-Typos, typos everywhere.  Fixed now.



Darkness.  Pain.   Discomfort.  Slowly the sensation of feeling came back to my tired body, alerting that I was awake.  My eyes slowly began opening, the act of doing so rather difficult.  Everything was blurred.

Perhaps half a minute passed before I could begin to make out my surroundings.  Around me rose tall, white polished walls of the like I hadn't seen before.  They were decorated and adorned with almost pseudo-mechanical designs, plus the occasional red banner.  The floor beneath me was cold and hard.

And then it hit me- terrifying memories and realizations as to what had happened.

We had lost the battle.  For many weeks, perhaps months, our rag-tag group of resistance had been fighting the Phyrexians.  The women and children had already been sent off to relative safety, the rest of us remaining to hold the line as best we could.  Assault after assault had ground our numbers down to non-existent numbers, forcing us to perform hit and run tactics.  My own mind and body had begun to weaken and tire, the result of channeling so much magic so frequently.  Just as of the... recently... we had been hit by a large military force of Phyrexians.  White porcelain, smokes and clouds that melted flesh, horrors that went without saying assailed us.  Detestable things had been done to my fellow men and women before my very eyes, myself being left for last.  They knew me for what I was.  When at last my brutal death came, instead I was merely beaten senseless.  And now I awoke in this prison.

Disturbed I sat up and curled up the slightest bit.  I hugged myself with my strong arms, feeling my flesh and muscle.  They had not yet altered me.  My mind was weakened if not void.  I was still myself.  Subtly I worked a small cantrip to soothe and heal myself.

Once I had finished my channeling there was the slightest sound of clicking, tapping of a hard surface against another.  I turned to the source.

My stomach flipped.  My heart pounded hard.  Fifteen, twenty feet away stood one of the monsters.  This one I could tell was one of the priests or high ranking Phyrexians.  The creature stood perhaps seven, eight feet tall, it's form eerily thin and wispy.  Like many of it's kind red, bloody flesh sat exposed to the air.  Quite a bit of white porcelain adorned this one- of particular notice a large downward-crescent shaped helmet or skull nearly five feet wide.  Red cloth hung majestically from its arms and waist.  Perhaps most disturbing of all was that it seemed vaguely feminine in it's shape- quite a bit of the flesh likely taken from Mirran females.  The Phyrexian's head was cocked to the side the slightest bit, watching me with a cool and indifferent expression.

"You are awake," it spoke, it's voice light and almost humming.

Call me crazy but a sense of futility or end began to come across me.  I was dead, certainly, doomed to horrible torture and flaying.  This was a certainty.  But by the gods I was a wizard.  One step beneath the Planeswalkers themselves.  At the least I could show no fear or weakness at my end.  It was beneath me.

"Yes," I said, pulling myself into a cross-legged position," why I cannot fathom."

"Our conquest and assimilation of your people is but an extension of the Machine Father's Teachings.  This is but to help you humans join us, and by extension rise to meet perfection.  You have heard such things?"

As the Phyrexian spoke it moved it's head looking at random features of myself or the room.  Erratic, almost detached.  On a human it would seem paranoid or jittery, on this creature it looked half insane.

"I have.  Your kind finds skin offensive, a hindrance to your ideals.  Hence the torture and mutilation of my kind."

The creature's head rocked back the slightest bit, offended at what I had said.

"What you call mutilation we might call absolution.  That you see it as such is why you are here."

"I do not understand," I responded," my fellow men and women were ripped asunder almost on the battlefields, those they fought on.  And here I am.  This has yet to be done to me."

A second or two passed as the Phyrexian formed words, likely trying to find a statement that would be understood.

"All that we seek, Phrexia, is unity and perfection.  Yet many of the perverse and disgusting races die attempting to avoid this, surprisingly so.  You are here to help me understand why."

My situation was beginning to seem somewhat odd or interesting.  Either or.  Special treatment that would allow me to live longer would be readily welcomed.  Part of me wished to not help this creature, if only to opposite it in whatever fashion I could.  The atrocities they had committed against my people were unforgivable.  And yet, the other part of me wished to try to explain humanity.  Perhaps I might gain insight of my own into the mind of my enemy.  And there was nothing to lose either way.

"Ah," I spoke, then paused for a moment," may I ask whom it is I speak to?"

"You speak with the Grand Cenobite Elesh Norn," it sung.

To say I was surprised was an understatement.  Us Mirrans had heard hushed whispers; rumors of what monsters might be directing the invasion of our lands.  Elesh Norn was a name I was familiar with- the female, or close approximation of one, was some kind of arch-priestess or important religious figure.  I was more or less speaking with one of their queens, amazed and frightened at the same time.

"You humans are such expressive creatures," she spoke, watching my face," almost vulgar, in independence.  Wizard, you know of me."

I nodded my head.  Speech was still momentarily out of reach, still shocked as I was.  It... was also somewhat interesting that this monster wished to learn of us.  Most of what had been seen of Phrexia was alien, unforgiving, blind.  It almost spoke well of this particular one that it was even willing to hear out 'obscene' human ideology.

"What is... what is it that you wish to know?" I finally asked.

"Why humans must so oppose joining us.  Were it not for the fighting, we would peacefully take in your kind."

So.  This female was still dogmatic or blind, like the rest of them.  Where to start?

"Humans, and other similar races often take great pride in individuality.  We believe in the soul, or bodiless spirit, that encompasses our individual believes and characteristics.  What makes us who were are.  To be Phyrexian is to turn our backs on this."

The Cenobite regarded this for a moment, thinking.

"We do not all seek literal unification.  Sometimes one might better serve Phyrexia, making a perfect society, as an individual with a particular task or objective.  Such as myself.  Though the sect of Perfect Unity is large it is not the only one."

"I see.  What of actually being assimilated?  This entails being painfully torn asunder, flayed, one's physical form broken apart.  I hear that sometimes we are simply turned into armor or construction material," I said, my voice becoming slightly offended," how should we view this other then being terrified?"

"Once assimilated into the beautiful magnificence that is Phyrexia, one becomes free of pain and disillusionment.  While the so-called pain may be detestable, the enlightenment and apotheosis of converting is well worth it.  And... converting organic beings into porcelain is the least efficient use of them.  We reserve that fate for particularly non-useful or damaged combatants."

Still more of my words were ignored or excused.  This was almost annoying.

"The most holy, warm quality of humans that can never be excused is that of love.  A man may have great power, property, intellect, but one without love can never truly live."

The Phyrexian shifted slightly to the side and briefly stroked it's chin.

"Love is a word that I know of, one that holds no meaning to me.  Explain.  What is it?"

Oh boy.  How to explain love?  There were certain aspects of it, certainly, that I might break it up into.  But it seemed entirely unquantifiable.  This would be a challenge.

"Love.  Uh...  I can think of three primary components, or different forms of love.  First, there is the aspect of creating offspring.  Humans are heavily driven to create young, often viewing the act with great reverence and warmness.  To create young with another human is essentially what we are biologically created to do.  So we view it with great fondness."

"Our own methods of reproduction are rather different to your own.  We spawn newts in our factories, then leave them to develop in vats.  Once sufficiently grown they are modified to fulfill their chosen purpose."

"Precisely.  Ours fosters closeness among the, uh, producers.  A great bond.  This is our own version of a family.  Into that territory you get altruism and profound acts of defense and more forms of love."

"Interesting," she hum," that does explain some aspects of human behavior.  This does not explain all of it.  You said there was more to love?"

"Yes," I said," I have already covered much of the second aspect, or that of closeness.  When two humans love one another they feel extreme absolution and almost ecstasy, a fulfillment of purpose.  This is what I might call emotional love."

"Continue."

"Ahem.  Finally we get into the realm of physical love, which ties in to the realm of producing offspring.  Any kind of physical love normally is amazing, easily compared to a mind drug.  One does not have to produce offspring from doing this, but either way the act is somewhat sought after."

"I do not understand this last form of love, as you call it."

"Affection.  You have seen another clergy stroking a favored pet, physically touching it?  Showing approval and favor?"

"I have.  You suspect us capable of this type of love?"

This was getting into uncomfortable territory.  More so then before.

"Now that you mention it I don't see why not.  While you cannot reproduce physically, I think, you still have a female form.  You are made partly of female Mirrans, correct?"

"Ones that have been properly amended."

"So.  You should be entirely capable of it."

Elesh regarded me for a moment longer, her arms moving in closer to her chest.  She seemed almost... uncomfortable.  Or maybe finding this possible human quality detestable.

"I nearly know all that is needed.  Still, it is highly improbable that I am capable of such a human act.  Prove this, wizard."

"Excuse me?!?  What?"

"Prove that I am capable of this physical love.  It does not seem possible.  Our forms are radically altered from grown flesh, bonded with your own people.  I do not believe I contain such a human fraility."

For a few seconds I sat there entirely puzzled.  Was this really being asked of me?  The creature certainly bore no attraction to me, disgusted at my so called frailties, plus my skin.  Suffering my presence to learn more of my kind, sure.  But physically pleasuring her?  By the gods, just when I thought I could not be more frightened.

"I... are you certain?  This would necessitate me touching you."

"An indignation I can suffer.  It is best that I know if these human qualities are a part of me or not."

I hesitated for a moment, looking at the creature without response.  Being eviscerated, infected, emasculated, and a whole host of other things possibly awaited me.  The slightest wrong move would surely get me killed.  And the Phyrexian was not especially attractive to me. Sure, the creature had some pleasant female qualities, was long-limbed and womanly, but the metal and bloody flesh kind of detracted from that.

"Human," she spoke up, impatient as I did nothing," I am Grand Cenobite Elesh Norn.  You will do as I say."

Well, damn.  This did not seem like I held a choice.  I stood up and stretched my limbs.

"Very well."

My own body was decently muscled and attractive, from what I had been told.  I stand a shade over six feet tall, heavily muscled from fighting and physically exercising.  The war had caused by hair and beard to grow long and unkempt, the hair on my head only kept from looking wild by being pulled into a ponytail.  My skin had been tanned a deep bronze since a long time past.

Perhaps... perhaps I may as well.  If for no other reason, I'd consider my life complete by physically ravaging a Phyrexian leader.  My mates would approve if they could ever find out.

Not that they could.  But hey, I'd intended on going down swinging.  This was more or less the same thing.

Somewhat unsure, I began to undo my sash and robe.  The thick cloth fell to the floor after a moment, then I stripped out of my shirt and leggings.  Elesh watched me with slight revulsion as I did.

"You must also do the same," I said gently, not wishing to incur any sort of wrath.

Once I had spoken Elesh lightly leaned over, her long clawed hands moving to her small waist.  It only took a few deft hand movements on her part to take off the cloth.  Folding the long red fabric, she then lowered down to neatly set it on the ground.  The movement drew my eyes to her long, bloody legs and rear.  Whoever had chosen her physical form had en eye for beauty, even twisted as it was.

My blood stirred slightly as she rose back up, no longer bending over with an arched back.  It was disappointing.  And yet... perhaps I could stomach this after all.

I stepped still closer until I was just within reach of the Phrexian.  From up close it was staggering how lithe and tall she was, much more enormous then seemed from afar.  Once more I gave her a quick look over now that she had undressed.

The flesh, that of former Mirrans, was easier to make out from close.  Between the porcelain there was muscled and toned flesh, strong and womanly.  Her chin was rather delicate and small, holding skinless but soft lips.  The stomach had obviously toned muscles, in addition to those on her arms and thighs.  Less so on the limbs.  Elesh did in fact have a womanhood, I noted, a rather tiny and smooth one.  Completely devoid of skin.  That would be a puzzle to figure out.

My manhood had stirred the slightest bit, the close proximity to an attractive female enough to get me going.  It had been... a long time, since I had been able to wind down.  The female members of the resistance had been too tired and busy fighting the Phyrexians, the same going for myself.  Not to mention how demanded my abilities were on the field and off.  I had been very busy.  So the thought of... making love, even to a monster such as this was highly appealing.  That I felt this way surprised me.

I held out a hand, lightly placing it alongside her upper arm.  Elesh Norn's flesh was surprisingly soft and complying.  I should have figured that not having skin would make no difference.  I stroked her arm, slowly.  My palm felt warm, almost tingly, and there was a slight sensation of dryness or stinging across it.  Hell, it was wholly possible the flesh contact would already infect me with their sicknesses.  No matter.

"I need you to lean down," I said.

Complying, the Phyrexian loomed on down until we were nearly head-level.  I hesitated again for half a second, then gently put a hand under her chin.  Moving forward, I then pressed my lips against her own.

Warm, soft, pleasant.  I felt the creature's breath meeting my own, tasting her scent.  This was something certainly worth describing- meaty, barely sour, the slight taste of something like oil.  Three, four seconds passed before I pulled back.  Elesh twitched with an unfamiliar feeling.

"This... that is what you spoke of?"

Ahah.  She could evidently feel pleasure then.  It was rumored that kissing was once a way to trade sugar or salt by lips, programmed into us to also feel pleasure by countless ages of performing it.  And the Phyrexian had this quality.

"That was nothing," I said, my voice slightly husky," if you would, lie on your back."

She watched me somewhat carefully for a moment, somehow viewing me from within that giant crest.  Still, she girl began climbing onto the floor.  I watched with amusement as the long, lithe limbs folded and moved, until Elesh Norn was lying on the cold floor.  Her head faced me, both of her clawed hands resting on her waist.

I walked around her extended body, stepping over the edge of her crest at one point.  Soon I was standing over her feet.

"Bare with me here," I spoke, giving some warning," this may seem odd."

Slowly I lowered on down spreading my legs to either side of her stomach.  I then hunkered down, nearly to the point of lying on top of her, and began my assault.

Beginning at her neck, and lowering, I began to place a number of light smooches.  Her neck, ribcage, stomach.  Around there I especially attended to, delighting in the almost human feel. My lips tingled and burned.  The Phyrexian herself had begun to twitch about when I was pleasuring her stomach, shaking the slightest bit.  Still planting smooches on her stomach I placed a hand onto one of her fleshy thighs, lightly running it across the surface.  The Phyrexian let out a small gasp.

I was not done, not nearly.  Moving still further down, I kissed her lower stomach, her upper recesses, then finally arrived at her small womanhood.  Why she had one I could not fathom.  I took in her scent for a moment or two, letting her sit in puzzlement or anticipation, then planted a tiny, gentle kiss onto the lips of it.

The effect was immediate.  Elesh stretched and shook, startled at whatever it was she felt.  After a short moment she relaxed once again.

"I have... felt something of this before.  Not nearly as profound."

"So," I breathed, looking up to her face, my chin nearly on her snatch," this proves it then.  You can feel pleasure, be pleasured.  Though I do not believe other Phrexians are capable of giving it.  Shall I continue?"

For an instant of a moment I saw an indignant or slightly irritated expression flash across her lips.  Possibly my attitude.  It scared me.  Still, her expression softened momentarily, and the Cenobite lay her head back to the floor.  She said nothing.

I'll take that as a yes.

With my left hand I began feeling her snatch.  The organ felt somewhat warm and profoundly soft, compliant, and felt quite a bit less rough then her other flesh.  My situation was beginning to look relatively optimistic.

Her softness had begun to ooze a slight bit of wetness, a thin sheen of what appeared to be a gray liquid.  Water and oil?  Normal juices?  I had no idea, but was glad that there would be some kind of lubrication.  Somewhat more roughly I flatted my palm against her snatch, quickly massaging the entire thing back and forth.

The Phyrexian had begun to breathe somewhat loudly, clearly audible from the seven feet away.  Her hands roughly gripped her waist.  Using two fingers on my right hand, I gently inserted the digits, thrusting them back and forth gently.  Still massaging the exterior, I began to pick up the pace with my right hand.  Her insides were immensely tight from what I could tell, the inside of it literally gripping my fingers as they thrust in and out.  And her gasping begin to become more pronounced.

This must have gone on for another twenty, thirty seconds.

Suddenly the Phrexian's back arched and she let out a girly, long-winded moan.  Some more dark fluids escaped from her, slicking and causing my fingers to buzz pleasantly.  After seeing her through the orgasm I brought my fingers back out to smell them.

Oily.  Especially oily, some other kind of smell like a medical salve.  It was perplexing.

"There is more," I said," but that gets much more intimate."

"You have your orders," Elesh Norn breathed, still laying back somewhat contently.

Fine by me.  I reached down to my undergarments, undoing the knot on the right side.  My manhood had long been pushing at the thick cloth, attempting to escape.  The lower few inches were literally pulled up by the bulge.  Doing the honorable thing, I pulled the cloth free from my body.

My large, throbbing manhood landed gently onto the Phyrexian's stomach.  I stroked it once or twice, urging it to get fully erect.  That done, I lowered down further, hunkering over Elesh's lower regions.

This was going to be tight, I remarked.  My rod was rather large by human standards, my hands only just able to wrap around the thing.  The Phrexian's unused, unnaturally-made snatch might be completely impenetrable.

I lightly spat into my hand a few times, slicking up the tip of it.  Reaching down, I then began running my hand through the Phrexian fluids that had oozed out of Elesh.  Wiping her thighs, womanhood, I then slicked myself up further.  Touching the oil to my manhood was almost unpleasant- it burned, prickled, and felt profoundly warm.  I grunted at the sensation.   Hell, this was probably not a good idea.  Or healthil sound.  Still, I faced death.  Nothing to lose.

Shifting around, I gently ran my rod across her lower regions, felt the soft flesh part and move around it.  Now was the time.

I began pressing it in.  At first I almost thought it would not enter, requiring a decent amount of pressure to even part her lips.  Eventually it did go in, her insides squeezing at me like a clenched fist.  Gods was it tight.  Pressing in further, I got maybe an inch before Elesh began to react profusely.

Her chest convulsed the slightest bit, her limbs doing from rigid to relaxed and back in rapid succession.  I watched as her mouth silently gasped for air.

Pressing in still further I got perhaps half-way inside before I could enter no further.  That would have to be fixed.  Widening my legs and stance, I then began to pull back out of her.

Slightly rough but oiled flesh pulled at me as I exited, her outer lips literally stretching around my member.  The pleasure was baffling.  Between the squeezing, burning, prickling, and stretching I could hardly keep my thoughts straight.

Shoving back in, this time I managed to get another half inch or so.  Fluids had begun to run down my member, onto me, oiling up my lower flesh.  In ecstasy I began to thrust back out and in her.

New to this, the Grand Cenobite began to actually moan out loud.  The humming, girly voice only set me off further, urging me to go faster and rougher.  Our flesh began to smack at a fast enough pace to make noise, some of the impacted area of Elesh turning black and oozing a red liquid.  Blood, I presumed.  If my mind was not swimming through pleasure that might have repulsed me.

This went on for some time.  Roughly pummeling her, the entire Phyrexian's body had begun to rock slightly across the floor, the porcelain making a scratching noise.  One of her long taloned hands moved down to her womanhood and attempted to ease it open slightly more.  This did little to no good but gave me a rather nice sight.  Grabbing her waist for more leverage, I began to go at her for all I was worth.

Breathing heavily, rocking the creature, my own flesh began to feel slightly sore from impact.  I did not care- I would be dead soon enough.  Elesh Norn did her own part, shaking and twitching, moaning hotly.  The edges of her crescent randomly struck the floor to either side, her head not able to move as freely as she might have liked.  A few more minutes of this passed.

Two, three more times I thrust inside of her, feeling her inhuman walls stretching and pulling at my manhood.  Elesh's body then arched and convulsed greatly for the second time, myself feeling the great strength of her body as she did.  Moaning ecstatically, both of us, I felt a wave of oily liquids splash out around my rod.

It burned.  It burned like fire.

I did not know why it did that, but between the pain and pleasure I began to lose myself.  My own orgasm was quickly surfacing and I would not be able to hold on for much longer at all.

For maybe eight more seconds I was able to hold out, literally gritting my teeth at the pain, trying to last longer.  But I could not.  Before I released I thrust myself as far as I could into the Phyrexian.

My member swelled, a huge amount of pressure exerting itself on me.  And then I came.

The pleasure was unexplainable.  Pain and bliss assaulted my mind, each release a small orgasm of it's own right.  For perhaps half a year I had not lay with any woman, being occupied, and then with the war.  My built up seed spurt directly into this creature's core, each release filling her further.  Her already full confines were cramped with my member, and now my seed on top of that.  After the fourth or fifth spurt my sperm began to literally dribble out of her, past her lips, running down her red thighs.  Both of us at this point were moaning loudly, my own voice almost feral.

Once done coming I remained in her for a moment longer weakly thrusting in and out.  More of my seed dribbled out of her.  That was the extent of my energy, however.

Weakly dropping onto my ass I looked to see what I had done.

The Grand Cenobite's lips were stretched rather open, the lips parted, and I could literally see inside of the girl.  White, sticky seed began to ooze and run out of her in abundance.  Oil and white fluids alike drenched her thighs.  It was glorious.

Tired as all hell I dropped down to the floor next to the Phyrexian Priestess.  My head was only nearing her shoulders, but still.  For a moment we lay side-by-side.

Elesh spoke first.

"Perhaps there is something similar with what you call love, and certain aspects of the Total Unity.  A merging of one's self, sharing purpose," she hummed, somewhat tired," I am disgusted and surprised that I find myself physically capable of this.  Though at the moment I cannot complain."

I turned toward her, listening to what she had to say.  Her face gazed toward the ceiling.

"So, I have much to think about," she finished.

Gracefully the creature rose up to her feet alarmingly fast.  I tried to stand as well but was too physically exhausted and battered to do so.  Sleepy.  I'd already been clubbed aside the head the previous night, battered into unconsciousness.  My magic was spent.  I'd just gone crazy on a Phyrexian.  All this together nearly left me comatose.

"Hmm.  Yes, much to think about," she said, musical as always, and began to retie on her red sash and cloth.

I blinked a few times.  Tried to formulate a decent question.

"Now what?"

"Now, you will be joining the greatness that is Phyrexia.  A wizard will be useful," she said, pleasure in her voice.

Damnation, it was going to happen finally.  I began desperately pushing myself up to flee, try to find some exit from the bare room.  Almost as soon as I had stood the Phyrexian Cenobite struck me, flinging me down hard into the floor.  My head bounced off the surface.  My limbs went unresponsive, my vision blurring.  Thoughts became hard to formulate, no doubt some kind of concussion.  Dammit.

There was a crack, a splintering sort of noise, and one of the decorative surfaces of the wall opened up.  Two spindly and thin beasts, each eight or so feet tall, began shuffling over to my prone form.  Both of them were covered in the same red bare flesh as Elesh.  Random spurts of white porcelain.  Their movements were jerky and robotic though, almost unsapient.  Servitors of some sort.

Clawed hands wrapped around my arms, my legs, cutting open the flesh.  Flesh that would no doubt be gone soon.  The two beasts lifted me up until I was dazedly standing, Elesh standing just a short distance off.

"Peace, my wizard.  Your mind is most useful as it is currently, aware of human ideology.  You simply lack the knowledge, the conviction, that only the Teachings of the Machine Father may bring.  It is my hope you might easily bring others of your kind to Phyrexia with your understanding.  Soon, wizard."

The two beasts spun me around and began dragging me off, their strong arms the only thing keeping me from falling to the ground.  My heart pounded.  As we all walked I weakly tried to pull away, thrashed with what strength I had left.  The iron grip of the beasts did not budge the slightest, however.

This was the end.  At least I had fought well.  Bedded one of their leaders.  Performed to the best of my abilities in life.

I had no regrets.