Smooth Like Stone - Part 1

*****

Nia was scared. She was deep in the lair of the Medusa. The Medusa was old and quite cunning. She had already gotten the rest of Nias group.

"How could the Medusa even hunt?" she asked herself. The medusa had been hunted before. But the adventurer group back then had spared her seeing that the creature had blinded herself on purpose and never attacked anyone before.

That changed a few weeks back. No one knew how the Medusa could regain her eyesight and the ability to petrify her victims. Nia continued to explore the cave system she was in. Now in near darkness, it was like a labyrinth.

Just as she reached the mouth of a big cavern a noise startled her. Instinctively she looked only to freeze. Quite literally. She couldn’t move anymore. Was it the chill of the stone creeping up her limbs or the dreaded Medusa just inches away from her.

“What a fine prey I caught. I am looking forward to playing with you.” Nia saw the medusa moving away. With her, the rest of the lights faded. Unmoving she could only think about one thing.
"She was still blinded! How could she turn me to stone?"

*****

Nia had lost track of time. Frozen in stone and surrounded by darkness there wasn’t much she could do but to think. She did go through every spell she knew more than once. Well, actually more than a dozen times. None would help.

And if she was honest she wasn’t the best sorceress in regards to casting spells without incantation or gestures. Both taken away by her being stone.

But she had still hope. On her chest half buried in her stony flesh was a different type of stone: an Heirloom Gem. Passed time and time again, from Sorceress who mastered their trade to their apprentices. It was lastly bestowed upon Nia.

With time and luck, there might surface a spell to free her. But it was a faint hope. Sure there was a “stone to flesh” spell. The cure to the “flesh to stone” curse. Nia knew the spell. But everyone knew medusae used their own natural magic to trap their prey. Still, it was a thread of hope. Maybe one day she would learn a spell to free herself. Till then Nia could only wait and practice her incantation-less magic.

*****

Time flew by. Nia made progress. Now and then she could summon a magic light. The easiest of all spells. One day as one of her lights faded Nia was confused as she could still see slightly.

Her surroundings became brighter and brighter, till finally the Medusa and her light slipped into her view. “Hmm, I nearly had forgotten about you. What a shame that would be.” The medusa mused to herself.

Then the Medusa murmured something and suddenly Nia was cold. The chilly air caressed normal human skin. Nia was puzzled. Though she was freed she hadn’t moved at all. It took concentration but finally, she got her arm to lower and to drop the remains of the torch she was carrying. She looked slowly up and saw an equally puzzled Medusa looking back.

“You are a strange one, aren’t you? Normally when I release someone they try to charge me. Very curious.”

Nia heard but outwardly she didn’t show any sign that she did. Her body was still pretty much frozen only to be moved slightly by the sheer force of her will. Nia tried to answer but it was hard too. In the end, a barely breathed “How?” escaped her slightly moving lips.

“How what my dear? That you can’t move well? I don’t know. I have never seen something like that.”

Again Nia concentrated on pushing another word out:”Blind.”

The medusa furrowed her eyebrows but then looked delighted. “Ah! You want to know how a blinded one of my kind can trap someone. Oh dear, the answer is simple: magic! You see sometimes a medusa is born that can do more magic than the natural to their kind. They can learn spells of mankind. It was hard, I admit, but once I had my hands on a spell-book it was easier. But I needed time. I already knew I could see through magic. With my Gorgon Gaze making me a target, it became a liability. So I blinded myself and once adventurers found me it was easy to plead my innocence. From then on I could study in peace. My magic grew and eventually I learned a most peculiar spell: the flesh to stone curse. It took me a while longer but I learn the other way around too.”

Nia would have facepalmed herself. It was the normal one. She could have freed herself if she would have thought of it and actually tried to cast it. But outward she barely moved. It was as if her body thought she was still made of stone.

“Come now, my dear. Let's talk somewhere more pleasant.”
The Medusa started to move but as she looked back she saw Nia still standing still. Neither fleeing or following. “Oh right.” She muttered. “You have this little trouble moving right?”

She plucked Nia of the ground with surprisingly strong arms and carried her away. Nia couldn’t protest as she was still stiff as a plank even while being manhandled.

*****

Back in the part of the cave system that was the Medusa's lair, Nia was put down. Around her were a dozen of statues scattered around. Unmoving as she was she could have been one of them if it wasn’t for her flesh instead of stone. They continued their talk or what might count as such. The Medusa was delighted to have someone who wouldn’t attack her by first chance.

She was quite chatty. Nia, on the other hand, was still limited and barely gave now and then a word or two. She was still trying to figure out how she was free but still couldn’t escape.

After a while, the Medusa was getting bored. She moved over to Nia and started changing her pose. To both their surprise it was very easy and to Nia’s dismay she couldn’t fight it much. Barely at all. The medusa got more creative as she experimented on. Changing Nia’s pose time and time again. Sometimes they were normal. Other times it was a pose as if she was in the midst of a battle. Others were quite lewd or even outright scandalous.

At last, she found herself bent over with her hands between her legs and her fingers spreading her own nether lips. The shocked face she wore was more or less her own making. Before she could gather her mental strength to shift to a less lewd pose she heard the Medusa.
“I am getting tired. Let's play more tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Nia felt once more her skin as it turned to stone. She cursed as loud as she could. Mentally that is.

*****

The days flew by. But not in the way Nia was used to. Sometimes the Medusa would pose her over and over again. Sometimes Nia was caressed by her. Though she couldn’t tell what was more pleasant. To feel her fingers roam over flesh or over stone.

Other days the Medusa would simply stare at her for hours. Slowly Nia got used to it. Even the lewd poses. More so she felt a sense of peace to grow. She was clearly the center of the medusas collection. Cared for. Admired. It took some time but Nia got addicted. The thoughts about escape became fewer and fewer.

“Rescue” comes sometimes at those moments you least expect it. Or as Nia had to admit when you at least want them to happen. She had been awake when the adventurers found the lair. The medusa hadn’t.

It was over before it really started, and the Medusa was slain quickly.
She wanted to yell. She wanted to be free. But with a heavy heart, she had to admit she wanted the Medusa back. Her admirer. Her artist. And in some regard her lover. Though frozen as she was she couldn’t even cry and no tears did slide down her cheeks.

Helpless she had to watch it unfold. In the end, she and the other statues were transported away. For the first time in so long, she saw the sun. It didn’t last long.

She ended up in a big warehouse. Later she overheard workers there. All around her were statues. All of them victims of Gorgon Gazes. Again she cursed her silence. Days did go by and she was gathering dust. Finally, after a long time, she worked again on her skills to do magic while being frozen. If no one would free her then she had to do it herself after all.

*****

Days moved by. Years even. To Nia, it is just time. Something that doesn’t concern her. Now and then she gets dusted off. Not as carefully as by her Medusa. Oh, how she misses her. Then one day it finally worked.

She hadn’t really expected it to work this time. Though she could feel the cool air on her and the coarse fabric draped over her for modesty she still couldn’t move. It was hard. It took more concentration than before.

After a long day, she got slightly better. After so much training she was exhausted and wondered what to do now. Sleep standing up? A slight grin showed on her face. She knew what she had to do and she was well aware of the irony. It took her 3 tries but finally, it worked. Her skin once more smooth stone. Somehow relieved she drifted off to sleep.

*****

Progress. Every day a bit more. Her magic got better. Soon she didn’t need more that one tries to turn back. Her movement improved too. Was it a month later that she managed to move freely? But on the other hand, she still was a bit lost.

So long she dreamed of freedom. Now that she had it she didn’t know what to do with herself.
Day after day she brooded what to do. Sometimes in flesh. Other times in stone. But at least she could enjoy a few new poses.

It happened on one of those days the statues were dusted off. One of the workers noticed her changed posture. Quickly he scrambled off.