. The gentle pulse of Hypnosis dissipated instantly. Petra blinked rapidly, life returning to her ice-blue eyes.

She bowed lowly. Her tunic drooped slightly beneath her, granting him an almost-unobstructed view of her ripe mammaries.

“My lord, I want to apologize again for my earlier foolishness. I just… I can’t believe I was so stupid to think you were actually responsible for my mother’s demotion. And even if you were, that’s no excuse for how I acted. I…” she swallowed and lowered herself to one knee. She looked up at him, uncaring of the fact that he was staring at her unobstructed cleavage. “I pledge myself fully to your service. Will you have me?”

I certainly will.

“Sure I will. You may rise. But there’s one other person you should be apologizing to, isn’t there?” he said.

Izel straightened next to him, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.

Petra blushed slightly as she stood.

“Yes, you’re right, my lord,” she said, and then faced Izel and bowed to her. “I had no right to say those things about you before. You’re my lord’s consort, and worthy of all the honor that entails. I won’t disrespect you again. I swear on my family’s honor. What little of it still exists at this point.”

Izel waved her hand. “It’s okay. Water under the bridge and all that.”

Petra’s eyes brightened. She bowed again. Julian couldn’t help but marvel at the change in attitude. Less than an hour ago on their way back to the manor, Petra had thought Izel the lowest of the low. A foreign whore. Now, she was bowing to Izel as if she were a high-ranking noble.

“You’re very wise and generous, Lady Izel,” she said.

The Tenlani woman chuckled and leaned to whisper in his ear.

“Hm. I could get used to this treatment.”

He grinned.

Yes, I bet you could. It won’t be long until you’re nagging me to have enthrall an entire gaggle of servants to attend to your every whim. That’s fine, just as long as you know who’s really in charge. I’ll certainly be reminding you of that very, very soon, my love.

He imagined Izel on his bed, spreading her asscheeks and presenting him with her sopping wet pussy and the winking rosebud of her anus. He saw himself pressing his cock against her forbidden backdoor, hearing her scream and whimper and moan as he squeezed his way inside her. Yes, he would be reminding her of her place very soon, indeed.

But not now. Tonight’s all about bringing Petra under my exclusive control. Let’s test her trigger and make sure it worked.

“Last Hour’s Petra,” he said.

The icy-eyed blonde blinked. Fire immediately returned to her eyes as she glared at him.

“My lord, if there’s nothing else you need from me I’d like to at least attempt to get some sleep,” she said angrily. Her eyes flicked over to Izel, taking in the sight of her voluptuous body pressed against Julian. Petra’s face scrunched up in distaste. “Well?”

Julian suppressed a manic laugh.

This is working even better than I anticipated. If Petra acts like this all day, no one will suspect anything.

He was tempted to invoke her trigger again and have back the infinitely more compliant version of Petra, but he quite liked seeing her squirm like this, unaware that no matter what, she was completely and utterly his. That the means of her enslavement lay just beneath the surface of her awareness.

“Hey Izel, hand her one of the blankets and pillows from my bed. There’s no reason for my retainer to be so miserable,” he said.

Izel smirked.

“Are you sure? She did insult me pretty severely during our ride here,” she said, and from her tone Julian could immediately tell it was an act. At least, mostly. “I’d think she deserves to try to sleep on the bare wooden floor, like you said.”

Petra’s eyes blazed angrily as she glared at Izel for but a moment before switching to Julian.

“I have no need of your charity, my lord. After all, it’s your right to punish me since my actions insulted you. I’ll be just fine on the floor,” she practically bit the words out. “With your leave?”

Fine. Suit yourself.

“Feel free,” he said.

Petra sniffed. She surveyed the floor for a few moments before walking towards the far wall. She sat down on the floor with her back propped up against the wall. She folded her hands across her chest and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed slightly, but Julian doubted she’d be able to sleep for a good long while.

I wonder if she’d have accepted my sheets and pillow if Izel hadn’t antagonized her.

He glanced at Izel, who seemed to have already forgotten about Petra and was getting on his bed on all fours. Her blue dress rode up thick brown thighs, and he was soon presented with a view of her big, round ass. She glanced back at him over her shoulders, her eyes brimming with lust. She gave her ass a shake, causing her asscheeks to jiggle slightly.

What a fucking beauty. My gods.

He followed after her almost senselessly, stumbling on the bed after her and nearly falling.

She laughed again, just as melodiously and beautifully as before. When he reached her, he jabbed a finger into the space just above her hip. She jolted and tried to move away from him, but he wrapped an arm around back and pulled her into his chest. Her big, soft tits squished against him.

“I didn’t know you were ticklish, Izel,” he muttered fondly, staring into her eyes. Their faces were mere inches away from each other as they rested on his pillows. The bed was comfortable, far more so than the cot at the mending ward or the bed at the inn.

Her beautiful face flickered with the amber light of the mana torches.

“I’m not,” she replied firmly, glaring at him. There was little heat in it.

“Mhm. If you say so,” he whispered, nudging her nose with his. His heart thudded heavily in his chest, and he felt himself ache for her.

She giggled.

“I do say so,” she said, her lips curving with amusement. When she kissed him it was slow, deliberate, but no less passionate than they had been before. The fact that another person was present in the room hadn’t seemed to make her want to hesitate.

When they broke the kiss, Izel hummed with contentment. She pushed him to lie on his back, and he let it happen. She shuffled closer to him and rested her head on his chest.

“This is nice…” she whispered, an uncharacteristic vulnerability in her voice.

He kissed the top of her head.

“It is,” he whispered. “I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

She hummed. “And don’t you ever forget it.”

A chuckle made his body shudder, and he felt her smile against his chest.

She grabbed the sheets and pulled them over the two of them. Julian sighed, loving the comfort and warmth of sharing a bed with her.

He felt her breathing slow as she succumbed to sleep. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d dream of.

He had to remind himself not to follow her. That doing so would potentially trigger his Fardreamer attribute and fling his consciousness somewhere perhaps even more unfriendly than the place he thought was Nethruan.

Meditation.

The world around him faded away, but it still existed at the edges of his mind like foamy water lapping at his feet as he lay by the ocean, fully awake as he pondered what lay beneath its endless depths.

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Julian Imerdan (lv. 7 Psion)

HP: 142/142

ST: 119/119

WP: 287/470

Skills...

Attributes…

Effects…

Julian's Skills

[Manipulation] Suggestion (cost: 20 WP): Telepathically implant a suggestion in the mind of a target to influence or induce an action, thought, or emotion.

[Manipulation] Hypnosis (cost: 30 WP) – Lull someone into a hypnotic trance. Requires the use of a pendant or other foci to draw the target’s gaze.

[Affliction] Mind Jab (cost: 15 WP): Project a weak bolt of psionic energy that attacks the mind of an opponent, causing crippling mental pain that lasts for a few moments.

[Affliction] Psi-Bolt (cost: 5 WP) – Emit an unguided bolt of psionic energy that inflicts low Psi damage to a target upon impact. It deals moderate Psi damage against targets affected by Mind Jab, but clears them of the status.

[Connection] Detect Mind (cost: 2 WP/s): Focus your awareness outward to detect the minds of sentient organic beings within ten feet.

[Connection] Connect Mind (cost: 5 WP) – Choose two minds glimpsed with Detect Mind and link them together for a time, allowing a psionic Skill used on one mind to affect the other.

[Matter] Piercing Field (cost: 15 WP) – Imbue a weapon or projectile within range with an impossibly narrow telekinetic field, allowing it to cut through armor. The field dissipates after a single attack.

[Knowledge] Safe Fall (cost: free) - You have learned how to shift your body mid-air to significantly mitigate falling damage.

[Knowledge] Meditation (cost: free) Clear your thoughts and retreat into an introspective state within your own mind. Your WP regeneration is significantly increased while meditating. Meditation is a viable substitute for the equivalent amount of sleep.

[Innate] Focus (cost: free): When in combat, enter a state of emotional detachment which allows you to ignore pain and resist negative mental effects.

Julian’s Attributes

Human - As a member of the human species, your body is more resilient than most other sapient races.

Magical Ancestry - Several of your ancestors possessed powerful magical abilities and talents. The barest hint of their talent resides within you, granting you easier use of magical items.

Psionic - You are capable of affecting physical and nonphysical reality through Will alone. You are resistant to mental effects and psionic damage. You can perceive all spectrums of psionic energy.

Fardreamer - While you sleep, you may randomly send your mental awareness to another place in the universe.

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