Ken struggled again, desperately trying to twist out from under Alis's embrace. She had him pinned, her full weight settled across his hips and chest, her every breath a low, contented sound that vibrated straight through his ribs. He felt less like a man and more like a very large, poorly-secured plush toy.
"Alis, seriously! I appreciate the enthusiasm, but my circulatory system would like a word!" he wheezed, pushing futilely against her shoulders.
She didn't respond with words, only with increased pressure. Her humming abruptly ceased, replaced by a soft, frantic little moan of pure, single-minded focus. She lifted her head, her eyes still glazed over with that unnerving maternal trance. Her hands, released from pinning him, moved quickly, deftly pushing and maneuvering his body until his head was positioned precisely in the center of her chest.
Ken's eyes went wide. "Oh, no. You are not—"
But before he could finish the thought, her instincts took over entirely. She used the surprising leverage of her forearms to clamp his face firmly between her hands. With a shocking burst of strength, she forced his mouth open and pressed one of her soft, warm, slightly flour-dusted nipples straight against his lips.
Ken bucked, choked, and involuntarily let out a loud, strangled "Gah!" as the sensitive skin brushed his tongue.
"Shh, darling," she cooed, the sound utterly devoid of her usual playful sass, replaced entirely by the flat, urgent tone of her programming. "You need nourishment. You're so hungry. I know it."
She pushed again, hard, until his lips were sealed around her nipple, his face buried against her breast. He was forced to suckle by the sheer mechanical pressure of her grip. It was intensely intimate, utterly humiliating, and bizarrely, physically arousing all at once—a perfect storm of chaos and confusion that made the System absolutely buzz with activity.
The pink text flashed, frantic now:
[Trait Activation: Nurturing Protocol - Sub-Routine 1 Initiated.]
[Action: Forced Suckling.]
[Dignity: -50 (Critical Level).]
[Energy: +10 (Theoretically).]
[Sexual Arousal: +35 (Unexpectedly High).]
Ken tried to cough, tried to bite, tried to pull away, but Alis's grip was like iron. He was trapped in the most profoundly embarrassing and deeply inappropriate situation of his entire new life. He could taste the faint, sweet, yeasty residue of the bread mixed with her clean skin, and the whole experience was sending shame and forbidden pleasure straight through him.
As he was sucking her nipples, he realized, that he was utterly defeated by the baker's daughter.
"You are going to regret this, Alis!" he managed to grunt out, the words muffled entirely against her chest.
She just made a soft, satisfied little sound in the back of her throat, stroking his hair with her free hand. "Better now? Are you feeling full?"
As she kept him locked there, applying a gentle, rhythmic pressure that forced his reluctant cooperation, the sensation began to take hold. The humiliation slowly morphed into a strange, intense focus.
Ken stopped fighting. He couldn't beat the maternal instinct; it was too strong, too overwhelming. Instead, he opened his eyes, staring at the faint outline of the moon through the cloth of her chemise. He focused on the bizarre reality of the situation.
The System, sensing his change in attitude, calmed down slightly.
[New Quest Objective: Locate the Off Switch.]
[Tip: Check the spine.]
The spine? Ken thought, focusing his eyes on the one hand Alis had pressing against his back, right below his neck. What the hell does that mean?
He needed a way out, and the System, for once, seemed to be hinting at a method beyond simply wrestling.
Ken relaxed his body entirely, letting out a convincing, ragged sigh of pure surrender. The moment the tension left his shoulders, Alis's grip on his face eased slightly, satisfied that her "darling" was finally cooperating.
With the small amount of slack she gave him, Ken used the hand that was pinned under her arm to subtly feel around her back, trailing his fingers down the exposed skin of her spine beneath the torn fabric of her chemise. He felt the bumps of her vertebrae, smooth and hard, until his fingers hit a spot that felt strangely... different.
It wasn't a bump or a scar. It was a faint, almost invisible, rectangular indent. Like a small panel or switch, buried just beneath the surface of her skin, right in the middle of her back.
He gave it a press.
Nothing.
He pressed again, slightly harder, just as Alis let out another contented coo and applied more pressure to his mouth, forcing a deeper suckle that sent a shock of intense feeling through his core.
Then, he heard it—a faint, almost imperceptible click.
Alis slumped forward the instant he heard the click. One moment she was a terrifying, flour-scented juggernaut of affection; the next, she simply powered down, her head falling against his shoulder with a soft whump. Ken froze, waiting for another system message—something like [Trait Reactivation in 3…2…1…]—but the only sound was the fire crackling and his own pulse threatening to quit.
He eased her off and laid her gently on the grass. "Right. That was… new."
Flour streaked his tunic, her hair, and what remained of his dignity. All equally ruined.
The System finally chimed in, cheerful as ever:
[Maternal Protocol: Deactivated.]
[Condition Achieved: Target Unconscious / Trait Suspended.]
Ken blinked. "Wait, that's it? She just needed a nap?"
[Affirmative. Maternal Instinct Trait disables when user is rendered unconscious or in deep sleep.]
He stared at the glowing text in disbelief. "You're telling me all I had to do was knock her out? I nearly suffocated in cleavage because you forgot to mention that?"
[Clarification: You did not ask.]
"I didn't—why would anyone ask that?" he hissed. "That's not an FAQ question! That's a therapy session question!"
[Tip: Self-awareness is the first step to growth.]
Ken dragged both hands down his face, smearing ash and flour into a new shade of despair. "You're lucky I can't uninstall you."
[Error: User lacks admin privileges.]
He groaned. "Figures."
He looked down at Alis. She was breathing evenly now, blissfully unaware of the chaos she'd just inflicted. The firelight painted her features soft again; all menace gone. If not for the shredded blouse, she might have looked like she was simply napping after a long day's work.
Ken sighed. "You're a menace, Alis. A sweet, homicidally affectionate menace."
[Suggestion: Maintain distance until next conscious cycle.]
"Yeah, thanks for the safety tip," Ken muttered. "Got any more genius advice? Maybe a pamphlet titled So You Accidentally Triggered a Mother Complex?"
[Generating pamphlet...Error: sarcasm detected.]
He groaned louder and grabbed his satchel. "You're the worst sidekick since the concept of sidekicks."
[Reminder: Without me, you would have died at least six times.]
"Without you, I wouldn't have lived through that!"
[Statistically arguable.]
Ken shot the air a look that could have melted iron. "I swear, one day I'm going to find your developer and make them eat their own patch notes."
[Acknowledged. Motivation logged as 'petty vengeance.' Bonus points increase: x2.]
Ken turned toward the road. The moon was high, painting the path silver. He spared one last glance at the sleeping baker's daughter. "No hard feelings," he said softly. "When you wake up, please don't hug me to death again."
The System blinked one last time.
[Reminder: You left your dignity behind.]
He looked down where the pink text hovered over an imaginary item. "Yeah," he muttered, trudging off. "Keep it. I wasn't using it anyway."
Behind him, the fire popped, the river whispered, and somewhere in the void, the world's most unhelpful interface took credit for another "successful" mission.