"Baroda."

"Baroda."

"Baroda."

Droning chants echo from inside the immaculate marble building. Its mighty pillars stretch into the sky. Long flags frame the huge mahogany doors, each featuring a stylized version of the snake goddess herself.

You push the door open. The chanting grows louder. The walls are lined with countless potions of every color in every shape of bottle. Some of them bubble and fizz, some of them swirl and shift, and some of them simply lie in wait.

"Greetingsss!" A hooded cultist hisses to you.

"What bringss you in? Looking for a boost? A new love life? Perhaps a new life altogether?" Their cold, scaly hand rests on your shoulder. "Or something more fulfilling? We're always looking for new memberss."

You ask about the chanting. They smile and lead you past the shelves.

The chanting grows louder.

"BARODA!"

"BARODA!"

"BARODA!"

You walk into a mighty cathedral. Dozens of identical robed cultists bow to one gorgeous, golden goddess. She waves her hands, drawing motes of essence from their willing bodies.

Snippets of their lives. Personality traits. Physical strength and speed. All plucked out to be processed into potions. You're nudged towards the front. You catch Baroda's gaze.

"What have we here~?" She hisses, slinking down the aisle.

Baroda takes your chin and cranes your neck up so you can only look into her eyes. "What have we here? A new cultissst?" A smile creeps onto her face. "I suppose I could keep you around my bed once we've plucked out everything useful. You're cute, at leassst~"

You're brought to the front of the room and offered to Baroda. You gaze slack-jawed into her eyes while your clothes slip off your body. She plucks lovely little orbs from inside you. Silly memories you didn't need anyways, right? She'll replace them with pleasure and obedience.

Soon, you're so pulled apart, you're more bliss than person. You've stained your nice, new robes with your dripping, and Baroda whispers one more command in your ear.

"Sssssleeep."

You wake up as one of the many robed figures in her bed. A far cry from the elegant robes adorning the snake goddess you fell in love with, she's wearing a sweatshirt and holding someone's youthful exuberance with her free hand.

She pets you on the head. "Worship quietly, okay? It'ss my day off, and I have to go to the bank."

A snake goddess, dressed all casual

Art by @CanonThought@twitter.com!