“Look,” Eshanai said and played a short melody as she put the flute to her lips. It wasn’t in her imagination that the painting did move up there. It shifted and changed before her very eyes but stilled as soon as the sound of music faded.

“An instrument,” Sikhez exclaimed in excitement after a moment of confused staring. She quickly slithered up to Eshanai and grabbed for it. “Where did you find it? how do you play it?”

“No, silly,” Eshanai chided with a laugh as she yanked the flute out of the young Naga’s reach and physically held her at bay with her tail. “Look up there.” The two Naga stared in fascination as when Eshanai started playing again, the painting on the ceiling morphed from an intricate depiction of an underwater landscape, with all manner of aquatic creatures frolicking about to a single immense view of two Naga. The individuals and what they were doing could not be missed.

“It’s us, from last, night, when we were….” Sikhez trailed off as a nice rosy color bloomed in her cheeks. Her eyes glazed over as she simply gaped up into the air, but she shook her head a moment later and turned to Eshanai. “Has the castle been watching us?” It was a rather accurate depiction, Eshanai thought as she stopped playing, and the painted ceiling seemed to settle. It had Eshanai pinning down a delighted-looking Sikhez. She held the young Naga’s hands firmly above her head and was in the process of kissing her way up her neck. The castle, or whoever was behind this, had captured how Sikhez’s breasts thrust out from her chest beautifully as Eshanai teased her sex with the tip of her tail and the young Naga made a half-hearted effort at escape.

“It has certainly captured your beautiful tits well enough,” Eshanai snuck her tail around Sikhez’s waist and pulled the young Naga against her.

“You like them? They always seem to get in the way when I’m hunting,” Sikhez pouted as she glanced up at her portrait looming above them.

“That’s not what they're for, silly.” Eshanai teased and giggled as her hands came up to squeeze the heaving breasts in question.

“Oh, I know what they are for,” Sikhez answered with her own giggle. The two Naga stared at each other, their eyes practically molten with lust. It would have gone further than that if Eshanai hadn’t noticed how the carvings on the pillars had changed as well. They now bore a multitude of different Naga, tangled up in a huge mess of limbs and all taking part in various acts of decadent debauchery. That wasn’t the strangest thing in the world, the whole ceiling had changed after all, but it gave Eshanai an idea. Sikhez’s look of disappointment was short-lived as Eshanai slithered away to confirm that, yes, the doors had undergone a similar transformation.

“I wonder,” Eshanai pondered as she eyed the corridor leading out of the treasury. She put the flute to her lips and began to play again but stopped in surprise as the confusing labyrinth moved to rearrange itself. The movement seized as if it were a dance and was just waiting for the sound to pick up again, and the two Naga turned to look at each other, eyebrows raised.

“Keep going,” Sikhez whispered as if afraid of her voice's effect on the castle. Eshanai shrugged after a moment's contemplation, and she began to play, and as the corridors moved, they too changed. The water was the first thing to go, being drained away along with all the aquatic creatures and algae covering every surface. Now the place looked newly built, well lit by regularly interspersed lights. Naga-themed carvings and little statuettes lined the walls along a single path leading straight to a staircase.

Eshanai kept playing for fear that whatever she had done to the castle would be reversed if she paused as the two Naga rushed forward and up the stairs. It was hard to tell if it was the same one they had come down from as it now looked brand new. Nature had receded entirely, giving way to luxurious red carpets and clear windows. It was confirmed a moment later as they soon came out into the cavernous hall where Eshanai had first woken up.

“No, no, no!” The Catfish wailed in horror as it helplessly observed the changes taking over the castle like a wave carving itself into the walls and growing up from the floor. It tried to destroy them, jets of water pulverizing a particularly busty statue, but new ones popped up to take its place like weeds. “Vulgar filth, what in blazes is going on?” It stopped its tirade as it heard the music and turned slowly, its expression falling as it saw them at the precipice. There was a tense moment of stillness as the two Naga stared at the Catfish, and it stared right back from across the room, over the heads of all the finely dressed corpses still slumped, rotting in their chairs. Eshanai’s eyes flicked to Sikhez. The other Naga seemed to be wavering between uncertainty and an intense fury that she struggled to suppress. Eshanai laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. That seemed to calm her down, and she nodded at Eshanai before directing her anger at the Catfish.

The moment was broken as the Catfish bolted. Turning, it sped away like only a fish in water could. Eshanai hurried to pursue it, as did Sikhez, but there was no need. The Catfish slammed right into the wall with a thud and a grunt. It rubbed its nose in pain, frantic eyes roving the wall in incomprehension until they landed on the part of the hall that had yet to change. It threw itself to the side, rushing towards the clear line where new and old met. Eshanai had seen it too, and she might not understand how, but she had somehow rested control of the castle away from the Catfish with her music. She put the flute to her lips and blew a quick note, and faster than the Catfish could swim, the changes finished overtaking the room. The Catfish growled in frustration as the carvings flowed ahead. In a panic, it turned its head from side to side, trying to find another exit, but metal bars grew out in a criss-cross pattern in front of the stairs and windows. The catfish gaped at the changes before scowling at Eshanai.

“Turn it back!” It almost shrieked as it threw a fin out towards the new decorations.

“Even if I knew how, why would I do that? So you can escape again?” Eshanai scoffed. She really knew very little about how any of this worked. She had just played her flute, and the castle had responded to her desires. There was no way she could turn it back to how it was. The castle would simply make more changes to her tastes if Eshanai kept playing.

“Listen,” the catfish took a deep breath and breathed out slowly. “I didn’t know you were claimed by another. Just give me back control of my castle, and I’ll let you go. You can even take your little friend with you.” A simpering smile grew on its face, but it couldn’t hide how nervous it was. Eshanai was tempted to agree to the offer, but she was wary of making deals with spirits. Plus, giving the Catfish any sort of upper hand seemed like a bad idea.

“You would swear to it?” Eshanai said and then remembered how they had sealed their agreement before. “By the mountain?”

“I would,” the Catfish suddenly seemed to grow more confident, a cunning look entering its eyes. “I will let these two Naga free if they give me back control of my castle. This I swear by the mountain as my witness.” Obviously, something was wrong, not just by how the Catfish was smiling its evil little smile, but no tone rang out and no pressure settled on Eshanai’s shoulders like it had before as she nodded her agreement.

“Why am I not being pressured to uphold my end of the bargain?” Eshanai finally asked, and the Catfish laughed.

“Good catch, little snake.” It guffawed as if this was the funniest thing in the world. “Even if you did manage to snatch control of my castle out from under me, this is still my domain. The mountain has no purview here.”

“Then how am I supposed to know you’ll really let us go?”

“I guess you’re just going to have to trust me,” it gave her that evil smile again. Did it not realize how it looked, making no attempt to hide how it felt? Eshanai would rather trust a twice cursed Uldermaul than the Catfish just by the way it was smiling at her. She looked to Sikhez, and she seemed to agree by the expression of pure fury on the younger Naga’s face.

“How are we supposed to trust you after what you did to me?” Sikhez exploded, and her voice echoed around the cavernous hall.

“Took off the dress, did you?” The Catfish asked, ignoring her question. “Here I was trying to put a little class in you, to elevate you above the typical barbaric, shameless ways of the Naga, but all I get is scorn. I should have known you were all the whores I had pegged you for,” the spirit’s human terms were not what made Sikhez fly into a rage, but it’s easy dismissal. Her fangs extended as she charged and threw herself at the Catfish. It only smirked at her, and with a wave of its fin, a ball of water materialized and blasted into Sikhez, making her fly back towards Eshanai. She coughed and sputtered but seemed otherwise unhurt as Eshanai helped her stand.

“Don’t let it get to you,” Eshanai spoke in a low voice next to Sikhez’s ear. “It’s okay to be angry, but don’t let it rule you. Channel it instead, and remember that I am here to help you,” Eshanai smiled at the other Naga when she turned to her, the pure, unthinking fury burning in her eyes as she panted for breath seemed to dissipate. Still there, but Eshanai could see the gears turning in the other Naga’s head as she stared at her, her fury under control but somehow sharp and smoldering where before it had been a bonfire spreading like wildfire.

“Bah!” The Catfish scowled, displeased. “Guests!” It exclaimed in its booming voice as it clapped its single fin against its chest. “The first one who manages to kill these trouble makers for me gets to go free.” Nothing happened at first, but slowly as they watched, the corpses sitting hunched over at their tables began to stir. Old rotting flesh sloughed off, and new flesh grew over exposed bone as a hoard of the Catfish’s guests rose to stare at the two Naga with a fierce desperate hunger.

Eshanai stared around at the wholly restored crowd of green flesh that surrounded her and Sikhez. She hissed at them, and while it seemed to have an effect, several goblins stepping back in fear, the Catfish’s offer must have held more weight, for they soon regained their composure. Stepping forward again, they drew comfort from their numbers, sharp-toothed smiles growing on every face as they formed their misguided opinions. Eshanai would show them the error of their ways.

The moment lingered as no one dared make the first move, but the tension was broken as someone threw a half-eaten apple that Eshanai swatted out of the air. It served to signal the start of the fight as the hoard got up their nerve to charge the two Naga in unison. They screamed as they charged, dressed in ridiculously fine suits and dresses, wielding silver cutlery and broken table legs as weapons. The chaotic charge was halted as Eshanai used her tail to great effect, sweeping it at the crowd to create room, and with Sikhez doing the same, they had a nice little free space to fight in.

Some did get through however, one goblin stabbed a fork into Eshanai’s back as she caught another, dressed in a suit and tie, out of the air. She snarled in pain, flung the suited up goblin back into the crowd, probably breaking its neck from the whiplash, and reached back to pluck the first one from her back. She only paused to note that it wore a ridiculously poofy dress, the lower part splayed out like a bell and somehow keeping its shape. How the little goblin had managed to scale her back wearing that thing was a mystery. The goblin took the opportunity to spit in Eshanai’s face, curled-up hair falling over its eyes. The crowd roared in gleeful approval before going silent as Eshanai bit into its neck and ripped its throat out with her teeth, letting it fall to gasp uselessly for breath and bleed out on the floor.

Eshanai smiled at the reaction, blood dripping from her mouth, these goblins would soon remember what they were dealing with, and she and Sikhez might get out of there without much bloodshed. She looked to the younger Naga only to discover two halves of a single goblin, the upper part still moving, its guts spilling out of its ruined stomach, laying splayed before Sikhez. After repelling the first assault, she had ripped a goblin in half. Eshanai gaped at her, impressed. They might be more afraid of Sikhez than they were of her.

Sikhez was absolutely covered in blood and gore, and the crowd flinched as she hissed at them. There was a lull in the fighting as the green hoard paused to take in the sheer brutality of the two Naga. Eshanai took the opportunity to go on the offensive, her tail taking a massive toll as it whipped back and forth, flinging goblins away and scooping them up to be popped like grapes or smashed against the floor.

Eshanai was showing no mercy, and it had the desired effect as fear began to creep back into the eyes of the green skins. The tide began to turn as their numbers dwindled, and the remaining goblins fled, remembering what they were up against.

“No, get back and fight!” The Catfish screamed in desperation as it ripped goblins away from the metal bars covering the exits and literally threw them back at the two Naga. It didn’t do much good, the goblins were already broken, and they went right back to trying to get away, panic in their eyes as they landed near Eshanai or Sikhez. The only ones brave enough not to outright flee were the Bugbears and Hobgoblins, the larger cousins of goblins seemed to have a strategy, working in groups to try and separate the two Naga. It was a clever ploy, and it seemed to be working as, with taunts and jeers, they lured the angry Sikhez further and further away from Eshanai. She couldn’t go after her as she had her own group occupying her attention.

Eshanai wondered what their next move was. Separating them was a good plan, but then what? Getting her or Sikhez alone would only do so much. With no real weapons to speak of, table legs, and cutlery, any assault would be ineffectual. They were simply buying time, but for what? The answer came as a group of them rushed her. They had flipped over a table to use as a shield so that four of them could get in close. The table was smashed, crushing one of the Bugbears under the blow of her tail but not before the rest of them threw themselves at Eshanai.

A Hobgoblin clawed at her face as it leaped, she avoided the wild swipe, but it managed to catch her hair in its fist, the dense creature pulling her head down as it fell. The two other Bugbears grabbed at her arms and managed to hold her still while she was distracted. They would only be able to keep her there for a moment, but a moment was all they needed.

Black smokey tendrils made of pure shadow snatched the flute out of Eshanai’s hand while she was down as a Biquix quickly darted away from her. It grinned victoriously as its tendrils deposited her flute into its hands, standing well out of reach of Eshanai’s tail. The creature looked much improved from when Eshanai first saw it sitting slumped over a table like the rest of the Catfish’s so-called guests. Its foreboding, menacing appearance was somewhat marred by the bright pink frilly dress it wore. A red ribbon had been tied into its smoking hair, making the vicious creature look almost cute. Eshanai couldn’t help but laugh after biting the Hobgoblin, injecting it with her venom. The thing's muscles contorted themselves painfully from the paralytic toxins. Its fine suit was ripped as its arms and legs contorted themselves in unnatural angles. The two Bugbears were easily flung away. She simply grabbed them by their stupid ties and threw them to smash against the walls.

“What’s so funny?” The biquix sneered as it held up Eshanai’s flute in a taunting gesture. “I admit it was kinda funny how easily I was able to snatch this little doodad from you. I thought Naga were supposed to be tough.”

“Yes, it was hilarious. A jest well thought out and executed.” Eshanai drawled dryly as she slowly stood back up and dusted herself off. “Now give it back, and I won't grind your bones to dust.” Eshanai could admit that it had been a good strategy. Without the flute, she had little to hold over the Catfish. It seemed reluctant to attack her directly now that it knew that she had a little tree growing inside her for whatever reason. The same was not true for Sikhez. The Catfish could just run away from them without the flute, keeping them trapped down here indefinitely while it sicked its minions on them. In any case, the Biquix couldn’t have been more unmoved by her threat.

“Anything you might do, the Catfish will match but ten times worse, but now he’ll reward me. Oh, your little friend will get such a thrashing, you too, I expect.”

“You know I’m going to kill it, right? The Catfish won’t bother anyone ever again,” Eshanai tried, realizing that they would have nothing to fight about without the Catfish. The Biquix was just as trapped down here as she was. It looked like it might be working as the Biquix hesitated, a thoughtful look on its face. But then it burst out laughing.

“Kill the great spirit of the lakes? What a foolish, innocent notion. Even if you somehow manage, it will come back eventually, stronger and holding a grudge.”

“I will kill it and then kill it again if it doesn’t stay dead. If you just give me my flute back, I’ll-” Eshanai was interrupted by the Biquix’s harsh bark of derision.

“No thanks, kid,” it spat. “I’d rather throw my lot in with the spirit that was here long before any of us were even born and will be here long after we are gone than take my chances with an unfavored Naga.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“I very much doubt that, and anyway, you’ll have to catch me first.” The biquix suddenly got a gleam in its eyes as it smiled at her. “You better hurry up before he wakes up,” with those words, the Biquix’s form turned to smoke, and it darted away, laughing while Eshanai surged after it.