The Lakebed Surprise (M)

[Black Clay Lord]

This is a story I came up with on a whim, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

You will notice references to Krystal's Solo sink, Janice's Mud Stomping, and finally Kristine's Creek Mud Skirt.

All wrapped in one no less as I was very much indecisive on which one to refer to, so I picked them all.
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20-year-old Pearl Socrates. The greatest prodigy in magic among the 1/2 Mermaid Clan, and a tried & true explorer at heart. She has explored Olympus itself top to bottom, but still manages to find something new every day. Today was no different. Packing up a travel bag, Pearl was preparing to set out on a journey. One that would take her to one of the continent's lakes. However, it was not to a lake brimming with water as you might be expecting.

No. Pearl, at her core, is one of the biggest absolute mudlarks in the family. She intends to visit a lake that's dried up. And to her: A dried lake often means sweet deep mud. Lots of it. Though it was often more like quicksand, Pearl just doesn't care. Her heart was set on exploring a lakebed that would be muddy, and by golly she was going to do it. "I've got all I need." Said Pearl, checking her bag. "Rope, water, towel, provisions... All perfect." She then said.

Zipping her bag closed, and getting dressed in a cute pink explorer's outfit, Pearl leaves her room, and goes down the stairwell, but just before going out the front door, she leaves a note on a table that rests by the front door. It explains that she's going to take a trip down to one of Olympus's most ancient lakes: Lake Tiamat. The lake is so named because it was once home to the great serpentine Kaiju Tiamat, but as she got bigger, the lake couldn't fit her.

She eventually left the lake she called home initially to spend her life out at sea instead. The lake itself is found in a flush stretch of what was once Africa, the World's greatest wilderness. Situated on a stretch of land that can see the lake empty into a river channel that eventually empties into the sea itself. It was this river that allowed Tiamat to slip safely into the ocean, and grow into a huge sea monster. However, the lake itself has seen constant dry ups.

As a result of this, the lake has been a shell of its former self. However, the bed itself is often left exposed due to this. And because it's nearly impossible for it to dry out completely, chances of it being quicksand are always 100%. That said, the lake has always managed to refill itself at the best opportune times; such as when fish are swimming to the lake to spawn inside of it. Nevertheless, Pearl is heading for this exact lake, but she chose to take the family jeep.

The reason she chose to drive there is because with what she's got in her bag; which is really her clean clothes, food, and water, walking to the lake would take 3 hours. Driving to the lake only takes 20 minutes. Fortunately for Pearl, the jeep runs entirely on solar power, and the sun was out all day. She would be able to get to & from her destination on the sun alone. "Couldn't have picked a better day for this baby." Said Pearl, smiling at the sun.

But, 15 minutes into her drive, the jeep suddenly slowed, then stops. "Huh?" Pearl blinked, looking around soon after. "Why did I suddenly stop?" She then asks herself. She checked the jeep's battery. It was very much running as it should. She then checked how much fuel the jeep had; and could see that the gas tank was full, but since Pearl was using the sun, there was no need for it; and since it ran on biofuel, this jeep was as green as it can get.

Then, suddenly, Pearl noticed the land starting to get... bigger. "Hold up. This can only mean one thing..." Said Pearl, realization setting in. "I must've drove into some quicksand!" She exclaimed. Looking outside, Pearl can indeed see that her ride was sinking. "Crap... I wanted only myself to sink. Not the jeep, too..." Pearl then says, stepping out of the jeep and avoiding the quicksand as she does so. She could see the wheels of the jeep have already sunk under.

Thinking fast, Pearl raised her right arm, shrouding it in Earth magic. The quicksand was affected, and her jeep stopped sinking. Then, Pearl proceeded to manipulate the quicksand to make it come to life, and place her jeep on the solid ground ahead of it. "Phew!" Pearl said. "That was easy." She then quipped, before hopping back into the vehicle and resumed driving. And finally, after 5 minutes, Pearl arrives at her intended destination: Lake Tiamat.

From across the lake, the Etosha Salt Pan could be seen a good distance away. Over there, water is more of a mirage than reality. Though it does well up there. Nevertheless, that was not Pearl's destination. Grabbing her travel bag and stepping out of the jeep, she made her way towards the lake, and stopped at its edge. The lakebed exposed had a slippery slope that would make getting in easy, but climbing out very difficult. Which is why Pearl came prepared.

Taking what is essentially a 7 meter long rope, and a spike to tie it on, Pearl sets up her escape route. First, she plants the spike into the ground, making certain that it's anchored in place. She then ties one end of the rope she brought onto the loop itself. With a tug, she tests how well her knot in the rope is, and how secure the spike is set. And sure enough, both meet her expectations with flying colors. Then, down she goes onto the lakebed itself.

Using the rope she brought for a safe descent, she could feel the edge of the lakebed was all very gooey as she climbed down onto its surface, noting that the clay that made up this area had seen many years of saturation; which no doubt left it in this state for a very long time. For Pearl, this was an exciting prospect. And that excitement grew more once her feet touched the cracked surface of the bed itself. It was just as gooey as the edge itself, if not more so.

This discovery only added to Pearl's excitement. "Gooiness at its sheer finest..." She said, clearly expressing her joy at the sight & feel. As Pearl starts to trek across the cracked surface of the lakebed; knowing plenty of good spots on the bed as she had come here before, little did she know that she was in for a very big surprise this time around. Pearl's navigation halted the moment her right foot stepped on a crack, and right down into the ground it went.

Pearl gasped out, but when she tried to pull her foot free on its own, it just wouldn't come free that easily. The quicksand underneath held her fast. Not only was the quicksand underneath very thick, it was also extremely sticky. Easily the best of both worlds in one with the quicksand here. Yet Pearl's shock was quick to fade as she slipped her other foot into the quicksand, and she playfully began to unearth more of the clay beneath the lakebed.

But as she does, Pearl sank no further than to her calves. "Definitely a good spot..." Pearl said. "But, I think I can do better." She then added. However, Pearl came to yet another realization: With the clay being this thick & sticky, getting out of it would be an absolute chore. As Pearl studied her situation, it quickly became clear as mud that going too fast would get her nowhere. Taking it slow, Pearl relaxed her body & mind, and tried raising her right leg.

Slowly but surely, the quicksand's grip loosened, and Pearl was able to move from her current spot, and start searching for another. The quicksand she sank in was no more but a slightly shallow puddle. Yet, Pearl felt that just wasn't good enough for her tastes. She felt that for her to really get into the sinking mood, more so than she is now, she would have to get to her thighs at maximum, her knees at minimum. And by golly, she was going to reach this goal.

As Pearl prodded the bed for more quicksand to try out, she suddenly stopped, having a most peculiar thought come to her. "Why am I going around here with my boots on?" Pearl asked herself. "This requires bare feet!" She then exclaimed. Pearl at that point trails back to her rope, using it to guide herself back to the edge of the lake itself, and she climbs out of it shortly after, and that's despite the muddy slope not making that easy for her in the slightest.

Nevertheless, Pearl managed to climb out of the lake, and return to the jeep she drove. Immediately, she took her boots off, and her socks; the latter of which she looked at, with slight disgust. "I knew I shouldn't have worn white socks for this..." She said, with a heavy sigh. "Oh well... At least we have some good detergent that'll get it out easily..." She then adds, putting both her boots & socks into the jeep. Almost immediately, Pearl gets back into the lake.

As she does, her feet meet the muddy slope, making Pearl blush deeply. It was quite cool to the touch, and it seemed like her feet thanked her for freeing them from those explorer boots. "You're welcome." Pearl says to her feet with a giggle. As she steps back onto the lakebed itself, that same coolness she felt on the slope greeted her here as well. Yet Pearl didn't get far before she stepped onto a new spot to sink into. Immediately, she put her other foot in.

Pumping her legs, Pearl churned the cracked surface, once again stirring up some very gooey clay underneath. But, once again, Pearl sank no deeper than her calves here. "Calf deep again..." She quips. "Got to do better." She then said, stepping out of the puddle. As she treks the cracked earth, it was not long before Pearl's right leg sank, and going right past her ankles. "Whoa!!" She cried out, just before chuckling. Seeing how deep her leg sank, she just smirked.

"Now we're getting somewhere." She said. And she dived her left leg into the spot she had sunk into, pumping her legs to give the impression of a half hearted escape attempt. This made Pearl sink to her knees, putting her in a good mood now; more so than when she started. "Now I need to find a very deep spot that will swallow me whole..." She said, in a dreamy state. But in order to do that, Pearl had a most brilliant idea on how to find her desired quicksand.

As Pearl pumped her legs a bit more, she added more force to it, giving the impression of stomping on the quicksand. "Been a while since I went mud stomping..." Said Pearl. With this in mind, Pearl pressed her hands onto the cracked earth, slowly working her legs to loosen the incredible grip the quicksand had on them. And in no time, Pearl was able to raise her leg without issue once more. Her other leg was quick to follow in no time at all either.

As Pearl sets about on her muddy playtime, she proceeded to use her geomancy to scan the bed for spots that would be perfect for her mud stomping. The mid brown areas indicated that she'd only reach her thighs. And just behind her, was a spot that was highlighted in a sort of darkish brown. That signaled to her quicksand that would swallow her whole; even if it doesn't reach any deeper than 2 meters. The puddles were highlighted in light brown though.

Pearl proceeded onward, prodding the cracked earth for vulnerabilities, and anytime she found one, she would stomp down, making her foot slip under the surface, and the next step would see her other leg sink down. Pearl found delight in this, and as she leaned forward, her right leg sank down as she slowly worked her left one up. Of course, it was anything but easy since the quicksand was so sticky, it wouldn't let go easily. But, Pearl was determined.

And sure enough, her leg came free, just to swing over a bit and get stuck in the quicksand again. "I'm starting to think this might not have been my smartest idea..." Said Pearl. She then shook her head. "No, what am I saying? I came to have fun, and that's precisely what I'm going to do." She then said, with her head in the air. As Pearl stomps her way across the lakebed, churning the gooey clay as she goes, she came upon a rather strange sight.

It was a small tree stump. But, the stump was no longer wood. It was stone, having petrified over the years. Pearl couldn't help but feel puzzled by the sight. Perhaps the tree was submerged during the shifting of the continents? Or perhaps, an Earth Elemental planted it in the lake to create a World Mangrove Tree and was cut down by Tiamat? No one really knows. But Pearl decided that was a mystery for another day. She decided to go to it right now.

Pearl made steady progress to the stump. But every time she tried to pick the pace up to reach it, she would just get glued in place & stop. "Ah, can't ignore my golden rule here..." Said Pearl, settling down to let the quicksand release her so she could keep going. It didn't take Pearl long to reach the petrified stump, and she takes a moment to rest, seating herself on the stone tree stump. It was surprisingly cool to the touch despite the fact that it was barely shaded.

"Hmm, didn't I see a woman stomp mud while against a stump once...?" Pearl asked herself, before gingerly remembering that this was indeed a thing that happened. Pearl giggles. "I should do that myself." She then says, standing up and placing a hand on the stony stump. Moving ever so slowly in the thick clay; so as to not sprain an ankle as that would be bad out here, Pearl positioned her legs so that they face the stump instead of the water far up ahead.

As she does, Pearl stomps the quicksand with her right leg, just before it was put into its final position. Pearl at that point, placed her hands on the stone stump and began to work her legs in the thick clay surrounding it, and her. Enjoying the sensation, Pearl puts her legs to good use as she settles in on her spot, putting in a good churn as she does. Even so, this also gives her a crystal clear idea of just how thick the clay is. It was quite the noisy goop to say the least.

It was as if one air pocket after another collapsed, and another proceeded to take its place, just in time to collapse as well. Of course, Pearl, being the mud lover that she is, didn't seem to care all that much. "I wonder if doing this long enough will make my hips & butt grow...?" Said Pearl, looking back at her butt as it rose & fell like a working piston in motion. Surprisingly, Pearl did notice her hips gain an inch, which also affected her butt as well.

"They grew...!" Pearl said, almost in disbelief of the sight. But, her disbelief faded away almost immediately. Pearl then resumed her stomping as she supports herself on the stone stump, and noticed right away that the stone stump had some sort of magic to it. It was relatively weak, but still potent. It was as if the magic heard Pearl, and decided to grant her wish for bigger hips & butt. "Maybe a maximum of 40 inches to cap it up..." Said Pearl.

As she continues to work, the magic in the stump reacted to Pearl's wish, flooding her hips to make them grow slowly. And as this happens, a salty breeze began to blow over Pearl. Light winds from the west carried salt from the Etosha Pan and over where Pearl stood. She could feel the breeze blow over her, and into her beautiful long brown hair which draped down to her knees in the back. Pearl didn't expect the salty breeze, but welcomed it nonetheless.

She thought it felt really good. And it certainly shows why that is. Nevertheless, Pearl felt her hips reach their cap of 40 inches, and her butt was just as big now. In addition, she felt her waist line had been similarly boosted to 28 inches. And since it was a permanent expansion, Pearl would not be able to reverse it. Not that she wanted to do so anyway... Nevertheless, the magic in the stump ran out at that point, but began to replenish even though it'll take time.

"I think that's enough." Said Pearl, as she stops her workout near the stone stump. "Now it's time to actually sink." She then declared. She then started to make her way to where the deeper quicksand was, stomping through the mud to reach it. Quite pleased with her work, Pearl again moved slowly across the lakebed. Then stopping in her tracks, she got a new idea. "I should finish my stay up here topless." She said, reaching for her top without hesitation.

The top Pearl was wearing was one of those tie up explorer shirts. It certainly was less of a hassle than those button up shirts. But then again, get the knot too tight, and then you've got problems. Nevertheless, Pearl undid the knot in her top, and slid it right off her person; which also taking her bra off as well. But, Pearl faced a problem: her path was far from the jeep, and being so stuck in the quicksand, it would tire her out making a 2nd trip to and from the lakebed.

Once again, Pearl solved this problem with her magic; Arcane magic this time. Opening a small portal that goes to the inside of the jeep, Pearl threw her top & bra inside before closing the portal. As Pearl resumed her way shortly after, she took the time to notice that half of her thighs were caked in the clay, showing that her adventure here was paying off handsomely in a sense. And as she got closer to the deeper quicksand, Pearl has kept something in mind.

The whole time, Pearl has been able to keep her feet above the cracked earth as it gave way beneath her feet. This made it easy for her to stomp on the mud, and push her feet below as she sank down some. Yet part of her felt that luxury wasn't going to last forever. And sure enough, Pearl found that stomping in the mud was not going to cut it any longer. The thickness of the clay had loosened some, so now Pearl was able to slog through it instead.

Nevertheless, Pearl still found that she could get her feet up on the surface, just in time to make it go back down with a little bit of force in order to move forward some. After that, Pearl motioned her other leg forward, but was unable to bring it up to the surface, instead having it dragged forward through the clay as it was churned & broken up some. "I've got to be close now..." Said Pearl, moving through the clay without so much as a thought on quitting.

At last, after much slogging, Pearl arrived at her destination. But, Pearl pressed on the surface of the earth and, working herself up slowly, rose to better approach the quicksand awaiting her. She could tell just by looking at the spot, that the cracked earth was darker there than it was everywhere else. In areas like this, that's a good indication that sinking in those spots means going under inevitably. This is precisely what Pearl wanted, and she's going to get it.

And once Pearl was up to her knees at the very least, she proceeded to move forward in the clay, entering the deep quicksand. Pearl however, has noticed that the rope she brought was at this exact spot. "Ah, perfect." She said, upon taking note of this. As she slogged through the quicksand, more & more of its cracked surface melted away, revealing more quicksand. She certainly liked what she was seeing, yet soon enough, Pearl suddenly stopped moving.

Pearl had found her ideal spot to sink, and sure enough, she slowly sank down into the quicksand. Pearl raised her right leg some as her thighs slowly disappear. From this, she got an idea of just how heavy the clay on her body was. But did she ever regret stomping around in the quicksand? Nope. She welcomed the coating warmly. Lowering her leg at that point, Pearl rested her hands on the surface, pushing against it some, despite the fact that it was pointless.

But, she did it for fun, and eventually got her hands gooped up from it as well. Noticing this, Pearl just giggled at the sight of her clay coated hands. "Very sticky..." She said, smiling. She felt her thighs have disappeared, and the quicksand now has her at her butt. But, with her butt being a few inches bigger now, Pearl realized that it was going to be difficult for the quicksand to swallow it. Yet, Pearl did not regret her decision to have her butt expanded.

In fact, it exemplified her booty shorts a lot better than previously. Nonetheless, Pearl didn't want to stop here. "Maybe if I dance a little bit..." Pearl said, as she began to sultrily shake her hips in the quicksand, as if she were doing a belly dance. And sure enough, this churned the quicksand some, allowing it to swallow Pearl more. And as she felt her hips & butt sink under, Pearl blushed deeply, feeling the quicksand push against a sweetspot of hers.

Pearl gasped out, throwing her head back as she does. But that of course was merely the beginning. As Pearl sinks deeper & deeper, the quicksand rubbed up against her bellybutton once it reached it. She got a nice cool feel of the quicksand in that spot, and she was loving it. Pearl lowered her head back down as her sink in the quicksand continued to progress ever so smoothly. She soon found that she was still able to gyrate her hips below the surface some.

This helped her descend some more, seeing her arms become mired in the quicksand as she was now halfway to her hefty K-Cup breasts. "Mmm, it's so good..." Said Pearl, her tone in a sort of dreamy state. As she sinks to her breasts, Pearl rested her arms on the surface, before gingerly letting them slide below the quicksand. Only her hands remained as Pearl simply swayed side to side, eyes closed, and a whimsical smile draped across her face the whole time.

"So very good..." She moans out, before allowing her hands to slip under the surface, and at that point, Pearl started to twirl her body slowly in the quicksand. Though it seemed more like a gyration than actually twirling. Regardless, as she did so, the thick & sticky quicksand put on a cacophony of gooey sounds for Pearl as she gyrates herself in the quicksand. Pearl looks around at how deep she was in the quicksand, and she loved it.

As Pearl continues on, the salty breeze blew by once again, and this time her nipples were in its path. Since they were exposed, the wind; combined with the cool quicksand, made them tingle a little bit. In a chain reaction, Pearl's blushed deepened, she threw her head back again, and moaned out loudly. Yet, she was the only one in this area. No one else was around to hear her voice; which seemed to be okay with her as she could manage her situation.

Then, her motions cease, and Pearl noted that she was floating. "I can't float..." She said. "Need to go under..." Pearl at that point, motioned her shoulders, proceeding to churn the quicksand a bit more. As she does, her breasts slip under steadily until they disappear, and Pearl sinks until she's at her neck, but then again, the quicksand does not keep her at her neck for long as she feels that slide under as well. As it does, she tilts her head back immediately.

With nothing else holding her descent back, Pearl's sink was able to finish uninterrupted. "It's squeezing my body..." Pearl said. "Why does that feel so darn good...?!" She then asks, almost in frustration; which was quick to fade. Pearl just smiled soon after, letting the quicksand roll over her eyes, while she pants for a breath or two, just before the quicksand claims her nose & mouth as well, pushing her under its thick & sticky surface, and yet Pearl went further down.

But, Pearl sank down no further than 2 meters; as that was how deep the quicksand she was in proved to be, as she had suspected. Yet, as fun as it was to have sunk, Pearl knew that it was time to wash up & return home. Shifting into her mermaid form, Pearl swam up from the bottom and back to the surface; which was not very far at all. Breaking the surface, Pearl grabbed onto her rope, and gingerly tugging on it, she slowly crawled out of the quicksand.

Left heavily coated, Pearl was nonetheless happy that she got to sink here. Nevertheless, following her rope, she made her way back to the lake's edge, and climbed up the muddy slope that lined it. Then, she summoned a great blob of water above herself, and allowed it to drop down on her form, washing the clay off. Although she could've gone to the body of water up ahead, she knew the sun would harden the clay on her body in a short time.

That would translate to her being petrified, and that was not on Pearl's to-do list today. Pearl then reached into the jeep, pulled a towel she brought with her, and dried herself off. "Man, that was a lot of fun..." She said, sighing. "Maybe I should bring a friend next time..." She then added, just before putting her bra back on, along with her top. Then, it was back into the driver's seat of the jeep, and Pearl drives off for her humble abode to tell her experience here.

The dried lakebeds of Olympus can certainly hold many gooey surprises, but what other secrets could they hold beneath their cracked surfaces? Pearl seems to believe that one of them holds an entire tar pit beneath. That in itself however, is another story for another time.

Pearl: Me