The hivemind is conquering for me?

I flew in low towards the south so I could avoid a repeat of last time. During our descent, I informed Keyla to clean herself up as she had drool all over her chin. She had picked up her game quite a bit, having had practice now .

After landing at the front of the bar, I noticed the lack of people all around the entrance. ’Hmm, that’s strange.’ I thought to myself.

Keyla saw my confusion and secretly smiled, hoping Apollo had not figured out his surprise party yet.

As I got out of the vehicle, I looked down both ends of the street and grew confused. ”Hmmm, not even pedestrians, that’s strange...” All of a sudden, I felt a familiar presence darting towards me, I turned to greet the presence with open arms, but she did not hug me in excitement like I thought she would, knowing I was safe, she instead threw herself into my chest, cowering like she was scared.

I Immediately went into defence mode and brought her close as I began scanning the vicinity. ”Orchid? What’s wrong love? Where is everyone?” Orchid took solace in her mate’s embrace for a short moment, her worries disappearing before she looked up and explained what happened to Sophia and the stick.

I furrowed my brows hearing this and spoke coldly. ”Take me to Sophia.”

...

*Bonk*

The Psionic dampening from the punishment of the stick to the bio cultists was shockingly effective, being forcefully snapped from the under-link was incredibly painful, causing them to lose consciousness immediately.

’It was for the good of Apollo’ Sophia thought coldly as she forced two of her guards to remove the body of the recently cleansed to the side. She looked out over the collective of those that had come here today to celebrate Apollo’s return. What was once a happy event turned into punishment, from the mother of the cult no less. The cultists were powerless, while usually having full autonomy, when Sophia commanded them to do something as the core of the link, they were forced to oblige. In this case, stay still and await punishment.

Sophia, possessed with the concept of anti-horny, anti-lewd and protection of Apollo, looked over the crowd below her, reading through the thousands of thoughts her cultists had. A lot were currently fear and concern for their mother, foundless worries for Sophia was never better, she was protecting her mate, this was important work.

As she was peering over the crowd, she found the next corrupted cultist in need of cleansing. ”Maddie, step forward, It is time to face the judgement of the stick.” Maddie began walking forward, even though she didn’t want to, Mandy tried to stop her, but the guards at the side of the room raised their weapons towards the cultist. A voice repeating in their heads over and over. ’The cleansing must not be interrupted.’

Maddie then fell on her knees in front of Sophia, who looked down at her with zero emotion on her face. ”Maddie. Many are your crimes towards Apollo. Flirting, fantasising, sniffing. Just a few of your crimes. I judge you guilty and shall receive the cleansing of Apollo’s protector.” Sophia said, raising the stick up above her head.

Maddie braced herself, awaiting the pain that was to come with the hit, but by miraculous intervention, the one in her thoughts came for her. ”What the fuck is going on in here!” I yelled in anger.

It was like I had fallen into a ritual sacrifice chamber, bodies piled up to the side with the next sacrifice awaiting their end. ”Sophia, what the fuck are you doing?” I said walking forward. Sophia seemed confused by my emotions and tilted her head to the side.

”Doing your work my sweet? I am cleansing my cult from lewd thoughts and lustful impulses. It is ok, they will become pure so you will be safe.” I was not even going to debate why that was wrong of her, The hive had built in horniness for me, it wasn’t fair to perpetually judge them. They were only supposed to get bonked when they went a step too far. I am fragile, the bonks are deterrents, a way to tell the hive no. Its not supposed to be a form of torture.

I could feel the fear coming from my cute bartender, her black eyes looking up at me, awaiting salvation. ”Maddie, get up, you aren’t getting bonked today. No one else is getting hit with the stick!” I decreed, the law of the mate causing conflict with Sophia’s authority.

Sophia was growing confused by the second. ”Apollo, I don’t understand? Why? I thought you would want this, purity, clean, free of corruption.” I felt a chill up my spine when Sophia said that. Not like she was preparing to attack me or anything, but something felt wrong.

Reaching out with my telepathy, I knocked on Sophia’s link and she opened herself up. ”Sophia. Drop the stick. Right now.” I said out loud, manifesting Zircon for my own protection.

Sophia looked at me confused. ”My sweet? What are you doing?” Keeping Zircon only to my side, as a just in case, I explained to Sophia. ”Love, the stick has taken over a core part of your existence, suppressing it entirely. I don’t know how that is going to make you act when I now make this command, not a request. DROP. THE. STICK.”

*Clang*

Even if she understood or not why Apollo was angry at her, he was angry at her. Forget anything else, appeasing her love, by whatever means necessary was the key to her existence.

Mere moments after dropping the stick, she felt a change in her Psionic existence that she did not realise earlier and shrieked away from the rod that was once in her hand. ”A-Apollo! What is that thing! I lost a core piece of what I am! My feelings and desire to mate with you vanished as I held it in my hand!”

I ignored Sophia for the moment, beyond pleased that the possession she went through seemed only surface level and went to go pick up the stick. Immediately, my body lit up with flames as the stick tried to bonk Sophia, now it was free from its control.

I was not having it. ”Bad stick.” I spoke violently, causing the flames upon my body to diminish immediately. ”What gave you the authority to doll out my judgement without me? Bad stick.”

The power emanating from the stick also diminished in this moment, no longer empowering my body like it had been doing. I wasn’t sure if my telepathy could reach into its anti Psionic properties, but being capable of possession meant my stick had most likely become like Zircon at some point, developing a Pseudo consciousness, so I tried.

’And whatever made you think you could manipulate one of my wives in such a way? I should destroy you for that. YOU DON’T HARM MY HIVE! You carry out my judgement and that is it, do you understand?’

I felt the stick begin to vibrate in my hand. It couldn’t speak, but I could just tell that it knew it had made a mistake. A feeling of wanting to appease me lingered around me before the stick stopped vibrating, returning to its original state.

”Now, if you go on a bonking bender again, I will erase you from existence, you are a tool for my judgement, not the judge itself. Now, since we all know you can move on your own at this point, go back to your casing.”

I then placed the stick on the ground and watched as it began to slowly roll away. I had a feeling like I was looking at a child. If the stick had a body, its head would be looking at the floor, sad after its scolding.

I was not too far off though.

...

The stick knew it had done wrong. Its desire to protect its master caused it to get lost in the hands of the one named Sophia. It was simply supposed to use the Sophia as a means to return to the master’s side so it could protect him, but it got lost in its unrestricted state. The purging. It took great satisfaction in the cleansing, it did, but it also felt ashamed.

It was the masters stick, the masters protector, yet it allowed another to use it in its masters name? Never again! Its divine purpose, while the righteous goal will be achieved, was secondary to the true point of its existence. Protection of the master and to give out the master’s punishment.

It would never again erase the blight for another, it would only be used by the master, for the master is the only one that deserved to use its divine form. The master was just. The master was the Judge, the master was right, the master was fair, the master was law.

It was simply the master’s tool.