Penelope placed her palms on the tile wall, closed her eyes, and leaned under the shower head, allowing the warm water to cascade over her slick flesh, washing the suds away. Against long odds, she had battled her way to the final of the VaporMaze Tournament, one of a hundred women set to battle for eternal glory in the new and already wildly popular sport.
Through four rounds of competition leading to the final, fifteen hundred female athletes had fallen prey to the PetraTec TF-7 HazeMaker, vaporized for the entertainment of billions of passionate StoneSport fans worldwide.
Penelope and her rivals would be up against the most skilled hunter in the tournament, Darius ‘The Disintegrator’ Devlin. He’d also be armed with the brand new TF-7XL, sporting high-capacity fifty-round magazines and a laser scope. Penelope knew most of the women would be reduced to clouds of hot mist. With a lot of skill and no small amount of luck, she hoped not to be among them.
“Two minutes, ladies!” shouted a man’s voice behind her.
Jarred from her reverie, Penelope shut off the shower and surveyed the locker room. Her ninety-nine naked opponents dried off, tossed their towels aside, and lined up at the door. Opting to air dry, Penelope skipped the towel and took her place in the queue. The man at the door spoke into a headset, nodded, and addressed the competitors.
“All right, ladies, it’s time to rock and roll. Congratulations on making it to the VaporMaze Tournament final. Please proceed to the end of the tunnel. When Jim gives the signal, jog one lap around the field and meet at the maze entrance. Good luck to all of you!”
With her game face on, Penelope followed the other nude women through the locker room door and down the darkened tunnel. Spotlights wheeled around StoneSport Stadium as a raucous, sold-out crowd screamed and cheered in the chill evening air. Then, a familiar voice boomed from the arena’s speakers.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I’m Jim Ziegler, the ‘Voice of StoneSport,’ and it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the final of the inaugural VaporMaze Tournament!”
The fans roared in response as Jim continued.
“Without further ado, let’s welcome our lovely ladies to the field.”
Taking their cue, the hundred naked adversaries burst onto the field as the spotlights converged on them. With their bare breasts bouncing in time with their footfalls, the women waved to their supporters. Penelope pumped her fist in the air as she surveyed a sea of ‘Team Penelope’ signs among the many banners on display in the stands. She remained a fan favorite after her crazy stunt in the first round, but that just meant she had a bigger target on her back.
After completing their lap, the athletes gathered at the maze entrance. Darius Devlin stood nearby in full tactical gear with five spare mags around his belt and two strapped to each thigh. Including the mag already seated in his HazeMaker, he had a total of five hundred rounds to fire, enough to vaporize a hundred naked ladies five times over.
Penelope jogged up and slapped Darius on the back.
“What’s the angle of the dangle, my friend?” she asked with a sly grin. “Is all this female flesh making you hard yet?”
Darius laughed and glanced down at the bulge in his crotch. “Is it that obvious? I can’t help it, you know? Just being near so many hot, naked babes is nearly enough to send me over the edge.” He looked Penelope’s body up and down with a grin. “Present company included.”
“Oooh, Darius,” Penelope replied, striking a sexy pose. “Are you coming onto me? I’m flattered! But hold that thought for now. Maybe I’ll see you after.”
Darius nodded. “Best of luck tonight, Penelope. I hope you win, but I won’t hesitate to vaporize that smokin’ hot ass of yours if I see you in there. Strictly business, of course.”
“Copy that. Happy hunting, stud.” Penelope winked and slapped him on the butt before walking away.
She had evaded Darius in two earlier rounds, so Penelope knew he’d be gunning for her tonight and itching to watch her disintegrate. With any luck, he’d be overeager and prone to mistakes that worked in Penelope’s favor. She’d find out soon enough.
Jim’s voice once again cut through the din.
“All right, folks! We are ready to start the VaporMaze Tournament final. Unlike the previous rounds, the final is not timed. Once that door is locked, we won’t open it until only one athlete remains and the other ninety-nine have been reduced to a hot mist.
“And now, without further ado, the competitors may enter the maze. They’ll have one minute to disperse before we release Darius and lock the door behind him. Good luck, ladies!”
Penelope joined the line of women entering the maze. Once inside, she split off from the main group and sprinted deeper into the labyrinth of passages. StoneSport reset the maze after each round, so she had no prior knowledge of this configuration. Intuition and luck would be her only guides.
Penelope noticed more glass and mirror panels than in previous rounds. Those would likely keep things interesting. Jim spoke again.
“One minute is up! Darius, you may now enter the maze. Happy hunting!”
Darius took a deep breath and stepped into the labyrinth, cradling his TF-7XL HazeMaker. The door closed and locked behind him. Without a time limit to create urgency, Darius could afford to be methodical and resolved to take full advantage of that. He stole glances around the first few corners but didn’t find anyone. As expected, the ladies had taken refuge deeper into the maze. After a couple more twists and turns, Darius finally made contact.
She was a well-endowed redhead with an athletic build and hair tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes met his from twenty meters away. She smiled, stuck her tongue out, and turned to run. As he raised the barrel of his HazeMaker, Darius marveled at the woman’s youth and vitality. She couldn’t be older than twenty and had some spunk. This would be a privilege.
He centered the laser dot on her ass and squeezed off a single round. The bright green pulse struck her left butt cheek, flooding her with energy and immediately going to work on her molecular bonds. The cascading chain reaction disintegrated her nude body within seconds. A ghostly green haze in the shape of a woman hung in the air briefly before dissipating.
The crowd roared their approval as Jim provided an update.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the magic of VaporMaze: here one moment, gone the next. Nice shot, Darius! Keep that momentum going! There are plenty more naked ladies where that redhead came from.”
Penelope smiled when she heard the roar of the crowd and Jim’s announcement. One down, ninety-eight to go. The night was young but off to a good start.
Penelope stayed mobile and kept her head on a swivel as she navigated the maze. The women she came across seemed to have adopted a similar strategy, though a few opted to take and hold a position. Penelope rolled her eyes and kept moving.
She managed to avoid Darius for more than twenty minutes while keeping up with his disintegrating exploits via Jim’s frequent updates. Of course, she couldn’t avoid Darius indefinitely. Sure enough, they eventually made contact.
As Penelope peeked around a corner to the left, she saw Darius thirty feet away dispatching a group of seven women with a full-auto burst from his HazeMaker. He was a wizard with the weapon, a true artist whose medium just happened to be the disassociated atoms of nude females. As Penelope’s former adversaries faded from view, Darius caught sight of her and fired a pulse that grazed her right ear.
“Hey, Penelope!” he shouted.
“Sup, Darius?” she yelled back as she turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
“Oh, you know, chasing tail! The usual!”
Three more beams narrowly missed Penelope’s naked body as she dove left onto an adjoining passageway. She sprang to her feet, looked back over her shoulder, and ran headfirst into an athletic blonde.
“Shit, sorry,” Penelope mumbled as she ducked around the woman and continued down the corridor.
“No worries!” the woman replied. “You look like you’re running from—”
Her voice cut off abruptly. Penelope didn’t need to look back to figure out what happened. Another laser pulse narrowly missed her left hip. She careened around a blind corner straight into a crowd of naked women.
“Fuck,” Penelope muttered as she bobbed and weaved among her rivals.
She glanced back in time to see several of them vanish in a green haze. Darius was still on her trail. Penelope faced forward again and nearly ran headlong into a pair of brunettes.
“Move!” she screamed.
The two women’s eyes opened wide as a pair of laser beams sizzled over each of Penelope’s shoulders and struck them in the chest. They began to phase out of existence just as Penelope would have collided with their bodies. Instead, she stumbled right through the rapidly vaporizing nude women and kept running. Laser pulses from Darius’s HazeMaker continued to narrowly miss Penelope’s flesh, striking her surprised opponents instead. Some smiled and nodded to Penelope as they faded to wisps of green vapor.
The experience of sprinting through dozens of naked female phantoms was nothing if not surreal, though Penelope decided to reflect on it later and focus for now on not joining them in oblivion. She leaped headlong onto an adjacent path, tucked and rolled, and kept running.
Though Darius thoroughly enjoyed the flurry of disintegrating damsels, he was disappointed not to tag Penelope. They had become friends during the tournament, but their rivalry was stronger. Darius longed to watch the raven-haired beauty fade from reality.
“Did you see that?” exclaimed Jim over the stadium speakers. “That was a phenomenal battle between Darius and Penelope! Darius may have sent a lot of naked ladies into eternity, but something tells me he was gunning for the one who got away. Altogether, Darius has tagged seventy-two women so far. Twenty-eight remain. Who will turn into vapor next?”
Darius went on a hot streak after that, disintegrating twenty-five more nude women. Despite his success, he couldn’t stop thinking about Penelope.
Meanwhile, Penelope continued to stay one step ahead of her predator. With only two other women still in the competition, she could almost taste victory. With that delightful image in her head, she rounded another corner and came face-to-face with Darius, only twenty feet away.
He immediately unloaded an entire magazine into Penelope’s bare chest, causing her to stumble backward in shock. She clutched at her breasts, expecting her body to phase out of existence within moments. Her dream was going up in smoke.
But she didn’t disintegrate. Darius raised an eyebrow and ejected the spent mag. As it clattered to the floor, he jammed a new one home and lit up Penelope’s abdomen with all fifty rounds. Penelope noticed the glint of a glass panel between them, rendering the laser pulses from the HazeMaker harmless.
She laughed and began walking toward Darius, who was busy swapping mags again. As she reached the glass panel, she rapped on it with her fist. Darius finally lowered his weapon and slapped his forehead.
“Damn!” he exclaimed. “I thought I had you, Penelope.”
Penelope nodded. “That makes two of us, stud. I guess I’m still in this thing.”
“Yeah,” replied Darius with a grin, “for now anyway.”
Penelope mashed her breasts against the glass and slid them around. “You want some of this?” she asked with a laugh. Then she turned around and pressed her ass on the clear panel. “Or maybe this is more to your liking.”
“Nice,” said Darius, chuckling. “This isn’t over, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. See you around.”
And with a hearty slap of her ass, Penelope sprinted around a corner, thankful for her stroke of unexpected luck. Victory was almost within reach.
Darius shook his head, turned around, and headed the other way in search of more flesh. Jim provided an update to the crowd.
“We’re coming down to the wire, ladies and gentlemen. Only three women remain out of the hundred who began this final round. Darius needs two more hits to wrap up an epic inaugural VaporMaze Tournament. Which of our lovely ladies will claim victory tonight? We’ll find out soon.”
Since he no longer needed to pace himself, Darius sprinted through the maze, careening around blind corners and hoping to flush out his prey. After two lonely minutes, his luck changed as all three remaining women were lined up on a long, straight passage. They turned after hearing him crash into the wall, eyes wide in shock.
Darius knelt and sighted on the first female, disintegrating her with one round to the back. Penelope was next in line. With her opponent phased out of existence, there was nothing between her and Darius. As Penelope turned to flee, she tripped over her feet and lurched to the left. It was just enough.
A flurry of pulses grazed her right butt cheek and continued down the passageway, where they lit up her one remaining adversary. With a look of surprise, the woman’s nude body vaporized within moments. It was all over!
Jim quickly confirmed it.
“And that is that, people! After beginning this tournament with sixteen hundred lovely ladies, we are finally down to one. Our VaporMaze champion is Penelope York!”
Penelope stared in disbelief at the empty spot where her opponent had just stood. She had won! Penelope had actually won the entire tournament! The crowd clapped and cheered as she waved and pumped her fist. Then someone slapped her ass hard.
Penelope laughed as she turned around and gave Darius a naked bear hug. She pulled back and smiled.
“Is that a HazeMaker mag in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
Darius laughed. “I’m definitely happy to see you, Penelope. Congrats on your victory! You’re a worthy adversary.”
“Oh, I thought for sure you had me a few times tonight,” Penelope replied. “Nice shooting, by the way. Vaporizing ninety-nine naked women takes some serious skill.”
“I appreciate that.”
As the two athletes rehashed an exciting evening, all the maze panels dropped vertically into the floor. One floor panel in the center of the labyrinth raised thirty centimeters, creating a one-square-meter platform. Soon, Jim Ziegler joined them on the field with a microphone.
“Congratulations, Penelope! How does it feel to be the VaporMaze Tournament champion?”
“Honestly, Jim, it’s surreal. I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”
“That’s understandable,” Jim replied. He gestured to the stands. “I see a lot of ‘Team Penelope’ signs out there. Anything you want to say to your fans?”
“Absolutely! Thank you so much for believing in me. I can’t thank you enough for your support through all five rounds of this tournament. We did it!”
“There you have it, folks!” Jim exclaimed. “We’re going to have a little celebration down here on the field. You all can sit tight and watch highlights on the big screen. We’ll be back soon for the trophy ceremony.”
Penelope spent the next twenty minutes talking to the press, schmoozing with celebrities, pounding champagne, and generally feeling like a naked rock star. Soon enough, it was time for the ceremony. Penelope stood behind the raised platform at the center of the field as Jim addressed the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce your VaporMaze Tournament champion, Penelope York!”
Penelope stepped onto the platform and waved to all the fans. Jim continued.
“Penelope had the opportunity to receive a trophy for her victory, but she politely declined in favor of the other available option. Penelope, please prepare for your reward.”
Penelope faced forward with her feet together, arms at her sides, chest puffed out, and head held high. A gentle breeze played with her raven hair while she trembled in eager anticipation. Several seconds ticked by in silence.
Then, a hidden PetraCannon fired a single round from the tunnel. The laser pulse streaked over the heads of sports reporters and celebrities before striking Penelope square in the chest. The transformation began immediately as metallic waves rippled outward from the point of impact, wrapping around her torso and racing down her loins to envelop her legs. Next, the metal flowed over her arms, locking them in place at her sides.
With her body transformed, the wave ascended her neck, flowing over her chin, mouth, and nose. The impassioned cries of her fans faded to silence as her ears succumbed. The rabid crowd dimmed to darkness as her eyes became metallic orbs. Finally, the transformation crested her head and cascaded down her raven locks. And with that, it was finished.
Inside her rapidly solidifying body, Penelope’s thoughts were slowing down. She had dreamed of this reward since the tournament began. To experience it was beyond her wildest dreams. With eternal glory secured, Penelope’s consciousness took flight, soaring over StoneSport Stadium and into the gathering night.
Spotlights converged on the solid gold trophy of Penelope York as it gleamed atop its pedestal.
“Your champion, ladies and gentlemen!” Jim exclaimed to the crowd. “At the conclusion of tonight’s event, Penelope’s trophy will be moved to a place of honor in the StoneSport Trophy Hall. With that, our action-packed evening has drawn to a close. To those of you here in the stadium and the billions watching worldwide, thank you so much for joining us. On behalf of the entire team at StoneSport, this is Jim Ziegler signing off. Good night, everyone!”
Copyright 2023 Olivia Quinn
Image by Freepik
Story notes
And that concludes “VaporMaze Vixen”! Thanks so much for reading. And a huge thank you to Lady Penelope York of York Manor for agreeing to be featured as the main character.
This story takes place in the fictional world of StoneSport, which I also featured in “Golden Ember,” “A Pose About to Rock,” and “Mist Opportunity.” These stories (and others yet to come) are an opportunity for me to explore this world in preparation for writing a novel in 2024.
If you enjoy reading about the fearless athletes of StoneSport, please drop me a line and let me know. Comment on a story or hit me up on Discord (oliviaquinn_). Reader feedback means the world to me.
Article Tags: Competition · Disintegration · Female · Metal · Nudity · Sci-Fi · Statue · StoneSport · Volunteer
